"He didn't give up," Alfreida Simpkins Butler said of her son. "Most people probably would have given up, but he stuck with it and pursued his dream because that's what he wanted."

No bites at first

But the Packers didn't bite at first. When the IFL season wrapped up in late June, Simpkins figured his football career was over. He was ready to move to Philadelphia and work as a business process engineer for Ferrilli Information Group.

Instead, Simpkins finally got the call he was waiting for from the Packers. He flew to Green Bay for a tryout on July 28 and was signed Aug. 10 after the linebacker position was hit by injuries early in training camp.

Simpkins was a long shot at best when he arrived, but he finished second on the team with 13 tackles during the preseason. He had eight tackles, including seven solo, in the preseason finale at Kansas City — his final chance to show the Packers he belonged.

After releasing Simpkins in the final roster cutdown, the Packers re-signed him to the practice squad a few days later. Now he finds himself in a position to contribute.

"He had goals, he went after him and he never gave up," Simpkins Butler said of her son. "He kept pushing and he kept pushing and he kept pushing.

"Even when they put him on the practice squad, the first thing he said was, ‘Mom, I'm not going to give up. Before the year's over with, I'm going to be on the roster.' He has enough faith to believe that what he wants, he can go after."