There is an old Yiddish word, schlemazel, which aptly describes Keith Bulluck's formative years.

Of course, the Tennessee Titans standout weak-side linebacker didn't realize as a teen that he fit the definition of a word -- referring to an individual who is often plagued by bad luck -- that some people might recall as being part of the Laverne and Shirley theme song.

Growing up in New City, N.Y., about 20 miles outside of Manhattan, if Bulluck didn't know bad luck, he wouldn't have known any luck at all.

	Bulluck

He never knew his father. His mother, who possessed a whole set of woes of her own, abruptly bolted for the Carolinas, leaving her 12-year-old son behind. Two older brothers were hardly prepared to raise their sometimes rebellious sibling. His grandmother, who did play an essential role in his life and still does, didn't have the means to take him in.

And then Linda Welch, with two sons of her own, welcomed Keith Bulluck into her home and into her family.

"From what I remember, it was supposed to be for two or maybe three weeks, just until something else could be worked out," Bulluck said last week. "You know, a temporary thing, like a stop-off on my way to a foster home or someplace like that. And you know what? It turned out to be for six years."

And Bulluck turned out to be a terrific person and, now, one of the NFL's premier young linebackers. Not that the transformation in either case, with his social skills or his athletic abilities, was particularly facile. Imagine being the lone black face at a crowded bar mitzvah; or trying to decipher the vowel-challenged Jewish prayers; sitting down to a seder meal at which the food neither looked or tasted very appetizing at first; adhering to the Sabbath; or attempting to comprehend why Passover was so important.

Think about how it felt for the adolescent Bulluck to know that he was among the best athletes in the neighborhood, but sometimes was among the last selected in pickup games. Or to wonder if his prowess in just about any sport he attempted would be sufficient to let him finally strike out on his own.

You want to talk culture shock? This was a real-life Diff'rent Strokes, another old television sitcom, although, unlike Mr. Drummond's fancy digs, the setting for the Welch domicile was far more modest than a Manhattan penthouse suite.

"But thank God for those people," Bulluck said. "I mean, it was crazy, sitting through the temple services, going to bar mitzvahs and stuff. Absolutely crazy. I'd look around and think, 'What am I doing here?' But the bottom line was, I was happy to be anywhere at that point, anywhere I had a chance to make something of myself."

Flash forward 14 years and Bulluck, no one can ever deny, has made the very best of what was a pretty shaky start to adult life. In 2002, his first year as a starter, the Titans' 2000 first-round draft choice posted 180 tackles. He had two sacks, an interception, a pair of fumble recoveries and three forced fumbles. Not bad for a player who, in his first two NFL seasons, had started only four games, primarily played on special teams, and totaled just 85 tackles.

It was a breakout performance, one that reflected the enormous all-around skills Bulluck possesses, a campaign that lacked only a Super Bowl berth and an all-expenses paid trip to Hawaii for the Pro Bowl. And while even team dentist Dr. James McPherson still gets the spelling of his surname wrong -- imprinting "Bullock" on his custom fit mouthpiece -- most people around the league certainly know the Titans star now by reputation.

Because the Titans employ Bulluck in so many different ways, a testiment to his complete skills package, opposing offensive coordinators have to make sure they account for him on every play and in a variety of circumstances. At a position that has undergone a sort of de-evolution over the past four or five years, Bulluck is a certifiable playmaker, capable of making an impact against the run and the pass.

Even when he wasn't starting in 2001, Tennessee coaches considered Bulluck a player who typically made an impact when he was on the field, but his snaps from scrimmage at that point were still limited. He played behind Eddie Robinson as a rookie, then was the backup to Greg Favors in 2001, before finally claiming a starting spot of his own.

Sometimes you've got to be lucky -- and Bulluck finally achieved some share of good fortune when Robinson and Favors both left the franchise in consecutive years -- and sometime you are so good the coaches can no longer afford to keep you tethered to the bench. Had the two older veterans stuck around, it would have been only a matter of time before the superior skills of Bulluck would have nudged them aside.

When opportunity finally knocked on his front door, Bulluck flung open the portal, and seized the chance to prove to the skeptics he was as good as he told them he could be. There were times in his first two seasons when he was despondent over the lack of PT and his special teams output was inconsistent.

But when he was elevated to starter's status, Bulluck elevated his game as well, and a lot of NFL observers contend he should have been on the Pro Bowl squad.

"There aren't many (linebackers) in the league," acknowledged Titans coach Jeff Fisher, "who can do all the things that Keith can do. If you're a linebacker who's playing all three downs, you have to be pretty special. He can do it all and the good part is that he's going to keep getting better. He's just a really well-rounded player."

	“	I want it all, and I want it as quickly as I can get it. First-off, a (Super Bowl) ring, that tops the list. Then I want teams and fans to know who I am. None of that, 'Man, who is that Bulluck guy?' I would love to be in the Pro Bowl. Not just one year but a lot of years.”
		—LB Keith Bulluck

Added former Titans middle linebacker Randall Godfrey: "He always had playmaker written all over him. From his first day, you could see he could play, but sometimes you have to wait your turn in this league. When his turn came, he showed people he was a do-it-all player, you know?"

Credit his cover skills to a stint playing safety at Syracuse, a position at which he posted three interceptions as a freshman, before physical maturity dictated a switch to linebacker. In his first season as a 'backer, his sophomore year, he registered 90 tackles. The last two seasons for the Orangemen, playing principally in the middle spot, he registered over 130 tackles each campaign and was awarded all-Big East honors.

There were four linebackers -- LaVar Arrington, Brian Urlacher, Julian Peterson and Rob Morris -- chosen ahead of Bulluck in the 2000 draft. But landing such a talented player at the No. 30 spot in the first round was a bargain for the Titans. They might not have been certain about where to play him, and Bulluck didn't always make things easy on himself by sulking at the fact he lasted so late into the first round, but they seemed to realize early on that he was a performer of vast potential.

Typical of the Tennessee organization, which is loathe to rush its younger players into the lineup, the Titans coaches nurtured Bulluck and brought him along at a pace at which the staff felt comfortable. Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz still believes that part of the reason Bulluck blossomed as he did in 2002 was that coaches had the luxury of providing him a couple seasons of apprenticeship.

Bulluck may have been in a rush at the time, but the coaches weren't, and the player now allows somewhat grudgingly that their prudence was advantageous. Of course, now the fourth-year veteran feels compelled to make up for what he considers lost time.

"Everything now is full-speed ahead," Bulluck said. "I mean, I want it all, and I want it as quickly as I can get it. First-off, a (Super Bowl) ring, that tops the list. Then I want teams and fans to know who I am. None of that, 'Man, who is that Bulluck guy?' I would love to be in the Pro Bowl. Not just one year but a lot of years. And I want to be a leader on this team. Hey, I know that's a lot of 'I wants,' but … ."

Yeah, but for a man who not all that long ago wanted more than he felt he might ever be able to achieve, it probably isn't even enough to compensate for years of need. Times are far better now. There has been a reconciliation of sorts with his mother. Bulluck remains close to the Welch Family, covets every note of encouragement his grandmother sends.

There is, in fact, a plaque that hangs in the back of Bulluck's locker, a memento sent to him by his grandmother, which simply reads: "Nothing is impossible."

And, oy vey, is Bulluck ever proof of that.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.