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News & Events (Archive)

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The Chicago Cubs and outfielder Matt Szczur have reached an agreement under which Szczur will commit fully to baseball and forego seeking possible professional football opportunities. Szczur will continue to play in the Cubs organization under a minor league contract.

Szczur (pronounced "Caesar") was originally selected by the Cubs in the fifth round of the 2010 Draft out of Villanova University.

"We've had the great fortune to get to know Matt the last seven-plus months and are excited by his decision to devote himself completely to baseball and the Cubs," said Cubs General Manager Jim Hendry. "We've come to know Matt not only as a talented athlete but also as an exceptional person. He had a fantastic pro debut with us last summer and we look forward to supporting and fostering his continued development as a baseball player."

Szczur, 21, combined to bat .347 (35-for-101) with 10 doubles, one triple, 10 RBI, 24 runs scored, a .414 on-base percentage and a .465 slugging percentage in 25 professional games in the Cubs organization in 2010. The 6-foot-1, 190-pounder spent the majority of the season with short-season Single-A Boise, where he hit safely in all 18 games with a .397 batting average (29-for-73) to earn a six-game promotion to Single-A Peoria before reporting to the Villanova football team in August. Szczur, who bats and throws righthanded, is a native of Cape May, N.J.

In his junior baseball season (2010), Szczur hit .443 (77-for-174) and was named to the All-Big East first team after leading the team in eight offensive categories. The prior Fall, he helped lead Villanova to its first National Championship (Football Championship Subdivision) as a junior in 2009. Szczur was named the Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year and Special Teams Player of the Year. In the national championship, he rushed for a career-high 159 yards, 270 all-purpose yards and was named Most Outstanding Player.

Szczur missed most of the 2010 college football season due to a high ankle sprain but returned in time for the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs, where in the quarterfinal round he accounted for five touchdowns (three rushing, one receiving, one passing) in a 42-24 win vs. Appalachian State on December 11. Villanova lost in the semifinals to eventual National Champion Eastern Washington on December 17. Szczur will not participate in the Senior Bowl on January 29.

Congrats, Matt... It has been an honor working with you and we look forward to hard baseball training in the future!

 

TEST Football Academy has partnered up with the NFL Players Association Game

15 December 2010
San Antonio, Texas

TEST Football Academy has partnered up with the NFL Players Association Game to offer the best in strength and speed to NFL Players Association Game players during the game week in San Antonio, Texas. TEST Football Academy staff will be on hand for the entire week of the game to assist in warm ups for practices and the game as well as assist the players with flexibility, and to discuss the key components to becoming the best athlete you can be through proven training techniques for football players.

TEST Football Academy is the premier combine prep program in the country featuring world renowned speed coach Ato Boldon and a great group of NFL icons as positional coaches which include Sam Madison, Jevon Kearse, Scott Brunner, Mark Duper, Will Shields, Keith Elias, Eric Dorsey, Erict Rhett as well as many others.

TEST founder Brian Martin has assembled a complete team of speed, strength, nutrition, positional, medical, and mental preparation specialists in both South Florida and New Jersey locations. With the two TEST locations it really offers the "best of both worlds" with regard to media exposure in the New York City metro market and the warm climate of South Florida to prepare NFL veterans and future in the off season.

Both the NFL Players Association Game and TEST Football Academy want the best for our players and will do all we can to enhance draft status for each individual player with personal attention to detail specifically for each player. For more information on the game and activities please visit http://texasvsthenation.com/.

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TEST Football Academy moving operations to Florida Atlantic University (FAU)

TEST Sports and Athletes Edge Partner to Offer Elite NFL Draft Preparation

NJ-based TEST Sports and South Florida-based Athletes Edge have partnered to form "TEST Football Academy" - a leading football source for NFL players and NFL Combine prospects to improve their pro opportunities. Programs to be offered in New Jersey and Boca Raton, Florida. 

Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 MARTINSVILLE, N.J. and BOCA RATON, Fla., October 11th, 2010 –

 

New Jersey-based TEST Sports Clubs and South Florida-based Athletes Edge, two of the nation's leading performance training companies, have combined the efforts of their All-Pro teams of coaches and trainers in a new partnership announced today by TEST partners Brian Martin and Kevin Dunn and Athletes Edge partners Jeff Sanders and Don Icsman. Several of the National Football League's top players, including Baltimore's Joe Flacco and Philadelphia's Asante Samuel as well as emerging underdogs such as Jamaal Westerman of the N.Y. Jets and Eric Foster of the Indianapolis Colts have honed their skills through these programs.   

The TEST Football Academy has become one of the top football sources in the country for NFL players and NFL Combine prospects to improve their speed, strength, agility and other measurables, as well as focus on the intangibles that help them succeed. The team of coaches and trainers that work with TEST Football Academy athletes includes former NFL standouts like Sam Madison, Jevon Kearse, Scott Brunner, Billy Ard, Erict Rhett, Mark Duper, Will Shields, Eric Dorsey, and Rod Payne, along with Olympic sprinter Ato Boldon from Trinidad and veteran TEST and Athletes Edge professionals Martin and Dunn, Sanders and Icsman, Skip Fuller, Geir Gudmundsen, and Patrick Peterson Sr. of World Class Speed. The staff also includes a complete medical, therapy, massage, and sports psychology team to offer a one stop shop for NFL players. The program will be offered at TEST Sports Clubs in Martinsville, NJ and at Florida Atlantic University (FAU) in Boca Raton, Florida. There are many positive things happening at FAU including a newly approved 69.8 million dollar stadium and 200 million dollar Innovative Village on the FAU campus. Pictures of the new stadium project at FAU can be found here:

"We are excited to be bringing together many of the leaders in preparing players for the rigors of the NFL," said founder Brian Martin. "This will give athletes more options than ever to tap into the experience of world class coaches and medical staff in both New Jersey and South Florida. We now have access in South Florida to three outdoor 100 yard fields, a world class track, complete weight room and incredible therapy facilities. Together with our seasoned staff of professional and international athletes and coaches, we now have the perfect stage for athletes to perform at the highest level." 

 

Flacco Selected to Muscle & Fitness ALL NFL Strength Team

Cary Castagna - September 15th, 2010

 

Jets' new O-lineman has fairy-tale story Vladimir Ducasse who knew nothing about football growing up in Haiti; now he's in.
ESPN NewYork.com

It was like a scene out of "The Blind Side," the man-among-boys lineman -- a football neophyte -- turning heads with a gesture that defied gladiatorial etiquette. He acted gentlemanly toward an opponent.

Vladimir Ducasse has come a long way from Haiti. This was back at Stamford (Conn.) High School, Vladimir Ducasse's first game for the varsity, his first football game in ? well, ever. The 6-foot-3, 275-pound junior pancaked a defender and did something that caused a ripple of laughter among spectators and fellow players. "He was so raw," Stamford coach Kevin Jones said, "that he knocked a kid over and actually apologized and picked him back up."

Ducasse was new to the game -- new to the United States -- but he learned quickly. He got bigger, stronger, faster and became a dominant left tackle at UMass. On Thursday, he will report to the Jets' rookie minicamp, the next big step in an amazing journey that began in Haiti. He will have an opportunity to replace jettisoned left guard Alan Faneca, one of the decade's most decorated players.

Actually, this story might be too farfetched for Hollywood. "With what he's been through," GM Mike Tannenbaum said of his second-round draft pick, "you'd never bet against him."

This story was born on the Fourth of July, 2002, when Ducasse and his brother, MacArthur, arrived in Miami from Haiti. Things got so crazy in his homeland, with street violence and civil unrest, that his father, Delinois, sent his two boys to America for better educational opportunities. Vladimir was only 15, and didn't speak English, but he made his way to an aunt and uncle in Stamford, which became his home. Lezanoro and Virginia Ducasse became his guardians. He showed up at the high school and word spread quickly among the football players.

"Kids ran to my office and said, 'Coach, you have to see this kid who just moved here,'" Jones recalled. "It took me a while to find him, but I got him on the field and he decided to play. Everybody else was going through tryouts. I looked at him and I said, 'You made the team, son.'"

It was Football 101. In Haiti, Ducasse played soccer and basketball. Football was so foreign to him that he needed instructions when he put on his uniform for the first time. As Jones said, "We were starting at zero." Until he arrived in the U.S., Ducasse had never seen football, much less played it. Learning the basics, such as the three-point stance, became an adventure. But Ducasse fell hard for the game, showing up at his coach's office at 6:30 a.m. every day in the summer to lift weights and study the nuances of the sport. He made it like a job, spending eight hours a day with Jones.

"Once I got the helmet and pads on and started hitting people, I started to like it a lot," Ducasse said. Ducasse is a man of few words, but he could write a book with everything he has seen in his life. He's still haunted by the image of his father being robbed at gunpoint on a street in Port-Au-Prince. He was 12 when that happened, watching from the car in horror.

It was a hard place to grow up. As a boy, he routinely heard gunfire from his bedroom, the sound of street gangs up to no good. Some children get lullabies when they go to bed; Ducasse got "Boyz n the Hood." His father, an accountant, made the decision to send Vladimir and MacArthur to the U.S. It was hard, yet so easy to make them go.

Fittingly, Delinois was with Vladimir on Friday night when his son was drafted by the Jets. They were at a steakhouse in Connecticut, a long way from earthquake-ravaged Haiti. (No one from Ducasse's family was injured during the devastating quake.) It was quite a draft-night celebration. Jones was there, too, and he choked up as he described the emotions of the night and the past few years. "It was," he said, his voice cracking, "a good night."

Now the euphoria is over, and Ducasse has to get down to business. The Jets expect big things out of him, hoping he can make a successful jump from the Colonial Athletic Association to the NFL -- a huge leap. He and Matt Slauson, a second-year backup, will compete for Faneca's old job in training camp.

Ducasse is considered an outstanding drive-blocker, but he could struggle in pass protection. At the Senior Bowl, where he was exposed to major-college defensive linemen, he got off to a bad start in the pregame practice sessions. But he settled down, allaying concerns about the jump in competition. "He's a tough guy," said Joey Clinkscales, the Jets' vice president of college scouting. "He plays with an attitude if you've watched him play."

Here's a safe bet: You probably won't see him apologizing to his next pancake victim.

The TEST staff would like to congratulate Vladamir and all our other NFL clients for landing in new homes. Your hard work will continue to pay off.

Giants rookie Adrian Tracy tries out strongside linebacker position

Adrian Tracy’s college position coach was sorting through a mental highlight reel of his player’s school-record 47 career starts, and he couldn’t help but share possibly the quirkiest play of all.

William & Mary was playing at Richmond in 2007, and Tracy was rushing the passer in the fourth quarter. Tracy made an impressive move to bat down the pass — but somehow it deflected back into the hands of the quarterback, who scampered for a first down. “That’s one that got away,” William & Mary defensive line coach Trevor Andrews recalled with a chuckle this week. “But I’d have to think what stands out the most, he had some very opportunistic sacks in key situations.”

The Giants, who used five of their seven draft picks on defense this year, wouldn’t mind seeing some of those opportunistic plays from their sixth-round selection. But first, Tracy will have to settle in to a position he hasn’t played since his freshman year of high school.

A four-year starter for William & Mary at defensive end, Tracy tried out the strongside linebacker spot at the Giants’ rookie mini-camp this past weekend.

“We have seen him do it in an all-star game,” coach Tom Coughlin said. “So I think he can do it. It is going to take a little bit. There are a lot of things to take place when you are out there in space.”

Tracy did play at linebacker at the Texas vs. The Nation all-star game in February, and while training at the TEST Football Academy in south Florida was told by scouts he projected as a linebacker in the NFL.

Tracy started doing linebacker position drills and opening up his hips with flexibility exercises and yoga. He even worked with former Giants cornerback Sam Madison, a coach at TEST, who took him through defensive back drills and gave him tips on pass coverage.

TEST founder Brian Martin said Tracy was comfortable within a few days with his hand off the ground — even faster than former Rutgers defensive end and current Jets linebacker Jamaal Westerman, whom Martin trained last year. Not that the conversion was something Tracy had thought much about before he finished his final college season.

“To be honest, I was focused on that season,” Tracy said. “It was the last season that we had, and it ended up being one of the best we had in the history of William & Mary. So I was definitely excited about that.”

Playing alongside defensive tackle Sean Lissemore, a Dumont native who was drafted in the seventh round by the Cowboys, Tracy helped William & Mary reach the NCAA semifinals for the FCS last fall. He was very productive for the Tribe, picking up 22 sacks and 37 1/2 tackles for a loss over his last two seasons.

At 6-2, 248 pounds, Tracy was a smaller, faster mold of defensive end his college coaches liked against the spread offenses they played frequently. Andrews said William & Mary was a zone blitzing team, so Tracy has plenty of experience dropping into coverage, and he was also used as a stand-up linebacker in goal-line sets.

Trent Makes Good Read
Jenny Vrentas may be reached at jvrentas@starledger.com

Morgan Trent, the incumbent nickel cornerback in a suddenly high stakes game in the Bengals secondary, is going to be hearing it from his position coach. Kevin Coyle didn’t know until Friday that Trent is already the subject of a book despite having played in just 16 NFL games. “I’ll have to get an autographed copy,” Coyle says.

He can Saturday if he gets over to Borders at Northgate Mall between 1 to 4:30 p.m. Trent and Bobby Deren, the author of Draft Season, are having another signing session to promote the book that chronicles Trent and three other mid-rounders from the class of 2009 during the four months leading up to the draft.

If Deren, who covers college football for Rivals.com, hadn’t grown weary of the pro game’s business side, there is another book waiting in Trent’s 2010. Call it Watch Out, with the Bengals drafting a cornerback in the third round in Wake Forest’s Brandon Ghee and signing a former West Virginia cornerback once taken with the sixth pick named Adam Jones.

Subtitled, Welcome to the NFL, Kid.

Trent, taken in the sixth round out of Michigan, has no illusions. Those were all busted in last year’s draft. “Part of you wants to know what is happening, but that’s just football,” Trent says. “It will be interesting, but I don’t think it’s all that surprising. I think there’s always pressure in this league. We have to continue to compete. Very few people in the NFL have guaranteed jobs.”

If it sounds like Morgan is bright, competitive and realistic, now you know why Deren made him one of his subjects after meeting him at TEST Sports, a facility near Deren’s home in South Jersey that trains prospects for the NFL Scouting Combine.

“Morgan is just a well-grounded guy,” Deren says. “That’s the way he was at the beginning and after the draft. I was looking for guys who had different personalities and different backgrounds.”

Deren lined up Trent with South Carolina wide receiver Kenny McKinley, Florida Atlantic middle linebacker Frantz Joseph, and Nebraska tackle Lydon Murtha.

Not exactly Carson Palmer, Tim Tebow, Michael Oher and Sam Bradford. But Deren wasn’t shooting for glitz. He wanted grit and he got it with the inexorable wait of Draft Day being the best part of the book.

Other highlights: McKinley dealing with Senior Bowl politics when he had to leave early in the week with a tight hamstring, and Morgan finding out the awful words from his college head coach that he uttered to scouts before the draft.

The first guy taken was McKinley in the fifth round by Denver. Then Trent to the Bengals in the sixth and Murtha in the seventh by Detroit. Joseph didn’t get picked at all.

“The anxiety is what stood out to me,” Deren says. “I think not having the high-profile guys, the first-rounders gives a dynamic to it that would have been missing. At the end of it, Morgan was just wishing it was over. It’s a very draining process mentally and physically.”

Morgan is happy with the way the book came out. He should be. He’s portrayed positively, but the process is not.

“What was really hard for me was coming into the draft after being on a team with a bad record,” he says of the worst record in Michigan history. “No. 1 was having the scouts and coaches wonder if you could play. Why did we win only three games? That was a bad deal.”

Morgan isn’t fazed at all about being in a book and that’s one thing that isn’t a surprise after watching him play for a year. He’s mature, poised, polished, the product of big-time Michigan, and a solid two-parent home that has already celebrated his first anniversary with wife Liz. He wowed the Bengals in the rookie camp before breaking his foot and missing all of the spring workouts, but he came back quicker than expected and arrived at training camp in marvelous shape.

By the time safety Roy Williams broke his forearm in the week leading up to the fourth game, the Bengals felt good enough to put Trent in the slot and move Chris Crocker back to safety on third down.

Trent turned out to be the most productive rookie of the four. Joseph ended up playing in Canada after getting cut by the Raiders. McKinley caught three balls for the Broncos in eight games, and Murtha played one game for the Dolphins after they plucked him from the Lions practice squad.

“I thought he had a solid year,” Coyle says. “What really impressed us is how he came back in shape after the injury. You’re looking at a guy with all the NFL tools. The guy bench-pressed (225 pounds) 23 times, he runs well (a 4.35 at the combine) and he’s got the size you’re looking for (6-1, 195) and he’s a great kid. Really grounded. When you look at our assessment of him before the draft, we had him as a third-rounder.”

That’s about where Trent thought he would go. The Bengals didn’t do it because with two first-rounders in Johnathan Joseph and Trent’s old Michigan teammate, Leon Hall manning the corners, they had other pressing needs and they went bang-bang down the most wanted list:

Their two picks in the third round were pass-rusher Michael Johnson and tight end Chase Coffman, a center, Jonathan Luigs went in the fourth, and a punter, Kevin Huber, went in the fifth. When the dust cleared after the Bengals finished the assault on their holes, Trent was still there with that third-round grade early in the sixth round.

At the end of the book, Deren describes the scene with Lloyd Carr, the former Michigan head coach that recruited Trent to Ann Arbor, breaking the news to Trent that current head coach Rich Rodriguez did him no favors.

“Rodriguez had bad-mouthed him to every NFL scout he could,” Deren writes. “Rodriguez claimed that Morgan was lazy, he had an attitude problem and he was a big reason the Wolverines finished with a 3-9 record…”

Trent admits the words were “jarring,” and they were hard to understand given that he was so serious about his career that he actually moved in with his brother and sister-in-law and their two small children while going to Michigan.

But Trent was also worried about what Carr thought about his words showing up in the book. He talks to him, not Rodriguez.

“I really like Coach Carr. He’s been very good to me,” Morgan says. “I think at first he was wondering, but I let him know it didn’t put him in a bad light. I would never do something like that to Lloyd. He’s great.”

Coyle heard the rumblings, but he didn’t talk to Rodriguez and put more stock in other people close to the Michigan program that had been there before.

“When there is a coaching transition and the team ends up not having success, you have to step back and try to decipher what the truth really is,” Coyle says. “There was a lot of heat on those people and there was some pointing of blame. Plus, the players were somewhat chagrined, so you had to look at everything.”

Coyle had a big edge. He coached Trent at the Senior Bowl and not only was Trent impressed with him two months before he was drafted (“He’s not really a screamer and he seemed like he really cared,” Trent says in the book), but the feeling was mutual. Coyle spent a week with him and was sold on his solid personality and physical prowess.

