All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream.

For several hundred NFL athletes, tonight may be the last night of a dream.

A dream they had when they were kids. Something started as a wish on a star on a clear night.

One they held tightly to their chests during first cuts in high school, and through two-a-days in the dog days of summer.

A dream which became more tangible as they went to college and stepped onto a stage bigger than any other they had been on.

A prayer to a power mightier than any other, or a whispered 'Please.' A bowed head on draft day with a finger pointed to the sky.

A hug from a parent when the phone call finally came.

You made it.

You're in the NFL.

Tonight may possibly be the shortest night of their lives. Dawn brings a realization that the years they've devoted to their dream, may not be enough to keep it alive. And I'd bet to others, it comes as a surprise. The call from the coach to bring your playbook to the stadium can only mean one thing. Some will get picked up by other teams needing players to fill roster spots left open by injuries. And others will go gently into that good night.

It's the end of a lifestyle. The end of being a teammate. The end of being part of something bigger than yourself. Football defined them. They went from being just another football player, to a someone who made it to the big game. The hometown hero maybe. A part of history, whether it be good or bad. Some don't get over losing that part of their identity. A piece of them has been irrevocably lost, never to return again.

Others take their fame and use it for good. They take a negative, and turn it into a positive. A move into charity work, or a new career. They go back to school and become again something more. They have more time to spend with friends and family and while they miss the days when they were playing, they don't miss the long days, the losses, and the pain.

C.S. Lewis said you are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream. To all those players who find themselves facing a life which might not include football after tomorrow, I wish for you the wisdom to realize as one dream ends, so many more are just waiting to begin. Good luck to you all.