Chances are when Stallworth talks about jams he's talking about his musical selections, not fending off physical defensive backs. The Patriots wide receiver is an unabashed music lover. His iPhone and iPod nano are omnipresent. The iPhone is blasting music from his locker. The nano is strapped to his arm when he works out. The iPhone is on the field with him when he warms up before games.
"I can't go anywhere without my music," said the 26-year-old Stallworth. "Probably, anywhere you think I would want to go other than meetings and playing the game, but other than that I have it. I'm in my car. I'm in my room. If I'm anywhere, I've got my music."
Listening to music is as much a part of Stallworth's daily routine as putting on a helmet. He wakes up to Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. He switches to the strains of R&B chanteuse Rihanna on his way to the stadium and then rolls into hard-core hip-hop such as the late Tupac Shakur and current chart-topper Young Jeezy to get hyped up during the day.
On Sunday, when he takes the field in Miami to warm up for the Patriots' matchup with the Dolphins, Stallworth, who wears No. 18, will take his iPhone with him, put on his headphones, and go to "GAMEDAY18," the 81-song playlist he's compiled as musical motivation.
The playlist includes the aptly named "Champion" by Kanye West and T.I.'s "Hurt."
"He was like that even in school," said Patriots receiver Kelley Washington, who played with Stallworth at the University of Tennessee. "I think that's just an expression of him. He's got a lot of energy and he kind of feeds off of that. If you see him in pregame, he's got his iPhone. That's just how he gets ready . . . Some people drink coffee, some people eat breakfast. His thing is listening to music. It kind of gets him going."
Stallworth's teammates get a kick out of his musical predilection. He has been known to serenade those in the locker room with whatever song he's listening to.
"Loves music, can't sing a bit," said receiver Jabar Gaffney.
And to borrow from the title of one of West's songs, "Can't Tell Me Nothing," sometimes you can't tell Stallworth a thing because he can't hear you.