Coyle never heard the words of Rodriguez until later and it wouldn’t have mattered. “I guess it was motivation,” Morgan says of the words that Deren estimates may have cost him $1 million. “(I) want to show people it was all false.”

Consider it done.

With Trent on the field, the Bengals were a remarkable 21-for-25 stopping the Ravens and Steelers on third down in back to-back wins in November. It will be recalled in Pittsburgh his tipped pass led to a Frostee Rucker interception (an hour later Marvin Lewis called it the most important series of the year opening the second half) and he later tipped away a pass headed to wide receiver Santonio Holmes that had touchdown written all over it in a six-point win.

But Trent also knows what happened the next week in Oakland. With the Bengals one snap away from a win on fourth-and-10, Raiders receiver Chaz Schilens caught a 16-yarder on Morgan over the middle to the Bengals 29 with 41 seconds left. One snap later, receiver Louis Murphy beat Trent one-on-one for the winning touchdown.

“I was over the top of him when I shouldn’t have been,” said Morgan of the touchdown. “The first one we were in an under coverage and I almost got my hand on it. That just shows you. A little sooner I knock it away and we win.”

Coyle: “It’s part of being a rookie and growing up in the league. It happens to everybody. I can point out other games he was knocking down key plays on third down. Cleveland for one. I think he’s got a bright future.”

Deren may be a little naïve when it comes to the NFL in the book. He raises too much of a protest when a team calls Trent late in the draft and mentions he may not be drafted and they are considering him as a free agent. That’s not inappropriate. That’s business. If he didn’t get drafted, he would have been very happy with the call.

But it is that different pair of eyes looking at the league that allows Deren to offer a fresh perspective on the process when he contrasts the flesh-and-blood emotions of the four players against the canned, banal quotes from NFL coaches and scouts and it makes you think when he comes away with the sense that players are treated like property.

Trent says the business end of it doesn’t get him down. He says the Bengals have a family feel and from what he understands from veterans that have been around, “it is one of the best locker rooms in the league,” he adds.

He has no qualms about welcoming his two newest competitors in Ghee and Jones. He says the locker room will be OK when the controversial Jones arrives.

“I think it will be fine,” Trent says. “Look at a guy like Matt Jones. He was supposed to have problems but we’ve welcomed him and he’s been great."

After this week’s signings, author and player go their separate ways. But the best chapter may just be starting.

“It will be interesting” Trent says. “Everybody in the locker room is just excited to get back to playing.”

Tracy came to William & Mary as a walk-on and had to prove himself. He’ll have the chance to do so again, at the next level and at a new position.

“Different keys, different reads, different movements,” Tracy said. “Playing at the next level, everything is extremely fast, and on top of learning a new position. But I’m definitely excited to be here and to do so.”

Elite Talent at Prestigious Premier Showcase Once Again
Recruiting Analyst, Rivals.com
February 21, 2010

Mike Farrell

PISCATAWAY, N.J. - The annual Premier Showcase sponsored by TEST Sports Club took place on Saturday evening at Rutgers University and was once again the place to be for top prospects hailing from New Jersey, New York, New England, Pennsylvania, Maryland and as far as Virginia. And once again, out-of-state stars came away with the hardware at the event led by Skill Position MVP Demetrious Nicholson who came all the way from Virginia Beach (Va.) Bayside.

The opportunity to compete against the best drew Demetrious Nicholson to the event. "It was worth the trip," said Nicholson, a 5-foot-10, 175-pound cornerback who was outstanding in drills and one-on-ones. "I wanted to show I'm willing to compete and it doesn't matter where it is that I want to take on the best. When I was invited it didn't matter that New Jersey was pretty far away, all that mattered was that this would be where top guys would be where I could lock them down."

Nicholson, whose list of scholarship offers includes Clemson, North Carolina, NC State, Stanford, Virginia, Virginia Tech, West Virginia and others, showed off impressive agility and athleticism to go along with quick feet and a smooth backpedal. He was one of many top defensive back standouts at the event. North Carolina currently has the edge for his services although he grew up a Virginia Tech fan and you can be sure some major offers will be on their way soon enough.

Nicholson plays at the same school that produced Florida State quarterback E.J. Manuel who came north to New Jersey a few years ago to take home Offensive MVP honors at the now defunct Elite College Combine.

The other major award at the event, the Big Man MVP, went to Washington (D.C.) Ballou offensive tackle Jamar Lewter. The 6-foot-7, 285-pounder, dominated the one-on-ones - a rarity in an event that gives defensive linemen such an advantage - by using his long arms, strong punch and excellent footwork. Lewter has early offers from Auburn, North Carolina, New Mexico, Pittsburgh and Utah with the Tar Heels holding the early edge.

"This was a lot of fun and a good competition," said Lewter. "To come up here and compete against the best and be recognized for it is a great honor. I'm glad to represent my school and area against some of the top players in the region."

Like Nicholson, Lewter's school has a history of coming to New Jersey and taking home hardware. Current UNC defensive tackle Marvin Austin came north a few years ago to take home Defensive MVP honors at the Elite College Combine a year before Manuel won his honor.

"I was in eighth grade at the time so I never got to go against Marvin, but I remember him winning it up here," said Lewter. "It's nice to keep the tradition going."

DEFENSIVE BACK DEPTH

In addition to Nicholson, the Premier Showcase was loaded with talented defensive backs making it the strongest position at the event. Others at the position mentioned as candidates for the Skill Position MVP award include East Stroudsburg (Pa.) East Stroudsburg South cornerback Kyshoen Jarrett and Washington (D.C.) Dunbar cornerback Vance Roberts.

Jamar Lewter was impressive in one-on-ones. Jarrett, who has early offers from Illinois, Maryland, Pitt and others, has a good frame at 5-11 and 178 pounds and was very physical and aggressive. Roberts, who is 5-10 and 175 pounds, won nearly all of his one-on-one battles and showed off great recovery speed and the ability to close on the ball. Roberts has an early offer from Syracuse.

Jersey City (N.J.) St. Peter's Prep safety Sheldon Royster also had an impressive showing and used his 6-foot-0, 185-pound frame and physical nature to lock down defenders and handle bigger receivers. Brockton, Mass., defensive back Albert Louis-Jean was also a standout, working on both sides of the ball and showing off his impressive speed and long reach. Royster has early offers from Rutgers and West Virginia while Louis-Jean has offers from Boston College, UConn, Maryland, Miami, Penn State, Rutgers and others.

Others of note included Owing Mills (Md.) Good Counsel cornerback Blake Countess, who has offers from Notre Dame, Pitt, West Virginia, Maryland and others, Washington (D.C.) H.D. Woodson cornerback Sherrard Harrington, who has an offer from Duke, and super sleeper Lorenzo Fisher from Washington (D.C.) Friendship Collegiate Academy.

On the offensive side of things, the wide receivers that gave the defensive backs the most trouble were led by Atco (N.J.) Winslow Township athlete Bill Belton and his teammate Devante Waugh. Belton has early offers from Louisville, Maryland, Pitt, Rutgers, South Florida and others and flashed incredible change-of-direction ability and suddenness. Waugh has an early offer from Louisville and was the best receiver at getting off the line of scrimmage.

Sicklerville (N.J.) Timber Creek athlete Damiere Byrd, who has offers from Rutgers, Maryland, South Carolina, Stanford and others, was also outstanding at the event flashing his impressive speed and solid hands while Long Branch, N.J., athlete Miles Shuler showed excellent quickness and the ability to separate. Shuler has offers from Boston College, Rutgers, Pitt, Stanford, Northwestern, UConn, Duke and others.

Downington (Pa.) Downington West wide receiver Louis Smith and Stamford (Conn.) Trinity Catholic wideout Shawn Robinson impressed with their size and route-running while Greensboro (N.C.) Ben L. Smith tight end Eric Ebron showed good athletic ability and excellent route-running despite fighting the ball at times. Big receiver Tanner McEvoy from Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic was also impressive, showing why he has early offers from Miami, North Carolina, Rutgers, Boston College and others.

While the quarterback position wasn't deep, a few guys stood out led by Barnegat, N.J., signal caller Nick SanGiacomo who flashed a good arm and accuracy. Class of 2010 stud Malik Stokes who will be playing a fifth year at a prep school of his choice, was smooth and impressive, showing great touch, especially on his long ball while Philadelphia (Pa.) William Penn Charter School quarterback John Loughery has good size and a live arm.

BIG MEN

While Lewter took home the Big Man MVP honors, the defensive line was much deeper than the offensive line at the event. Lewter's teammate at Ballou, defensive tackle Lamonte Clark, was good in the one-on-ones showing off an array of pass-rushing moves while defensive end Ishaq Williams from Brooklyn (N.Y.) Abraham Lincoln flashed a great first step and a nice rip move. Philadelphia (Pa.) Northeast defensive end Deion Barnes has great size at 6-5 and 235 pounds and was terrific on outside pass rush. Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha Catholic teammates Darian Cooper and Kendall Patterson were also both outstanding working on the inside in one-on-one drills.

Clark has an early offer from New Mexico while Williams has offers from Maryland, Pitt, Rutgers, Syracuse and others. Barnes has an early offer from South Carolina while Cooper and Patterson are waiting on their first offers. Williams and Barnes were also standouts at tight end during one-on-ones.

Philadelphia (Pa.) George Washington defensive end Brandon Chudnoff was also impressive, showing good strength and excellent use of his long arms.

On the offensive side of things, Owings Mills, Md., tackle Donovan Smith was also outstanding and center A.J. Zuttah from Princeton (N.J.) Hun School was one of the best interior linemen. Smith has offers from Penn State, Maryland, Pitt, Rutgers, Virginia, Virginia Tech, West Virginia and others while Zuttah is still waiting on his first offer.

BACKERS AND BACKS

The running back position was also loaded with talent led by Jersey City (N.J.) St. Peter's Prep star Savon Huggins who showed off great explosiveness and soft hands during one-on-ones and a powerful frame. Huggins has offers from more than 20 programs already and is the most heavily recruited prospect at the event. His latest offer comes from Alabama and the Tide join a long list of schools that includes Miami, Penn State, Rutgers, Tennessee and many others.

Neptune, N.J., running back Charles Davis also showed off a thick frame and solid hands in one-on-ones and was very physical while Washington (D.C.) Friendship Collegiate Academy back Malcolm Crockett was smooth and effortless. Davis has an offer from Rutgers while Crockett has offers from Michigan, Georgia Tech, NC State and West Virginia.

Wayne Morgan is one to watch in the 2012 class. At linebacker, Absecon (N.J.) Holy Spirit stud Anthony Sarao was the most athletic of the group in the one-on-ones while Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha Catholic standout Darien Harris and Waldorf (Md.) North Point 'backer Conner Crowell were also impressive. Sarao has offers from Boston College, Nebraska, Rutgers, Maryland, Stanford and others, Harris has an offer from Syracuse and Crowell has tenders from Maryland and West Virginia.

2012 LOADED

While the event was loaded with 2011 talent, the 2012 crop was arguably as impressive. Harrisburg (Pa.) Bishop McDevitt defensive end Noah Spence and Brooklyn (N.Y.) Erasmus Hall Campus defensive back Wayne Morgan were amongst the most impressive prospects regardless of class at their respective positions. Spence, a 6-foot-3, 225-pounder with early offers from Pitt, Rutgers and others, dominated with his quickness off the ball and speed to the outside while Morgan, a 5-foot-10, 185-pounder with early offers from Rutgers and Maryland, was very physical and was excellent in press coverage in one-on-ones.

Fairless Hills (Pa.) Pennsbury offensive tackle J.J. Denman has amazing size for a sophomore checking in at 6-7 and nearly 300 pounds while running backs Ronald Darby from Oxon Hill (Md.) Potomac and Drew Harris from Exton (Pa.) Downington East looked older than their true age.

At wide receiver, Baltimore (Md.) Dunbar athlete Deontray McManus was very impressive for a 2012 prospect and West Roxbury (Mass.) Catholic Memorial athlete Camren Williams, the younger brother of 2009 Rivals250 offensive lineman Brennan Williams, showed strength and change of direction.

 

Stars Shine at the Premier Showcase
ScarletNation.com Senior Writer
February 20, 2010

Bobby Deren

The stars came out in Piscataway on Saturday as the top prospects on the east coast flocked to the Rutgers Bubble for Rivals.com's annual Premier Showcase, presented by TEST Sports Clubs. There was no shortage of talent in the impressive group of nearly two-hundred kids, some of which are bound to be some of the most sought-after prospects in the class of 2011.

Demetrious Nicholson made the trip up from Bayside, Va. and walked away with the MVP award among the skill position players. The standout cornerback currently holds fifteen offers and proved to be a terror to any receiver that lined up across from him.

Ballou (Washington DC) offensive lineman Jamar Lewter took home the only other award given out on the night. The 6-foot-7 Lewter did an excellent job fending off defensive linemen to earn the lineman award for the evening. Lewter holds five offers, including ones from Pitt and Auburn.

Lewter had some quality company on the offensive line as recent Rutgers offer Donovan Smith ventured up from Owings Mill, Md. Rutgers' recent offer brings Smith's tally to nine.

There was also plenty of in-state talent on display with a pair of St. Peter's products continually turning heads in Savon Huggins and Sheldon Royster.

Talent ran deep at the running back position with multiple offer prospects lighting up the night. Timber Creek's Damiere Byrd, Long Branch's Miles Shuler and Neptune's Charles Davis showed why their game is on another level. That trio proved tough to guard as did the impressive contingent of wide receivers.

Heavily recruited Bill Belton out of Winslow was among the top receivers as was Bergen Cathloic's Tanner McEvoy, who seemed to catch every single pass thrown his way.

The top pass-catchers were not limited to the wide receivers as tight end Eric Ebron showed why he would be a great asset to any program. The North Carolina product just picked up a Rutgers offer to move his list up into double digits.

But the receivers did not always have an easy time of it with some lockdown defenders shading them. Holy Spirit's Anthony Sarao moved more like a safety than a linebacker and often stayed stride for stride with speedy running backs.

Conner Crowell out of Waldorf, Md. recently picked up offers from Maryland and West Virginia and his play insinuated that more may be coming his way.

The crop of defensive backs also included a banner lineup. Although East Stroudsburg South's Kyshoen Jarrett did not take home any awards, it is hard to repudiate that there was a more complete cornerback in attendance. Jarrett's offer list remains at four, but is likely to explode at any given moment.

Dunbar's Vance Roberts was extremely difficult to get past every time he lined up across from a receiver. Roberts holds an offer from Syracuse with more likely to follow.

Brockport, Md.'s Albert Louis-Jean recently collected his sixth offer and looks to be capable of playing either cornerback or safety at the next level.

Blake Countess out of Good Counsel (Md.) brought up a half-dozen offers and backed up that impressive list with excellent play in coverage.

The defensive backs had the toughest time defending passes from Barnegat's Nick SanGiacomo. Some of the best passes of the night came courtesy of SanGiacomo, whose lone offer remains from Tulane.

Plenty of other stars came out to the Premier Showcase and offer lists stretched far and wide. Stay tuned for extended coverage of the Showcase with positional breakdowns and more on the star-studded cast that shined in Piscataway.

 

Joe Flacco, Ravens End Undefeated Start For Broncos

Flacco Ravens

Baltimore — The Denver Broncos went from unbeaten to overmatched during a 60-minute beatdown by the Baltimore Ravens. Rookie Lardarius Webb returned the second-half kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown, and Baltimore ended a three-game losing streak with a surprisingly easy 30-7 victory Sunday.

It was Denver’s first loss under rookie head coach Josh McDaniels. The Broncos (6-1) came in with the NFL’s top-ranked defense, a plus-7 turnover differential and one of the league’s best kick returners in Eddie Royal. Denver had also outscored the opposition 76-10 after halftime.

The Ravens, however, dominated every facet of the game. “We didn't play our best ball, but they’re a pretty good team and they beat us pretty good today on all sides of the ball,” Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton said. “We didn't really do a whole lot.”

Baltimore (4-3) limited Denver to 200 yards, scored off the game’s lone turnover, won the special teams fight and outscored the Broncos 24-7 in the second half. Denver started the day as one of three unbeaten teams in the NFL and was trying to go 7-0 for the first time since 1998. Baltimore needed a win to avoid falling under .500 and dropping two games behind Pittsburgh and Cincinnati in the AFC North.

In a duel between an undefeated team and a desperate one, the Ravens prevailed. “They just did a better job of executing. Desperation had nothing to do with it,” Broncos safety Brian Dawkins said. Baltimore held Royal in check, bottled up Orton and became the first team this season to rush for more than 100 yards against Denver. Given two weeks to think about a three-game skid in which they lost by a combined 11 points, the Ravens started fast and never relented. “We know we’re capable of doing this kind of thing,“ said Joe Flacco, who went 20 for 25 for 175 yards and a touchdown. “We had a chance in the other games. Today we finished. That’s why we won.”

Baltimore went up 13-0 when Webb turned the second-half kickoff into his first NFL touchdown. After breaking free around his own 30, the speedy rookie cut right and outran his pursuers into the corner of the end zone. “All 10 guys got their body on someone,” Webb said. “I just saw a hole and ran.”

The Broncos responded with an 86-yard march fueled by three Baltimore penalties totaling 44 yards. A 39-yard pass interference call on Domonique Foxworth and an offside by Ed Reed on a fourth-and-1 led to a 1-yard touchdown run by Knowshon Moreno. The Ravens answered with a field goal for a 16-7 lead, then went up 23-7 on a 20-yard pass from Flacco to Derrick Mason with 13:07 left. Ray Rice capped the rout with a 7-yard touchdown run with 1:59 to go. Rice ran for 84 yards, the most by one player against Denver this season. And now, the Ravens have some momentum heading into next week's showdown against Cincinnati.

“Around the locker room it’s going to be more upbeat,” Foxworth said. “It’s amazing how winning heals all wounds.” The Broncos, for the first time under McDaniels, will have to rebound from a defeat. “Anytime you have a game like this, it forces you to look in a mirror,” McDaniels said. “Hopefully we can find out just as much about one another... through the adversity of a loss as you can through six wins.”

The Broncos managed only 79 yards in being held scoreless in the first half for the first time this season. The tone was set on first play from scrimmage, when Ravens linebacker Jarret Johnson blitzed untouched from the left side and sacked Orton for an 8-yard loss. “That’s not the way you want to start the game, for sure,” Orton said. “It’s not just one play. We had a number of plays where we just didn't execute. They were just better than us.”

Denver made only one first down in the first quarter, and Moreno’s fumble on a screen pass led to Steve Hauschka’s field goal for a 3-0 lead. The Ravens added a field goal in the second quarter.

