Justice a fighter on and off the field

0 Comments | Philadelphia Daily News, May, 2006 | by BERNARD FERNANDEZ

Twenty-plus years ago, standout running back Herschel Walker took ballet lessons in an attempt to improve his footwork.

Walker's experiment in alternative training methods apparently did not catch on with the helmet-and-shoulder-pads set. You don't hear much any more of football players in tights dancing on their tippy-toes and executing arabesques.

But there is a growing movement among NFL players, and NFL wannabes, to adopt boxing training techniques as part of their offseason regimens. Eagles tight end L.J. Smith has considered training as a boxer, and Southern California offensive tackle Winston Justice, drafted in the second round by the team on Saturday, speaks approvingly of the months he spent in 2004 and '05 at the Wildcat Boxing Club in Hollywood, where he...