NOTES: Ravens DT Haloti Ngata left with a sprained ankle. X-rays were negative. ... Denver RT Ryan Harris sustained a toe injury. ... Flacco has thrown a TD pass in seven straight games. ... Denver fell to 15-6 after an off week.

 

An Undrafted Rookie From Rutgers Plays His Way Onto the Jets
By DAVE CALDWELL
New York Times
Published: September 9, 2009

Jamaal Westerman

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Jamaal Westerman, a Jets rookie linebacker, has only had time to stock his new locker with the basics: practice uniform, seven pairs of shoes, two sticks of deodorant and white helmet, a green mouthpiece stuck in the facemask. At least he has a locker.

Westerman survived Coach Rex Ryan’s final roster cut Saturday to become the only free-agent rookie to make the team. Ryan loves free agents — 18 undrafted players are on his roster — because they tend to have the same no-frills, gung-ho attitude as Westerman.

“There’s really no time to sit back and admire anything,” Westerman, a former Rutgers star, said this week. “The season hasn’t started yet, so what is there to admire? I just want to keep working hard, be consistent. As soon as I sit back, things will take a wrong turn.”

His approach has served him well during a career that was launched playing pickup football as a third-grader on the streets of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

The last 10 months, though, have been especially daunting. Early in Rutgers’s 54-34 victory over Pittsburgh on Oct. 25, Westerman tore his left biceps while sacking quarterback Bill Stull. Westerman was told later in the week that he needed surgery. Although he could barely turn his wrist, he played the last three regular-season games, helping Rutgers overcome an unexpected 1-5 start with seven straight victories.

He missed the Scarlet Knights’ bowl game because he had surgery. When he resumed working out at the TEST Sports Club in Martinsville, N.J., Westerman’s repaired left biceps had atrophied and was six inches smaller in circumference than his right biceps.

“His determination and his mental approach were incredible,” said Brian Martin, the president of the club and Westerman’s personal trainer. “He did everything to the letter. He’s intelligent and focused. The N.F.L. was his dream. He worked very hard, and maybe more important, he was smart in the way he worked.”

There was another hitch: Westerman, who had 26 sacks and 141 tackles as a three-year starter at Rutgers, was 6 feet 3 inches and 255 pounds, a bit too small to continue playing defensive end. His future was at linebacker, a position he had not played since high school.

And Westerman had played 12-man high school ball at Notre Dame Academy in Brampton, Ont., where he had moved with his mother when his parents split up after he played one year at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, a football powerhouse.

Westerman worked with Martin on his footwork. He took yoga classes to increase his flexibility. No one selected Westerman in the N.F.L. draft, but Ryan had told Westerman he was interested in signing him as a free agent.

Ryan’s roster is packed with undrafted players; four of them are defensive starters. Bart Scott, a linebacker who made the Baltimore Ravens as a free agent from Southern Illinois in 2002, signed a six-year contract with the Jets that could be worth $48 million.

“He’s versatile, he coachable, and to me, the No. 1 thing about him is that he’s fearless, and you can’t be afraid to fail,” Scott said of Westerman. “He’s relentless. It’s like looking into a mirror at myself. I know the things that were going through his mind, and he’s earned it. Nothing’s been given to him — and it’s not like he made a team with sorry linebackers.”

Three Jets linebackers were former first-round draft choices, and another, David Harris, was picked in the second round. Vernon Gholston, a first-round pick last year who had an underachieving season, will replace Calvin Pace, another first-rounder who is serving a four-game suspension for violating the N.F.L. policy on performance-enhancing substances.

Although he was playing a different position than he did in college, Westerman had two sacks in the preseason, including one of the Eagles’ Michael Vick in a 38-27 Jets’ victory Sept. 3.

“He had those characteristics we talked about,” Ryan said Tuesday. “He loves to play the game. He certainly has enough athletic ability to play in this league. He’s got a great temperament. He’s smart. He’s a passionate guy. He’s doing a good job on special teams. He had to earn it. Here’s a free agent who earned a spot on this roster.”

Chansi Stuckey, a wide receiver who is Westerman’s new next-door locker-room neighbor, said Westerman stood out among the training-camp long shots. He played so well in the preseason that Gholston said he had no idea Westerman was coming off surgery.

“You see a scar on his arm,” Gholston said, “but with most guys, you don’t know if it happened last year or 10 years ago. He’s one of those guys who looks like he wants to get after the football.”

Westerman, listed as Harris’s backup at strongside inside linebacker, will probably play mostly on special teams Sunday, when the Jets open the season at Houston.

“I don’t think the transition is finished,” Westerman said. “I still feel like I’m learning something every day. Wherever they put you, you want to do your best. That’s the thing. Whatever role they have me in, I’m going to try to succeed at.”

 

Learning in the fast lane
For a rookie thrust into a big role, covering Andre Johnson, Brice McCain is acquitting himself well
By JORDAN GODWIN Copyright 2009 Houston Chronicle
Aug. 5, 2009, 10:31PM

As a studious rookie, cornerback Brice McCain asks a lot of questions from players of many positions.

With starter Jacques Reeves out with a fractured fibula, sixth-round draft choice Brice McCain has a much bigger role than he anticipated, but the 5-9, 179-pound cornerback has not cowered.

“Our coach in Utah always said, ‘When a soldier goes down, pick up his rifle and keep on going,' ” McCain said. “We go to war out here every day, and it's unfortunate that Jacques went down, and I don't get to pick his brain anymore.”

McCain had looked to Reeves as a mentor long before the Texans drafted him. As a promising senior cornerback in Terrell, about 30 miles east of Dallas, McCain watched tapes of Cowboys games and studied Reeves' play. He also watched Terence Newman, and now wears No. 41 out of respect for the Cowboys cornerback.

“I'd watch the Cowboys and try to learn as much as I could from those guys,” McCain said. “Terence Newman used a certain technique that I loved and always try to copy.”

As a studious rookie, he asks a lot of questions from players of many positions. He asks corners about covering receivers, safeties about tackling and receivers about the tricks they use to break away from coverage.

Tips from the best
One receiver he has had to cover during training camp is Andre Johnson, who McCain considers the best receiver in the NFL.

“One thing I like about Brice is that he doesn't back down, he steps up to the challenge,” Johnson said. “If I beat him, he comes right back and goes at me again.”

Johnson recalled a play where he broke away from McCain's tight coverage by using a deceiving technique. After Johnson caught a pass, defensive coordinator Frank Bush yelled at McCain, who was busy asking Johnson how he tricked him.

“I don't have to play against him on Sunday, so I don't mind giving him tips about things I do,” Johnson said. “He's really working hard, and that's one thing you like to see out of a rookie. You can tell he wants to get better and help this team as much as he can.”

After practice, Johnson complimented McCain for his hard work. After Johnson walked away, McCain couldn't contain a proud grin.

“Covering him every day and competing against the best receiver in the NFL is a blessing,” McCain said. “I have to bring my ‘A' game every day, and if I don't, he's going to make me look bad.”

But picking the brains of Johnson every day makes McCain happy to be playing for the Texans.

Praise from above
“I was excited to get drafted anyway because a lot of my friends didn't,” McCain said. “I'm very fortunate to come to Houston because all of my family is only three or four hours away.”

McCain dreams of being a starter this season and would love for his family to be there to see it. The prospect of becoming a starter may have seemed like a long shot when he first came into camp but maybe not so far-fetched now.

“He's gaining confidence every day,” Texans coach Gary Kubiak said. “Good-looking player, doesn't make the same mistake twice. He's making a nice push.”

jordan.godwin@chron.com

 

Fitzgerald fights complacency by hosting receiver camp in Minnesota
By Jim Trotter
Sportsillustrated.co

Larry Fitzgerald (left) and DeAngelo Hall (right) receive instructions from Cris Carter during a workout session in Minnesota.

This is supposed to be a quiet time in the NFL, with players and coaches enjoying the final two weeks of vacation before the start of training camp. Yet the noise coming out of Minneapolis cannot be ignored.

A PhD course for wide receivers is taking place inside the newly constructed football stadium at the University of Minnesota, where last week's instructor was Jerry Rice, the future first-ballot Hall of Famer who holds every major receiving record, and this week's professor is Cris Carter, whose 130 touchdown catches rank fourth in league history. Performance specialists Bill Welle and Brian Martin headed up the speed and agility for the camp.

The sessions are the brainchild of Arizona Cardinals star Larry Fitzgerald, a Minnesota native who's working to have his name mentioned in the same sentence with the greats of the game when he's done playing. Instead of spending the offseason reflecting on his record-breaking performance for the Cardinals in last season's playoffs, Fitzgerald has spent the past two months draining his cell-phone battery to bring talented receivers and cornerbacks for group workouts.

Among the wideouts who have made the trip are Denver's Brandon Marshall, Buffalo's Lee Evans, Green Bay's Greg Jennings, Tampa Bay's Michael Clayton, Minnesota's Sidney Rice and Cleveland rookie Brian Robiskie. Cornerbacks DeAngelo Hall and Malcolm Jenkins have also attended, as have tight ends Matt Spaeth and Dominique Byrd and linebacker James Laurinaitis. Dallas QB Tony Romo is a maybe for next week.

"Larry hit me up a couple of days ago and was like, 'Hey, let's get back to old times,' " says Hall, who trained with Fitzgerald in Florida in 2005, when each earned his first trip to the Pro Bowl. "I was like, hell yeah. It's good to have players out here who can definitely make you work and get you better. That's why when he ran down the list of some of the guys that were coming, I was like, I'm there."

Fitzgerald booked hotel rooms for each of them and set up a chow line at his lakefront home in Eden Prairie, where some guys pass the down time by jet skiing or playing in pick-up basketball games. Despite the fun, at no time does anyone lose sight of the fact that he is there to improve his football skills.

Rice and Carter can be brutally honest, such as when Carter tells Byrd, the Arizona tight end with an admitted reputation for being lazy: "You're a wide receiver in a fat man's body."

Layered beneath the jokes are information nuggets. Rice and Carter aren't just telling them how to do something, but why they're doing it. The unspoken truth is that ignorance is as deadly as speed.

Carter is big on technique, adding: "Everyone at this level has athletic talent. You need more than that to make it."

When Evans glanced at the players assembled, he shook his head. It's one thing to get guys to train in Miami during their free time, but Minneapolis? The gathering was a testament to Fitzgerald's powers of persuasion and the players' desire to get better.

"It's an opportunity for me to get a chance to come out here and see some of the things that they do, to work with Cris Carter a little bit and see how he sees things, just be around the guys," says Evans. "I couldn't make it last week when Jerry was here, but I definitely wanted to come up and see what Cris had to say. It's a good deal anytime you can hear something different and try to diversify your game a little bit.

"The way Cris teaches us to run a route, I never heard it put that way. What he was teaching wasn't new. It's just the way he said it that you could relate to. Like they always say, there's more than one way to skin a cat. You've got to find what works for you. It may or may not help you, but it worked for him and you see what kind of career he had."

The mornings are basically on-field chalkboard sessions. Ideas are shared and compared. But let there be no doubt, the workouts are as demanding physically as they are enlightening mentally. Different days are devoted to different things, be it improving speed, agility, strength, technique. One of the mornings concluded with the players running 16 110-yard sprints, with limited rest in between. It was enough to make an onlooker feel like he was going to lose his breakfast.

"Complacency is a terrible thing to have in our business," says Fitzgerald. "Todd Haley talked to me about that our first year together [in Arizona]. It's kind of the worst thing you can ever have in sports -- complacency in losing, complacency in winning. You must never forget the hard work that it takes to be successful out there."

That's the kind of talk that could have the Cardinals making noise in the playoffs again this season.

 

Stars Show Out at NJ Premier Showcase
June 13, 2009
Mike Farrell
Recruiting Analyst
Rivals.com

Sharrif Floyd

UNION, N.J. -- The Rivals.com Premier Showcase brought out many top prospects to compete under the lights at Kean University in Union, New Jersey. The event, powered by TEST Sports Clubs in Martinsville, NJ, was highlighted by star prospects at every position, none brighter than Philadelphia (Pa.) George Washington defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd who took home the Big Man MVP. But Floyd wasn't alone in standing out.

Sharrif Floyd led a strong group of defensive linemen.

Floyd, a 6-foot-3, 294-pounder, led a very strong group of defensive linemen that simply overmatched many of the offensive linemen in attendance. The nation's No. 4 prospect at his position, Floyd was simply too quick and too strong for everyone. He was joined by Chatham

(Va.) Hargrave Military Academy defensive end J.R. Ferguson and Paterson
(N.J.) Paterson Catholic defensive end T.J. Clemmings who also stood out above the crowd.

Floyd, who was very competitive and talkative throughout the one-on-ones, showed off his explosion off the snap, his excellent use of his hands and a dominant bull rush. Ferguson, a 6-foot-3, 272-pounder who is ranked as the No. 14 prospect in the country overall, showed off an array of pass-rushing moves including an impressive spin move that fooled most of the linemen.

Clemmings, a 6-foot-6, 265-pounder with long arms and a great build, showed off a tremendous swim move and played with excellent leverage despite his height. Clemmings was arguably the best-looking prospect at the camp physically, although Floyd and Ferguson are more polished at this stage.

A few others along the defensive line that did well included 6-foot-3, 248-pound defensive tackle Robert Welsh, Flushing (N.Y.) Holy Cross 6-foot-1, 250-pound defensive end Christopher Brathwaite and Frederick

(Md.) St. John's College Prep 6-foot-2, 234-pound defensive end Forrest Mason.

Along the offensive line, Washington (D.C.) Archbishop Carroll defensive/offensive tackle Nathaniel Clarke was clearly the standout.

Clarke started off on defense but agreed to move to the offensive line to help out the struggling group. He won reps against both Ferguson and Floyd on different occasions and showed off excellent footwork.

Clarke prefers to play defense, but he is an outstanding offensive line prospect. The 6-foot-4, 282-pounder showed a lot of toughness.

Mike Hull made the trip from Canonsburg, Pa.

A few other offensive linemen had their moments. Princeton Junction

(N.J.) West Windsor Plainsboro South offensive tackle Zachary Hundertmark showed toughness and won a few reps while Sicklerville

(N.J.) Timber Creek offensive guard Bill Bilo was very physical.

Hundertmark has a good frame at 6-foot-5 and 275 pounds while Bilo is a fireplug at 6-foot-3, 280 pounds. 6-foot-5, 290-pound offensive tackle Jorge Vicioso from Passaic, N.J. had his moments as well although he needs to be more physical.

After the defensive line, the next deepest position was arguably linebacker.
Canonsburg (Pa.) Canon McMilan linebacker and Penn State commitment Mike Hull made the seven-hour trek to New Jersey to compete and was impressive.
The 6-foot-1, 220-pounder is very versatile which has the Nittany Lions considering him for both weakside linebacker and safety. His ability to flip his hips and turn and run with running backs and wide receivers is impressive and he's a physical player.

Stamford (Conn.) King & Low Heywood Thomas linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis, a Boston College commitment, was arguably one of the most athletic prospects at the event. The 6-foot-1, 205-pounder worked out as a linebacker, running back and wide receiver and showed excellent quickness and closing speed.
Pierre-Louis needs to work on his ball skills, but as an undersized weakside linebacker, you can't ask for much more in coverage.

The same can be said for linebacker Aramide Olaniyan who made the trip from Virginia. The Woodberry Forest (Va.) Woodberry Forest School standout once again showed his ability to turn and run and close on speedy running backs.
At 6-2 and 201 pounds, he's also undersized but has tremendous potential as a weakside linebacker or as a safety.

Kevin Pierre-Louis worked out at linebacker, running back and wide receiver.

A few others who stood out include Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic 'backer Doug Rigg, Bronx (N.Y.) Mt. St. Michael Academy's Gary Acquah and 2011 prospect Jason Sylva from Plymouth (Mass.) Tabor Academy.

Rigg, a 6-foot-1, 220-pounder, made some nice plays on the ball, Acquah, a 6-foot-2, 232-pounder, showed good speed and Sylva, a 6-foot-2, 217-pounder, was aggressive and physical.

Kamal Hogan

The linebackers were charged with covering some speedy and physical running backs. Montvale (N.J.) St. Joseph's running back Kamal Hogan took home the skill position MVP for his efforts in the one-on-ones.

At 5-foot-11 and 196 pounds, Hogan presents a big target out of the backfield, has sneaky downfield speed and good hands. Stamford (Conn.) King & Low Heywood Thomas running back and Penn State commitment Silas Redd didn't get as many reps in the one-on-ones as we would have liked but he flashed his amazing feet in drills, downfield burst and powerful hands. The 5-foot-10, 187-pounder gets thicker every time we see him.

Other running backs that made a statement include District Heights

(Md.) Suitland speedster Keith Brown, Sicklerville (N.J.) Timber Creek all-purpose back Nahjee Gibson and three 2011 prospects. Lamont Wims from Frederick (Md.) St. John's Catholic Prep, Jameel Poteat from Harrisburg
(Pa.) Bishop McDevitt and Charles Davis from Neptune, N.J.

The wide receivers were led by Wayne (N.J.) DePaul Catholic star Shakim Phillips who was working out publicly for the first time this spring. The nation's No. 5 receiver didn't disappoint as he ran crisp routes, was physical off the line of scrimmage and when fighting for the ball and showed good quickness and solid hands. Phillips is very polished as a receiver and uses his 6-foot-2, 191-pound frame to his advantage.

He was joined by 6-foot-0, 181-pound Montgomery, N.J. athlete and Rutgers commitment J.T. Tartacoff, who showed off his balls skills and burst and 6-foot-3, 179-pound Passaic, N.J. wide out Najee Salaam who has great size and big hands. Woodbury, N.J. wide out Dyshawn Davis also made some big plays in one-on-ones and has upside at 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds. Stamford
(Conn.) Trinity Catholic wide out Shawn Robinson is an intriguing 2011 prospect at 6-foot-2 and 180-pounds with good speed and agility.

Tight end Tyler Johnson from Wanaque (N.J.) Lakeland Regional was up there with Clemmings when it comes to imposing physical prospects. The 6-foot-7, 240-pounder is all muscle and runs well although he's very raw with his route running and he needs to work on his ball skills.

At defensive back, JeVahn Cruz from Dix Hills (N.Y.) Half Hollow Hills West and Danny Agyeman from Lodi, N.J. both had very good moments.

Cruz has a great backpedal, very loose hips and excellent instincts.

The 5-foot-8, 165-pounder plays much bigger than his size. Agyeman, who is also undersized at 5-8 but solid at 183 pounds, played very physical and broke on the ball well. Jersey City (N.J.) St. Peter's Prep athlete Corey Davis was also good in coverage, playing bigger than his 5-foot-8, 163-pound frame as well. Princeton (N.J.) The Hun School athlete Brendan Dudeck was also impressive, playing a physical corner at 6-0 and 180 pounds. 2012 prospect Elijah Shumate is one to watch with his 6-foot-1, 178-pound size.

Finally, there were a few quarterbacks that stood out. Audubon, N.J.

pro-style quarterback Brandon Hill has good size at 6-5 and 210 pounds and an accurate arm. He also has good mechanics and a smooth release.

Baltimore (Md.) Edmonson-Westside quarterback Jerry Lovelocke was also impressive, with an effortless release, good touch and adequate spin on the ball. Archibald (Pa.) Valley View quarterback Shane Gensiak was accurate as well although he has an odd release. Lawrenceville, N.J.

quarterback Aaron Aiken has great size and made some nice passes and has excellent upside. 2011 prospect Bobby DiPasquale was accurate for a younger player. The Warrington (Pa.) Central Bucks HS South signal-caller has good size at 6-2 and 185 pounds and a good release.

 

 

Zach Miller Could Add "WildJag" Wrinkle To Jacksonville's Offense
by Daniel Shanks, bleacher report
June 18, 2009

Zach Miller

When Jacksonville drafted Zach Miller in the sixth round of the 2009 NFL Draft, there were some Jaguar fans who let out a collective groan.

They had to be feeling a little bit of deja vu.

It wasn't that long ago that the team drafted a player who was a quarterback with the hopes of using him at another position in the NFL.

And we all know how that turned out.

But Miller, a quarterback from Nebraska-Omaha, seems to be handling the transition to tight end quite nicely.

In a recent story written by jaguars.com Senior Editor Vic Ketchman (http://jaguars.com/news/article.aspx?id=7944), General Manager Gene Smith and Offensive Coordinator Dirk Koetter gushed about the new weapon.

"Dirk likes to utilize the tight end in the offense," Smith said in Ketchman's article.

"The young guy, Zach Miller, has really progressed. He's shown he can mismatch with a safety. You've got the Owen Daniels, Dallas Clark types. He's faster than both those guys."

"I think Zach Miller is an excellent prospect," Koetter said. "For our scouting department to find that guy; his athleticism jumps out at you, his eagerness to learn and his willingness to compete. I would've never guessed he's as fast as he is."

I would not be surprised to see Miller get on the field immediately as a tight end, especially because Marcedes Lewis hasn't shown the ability to be a consistent threat in the passing game.

But what I (and I'm sure other Jaguar fans) would really like to see is Miller harness that athletic ability and get the ball in his hands as much as possibly.

Namely, I'd like to see Miller run the Wildcat.

Whether the Wildcat is a passing fad (Pete Prisco seems to think so) or a viable offensive option, I can't really say.

What I can say is that it's an interesting wrinkle that even caught Bill Belichick off-guard the first time he saw it.

And Zach Miller seems like he would be a perfect candidate to run the offense.

You've already heard Smith and Koetter gush about Miller's speed, which is a critical component to running this particular offense.

In college, he proved that he was just as dangerous running the ball as he was throwing.

During his senior year, he threw for 1,508 yards and 11 touchdowns while completing 64.2 percent of his passes.

He also led the team in rushing with 1,061 yards and 18 touchdowns, averaging 6.1 yards per carry. He eclipsed the 100-yard mark in three games in 2008.

His ability to pass adds an entirely new dimension to the Wildcat, a dimension that a bright offensive mind like Koetter could have a lot of fun with.

Hopefully he'll have the foresight to use Miller accordingly.

 

Down on the farm: Jason Knapp growing up fast in Phillies system
By Paul White, USA TODAY

Jason Knapp

Jason Knapp, 19, has been described as "an animal" by Phillies minor league pitching coordinator Gorman Heimueller. The right-hander is currently playing for Class A Lakewood (N.J.).

LAKEWOOD, N.J. Jason Knapp has a few things the Philadelphia Phillies can't teach.

The right-hander's fastball, which has reached 97 mph in his first three games for Class A Lakewood (N.J.), is a good start. So is his 6-5, 215-pound frame, which provides much of the power behind the 30 strikeouts and just nine hits allowed in 18 1/3 innings for the 2008 second-round draft choice.

And then there's an aggressiveness that more than makes up for any concerns the Phillies might have about turning loose a kid who won't turn 19 until Aug. 31 in a full-season league.

"He's an animal," Phillies minor league pitching coordinator Gorman Heimueller says. "He believes he's good. That's something you've got to have, that cockiness in a good way."

Games like Knapp's team record-tying 14 strikeouts in seven innings in his third start can do wonders for the confidence of a teenager playing about 60 miles from his Annandale, N.J., home.

"I've never had an issue feeling like I didn't belong here," says Knapp, who made seven appearances (3-1, 2.61, with 38 strikeouts in 31 innings) last year in the rookie-level Gulf Coast League. That time plus the instructional league that followed provided the incentive for Knapp to pitch his way onto a full-season league team this spring rather than spend another two months at the organization's Florida training facility waiting for a short-season league to start.

The Phillies didn't believe it was a stretch to jump Knapp into the South Atlantic League, where he gets to pitch in front of crowds and face the rigors of a 140-game season.

"If we can, we try to get them into this atmosphere," Heimueller says.

Knapp is thriving and anxious for more. The 14-strikeout game was his first with a 95-pitch limit, up from 85.

"I love going deep into games," says Knapp, who says he never pitched more than about 60 innings in a season in high school. He's also getting accustomed to the Phillies program of having their pitchers do some sort of throwing nearly every day, something Knapp says he never did in high school.

"We monitor them all summer," says Chuck LaMar, Phillies assistant general manager. "The number of innings, the number of pitches per innings. A lot of young pitchers get in trouble and have stressful innings. That's take more out of them. We watch that, too."

The stress when Knapp pitches, for now, belongs to the batters. Though he's walked just five this year, he gained a reputation in high school for being just wild enough to send a message. That might help explain why Knapp, though he walked just one in his 14-strikeout game, hit three batters.

"I've never had a problem throwing inside," Knapp says. "If they're in the box and they're too close, they've got to expect they're going to have to get out of the way."

That's something else that's not easy to teach these days.

The TEST TEAM would like to congratulate jason. Your continued hard work pays off...

 

Ravens give rookie a chance
Offensive lineman overcomes stroke, tries to earn a job
By Jamison Hensley | jamison.hensley@baltsun.com
May 28, 2009

Six months ago, Robby Felix (60) was recovering from a stroke. He practiced with the Ravens on Wednesday. (Baltimore Sun photo by Kim Hairston / May 27, 2009)

An undrafted rookie who doesn't even have his name on the back of his jersey yet, Robby Felix understands his chances of making the Ravens this season.

But beating those odds doesn't worry the team's newest center.

Just six months ago, Felix suffered a stroke, a frightening medical ordeal that changed the 22-year-old's life forever.

"I think about it a lot," Felix said Wednesday after his second NFL practice. "I'm scared of having another stroke. But I have to fight through it and go on with my life."

His fight began Nov. 16, a day after his final college home game, when he felt the right side of his body shut down during a shower.

Felix caught himself before he fell, but he couldn't speak. He hopped out of the shower and got the attention of his wife, Kelly, who was five months' pregnant with the couple's first child.

By the time he got to a hospital, he could move his foot and say a couple of words. Because of his age and quick medical attention, he regained movement and the ability to speak six days later.

"At that point, I didn't even know if I would play again," Felix said. "They told me it was a stroke, but I didn't really know what that was."

A stroke is a disease that affects the blood vessels that supply blood to the brain, according to the American Heart Association's Web site.

No one was willing to take a chance on Felix, a four-year starter at Texas-El Paso who had hopes of being drafted as high as the third round. Not only did every team pass on him in the draft, but he also didn't get a call to sign as a free agent.

Felix finally decided to give up on his NFL dream and agreed to work construction for his aunt and uncle in California before his first NFL team contacted him.

"I was shocked," he said of the call from the Ravens.

After two minicamps, the Ravens were looking to improve their depth on the offensive line. Team officials had rated Felix as a draftable prospect and continued to study his case.

The Ravens invited Felix for a workout and a physical Monday. They signed the 6-foot-3, 295-pound lineman after he passed every test.

"We didn't feel like there was any added risk," said Eric DeCosta, the Ravens' director of player personnel. "We feel like he has the situation under control. We feel comfortable that he won't have another [stroke].

"With our comfort level, we think he has a chance to compete and make the team as a backup center."

Stroke is the third-leading cause of death in the United States, behind heart disease and cancer. But it's extremely rare for young men to suffer one (0.2 percent of American men between the ages of 20 to 39 experience strokes, according to the AHA).

A specialist told Felix that the probable cause was thickened blood, which can lead to clotting and deprivation of oxygen to the brain when dehydrated. Felix's only medicine now is one aspirin every morning, which acts as a blood thinner. While there is no guarantee he will never suffer another stroke, doctors have said the risk is minimal.

"It's amazing that he's alive and he can walk around healthy," said Ravens offensive tackle Oniel Cousins, who was Felix's longtime teammate at UTEP. "He looks the same to me as when he was healthy."

Ravens offensive coordinator Cam Cameron doesn't know much about Felix, but he understands what he has overcome. A good friend of Cameron's died six weeks ago from a stroke.

"To me, it's pretty amazing that he's out here," Cameron said. "It's hard not to pull for a guy like that."

Felix is attempting to become only the second person to play in the NFL after a stroke.

New England Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi returned to the NFL eight months after suffering a stroke in February 2005. Felix recently talked to Bruschi about his experience.

"He was encouraging, to say the least," Felix said. "He told me to keep fighting and a lot of good things will happen."

The TEST Team would like to congratulate Robby on his signing with the Ravens. Your hard work and dedication paid off once again!

 

Former Giants defensive end Eric Dorsey still making presence felt
By Ebenezer Samuel
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Saturday, May 9th 2009, 5:10 PM

Eric Dorsey plays in every game his rookie season as the Giants roll to a Super Bowl title.

Dorsey, 44, now helps teach the game through his work with TEST Sports Clubs.

Injuries forced Eric Dorsey to walk away from the gridiron in the preseason of 1993, but the former Giants defensive end has never truly left the game behind. And it takes only one quick visit out to TEST Sports Clubs in Martinsville, N.J., to realize that.

Stop by the training facility on nearly any afternoon and you're likely to run into the hulking 44-year-old Dorsey schooling a college defensive end in pass-rush maneuvers, or maybe leading some young high school gridders through a series of drills.

And when the youngsters leave the field, Dorsey watches intently.

“The kids I work with, they all have that little look in their eyes,” says Dorsey. “They're hungry, especially the college kids. They're close, very close to their dream.”

Dorsey signed on with TEST two years ago, more than two decades after he lived that same dream. The Giants chose the 6-5, 280-pound behemoth from McLean High School (Va.) with the 19th overall pick in 1986 after a stellar career at Notre Dame.

Dorsey never dominated. But he brought the size that coach Bill Parcells coveted, although he didn't feel very big in a Giants locker room that included Hall of Fame linebackers such as Lawrence Taylor and Harry Carson.

“It was intimidating, I was nervous,” Dorsey says. “These guys were already established.”

But Dorsey fit right in, playing in every game his rookie season as the Giants rolled all the way to a Super Bowl title. “Every No. 1 pick feels some pressure, but I couldn't complain,” Dorsey says.

The next few years brought ups and downs. The Giants won the Super Bowl again in 1990, and Dorsey blossomed into a starter. But injuries hindered his development. A broken foot limited him to two games in 1989, and arthroscopic knee surgery shelved him for six games in 1991. Then, in the preseason of 1993, he felt searing pain in his back. X-rays revealed that his left hip was rapidly deteriorating.

Dorsey promptly retired and underwent hip replacement surgery, ending his pro career with just seven sacks in seven seasons. When he looks back on his career, he has few complaints.

He remains close to former teammates Scott Brunner and Odessa Turner, who both work with him at TEST, and he's made a home in New Jersey. His 9-year-old son Eric is addicted to football, and he still regularly attends Giants games. He lives just 10 minutes from New York City, and admits that every so often he drives to the Big Apple, but “only for the night life.”

Still, Dorsey doesn't deny that he would have liked a few more years in the league.

“I guess I would have liked to play 10 years,” he says. “But injuries happen.

“I still left after winning two Super Bowls and playing with - and against – some of the best players of all time.”

 

Rich Ohrnberger, the pride of East Meadow, is a Patriot
newsday.com

Rich Ohrnberger

The former East Meadow High two-sport star (football and lacrosse) was drafted by the Patriots in the fourth round yesterday.

Nice job by the former Penn State guard, who can also play center. The Patriots traded up in the fourth round to draft him.

"Rich is a strong, physical inside player at Penn State," Pats coach Bill Belichick said. "He’s played primarily guard, but has also worked at center. I think he has some versatility in there."

Ohrnberger trained at TEST Sports Academy in Martinsville, N.J.

"Rich Ohrnberger is an old school grinder," said Brian Martin, the founder and head trainer at TEST. "He works very hard every day and will make a great pro. Not having a combine invite can hurt some players, but Rich worked extra hard for Texas Vs Nation all Star Game and for Penn State Pro Day, and he performed extremely well at both. New England is getting a great player and better person.”

Ohrnberger was thrilled at being drafted by a team that has won three Super Bowl titles this decade.

Here's a Q & A with Patriots beat reporters:

Q: What is your impression of being drafted by the Patriots in the fourth round?

RO: Right off the bat this is one of the most important days of my life. I couldn’t be happier with the team, the city, [or] the round selection. Everything about it is perfect for me.

Q: What kind of contact did you have with the Patriots and did you work out for Coach Scarnecchia at all in the process?

RO: I had a solid connection with the Patriots throughout the getting to know you process that goes on following the Pro Day that I participated in at Penn State. I had visited Boston and was at Gillette Stadium and met with Coach Scarnecchia, Coach Belichick and a few of the other people there. It was great getting to know those people. The coaches – I enjoyed sitting down and talking [to them]. I never got a chance to work out with Coach Scarnecchia, but we did get a chance to do some work on the board and go over some of their offense stuff.

Q: It says in your biography that you are a lighthearted guy and that your natural gift of humor is something that is appreciat6ed in the huddle. Can you give us an example?

RO: I couldn’t remember or cite specific examples, but I always like to keep things a little lighter than maybe the situation permitted at the time, because I feel like my teammates and I would play a little bit better when there was a higher level of relaxation, as opposed to getting tense and worked up. It was just something I did to break the tension and it worked. It worked for us. We had a lot of good years together, my offense and I, so it was a lot of fun. Other guys chipped in too, it wasn’t just me, but I seem to get pegged as a comedian.

Q: Did you engage any opponents in chirping at all?

RO: Well, you talk sometimes. I think that’s a part of it too, but with the level of concentration on our offensive line…you have to communicate well with your other teammates on the offensive line and get down what’s all going to happen pre-snap. There wasn’t too much back and forth at that point, but occasionally there was a little talking.

Q: How did you handle the tension level today?

RO: To be honest, I got up about 15 minutes before the draft started this morning and I spent the day with my family, my girlfriend and some of my close friends at the house. Obviously it was a tense day for me, but just like any other time I just tried to keep things light and not worry too much. To be honest, I never expected to get drafted as high as the fourth round, so it came as a very nice surprise when I got the call from Coach Belichick.

Q: There is some talk that you could play some center. Have you worked out at that position at all?

RO: During workouts I did snap the ball. I was the back-up center at my school. We had some depth issues at center this year after an injury, so I took plenty of snaps. Before practice and at practice I took snaps at center, so I’m proficient enough to play the position, but honestly when I get to New England I will do whatever they tell me.

Q: What has it been like to play for Coach [Joe] Paterno and in return how do you feel about the prospects of playing for Coach Belichick?

RO: It was terrific to play for Coach Paterno. He’s obviously a very successful coach. I learned a lot of great lessons from him and this transition going to Coach Belichick…I’ve only really gotten to speak to him twice now, but from what I read about it, what I hear about him, anyone I speak to who knows him better than I do, and on those two occasions speaking to him, he seems like an incredibly intelligent man. I am excited to learn a lot from him.

Q: You mentioned you learned some lessons from Coach Paterno. Can you expand on that?

RO: Sure. As a player at Penn State, he emphasizes character in his players and he wants not only to make great football players, but to build fine young men. Being a part of that program and being a student under him, as a player, I feel like I became a better man as a result.

Q: How familiar were you with this organization before you came into contact with them this year? Seeing that you are a New York guy were you a Jets or Giants fan growing up?

RO: My knowledge of the organization is limited, but only in the fact that I understand it as a casual fan of the team. I actually have never had a favorite team in the NFL growing up. Jets and Giants – I know I am a New York, Long Island guy but I played lacrosse for much of my young life and I spent a lot of time with that. It’s not as big of an impact as having been a New York fan my whole life and now going to New England. It’s terrific going to a historic team like the New England Patriots and playing for a team that has had so much success in recent years. The prospect of being a part of this now is just…I’m speechless.

Q: You mentioned lacrosse. How big of a part of your life is it because that’s something Coach Belichick has a love for?

RO: Actually we spoke about that briefly when we met the first time. I had stopped playing lacrosse my sophomore year of high school because I needed to start putting on some size to make a real run at a [football] career. But I played lacrosse all the way from the third grade to my sophomore year in high school. It was the first sport I ever really took seriously. I thought honestly that I was going to play college lacrosse for a long time, but I fell in love with football and everything changed.

Q: Did you have a favorite team in lacrosse that you hoped to play for in college?

RO: None in particular but it would have definitely been nice [to play at] Hofstra – I live in East Meadow and, Hofstra, I can walk to their stadium. That was definitely a place I would have liked to play. When I was younger I thought about it.

Q: So even as close as you were to the Jets you weren’t a fan?

RO: As close as I was, honestly, I never followed football as a fan until I got into college and started playing college football. I obviously started watching a lot more football in general. I watched a lot of college games and as you passed through the years you start to recognize players names who are playing in the National Football League. I just sort of became a fan of people that I played with and the teams they played for.

 

Denver Broncos Trade Up Eight Spots, Select WR, Kenny McKinley, South Carolina

This is a pick Broncos fans will learn to dig, just give it a little time.  After seeing the WR board devastated in the third round, Denver waited like a crouching lion to pounce on McKinley.  they just had to knock some other teams out of the way to do it, is all.

At A Glance
Position 1: Wide Receiver	Height: 6-1
Position 2:	Weight:  189
Class:  Senior	Age:
Projected Round:  4th-5th	40time:  4.37

Combine/Proday Results
Bench Reps:  X	Vertical:  37
20yd Split:  2.53	Broad Jump:  9'5"
10yd Split:  1.46	20yd Shuttle:  4.10
3 Cone Drill:  6.96

Kenny McKinley

Pros:  Good initial quickness off the snap. Not a real physical player, but uses his hands and lateral quickness well to get a clean release off the line of scrimmage. Savvy route-runner. Good short-area burst and is a cognizant route-runner. Varies his speed and utilizes his good body control to generate separation against tight coverage. Reliable hands for the reception. Strong hands to snatch the ball out of the air. Good body control to contort in space and make the difficult reception. Knows where the sticks and sidelines are. Can take a pop and hang on. Wastes no time getting upfield after the reception. Good vision in the open field and can generate positive yards after the reception.

Cons:  Lanky, almost skinny build that could use additional mass, but not at the expense of losing speed, another area of concern. Lacks the straight-line speed to challenge deep or to break away after a short or intermediate reception. Can be caught from behind. Characterized as a tough player, but can be intimidated with a good pop early. Can get alligator arms going over the middle.

 

New York Jets begin rounding up rookie free agents, including former Rutgers DE Jamaal Westerman
by Dave Hutchinson/The Star-Ledger
Monday April 27, 2009, 12:49 AM

Jamaal Westerman signed with the Jets, after anchoring the Rutgers defensive line for three seasons.

Having drafted only three players as the result of a blockbuster trade on both days of the NFL Draft this weekend, the Jets have gone on a rookie free-agent signing frenzy.

As the draft concluded on Sunday, general manager Mike Tannenbaum announced that the Jets were the land of opportunity for rookie free agents, pointing to LB Bart Scott, G Brandon Moore and DE Marques Douglas as rookie free agents who made it big.

Thus far, the Jets have signed DE Jamaal Westerman (Rutgers), S Emanuel Cook (South Carolina), QB Chris Pizzoti (Harvard), P T.J. Conley (Idaho), OTs Tavita Thompson and Kyle Link (McNeese State) and TE/LS Andrew Davie (Arkansas), The Star-Ledger has learned.

Among this group, Westerman and Cook stand out.

Westreman, 6-foot-2, 257 pounds, was a three-year starter at Rutgers from Ontario. He played the final four games of the 2008 regular-season with a tore left bicep. Even so, he finished the season with 33 tackles and six sacks. Following surgery, Westerman is healthy after an intense rehab and training session at TEST Sports Club in Martinsville.

Cook, 5-foot-10, 197 pounds, is a bone-crushing safety who led the team in tackles the past two seasons with 87 and 92, respectively. But the junior has been plagued by off-the-field problems, including being ruled academically ineligible for the Outback Bowl this past season. Nonetheless, The Associated Press named him a second-team All-SEC performer.

In 2007, he was arrested on a gun charge but charges were later dropped. He claims he was looking at a friend's new gun when police suddenly arrived and arrested him.

The Jets are said to have checked him out and feel he's worth taking a chance on.

 

Miami Dolphins draft Monmouth TE John Nalbone in fifth round
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
4:52 PM EDT, April 26, 2009

Miami Dolphins VP Bill Parcells went back to his New Jersey roots to select Monmouth tight end John Nalbone with the 161st pick in the fifth round.

Nalbone became the first Monmouth player ever drafted in the NFL.

Nalbone caught 42 passes for 491 yards and five touchdowns last season, and while he said he hasn't spoken to Parcells, he will join tight end Anthony Fasano, another New Jersey native, and he knows the New Jersey reputation helped him with his new boss.

"From what I've heard, he loves Jersey guys, and he's a Jersey guy himself," Nalbone said of Parcells.

At Monmouth, Nalbone was a teammate of current Cowboys wide receiver Miles Austin. Nalbone said he has modeled his own game after current Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez.

"I have the ability to both block and receive," Nalbone said. "I'm just a hard worker."

According to ESPN Scouts Inc., Nalbone (6-4, 255) possesses adequate size and top-end speed for the position, however he is going to be a developmental project at this point. He needs to develop in terms of strength at the point of attack as an inline blocker as well as an overall route runner.

Dolphins tight ends Fasano and David Martin set franchise records for their productivity last season, which would hint that there isn't much of a need, but both are entering the final year of their contracts.

 

Outside The Lines: Frantz Joseph
Monday on "OTL" (ESPN2, 3 and 4 p.m. ET), Greg Garber will update NFL draft prospect Frantz Joseph's story.

Almost lost in the clutter is a crimson jersey, No. 45, attached to the wall with two nails through the shoulders. It belonged to the youngest of her children, Frantz Joseph. He never played a down at Boston College.

He had uncommon athletic skill, a full athletic scholarship, but he was red-shirted as a freshman linebacker. What might have been?

"Had Frantz stayed at Boston College," said his brother Jimmy, "I know for a fact we'd be talking about a first- or second-round pick."

It's impossible to know with any certainty, of course. It's safe to say that Joseph's path to the NFL would have been easier if he hadn't returned home to Florida to support his struggling mother, hadn't transferred to the low-profile Florida Atlantic University.

His 154 tackles were the second-highest total in the country last season. He was the defensive MVP of the Texas vs. the Nation all-star game but Joseph, whose measurables aren't quite what the scouts would want, was not invited to the NFL scouting combine.

But as it turns out, the engaging Joseph did the right thing. This weekend, as the NFL draft unfolds in New York, we'll learn how costly his sacrifice was.

"In life, just what I've been through -- all of the trials and tribulations
-- [it's] just understanding that it's not about you," Joseph said. "It's about the people around you.

"It was a very hard decision, but it was the obvious decision that I had to come home and handle that. Just looking deeper into the picture, little did I know that it was a blessing in disguise."

Trading down

She didn't have her papers, so Marie Clercius worked under the table. Dirty work was all she could get, and that's what she did at the local mall and random hotels; cleaning toilets, taking out trash. She didn't always make enough money to keep the lights on, sometimes for days at a time.

When his mother Marie Clercius summoned him home from Boston College, Frantz Joseph transferred to Florida Atlantic University to help provide support.

They were evicted enough times to never really feel settled and food on the table, a given for most people, was only slightly more predictable than the electricity.

"Going to bed hungry was something that I experienced a lot growing up,"
Joseph said.

Added Jimmy, "I remember me and my brother, looking at each other in our rooms, listening to our mother cry, being sad with each other."

It is a tribute to their mother that they did not succumb to the usual temptations. Frantz, who started out as a freshman bass drum player in the Dillard High School marching band, was soon laying out ballcarriers for Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) High School. He led the Flying L's with 96 tackles in seven games and forced seven fumbles as a senior captain in 2003.

Boston College offered him a full ride, and he took it.

"You're playing great football at a high level, ACC -- Big East at the time
-- and at the same time, you're getting just a step below an Ivy League institution teaching," Joseph said. "The way I looked at it, I couldn't lose."

But Clercius, whose health was failing, was unable to pay her bills. After repeated phone calls from his mother, Joseph decided to return home after his first year. "Just hearing the person that you love, the person that's done everything for you -- crying," he said. "I mean, it's really not explainable."

He enrolled at Florida Atlantic and immediately began living two lives:
scholarship athlete and household provider. In the cracks between school and football, Joseph worked various odd jobs to support his mother. He'd rent a U-Haul and help people from his church move from one place to another. He cleaned homes and cut grass. Along with his brother Jimmy, who sent along about half of his Navy paycheck, they supported their mother.

Joseph grew into the most productive defensive player for Florida Atlantic, a mid-major, NCAA Division I program with high aspirations under head coach Howard Schnellenberger. At inside linebacker in 2008, Joseph made 10 tackles against Texas, 13 against Michigan State and 15 against Minnesota -- and that was just the first month.

Even though his pro day showing was not his best, Frantz Joseph remains confident in his prospects.

But when the invitations to the NFL combine went out, Joseph wasn't on the list. His two postseason performances came after the mid-December cutoff date for invitations.

"I thought everybody that saw him in El Paso, saw him at his best," said Schnellenberger, who was on the sideline of the all-star game. "He's got a great instinct for the ball."

Joseph was credited with an interception and a 26-yard return and fumble recovery and another 32-yard return to set up scores in the Texas vs. the Nation game. In FAU's victory over Central Michigan, Joseph led the Owls with 13 tackles.

Instead of working out for pro scouts in Indianapolis, Joseph watched on television in late February as the country's best 300-plus prospects -- 22 of them linebackers -- culled from more than 12,000 candidates, worked under the scrutiny of some 600 NFL personnel men.

That doesn't necessarily mean he won't be drafted.

According to Jeff Foster, president of National Football Scouting, over the past five years, between 28 and 38 players who weren't in Indianapolis still managed to get themselves selected by NFL teams.

How to quantify heart?

Joseph's personal combine took place on February 24. It was, he acknowledged, probably the biggest day of his life, one that might dictate the next five to 10 years of his life.

Florida Atlantic played host to 19 scouts, representing 16 NFL teams, for its pro day.

"It's huge," explained Brian Martin, Joseph's trainer and CEO of TEST Sports Clubs. "For these guys, it's their Super Bowl. This is it."

In a game where franchises are now valued at an average of more than one billion dollars, the search for talent is a ruthless, emotionless process.
In the end, numbers are what matter most.

Joseph's were well below his expectations:

Height: 6 feet, 1 ½ inches
Weight: 242 pounds
Broad jump: 9 feet, 7½ inches
Vertical leap: 31½inches
Bench press: 19 repetitions at 225 pounds 40-yard dash: 4.78 to 4.84 seconds 20-yard shuttle drill: 4.36 seconds
Three-cone: 7.34 seconds

"I didn't do so well as far as the numbers," Joseph said afterward. "I'd say like a seven on a scale of one to 10."

Earlier this month, Joseph worked out for the Miami Dolphins, at their facility in Davie, Fla. The Dolphins, whose scout had asked Joseph questions about his failed drug test in 2005 and arrest for marijuana possession in 2006, have been the most aggressive in doing their due diligence. Joseph freely acknowledges his mistakes but hopes that these incidents aren't going to hurt his draft position.

The Dolphins are among the NFL teams interested in Frantz Joseph, who led Florida Atlantic University in tackles last season.

According to Latish Kinsler, Joseph's agent and a partner at Metro Sports, about two-thirds of the league's teams have expressed interest, including the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens <http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/clubhouse?team=bal> and Carolina Panthers. Some projections have Joseph getting drafted as high as the fourth round, but the consensus is somewhere between the fifth and seventh rounds or, perhaps, not at all.

Joseph's anxiety has peaked in recent weeks.

"Just looking at the TVs and the Mel Kipers and the draft gurus, talking about the guys who are going the first day, and just knowing that your name's not out there," Joseph said in late March. "But at the same time you don't worry about that type of stuff because if you do, then you go crazy."

Joseph is two courses short of graduating with a double major in business and management at Florida Atlantic. Over the years, he has taken out $30,000 in loans to help support his mother. Clearly, he has the drive and the ability to succeed in life after football. It's just a question of when that life will begin. Sooner or later?

"They can't measure dedication and heart," said his brother Jimmy. "Anyone who watches film on him, they're going to see that dedication, that heart, and that will to make every play." Unquestionably, his return to Florida compromised his career path. But will that journey ultimately take him farther?

"I know I'm a better player because of my mother," Joseph said. "Just understanding the adversity off the field and how to overcome and translating that on the field. I know if it wasn't for my mother and the situations I've been through, I wouldn't be the player that I am today."

Greg Garber is a senior writer for ESPN.com. Enterprise Unit Producer Rayna Banks contibuted to this report

 

NFL Combine: Murtha may dash up NFL's draft board
BY RICH KAIPUST
WORLD-HERALD BUREAU

Lydon Murtha

LINCOLN - One oddity of running the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine is that a number of people know times before the football player ever hears them.

Former NU tackle Lydon Murtha ran a 4.89 in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. The time is believed to be the second-fastest mark by an offensive tackle or guard in combine history. Those working the track and equipment know. NFL scouts and personnel know. Even people at home watching the NFL Network.

Former Nebraska offensive tackle Lydon Murtha said it was a good 15 minutes before he learned his 4.89-second clocking. But he pretty much knew what he had just done in the workout at the Indianapolis Colts' stadium.

"I had a feeling it was a smooth run and everything felt good," Murtha said.
"But when I winded down and turned around and looked at the scouts, they were all turning their heads at me like, 'Wow.' So I knew it had to be good."

Good may be enough to overhaul his NFL draft stock.

"Based on what he did this weekend, he's definitely in the top 100 now,"
said Brian Martin, founder and CEO of TEST Sports Football Academy. "This maybe puts him in the third round, with even an outside chance at the second."

The 4.89 is believed to be the second-fastest mark by an offensive tackle or guard in combine history. No other lineman on Saturday ran faster than 5.0.

"I think this proves he's a phenomenal athlete and can really run,"

Martin said. "Some people still have questions about his pass-blocking ability and that he wasn't always healthy, but he's 100 percent healthy now."

Whether or not Martin's projection is accurate, Murtha likely helped himself the most out of the six former Huskers attending the NFL Combine.

Among the offensive linemen, the 6-foot-7, 307-pounder from Hutchinson, Minn. also had best times in the three-cone drill (7.06

seconds) and 20-yard shuttle (4.34), and ranked second in the vertical jump
(35 inches) and tied for third in the broad jump (9 feet, 2 inches).

"I knew I'd test out pretty well," Murtha said. "I've basically trained my whole life for it, not just the training leading up to it."

"I needed to definitely prove myself, just because with some injuries some scouts worried I didn't have my agility. If you go out there and you run well, and you do all your lateral drills and later movements really well, obviously you're not as injured as people say."

After working out last month with Nebraska strength coach James Dobson in Lincoln, Murtha spent three weeks at TEST Sports in Martinsville, N.J. In that time, Martin said, Murtha lowered his 10-yard dash from

1.81 seconds to 1.68 and his three-cone mark from 7.81 to the 7.06 he registered in Indianapolis.

Although not overly relevant for linemen, the 40 just stuck out because it's more of a high-profile drill.

"Once he gets going, he's just an incredible athlete and eats up a lot of ground when he runs," Martin said. "He's just so explosive."

Murtha finished his Nebraska career making 23 starts and playing 40 games.
However, he never received All-Big 12 consideration, and he missed four games in each of his junior and senior years.

He isn't sure how to wrap his arms around what happened in Indianapolis. In recent rankings, Murtha was listed as low as No. 25 among offensive tackles by ESPN.com, No. 20 by NFL Draft Scout and No. 28 by Pro Football Weekly.

"There's a ton of mixed feelings, I'm sure," Murtha said. "There's people that really like it, and it really might make them take a second look at me. You hear a lot that you can't teach athleticism, so it's an important deal for teams."

 

WATCHUNG HILLS' ARD WINS STATE TITLE AGAIN

Wrestling 171lb championship: Brendan Ard defeats Ryan Callahan

ARD OF WATCHUNG HILLS BEATS CALLAHAN OF WALLKILL VALLEY FOR STATE TITLE
BY CHRIS ORLANDO

Brendan Ard

Brendan Ard of Watchung Hills had seen too many wrestlers reach the state tournament as a defending champion only to fall short of a repeat title.

"I didn't want to be like those guys that didn't get the job done their senior year," Ard said. "I came down here expecting to win and knowing that I was going to wrestle hard every time."

Ard again did just that, punctuating a perfect 37-0 senior campaign by earning a 4-3 victory over Ryan Callahan of Wallkill Valley of Hampton to repeat as champion at 171 pounds.

Ard had defeated Raritan's Dan Seidenberg, 3-1, in overtime for the 171-pound crown last winter. Callahan stunned Seidenberg, 3-2, in four overtimes in the semifinal round to derail the hoped-for rematch in the final.

"It's a different opponent and not one that I was familiar with," Ard said.
"But I didn't take him lightly. I knew I had to go at it for six minutes."

Ard earned his first takedown by hitting a double-leg 53 seconds into the first period and, after cutting Callahan loose, took a 2-1 lead into the second. Ard cut Callahan loose again to start the second and then worked hard to get another takedown with 50 seconds left, first grabbing Callahan's left leg and then working around to wrap up the right by the edge of the mat.

Ard let Callahan out on a restart to make the score 4-3, but did not allow Callahan to get anywhere near him for the duration of the third to seal the one-point victory.

"I was only taken down once this year and I take a lot of pride in being able to wrestle smart," said Ard, referring to the takedown in his 7-3 victory over Mike Khoury of St. Joseph of Montvale on Jan. 31.

"Sometimes you see guys not finish and get caught late in the third.

You can't wrestle just five and a half minutes, you have to be able to wrestle six strong throughout."

Ard's victory marks the fifth state title for Watchung Hills and makes him the school's first two-time winner. Its other state champions are Alex Caruso (160 in 2006), Mike Gatti (160 in '04) and Fred Pauser (178 in '60).

Ard, who will wrestle at Wisconsin next school year, finishes his career with a 139-11 mark that includes four District 12 championships, three Region 3 crowns and, now, two state titles.

"It feels great to do all of that," said Ard. "It's going to be sad to see it end."

FINAL
Brendan Ard, Watchung Hills, d. Ryan Callahan, Wallkill Valley, 4-3.
Congrats Brendan from The TEST and EDGE TEAM... your hard work paid off again!

 

Bears bringing in Rutgers DE for a closer look
By Brad Biggs on March 31, 2009 3:12 AM

Jamaal Westerman

The Bears will host defensive end Jamaal Westerman at Halas Hall today on a pre-draft visit.

The Rutgers product is one of the 30 pre-draft visits the team can have. He's an interesting late-round prospect who could also be a priority free-agent type.

Westerman was knocked out of the bowl season with a torn biceps tendon but was healthy enough to go through his pro day last week. He put up 20 reps on the bench press at 225 pounds and was clocked in the 40-yard dash at 4.78 seconds. He's a smaller guy at 6-2, 257 pounds, but he's explosive off the ball and he's a high motor guy who finished third in school history in sacks.

The Bears will be able to get a medical evaluation of Westerman and go from there. Keep an eye on him. The team has been looking closely at linebackers for possible selection in the later rounds of the draft.

Don't be surprised if the team goes after a pass rusher early in the draft (top three rounds) and then again later on. Adewale Ogunleye and Mark Anderson are both going into the finals years of their contracts.

 

Hoping for better life, FAU's Joseph eyes NFL
CBS Sports

Frantz

It's what he did on Friday nights in high school, on Saturdays in college, and what he hopes to do on Sundays in the NFL.

That's why no one who knew Joseph was surprised by what he did this past Dec. 27.

FAU's season ended with the bowl win over Central Michigan on Dec. 26, a game where Joseph led the Owls with 13 tackles.

The very next morning, instead of going to Boca Raton for end-of-season celebrating, he was on a plane destined for Martinsville, N.J., set to begin training at the TEST sports club alongside other NFL hopefuls.

Joseph immediately impressed Brian Martin, the CEO of the club - without doing a single thing on the workout field.

"A lot of kids that we work with are prima donnas. They come in and say, 'What shoes are you giving me? What shirt are you giving me?' That kind of stuff," Martin said. "Frantz actually called me the day before Christmas, said he was coming out the day after the game, and asked if we needed help setting up because he knew we had 32 guys coming in. He's an amazing kid. So appreciative of everything."

It's all part of Joseph's upbringing.

His mother, Marie Clercius, had five children, him being the youngest. She came to the United States nearly 40 years ago, still speaks English with an extremely thick accent, yet counts herself as one of the lucky ones. She worked as a cleaner for years, and now rents a table space for $15 at a three-times-a-week swap meet, reselling items she bought at secondhand shops.

"Just trying to make a dollar, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays," Joseph said.

To help make ends meet, Joseph took out a slew of student loans when he was in college. As a kid, he would ask churches for help. He'd go into older women's homes, help them with various chores, hoping for some pocket change. He knew people who turned to a life of crime - but he resisted following that path.

"I'm very proud of my son," Clercius said in a phone interview.

The majority of mock drafts on the Internet suggest Joseph - at 6-foot-2, 235 pounds - will likely get taken somewhere between the fourth and sixth rounds. A few have him going earlier, a few later, a few not at all.

Joseph says as long as he gets into a training camp, he'll be fine. Martin, his trainer at TEST, feels the same way.

"I've watched a lot of film, spent time with a lot of guys," Martin said. "I don't know where he'll get drafted, but I think he's a Pro Bowl guy someday. I think he's the next Ray Lewis. He's an incredible, fierce hitter. A lot of passion. I don't say that lightly."

Deep down, that fierce hitter is just a momma's boy.

He plays the game for his mother, still trying to give her the better life that she fled Haiti for a lifetime ago.

"That's why I'm out here, having fun, smiling," Joseph said. "But it's different when I go home. I know what my mother doesn't have. Time is running out. I haven't had my father since I was 3 years old. I had to take a stand at being the man. I have to get it done. So give me a chance. Put a running back in front of me and see what happens."

He pauses. He smiles, again.

"Like I said, that's my life," Joseph said.

 

EMU Pro Day opportunity for Holtzclaw
By Dave Ruthenberg, Staff Writer
Enid News- Oklahoma

Daniel Holtzclaw

An opportunity. That's all former Enid High School and Eastern Michigan University standout linebacker Daniel Holtzclaw has ever wanted.

Holtzclaw will get one of those opportunities Monday when he gets to display his wares before National Football League scouts at Eastern Michigan's annual Pro Day.

Holtzclaw, the school's second all-time leading career tackler with 437 stops, will be watched, timed and observed by as many as 15 NFL scouts who will be there to evaluate him.

How he goes through a series of drills and agility will go a long way toward determining his draft status for the NFL Draft April 25-26.

But it has not been an easy path. Despite being a four-year starter and earning All-MAC accolades, the postseason all-star and NFL Combine invitations never materialized, eliminating several key chances to impress the scouts.

It was at last year's Senior Bowl that Holtz-claw's former teammate, Jason Jones, made a huge impression, which elevated Jones to being a second-round draft pick of the Tennessee Titans in last year's NFL Draft.

Sure, I was disappointed initially, but I looked at the positives, said Holtzclaw without a trace of bitterness. It (not being invited) fueled my fire and gave me more time to perfect my skills and techniques.

But I think it's more politics than anything.

Holtzclaw points out USC had several linebackers invited to the NFL Combine, including a fifth-year player, Clay Matthews, who never started until his last season. Matthews had 56 tackles, which is about a half-season's worth of work for Holtzclaw.

I watched some of the times being recorded by the other linebackers (at the
Combine) and I was surprised how slow they were, but that just made me want to work harder, Holtzclaw said.

That hard work included an intense six-week stay at the Test Football Academy in New Jersey run by founder and trainer Brian Martin. It's a program designed to focus on the drills and techniques players will need to demonstrate at the NFL Combine or on a school's pro day.

Holtzclaw's tenacity impressed Martin, whose program last season produced two first-round NFL draft choices in quarterback Joe Flacco

(Delaware) of the Baltimore Ravens and offensive tackle Ryan Clady (Boise
State) of the Denver Broncos.

Daniel's motor is unmatched, said Martin. His work ethic is what is going to separate him from the other prospects. He is also very smart and can pick up a scheme quickly. He is one of the hardest workers I have ever been around and will outwork everyone around him.

Martin compares Holtz-claw favorably to Dallas Cowboys' veteran linebacker Zach Thomas, who like Holtzclaw is considered a bit undersized (6-foot-1,
246 pounds) by NFL standards, but whose tenacity has made him a feared linebacker.

If teams can get past his (Holtzclaw's) size, they will have found a solid performer, Martin said.

Martin sees Holtzclaw being drafted as early as the middle rounds.

However, Martin believes even if Holtzclaw goes undrafted, he will stick with an NFL team as an undrafted free agent.

If he gets into camp with a team, there is no way they send him home,he said.

Holtzclaw recognizes his pro day will be crucial and believes the work and techniques he picked up at Martin's facility already are paying dividends.

I timed at 4.65 electronically in the 40, said Holtzclaw who hopes to register a 4.5 hand-held time at EMU's Pro Day. I also really improved my technique as we were able to work on linebacker specific skills, working on my arm swing and leg drive.

Martin's state of the art facility included video rooms where players could review their performance and see exactly what areas needed improvement.

But while focused on doing well at Pro Day, Holtzclaw insists that he is not concerned about his draft position, but would certainly prefer to be drafted than having to catch on as a free agent.

I'm not thinking about where I'll be drafted, so much can change. But it is better to be drafted because when you are drafted teams pay upfront guaranteed money, which is important because then they have an early investment in you and are more likely to take the time to develop you.

Holtzclaw has not had any direct contact with teams but his agent has told him several teams have inquired about him and the New York Jets have especially expressed interest. The NFL hopeful is ranked at number 21 out of 150 middle linebacker prospects by NFL Draft Scout.com. He is up running at
7 each morning.

"All I ever asked for was an opportunity and whenever it comes along, you have to grasp it and take advantage of it."

 

Revealing 'The Ghost' that is Gary Rogers

The former WSU and Kamiak quarterback is hoping to show pro scouts today that he's fully recovered from breaking his neck and -- more importantly -- he can be an NFL signal-caller

By Scott M. Johnson
Herald Writer

Gary Rogers, a former WSU and Kamiak quarterback, throws a pass against Oklahoma State this past season. Rogers, who suffered a fractured spine during a game in September, is healthy again and will participate in a pro tryout in Pullman today.

Six months after his football career could have ended by way of a horrific injury, Gary Rogers has one more chance to make sure that it doesn't.

The Kamiak High School graduate and former Washington State University quarterback will be part of a pro tryout in Pullman today, during which he hopes to show the scouts that he's fully healed from a broken neck and that he's got what it takes to play in the NFL.

"I'm going to take it like it's my last shot," he said, "but I think there will be other opportunities down the road. I want to prove that I'm healthy and ready to go."

Last September, when Rogers was playing quarterback at WSU, his college career came to an abrupt end after suffering a fractured spine. Rogers lied on the Martin Stadium turf for 15 minutes before being led off the field in an ambulance.

The next time his parents saw him, Rogers was at a nearby hospital, still wearing Cougar colors after his helmet and pads had been cut away.

"It was my worst nightmare come true," said mother Linda Rogers, a Mukilteo resident who attended the Portland State game with husband Gary Sr. "I'll be honest: he's been playing football since he was 4 years old, and this was his first injury. The only thing I wanted was for him to be OK again."

Rogers was in a neck brace following the injury but eventually started lifting weights. His own body weight had dropped from 225 pounds to 209, so he had to methodically work his way back into shape.

Rogers was cleared medically in January, when an MRI and a Cat scan on his spine revealed no lingering damage from the injury. He met with Dr. Stan Herring, who works with the Seahawks and Mariners, and was eventually cleared to return to the field.

Through his agent, Cary Fabrikant, Rogers got hooked up with an agility-based training center known as TEST Sports in Martinsville, N.J. There, he worked with former NFL quarterback Scott Brunner, who took a similar interest in Delaware quarterback and future first-round pick Joe Flacco last winter. Brunner and Rogers worked on agility drills that would best prepare him for an NFL tryout.

That comes today, when Rogers is expected to be one of about 10 recent Cougars who will be put through 40-yard dashes and agility drills at the WSU practice facility.

"All we're looking for is someone to recognize that Gary has the height, the weight and the arm strength to get an opportunity," Fabrikant said of the 6-foot-7, 222-pound quarterback. "Our goal is for Gary to get into an NFL camp."

Fabrikant, who lists several ex-Cougars like Jason David and Michael Bumpus as clients, said he first became interested in Rogers in 2006, when he saw the then-sophomore lead WSU on a six-play, 90-yard touchdown drive against Auburn.

"Anybody in football that saw that drive had to feel that Gary had something," Fabrikant said. "But then he got injured. And when a guy gets injured, it's hard to predict what could have happened.

"... If all (scouts) want to do is talk about the injury, well, look at (Baltimore Ravens running back) Willis McGahee. The last time anyone saw him on the field before the draft, he was tearing up his ACL in a bowl game. And yet, he was a first-round pick and has had a pretty productive career last time I checked."

Rogers said he doesn't think about the possibility of re-injuring himself, despite the severity of the initial hit.

His mother, as would be expected, does have some initial trepidation.

"There was (some concern) at first," Linda Rogers said. "But this is Gary's dream. I just want Gary to have a chance to do what he's always wanted to do.

"I'd rather he not (play again), but I'm happy for him."

According to Rob Rang, draft analyst for CBS Sports, Rogers was not generating much buzz from pro scouts before the injury but has a chance to really open some eyes this week. In what Rang called one of the weaker groups of quarterbacks he's seen in recent drafts, Rogers could make a name for himself with a good tryout.

"There's absolutely a chance he'll get a look because there isn't a whole lot of (quarterback) talent out there," Rang said.

The odds are certainly against Rogers. CBS ranks 75 quarterbacks in the upcoming class, and Rogers is not among them. He played in 31 games for the Cougars but started just two, and Rogers never passed for more than 100 yards in a single game

Rogers doesn't know what to expect from the six weeks that will lead up to the April 25-26 NFL draft. He's just glad to have an opportunity to play football again.

"It was frustrating," he said of the injury. "I waited my turn for five years, and then finally got my shot, so that's frustrating. But I definitely have no regrets. I think something positive will come of it."

The first step comes today, when Rogers will get to show the scouts whether he has what it takes to play at the NFL level.

"We've been calling him The Ghost," said Fabrikant, Rogers's agent. "He disappeared a long time ago.

"Now we're going to see if we can put him back in front of people's eyes."

 

Fulton, Felix move up at combine
By Tony Pauline, Special to SI.com, TFYDraft.com

Xavier Fulton improved his stock with a strong performance on Saturday.

INDIANAPOLIS -- The offensive linemen and tight ends took the field at Lucas Oil Stadium to be timed in the 40 and to go through a battery of position drills. There were a number of players who stood out and improved their draft stock.

Risers

Xavier Fulton/OL/Illinois: Fulton was impressive from the start of the combine as he completed 27 repetitions of 225 pounds on the bench press Friday, then ran his 40 in a time of 4.91 seconds on both tries. He later looked terrific in position drills. Fulton has been dealing with a shoulder injury since tearing a labrum in the middle of the season. He could have very easily bowed out of performing at the combine but decided to give it a go. Fulton will have surgery to repair the injury next week.

Robby Felix/C/UTEP: Cleared by doctors to train for the combine just two months ago after suffering a very mild stroke in November, Felix completed 33 reps on the bench then ran his 40 in 5.2 seconds. His footwork and movement skills really stood out during the practice session.

Jamon Meredith/OL/South Carolina: Meredith was bothered with injuries and position changes last season at USC. He has certainly looked healthy and focused since arriving in Indianapolis. On Friday, he completed 31 reps on the bench press, better than anyone expected. Meredith ran his 40s in a combined time of 4.89 seconds. Meredith later displayed good footwork, quickness and athleticism in the workout.

Jared Cook/TE/South Carolina: Meredith's college teammate was another who made Gamecock fans proud. Cook timed in the low 4.4-second area on both of his 40's, a time faster than many of the wide receivers will run. He did not participate in the pass catching workout because of a quadriceps injury suffered on his second run, but Cook's hands have never been questioned by scouts.

William Beatty/OT/Connecticut: One of the nation's better pass blockers proved he is one of the best athletes of all the offensive linemen in attendance. Beatty weighed a stout 307 pounds and completed 27 reps on the bench. He ran his 40s in just over five seconds, then looked very smooth during position drills.

Dan Gronkowski/TE/Maryland: Gronkowski completed 26 reps on the bench Friday, then ran his 40's in just over 4.7 seconds. Later in practice, he displayed solid hands and showed a lot of downfield speed scouts did not think he possessed.

Lydon Murtha/OL/Nebraska: Murtha flew across the stadium turf, posting times of 4.85 and 4.89 in the 40, some of the best ever for an offensive lineman at the combine. He later displayed a lot of quickness and athleticism in the position specific drills.

Phil Loadholt/OT/Oklahoma: Loadholt was less than inspiring at the Senior Bowl last month, but pulled it together in Indianapolis. He weighed in at 332 pounds, 11 less than the Senior Bowl. Loadholt's 40 times were not impressive, yet his workout stood out. He looked very athletic and moved exceptionally well on his feet.

Gerald Cadogan/OT/Penn State: Scouts always considered Cadogan a solid athlete and he proved them correct today. Cadogan posted times of 5.03 and 5.07 in the 40 and looked very athletic on the field. His bench press total of 26 repetitions was a positive sign for those critical of his strength.

Sliders

Bear Pascoe/TE/Fresno State: Pascoe is considered more of a pass catcher, yet he was the slowest tight end on the field. He never broke 4.9 seconds in the 40 and looked very sluggish in pass catching drills.

Herman Johnson/OL/LSU: Johnson's woes seem to be piling up. He performed poorly at the Senior Bowl and was no better here. Johnson weighed in at 364 pounds, almost twenty less than the Senior Bowl, but barely broke the 5.5- second barrier in the 40 and worse yet, completed just 21 reps on the bench.

Dan Gay/OL/Baylor: Gay measured 6-foot-4 and 308 pounds, but was only able to complete 18 reps on the bench and ran poorly, timing his 40's over 5.4-seconds.

Garrett Reyonlds/OT/North Carolina: Reynolds was another big offensive lineman who struggled on the bench press (19 reps) and in the 40 (5.41 seconds). He later looked sluggish and slow during the practice session.

Notes

It's been a bizarre few days for Alabama offensive tackle Andre Smith, considered by most to be a top five pick. Immediately before the second group of offensive linemen were about to start their workout, an official announcement was made stating Smith had left the combine headquarters unannounced. After a long search, Smith was found 30 minutes before the workout began. The announcement went on to say Smith and his agent were giving conflicting stories as to the reason of his disappearance. Sources later said Smith's interviews with teams have been going horribly. He's been inappropriately dressed and has been giving a number of conflicting statements as to why he was choosing not to workout at the combine. Several offensive line coaches have already suggested Smith be removed from their team's draft board and there's no doubt his draft stock is falling.

Considering the money being thrown around at the punters and kickers before free agency even begins, teams may look to the draft to fill these areas. They best look hard.

On Friday, the punters and kickers were the first athletes to workout at the combines new location, Lucas Oil Stadium, and there were mixed results.

Thomas Morstead of SMU displayed a strong leg as most of his punts were measured at 50 yards or more, the longest being a 60-yarder. The problem is Morstead looked terrible as a directional punter.

David Buehler of USC had the strongest kickoff leg as most of his kicks went 70+ yards deep into the opposite end zone. His problem came during the field goal portion of the session as Buehler missed on all three attempts from 50 yards.

Field goal accuracy was not a problem for Louie Sakoda of Utah. He connected on two of three from 50 yards and was perfect from 45 yards. Sakoda's kickoffs were another story as he struggled to even reach the opposing 10-yard line, or the equivalent of a 60-yard kickoff.

 

Combine review: Which prospects helped, hurt themselves the most
By Tony Pauline, Special to SI.com, TFYDraft.com

Josh Freeman was widely considered to be the No. 3 QB prospect going into Indy.

The NFL's annual pilgrimage to Indianapolis for the scouting combine is complete for 2009. Scouts, coaches and general managers will now crisscross the map to attend pro-day workouts at schools across the nation. The impressions from this year's combine have left their mark as a number players moved up or down draft boards based on their performance. Here's a look at who helped himself and hurt himself most at every position.

Quarterback

HELPED: Pat White/West Virginia -- White did what a quarterback is supposed to do at the combine by displaying accuracy, arm strength and consistency making the required NFL passes. At the very least White's combine performance is forcing NFL decision makers to keep him in the quarterback equation moving towards April.

HURT: Josh Freeman/Kansas State -- Scouts questioned Freeman's decision to enter the draft after a very mediocre junior season in '08. His combine workout did nothing to quell that criticism. Freeman showed the physical tools to play at the next level yet his erratic passing and inaccurate throws were not the makings of a top 45 prospect.

Running Back

HELPED: Ian Johnson/Boise State -- Johnson did not have a mind blowing workout at the combine yet was very solid and ranked in the top 10 of just about every category for the running backs. He came out a big winner as scouts no longer feel Johnson is simply a third down back or situational runner. Johnson, who measured 5-foot-11 and 212 pounds before timing at 4.45 in the 40 and completing 26 reps on the bench, is now being viewed as a potential feature runner. This alone will improve his draft stock almost a full round.

HURT: Branden Ore/West Liberty State -- Ore, who was once a star at Virginia Tech, was characterized as a one-speed ball carrier coming into the combine. He struggled to break 4.7 seconds in the 40 as no one realized how slow that speed was.

Wide Receivers

HELPED: Johnny Knox/Abilene Christian -- Knox was little known before the combine outside of scouting circles yet he made a name for himself in Indianapolis. His 40 time of 4.3 seconds ranked with the elite receivers in this draft and his pass catching workout also stood out. His performance is reminiscent of recent small school pass catchers such as Jerome Simpson of Coastal Carolina and Appalachian State's Dexter Jackson. Both Simpson and Jackson were elevated into the second round based on their combine workout and Knox can expect the same.

HURT: Jaison Williams/Oregon -- Williams capped a poor senior season with a terrible combine performance. He was not only slow in the 40 (4.7) but also dropped a number of catchable passes during the workout.

Offensive Line

HELPED: Jason Smith/Baylor -- Smith benefited from factors he controlled at the combine and those which he did not. His workout was terrific as the 309-pound tackle ran well and answered questions about his strength by completing 33 reps on the bench. Smith's work in the position drills was also effective and he established himself as one of this draft's more athletic linemen. Part of his rise also had to do with the shenanigans of the other Smith.

HURT: Andre Smith/Alabama -- His actions last week will be used by players moving forward on what not to do after being invited to the combine. Smith's playing skills are undiminished by his escapades at the combine. Yet the immaturity, selfishness and sheer stupidity he displayed in Indianapolis will make teams pause before using an early pick on Smith, a pick that will guarantee him millions of dollars.

Defensive Line

HELPED: Connor Barwin/Cincinnati -- Barwin, a converted tight end, was barely on the radar screen of scouts before the season began. He turned in a dominant senior season in which he cemented himself as a top 60 choice then made his case to be a first rounder at the combine. Barwin finished in the top five of every workout category for the defensive linemen except one (bench press). Barwin proved to be a terrific football player last year and at Indianapolis also showed he's a great athlete. That's the stuff first round picks are made of.

HURT: Maurice Evans/Penn State -- Evans was once considered a big time NFL prospect. After his combine performance he may not even get drafted in April. He was short (6-foot-1.5), slow (5.0 in the 40) and not strong (17 reps on the bench).

Linebackers

HELPED: Aaron Curry/Wake Forest -- Curry was already the highest rated linebacker entering the combine, so how can he climb any higher? In a year where there's no single dominant prospect and in a draft which has many questions at the top, Curry may not only be the best player but the safest pick. His total workout on the turf of Lucas Oil Stadium was sensational in every way and Curry made his case for being the number one selection in April.

Morgan Trent may have moved into the second round with his combine performance.

HURT: Rey Maualuga/USC -- The woes continue for a player many justifiably considered a top five pick entering the year. Maualuga was poorly conditioned at the Senior Bowl and was in no better physical shape at the combine. Scouts now wonder how naïve Maualuga may be to this entire process and are concerned it may carry over to the next level.

Defensive Backs

HELPED: Morgan Trent/Michigan -- Bettering the expectations placed upon you by NFL scouts is part of the game at the combine and Trent did a complete job of that on the final day. He was faster, stronger and more athletic than scouts ever thought. The feeling is Trent can play either cornerback or safety, a versatility you cannot place a price on in the age of salary cap football. Trent was a fringe top 100 choice after the season but his Senior Bowl and combine performances have pushed him into the draft's initial 60 picks.

HURT: Malcolm Jenkins/Ohio State -- Jenkins' story has been beaten like a dead horse since it first broke on SI.com. He can still be a quality player in the NFL but the facts are defensive backs who run 4.55 seconds in the 40 don't get selected in the draft's top eight selections, as many thought Jenkins would before the combine began.

 

Penn St.'s Butler shines at combine
By Tony Pauline, Special to SI.com, TFYDraft.com

INDIANAPOLIS -- The big names took center stage to perform for scouts Sunday and it was a fast day on the turf of Lucas Oil Stadium. There were a variety of results, both good and bad, during the seven hours of combine workouts.

Georgia RB Knowshon Moreno had a solid 40 time and a good workout overall.

Risers

Deon Butler/WR/Penn State: Butler scorched the turf, running his 40's under 4.3 seconds on several stopwatches. He practiced at that speed during drills, displaying outstanding quickness and route-running skills. Butler also caught the ball very well. He improved his draft stock almost two rounds.

Johnny Knox/WR/Abilene Christian: Knox did everything a small school prospect is suppose to do at the combine. He started the morning scorching the field running times of 4.30 seconds in both his 40's, with some watches timing Knox in the high 4.2-area. Knox then put in a terrific pass-catching workout and the few times he did drop a pass, he took extra reps to make up for his miscue. He's another who improved his draft stock some 60 slots.

Pat White/QB/West Virginia: White picked up where he left off after the Senior Bowl game, where he was the MVP. He was accurate on most of his passes, showing solid arm strength and accuracy throughout the practice session. White was impressive making a number of NFL-type throws. He's determined to be a signal-caller in the NFL and looked like one today, even though he was wearing shorts and a tee-shirt. Entering the combine White was asked by scouts to take a few repetitions at receiver. He did not do so after his terrific quarterback workout.

Knowshon Moreno/RB/Georgia: Moreno separated himself from the field and now clearly ranks as the top back heading towards April's draft. He weighed a stout 217 pounds, completed 25 reps on the bench and ran solid 40 times in the mid-to-upper 4.5 second area. Moreno really stood out during the running back drill session where he displayed outstanding quickness, footwork and pass-catching hands.

Mike Thomas/WR/Arizona: Thomas sizzled in the 40, running in the low 4.3's then had a terrific pass-catching workout. He ran good routes and caught just about everything thrown to him. He measured just a fraction under 5-foot-8-inches, which will knock him off some boards around the league.

Brian Hoyer/QB/Michigan State: Hoyer displayed terrific accuracy and a solid intermediate range arm this afternoon. He was dead on with most of his throws and has established himself as a terrific passer for a timing offense. With the state of the senior quarterback class in disarray Hoyer has likely moved into the middle rounds.

Kory Sheets/RB/Purdue: Sheets was another fast skill player and ran right around 4.40 seconds on both tries of the 40. During drills, Sheets displayed great quickness and the ability to turn on his second gear with a single step. He also looked very natural catching the ball.

Cedric Peerman/RB/Virginia: Peerman ran much faster than expected, stopping watches under 4.4-seconds in the 40. He showed the same speed during the drill session and worked hard. Peerman does have a tendency to lose a lot of momentum when he must quickly change direction and looked a bit straight-line-ish carrying the ball.

Kenny Mckinley/WR/South Carolina: McKinley also exceeded expectations, running in the mid 4-3's in the 40. McKinley also caught the ball very well and practiced at the same speed he timed, dispelling any belief that he's just a possession receiver who cannot stretch the field.

Sliders

Josh Freeman/QB/Kansas State: Freeman's day can be best described as erratic. He started off slow, then picked up his passing in the middle of the practice session. Late in the practice session, Freeman's deep outs were inaccurate and all over the place. His combine performance was not terrible, but it did not cement Freeman as a first-round choice, which many are predicting.

Shonn Greene/RB/Iowa: Greene was slow on Sunday, clocking both his 40 times in the mid 4.7-second area after weighing in at 227 pounds. He displayed limited quickness in drills and dropped several passes.

Mark Sanchez/QB/USC: Sanchez struggled most of the day and may have pushed himself out of the draft's first 10 selections. He was accurate throwing between the numbers, but Sanchez sprayed the outs and was very inaccurate with his deep outs. Most worrisome is Sanchez showed marginal arm strength and on a number of occasions receivers were slowing up in their deep patterns as his passes were underthrown.

Derrick Williams/WR/Penn State: Williams displayed a lot of natural receiving skill and caught the ball well while also running good routes. His 40 times, which were in the 4.6-second range, is going to cause Williams' draft stock to drop.

Jason Boltus/QB/Hartwick: Boltus struggled on the big stage and did not show the skills to make scouts believe he has a real big future at the next level. His accuracy was poor most of the day. In once instance, Jeremy Maclin contorted backwards then fell to the ground trying to catch one of his errant passes. Maclin momentarily left the field with a left leg injury.

Notes

The Andre Smith story isn't going to die any time soon. Since his surprising disappearance on Saturday, Smith and his agent are in full damage control. The mood at Lucas Oil Stadium amongst scouts was the feeling Smith could drop out of the draft's first 10 picks, yet the team that grabs him could get a steal if the light goes on in his head.

Percy Harvin ran some disappointing times in the 40, struggling to get under 4.4-seconds, not as fast as most predicted. He then did not partake in the pass-catching drills.

 

McKinley isolates himself to prepare for NFL combine
USC receiver taking upcoming job interview with NFL scouts seriously

 

After his South Carolina career reached its New Year’s Day conclusion, Kenny McKinley barely had time to swap the Florida-friendly shorts in his suitcase for some heavier clothes.

Within three days of the Gamecocks’ loss in the Outback Bowl, the record-setting wide receiver was sweating in a small-town New Jersey gym, preparing for wherever his football skills would lead him.

“I took no time off,” McKinley said. “I came straight here to get ready.”

Away from family, friends and fun, McKinley has sequestered himself in a boxer-like training camp, eating and sleeping football and readying himself to wow NFL scouts at the upcoming NFL combine.

McKinley is scheduled to arrive in Indianapolis on Thursday for the combine, an all-encompassing job interview consisting of four days of extensive medical exams, physical and psychological testing and personal interviews with all 32 NFL teams.

More than 300 NFL hopefuls have been invited to the event, which starts Wednesday and runs through Feb. 24.

“I felt like I could get away from a lot of distractions,” McKinley said of his decision to train at TEST Sports Football Academy in Martinsville, N.J. “Where I’m at, it’s really the middle of nowhere. We’ve got a good plan here, and I follow it daily.

“Everything I’m doing is about getting ready for the combine. Hopefully, I’ll get there and be able to show out.”

Heading into the combine, draft experts are predicting McKinley will likely be a middle-round selection in April’s NFL draft.

“I’m training for a job interview,” McKinley said. “This is the first time in my life that it isn’t all about team. It’s about K-Mac. It’s like I’m the CEO of my own company and that company is my body.”

McKinley’s goals during the combine and in the weeks prior to April’s draft are to prove to skeptics he’s actually faster than advertised and possesses NFL-caliber toughness and durability.

Those facets have been the biggest concerns for scouts.

The spindly 6-foot, 187-pounder isn’t exactly a physical specimen and isn’t known as a speed demon.

What he can do is snag passes with some of the surest hands ever to grace the SEC. McKinley’s 207 career receptions were a school record and the third-highest total in league history. A crisp route runner with intelligence for the game, McKinley is more substance over style, but it’s regularly style points at the combine that propel an individual’s stock skyward.

Fair or not, it’s the 4.3 40s, 40-inch verticals and 40 reps on the bench press at 225 pounds that can move an elite athlete past a better football player in the minds of pro personnel.

With that in mind, McKinley’s out to show he’s got plenty of speed to play at the next level and doesn’t believe there should be any question about his toughness.

“I’m not the biggest wide receiver, but I’ve got a lot of heart,” McKinley said. “I don’t feel I have to be the biggest guy to go out there and compete. I do need to get stronger because the NFL is a more physical game, but if I’m still running good routes, getting open and catching the ball, then I can have a long career in the NFL.”

As for his toughness, McKinley points to the fact that he missed three games this season (the only no-shows of his career) with an injured hamstring before returning and playing with the injury. The hamstring did force him to miss the Senior Bowl last month, but that was more of a precautionary measure.

“There’s no questioning my toughness, it’s just, ‘Can I be durable?’ ” McKinley said.

McKinley expects to be close to 100 percent and participate in all of the drills at the combine. He got a sneak preview of what to expect from speaking with former teammates Sidney Rice and Cory Boyd and deems himself more than ready.

“It’s a lot of excitement right now,” McKinley said. “Until the combine comes, it’s all hard work and striving toward a good goal. My state of mind is kind of relaxed, and I’m trying not to put more pressure on me than there really is because when you do that, that’s when good things don’t happen for you.

“I’m going in with confidence, knowing what I have to do. This whole process has been a great time, and it will put me one step closer to where I want to be. (The NFL) has been a lifelong dream. Now, it’s right around the corner, and I’m giving it my all.”

www.goupstate.com
By Eric Boynton
eric.boynton@shj.com

Published: Monday, February 16, 2009 at 6:52 p.m.
Last Modified: Monday, February 16, 2009 at 11:46 p.m.

 

USC set to retire McKinley's No. 11
Injuries, defections force Gamecocks to pick up QB
Written by BOB GILLESPIE AND JOSEPH PERSON
02.05.09

Kenny McKinley

Kenny McKinley

Steve Spurrier talked Wednesday about taking Sterling Sharpe’s No. 2 out of retirement, then said he wants to retire the jersey of another star receiver: Kenny McKinley.

“One thing we are planning to do is retire Kenny McKinley’s jersey, No. 11,” Spurrier said following USC’s National Signing Day press conference. Last fall, McKinley broke most of USC’s career receiving records, many previously held by Sharpe.

The retirement would take place at USC’s spring game on April 11, Spurrier said. In the past, South Carolina retired the numbers of Heisman Trophy winner George Rogers, Sharpe, Mike Johnson and Steve Wadiak.

“(McKinley’s) would be just a jersey retirement,” the coach said. “We’ve got a whole bunch of people who want to wear No. 11.

“Hopefully we can get Kenny back, and put that big No. 11 the same place with No. 38 (Rogers), No. 2” and the rest.

Spurrier said discussions had been held about giving Sharpe’s No. 2 to Calhoun County’s Alshon Jeffery, who spurned Southern Cal to sign with the Gamecocks.

“All those (retired) numbers have been talked about,” the coach said. “Almost every college in the country does not retire numbers, they retire jerseys.”

Earlier, Sharpe said he was unaware of plans to un-retire No. 2. “Nothing’s been decided yet, let’s put it that way,” Spurrier said.

 

Big plays give Joseph defensive MVP
Associated Press
ESPN.com

Frantz Joseph

EL PASO, Texas -- Florida Atlantic's Frantz Joseph returned an interception 26 yards and a fumble 32 yards to set up scores and the national team won the Texas vs. The Nation All-Star Game 27-24 on Saturday.

Texas trailed 20-17 after a 27-yard field goal from UTEP's Jose Martinez on the first play of the fourth quarter. But Joseph returned an interception to the Texas 31 on the next Texas possession. Purdue's Chris Painter then threw a 9-yard scoring pass to San Jose State's Yonus Davis for a 27-17 lead.

With 37,054 watching at the Sun Bowl, the Nation scored two touchdowns and a field goal off three Texas turnovers in the third annual game, which pits collegiate players with Texas ties against the rest of the U.S. and Canada.

Tulsa's David Johnson threw two touchdown passes for the Texas team.

Texas closed to 27-24 with 1:08 left on a 22-yard pass from Johnson to Northwestern (La.) State's Dudley Guice, but the Nation recovered the onside kick.

Joseph's fumble return helped give the Nation a 6-0 lead when UAB's Swayze Waters made the second of his two field goals on the first play of the second quarter.

Florida Atlantic's Howard Schnellenberger coached the winning team, and his player, Joseph, was the defensive MVP.

Hartwick College's Jason Boltus connected with Stanford's Anthony Kimble on an 8-yard touchdown pass that put the Nation ahead for good at 13-7 in the second quarter.

Buffalo's Drew Willy threw a 5-yard third-quarter touchdown pass to East Carolina's Davon Drew in the third quarter for the Nation's other score.

For Texas, New Mexico State's Chase Holbrook threw a touchdown pass to UNLV's Frank Summers in the second quarter and Johnson threw a 28-yard touchdown to Abilene Christian's Johnny Knox in the third quarter.

Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press

 

HOYER RANKED 5TH BEST QB PROSPECT FOR NFL DRAFT

Brian Hoyer

The NFL Combines begin February 18th in Indianapolis and run six days and three MSU players have been invited-- Brian Hoyer, Javon Ringer and Otis Wiley.

ESPN draft expert Todd McShay lists Hoyer as the fifth best available quarterback prospect. He has Georgia's Matt Stafford and USC's Mark Sanchez ranked 1-2 and with Brett Favre retiring, some expect the New York Jetes to take Sanchez with the 17th pick over all. If Hoyer is the fifth quarterback in the ratings, he'll be chosen somehwere in the seven rounds conducted April 25-26th in New York.

 

Jersey becoming home to draft hopefuls
By Kristian Dyer Special to the Daily Record January 26, 2009

For Joel Bell Life is a little surreal. It is a blistery Sunday afternoon and Bell has parked himself in front of a television screen at Miami Mike's Sports Zone in East Hanover to watch the NFL conference championship games. Bell is no regular fan; he's one of nearly a dozen players training for a shot at the NFL who were at Miami Mike's to catch the games. In just a few months, Bell will be facing the same players he watched on the flat screen on Sunday. Bell came to New Jersey to prepare for the NFL combine at TEST Sports Clubs, an elite training facility in Martinsville run by Brian Martin of Long Hill. An offensive tackle at Furman, Bell is one of the most intriguing linemen in the draft. He's a bit under the radar despite being 6-foot-8 and weighing a shade over 300 pounds. The son of Southern Baptist missionaries who spent much of his formative years in Bosnia, Bell didn't pick up football until his sophomore year in high school. Having played basketball and soccer growing up, he is incredibly athletic for a man of his size and Bell has a tremendous upside. He is one of nearly 30 other prospects Martin currently has at TEST, the facility's fifth year of training players for the draft.

All of a sudden, New Jersey has become somewhat of a hot spot for pre- draft training. Last year, Martin trained two first-round picks, Ryan Clady and Joe Flacco. It was the New Jersey born Flacco who made the biggest splash, who transferred from Pittsburgh to Delaware and made waves in the combine last spring. After the draft, Flacco credited Martin and TEST with his improved footwork and increased comfort in the pocket. During his training in New Jersey, the now Ravens quarterback worked out with former New York Giants signal caller Scott Bruner, who also graduated from Delaware.

"Many considered him a prototypical 'drop back' guy," Martin said about the pre-combine perception of Flacco. "Now he is considered a great athlete with a canon for an arm. That is why we do what we do -- helping great athletes get faster and more agile is why we are in the game and we are very proud of each athlete we work with regardless if they are in middle school or are drafted in first round of the NFL or the baseball draft."

And they come from all over to improve their chances at an NFL contract.

"I heard about this place on television; I watch a lot of the NFL Network," said Brice McCain, a defensive back who helped Utah to an undefeated season and a win over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. "I knew that they had a lot of success in setting players up for the pros."

McCain might be the biggest surprise of the combine. With sub 4.3 speed in the 40 yard dash, he has the potential to be the fastest player in the draft. His ability in the secondary plus the big-play ability he showed on special teams while with the Utes figures to make him an attractive option for nearly any team. While he isn't surprised by the training he's received, he is a little taken back by what he's seen of the state so far. It isn't as seen on "The Sopranos."

"I thought it was going to be a lot like that," McCain said about the state's stereotype. "I expected buildings, lots of buildings all over the place. It's not like that, it's a lot like the country. I like it."

Country yes, but not a country club.

A typical day for a player training for the draft begins at 8:30 in the morning with a protein heavy breakfast at TEST. The players begin with a two-hour training regimen, either weights or running, depending on the week. The players have a two hour recovery time after this first session, where they take in yet another protein-laden meal. An afternoon training session begins around 1:30 p.m., broken down by position. The hopefuls will work with former NFL players for two hours, dissecting techniques and running through drills that prepare them for both the combine and for playing on the field. It is an intensive crash course that takes many of the players into unchartered territory.

"In college, you can use your athletic ability to get by," said former Louisville offensive lineman George Bussey. "You can't do that in the NFL -- here you have to have technique."

That may be the biggest gap between collegiate players and those in the professional ranks. Most of the players acknowledge that their weekly preparation in college was geared towards gameday and schemes. Now, they're focused solely on technique and honing their skills. It's an all encompassing process that requires a physical dedication that none of the players have ever experienced before.

The training regimen goes well beyond time in the weight room or on the field. The players undergo extensive physiotherapy to fix or tweak aches and pains. All are placed on individual diets, formulated by Martin and his staff to meet the player's individual needs. Some, like former Rutgers defensive end Jamaal Westerman, are hoping to add weight before being seen by scouts. All are hoping to be stronger, and each one eyed the buffet spread at Miami Mike's carefully to make prudent serving choices. Unlike in college, football is now just not a part of the day. Now, it is a job.

"It is kind of exciting. Every step in life gets you closer to your goals," Westerman said.

The defensive end chose TEST after consulting with former teammate Eric Foster, who trained there last season. Foster was undrafted and signed as a free agent, eventually becoming the starting defensive tackle for the Indianapolis Colts. "Hopefully in a few months, you'll see me bigger and stronger, faster too. If I keep going out there, working hard and busting my tail, it can happen."

And that's what Martin looks for in a player. There may not be a first round pick in this year's group, such as a Flacco or a Clady, but many, if not most, will sign a professional contract. As Martin sat in the lounge at Miami Mike's watching the game with his players, he said he looks for a certain mentality when talking to a player about training with him. Not everyone is cut out for it.

"This isn't a country club," Martin said. "I like the guys who want it, the tough ones who don't quit. I want the guys who are willing to grind it out."

And it goes against what had been the norm for many years.

For a long time, sunnier places with more temperate weather had been the destination for blue-chip talents. It was a foregone conclusion for players a decade ago to head to a training facility in Arizona , Texas or Florida to get ready for the combine and the draft. Now, players are forgoing the palm trees and cacti to pursue their NFL dreams at places like TEST. The clear skies and lack of snow may be a perk to some, but not to all.

"It's cold, but if it's cold, you stay inside," Bell said, eyes glued on the television set as a promo for Flacco and the Ravens game pops on the screen. "This isn't a vacation. You have to want it."

 

STEPPING UP
Foster, Colts Defensive Line Must Step Up in Johnson’s Absence, Players Say
By John Oehser - Colts.com

 

INDIANAPOLIS – Eric Foster didn’t want his opportunity this way.

But now that it has come, now that the circumstances of the week have made it likely that Foster – a rookie free-agent defensive tackle – will make his first NFL start Sunday, he said what he must do is obvious.

He must forget about the circumstances and do what any NFL players must do.

He must take advantage of the opportunity.

And he must perform when needed.

“Any opportunity you get, you need to go out there and show the world what you’ve got,” Foster said Thursday as the Colts (0-1) prepared to play the Minnesota Vikings (0-1) at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minn., Sunday at 1 p.m.

“You have to take advantage of it. What happened happened. . . . I just want to keep getting better every day, make sure I’m ready to go.”

The state of the Colts’ defensive tackle position became a focus on Thursday, a day after Colts President Bill Polian announced that second-year defensive tackle Ed Johnson – a starting tackle for the last 17 games – would be waived following a Tuesday arrest for speeding and marijuana possession.

Foster, who signed as a free-agent from Rutgers University shortly after this past April’s NFL Draft, likely will start at tackle alongside second-year veteran Keyunta Dawson, Colts Head Coach Tony Dungy said Wednesday.

Veteran ends Raheem Brock and Josh Thomas also could contribute inside, Dungy said, and the Colts – who recently added defensive tackle Daniel Muir off waivers from Green Bay – also Thursday signed defensive tackle LaJuan Ramsey.

Ramsey (6-feet-3, 300 pounds), originally a sixth-round selection in the 2006 NFL Draft by Philadelphia, played two seasons with the Eagles, playing in 15 games and recording 18 tackles – nine each in
2006 and 2007. He played collegiately at the University of Southern California and spent time this year with San Francisco.

“We’ll adjust and be fine,” Dungy said.

Veteran Darrell Reid has played mostly as a reserve at tackle the past three seasons.

“It’s going to be a tight rotation at defensive tackle,” Reid said.

“It’s just a tough situation for all of us,” Brock said. “We just have to make some adjustments. We’ve got some young guys who will help us out, but the train has to keep moving. We’re affected – tremendously.

“Ed is a big part of this team. But we have to follow the rules.
That’s what it is, obviously.”

That he will be first in the rotation is a situation for which he is ready, Foster said.

Foster (6-feet-2, 265), the first Rutgers player to earn All-America honors in consecutive seasons, started 26 games in his last two collegiate seasons. He impressed Colts coaches immediately in minicamps and throughout the offseason.

“I’ve been preparing for this,” Foster said. “Call my number, and I’ll be ready. That’s one thing I don’t like to be. I don’t like to be unprepared.”

Brock, who played tackle the past two seasons before moving back to end this season, said while he prefers to stay at end, he will play tackle if necessary.

“If it happens like that, that’s what I’ve got to do,” Brock said. “I don’t mind. Whatever we have to do to win. If I have to go back inside, I’ll do that. We have to win some games. We lost our first game. We’re working on Minnesota now and that’s out main focus. We have to win this game this weekend.

“We have a nice little rotation. If they need me to come in there, I’ll help out. We’re still a team. We’re trying to get a win.”

Said Dungy, “Nobody looks forward to it, but that’s what you have to do in these kinds of situations. You have to be able to make things happen. We’ve had a lot tougher situations than this. We went to San Diego last year with not very many players, and Tampa (last season).

“We’ve had quite a few of these situations. Usually, the guys step up.”

Dungy said he addressed the team regarding Johnson’s release Thursday morning.

“We’re kind of a family here,” Dungy said. “We had a family member that had a tough time. We had to make a decision what to do. I did tell them what went into our thought process and why. Then, we can put it behind us and move forward.

“We have a lot of guys in the locker room, a lot of people on the staff, who are close to Ed. You hate to miss any guys, but that’s where we are. Now, we’re just going to move forward.”

Dungy, while declining to discuss specifics of what he told the team, said, “First of all, we don’t want any arrests, any misconduct. But we evaluate every situation and the totality of it and make decisions.

“That’s what we did with Ed’s,” Dungy said. “I explained some of the things to the team that went into it that probably are best left within the team. Not that they were going to dispute anything. I just wanted them to have the information.”

Dungy said the idea behind waiving Johnson was not necessarily to “send a message” to players.

“If there was a message sent, hopefully it was sent to our players and anybody who pays attention to us that that’s what we’re about,” Dungy said. “We don’t want those types of distractions. We don’t want those types of things. Again, it was an individual decision, but we’ve always talked about the way we’re going to carry ourselves, the way we’re going to handle things.

“It wasn’t done with the idea of sending a message, but if there was a message sent, I think it was a good one. . . .

“I personally think we’ve got young kids who watch our players and I think we need to send the right type of message and be the right type of role models. Are there going to situations come up that you wish wouldn’t happen? Sure there are. But we’ll make the decisions based on the totality of everything that goes into the incident. We made a decision that this was best for our football team right now.

“Hopefully, nothing else comes up, but if it does, we’ll go through the process the same way.”

Colts players on Thursday said while they were surprised by the news of Johnson’s release and that they hurt for a former teammate, they also said they understood the move.

“Obviously, for the Colts family, it hurts,” Reid said. “It’s something that we have to deal with, and we have to continue to move on and continue playing regardless. We’ve had things around here that have happened. We’ve lost guys before. We’re just going to have to make up for it.

“Whether it’s with the guys we have now or whether they try to bring some guys in, we’re going to get the job done, regardless.”

Said wide receiver Reggie Wayne, “You just know the type of organization you have and the way you want it run. You look at Coach Dungy and how he’s such a clean guy, you just don’t want that kind of stuff around.

“You don’t normally see that around here, so when it does happen you do have to make a statement. I guess that’s what they did.”

 

Gaither ready for the rush
Raven has had success against Texans' Williams
By Jamison Hensley | jamison.hensley@baltsun.com
September 11, 2008

Jared Gaither

As Jared Gaither prepares to take on one of the NFL's best pass rushers, teammates are confident that the Ravens' young offensive tackle is ready for the formidable test.

What few Ravens know is that Gaither has already taken on the challenge of blocking the Houston Texans' Mario Williams a couple of years ago and succeeded.

When Gaither was a freshman at Maryland in 2005, he watched Williams carry North Carolina State's defense with sack after sack.

It was enough to prompt Gaither to suggest a position change.

"It was the third quarter and it was basically crunch time," Gaither said. "I told the coach that we're not losing this game and I wanted to move to the other side."

Flipping from left to right tackle, Gaither bottled Williams up the rest of the game, holding the nation's premier pass rusher without a sack.

The performance was Gaither's breakthrough game in college.

"If a lot of people didn't know about me, they knew after the game,"
Gaither said.

While Gaither can recall many details from that showdown, Williams drew a blank from that game.

"I really don't remember a lot of individual stuff that happened with anyone, actually," Williams said in a conference call with Baltimore reporters. "I try to forget about old stuff like that."

Just months after that matchup with Gaither, Williams was selected as the top pick in the 2006 NFL draft.

The decision to take Williams instead of running back Reggie Bush was criticized by the national media and local fans.

Now, the Texans are taking pride in that pick.

Williams had 14 sacks last season, which was the third-most in the NFL and accounted for 45percent of Houston's sack total. He was the one of the few highlights in the Texans' season opener with two sacks, three quarterback pressures and one forced fumble.

"I think [the early scrutiny] was very difficult for him, but players like that are the ones that become great players," said Texans coach Gary Kubiak, who compared Williams' situation to the one quarterback John Elway faced in Denver. "The growing pains he's had to go through, the things that he's had to endure, are what have made him better. I think you'll see him play a long, long time and be very effective."

Williams has been the NFL's best pass rusher recently, recording the most sacks (13) of any player since Oct.1, 2007. He has had at least one sack in seven of his past eight games, including three multi-sack performances.

If the Ravens want rookie quarterback Joe Flacco to remain comfortable, Gaither has to step up again to slow Williams.

Gaither had a respectable start in the unenviable job of replacing Pro Bowl offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden. In the Ravens' season opener, Gaither shut down the Bengals' Frostee Rucker, who had no sacks and no quarterback hits.

"As we all know in this business, those tackles pretty much dictate what the quarterback can do back there and how much time he has," wide receiver Derrick Mason said. "Gaither has a huge job, but he's up for it."

This could be the biggest matchup of the week, if just on size alone.

Williams, 23, is 6 feet 6, 283 pounds, a fluid athlete who comes off the edge with speed and power.

Gaither, 22, is 6-9, 330 pounds, a massive blocker who has the size and athleticism to shield the blind side of his quarterback.

In summing up what it takes to keep Williams in check, Gaither said:
"It's just determination and reckless abandon. The caliber of player he is, I'm going to face those type of players all year. You have to have a plan, stick to it and shut guys down.

"I'm going to bring some different things to the table that he might not have seen."

Blocking Williams is only part of the problem. Finding him is another.

The Texans try to move him from side to side so offenses can't shift their protections at him.

Even the Ravens' defenders know the importance of locating Williams and keeping him away from Flacco.

"I don't know if he is necessarily faster than anybody else, but he is way bigger than everybody on the football field," defensive lineman Trevor Pryce said. "It's almost unfair when you put a guy that size playing defensive end and not inside where you can control him. I'm glad I don't have to block him."

But Gaither has always wanted that challenge, whether it was a couple of years ago or this Sunday.

 

Test No. 2 for Gaither

 

Jared Gaither must pass the Mario Williams test for a second time in his career.by Mike DuffySep 11, 2008, 4:43PMFont Size: The last time Jared Gaither faced Houston Texans defensive end Mario Williams, both players were starring for their respective college teams. Gaither passed his first test then, but he knows Sunday will be a more challenging exam.

While a freshman at the University of Maryland, Gaither was a star offensive lineman that began a November contest against NC State at the right tackle position.

After watching Williams consistently torch left tackle Stephon Heyer (currently of the Washington Redskins) during the first half, Gaither switched sides at the break to handle one of the top pass rushers in the nation.

Williams’ tally of first-half sacks came to four. Against Gaither, he was stonewalled.
The two rivals will meet again this weekend for Round 2.

“I’m looking forward to the challenge of lining up against him,” Gaither said. “He’s a good player, but I’m going to face his caliber all year.

“You just have to be determined to out-work him and be aggressive.”
Leaving Raleigh, N.C., with a slew of postseason awards, Williams became the top pick in the 2006 draft, a selection derided by many in a year with explosive running back Reggie Bush in the same class.

Williams was regarded as the answer for a defense desperately needing to add teeth to its pass rush, and after finishing third in the league with 14 sacks last year, he is beginning to fulfill his lofty expectations.

Meanwhile, Gaither was snatched up in the fifth round of the 2007 supplemental draft, a former college sophomore that the Ravens wanted to groom as an eventual successor to Jonathan Ogden.

A solid performance in Baltimore’s season opener, where the Cincinnati Bengals barely sniffed quarterback Joe Flacco’s jersey all game, showed that Gaither could grow into his expectations, as well.

“That’s going to be an interesting matchup – two young, upcoming players,” said Ravens head coach John Harbaugh. “Mario, obviously, is ahead of Jared in terms of experience and stuff, so it will be a good challenge for Jared.”

Williams is continuing his dominance this season. Last week in a losing effort against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Williams posted two sacks, three quarterback pressures and a forced fumble.

He has finished with at least one sack in seven of his previous eight games, even notching three multi-sack showings.

To neutralize Williams, the Ravens may use tactics like keeping a tight end on the line of scrimmage, chip the rusher with a running back, or simply calling short drops for Flacco to release the football quickly.

Of course, there will be ample occasions for the 6-foot-9, 330-pound Gaither and the 6-foot-6, 283-pound Williams to clash one-on-one.

“I have a tremendous amount of confidence in Jared,” said offensive coordinator Cam Cameron. “He’s just scratching the surface. He’s getting better every day. He’s got a lot to learn, but this’ll be a tough matchup.

“We’re not going to put him over there by himself on a guy like that. We don’t philosophically believe in that. But I’m sure there will be times he will be in a one-on-one matchup, and he’ll give us the best effort he can.”

Entering his first game in a hostile road environment, Flacco knows that the Texans will be out to chase him, and that charge will be led by Williams.

“We realize he’s a good player,” Flacco said. “Their defense plays hard, and they’ll try to get after us.

“But we’re going to have things to answer that, and I’m going to stand back there like normal and get the ball out of my hands when it needs to be.”The Texans keep opponents on their toes by lining Williams up at both the left and right sides throughout the game. He flips with fellow defensive end – and former Raven – Anthony Weaver, so the work will also extend to right tackles Adam Terry and Willie Anderson.

“It’s almost unfair when you put a guy that size playing defensive end and not inside where you can control him,” said Baltimore defensive tackle Trevor Pryce. “Now, he’s outside and he can do whatever he wants.

“I’m glad I ain’t got to block him; I’m telling you that.”

 

Corner Signs Contract
6/12/2008

 

Video: Buffalobills.com goes 1-on-1 with the second draft pick to sign with the Bills

Clip time: 3:35

 

Baseball: North Hunterdon's Knapp drafted by Phillies in MLB second round
June 5, 2008

Jason Knapp

North Hunterdon High School senior right-hander Jason Knapp was taken by the Philadelphia Phillies with the 71st pick during the second round Thursday in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.

Knapp is 6-1 this year with a 1.37 earned-run average. He has 79 strikeouts and 16 walks in 51 innings. He also is hitting .458 with nine doubles, two triples, six home runs and 21 RBI.

Knapp pitched a one-hitter Tuesday against Bloomfield in the NJSIAA Group IV semifinals, a game North Hunterdon won 10-0. He is expected to be the designated hitter when the Lions take on Skyland Conference rival Hunterdon Central in the Group IV final at 2 p.m. Saturday at Toms River High School South.

Knapp also has been accepted to the University of North Carolina, where he has been offered a baseball scholarship.

"I'm really excited that the Phillies took me," the 6-foot-5, 225- pound Knapp said. "It's a great organization, and I really hope it works out. My parents and advisors are going to work for what's best for me."

***Congratulations Jason...your hard work in the off season paid off!
from Skip & the TEST TEAM***

 

Foster Fitting in with the Colts
May 7, 2008
Bobby Deren
www.scarletnation.com

Eric Foster

Even before draft day, Eric Foster could sense that Indianapolis might wind up being his new home. That intuition proved to be correct when the Colts offered him a free agent contract on the second day of the NFL Draft. Although some may claim that he is undersized, Foster fits the mold of many defensive linemen who have worn a Colts uniform in the past.

"They don't take these gigantic linemen there," said Frank Coyle, a draft expert for draftinsiders.com. "They take guys that are very quick and good technicians. That's a good fit for him. He could play the three technique tackle spot in the four man front."

Foster excelled at the tackle position in college, but in the giant world of the NFL he could wind up shifting over to defensive end.

"At the Texas vs. The Nation game, he looked really good at defensive end," Coyle stated. "I think he's probably going to get a look there more. Foster is a guy that can make that team. There is a real opportunity for him in Indy."

To Coyle, the Colts are getting a player who not only fits their scheme, but also their mindset.

"The Colts are kind of a little out of the box on the way they draft," said Coyle. "They draft specific guys for their scheme. The profile of their draft picks are a little different. But they usually get very tough guys with great motors who do a lot of things."

Foster attended a mini-camp in Indianapolis over this past weekend and returned to New Jersey on Monday, where he refused to take any time off. He returned to TEST Sports Clubs in Martinsville, NJ where he has been training since the end of his college season.

"He was just here Monday morning," said Brian Martin, head trainer and co-owner of TEST. "He just got back from camp and he dominated out there. He was throwing their second-round pick around like a rag doll. He's in here every day taking notes, doing bag drills, hand drills. I have to kick him out of this place."

Martin was alongside Foster during the second day of the draft. He was there to witness the Colts call Foster numerous times expressing a continual interest even though he went undrafted. 

"I was shocked he didn't get drafted," Martin professed. "But I think it's an absolute perfect fit. He wanted to go there from the beginning. His quickness plays so well into their scheme."

Coyle also followed Foster's roller coaster ride over the past few months, but he didn't have quite the same view as Martin. Nevertheless, Coyle was able to able to share a similar enthusiasm.

"He had a terrific career at Rutgers," said Coyle. "I had him going late in the draft, but he definitely is a high priority free agent. Foster's the kind of guy you root for." 

 

Corner Wasn't Always A Corner

Reggie Corner

When a football player has a name like Reggie Corner where else would he play but cornerback? Fittingly it is the position he will play for the Buffalo Bills after the club made him a fourth-round pick last Sunday. But Corner was anything but a cornerback when he arrived on campus at Akron. 

"I didn't play corner until I got to college," said Corner. "I was a wide receiver my whole life." 

At McKinley high school in Canton, Ohio, Corner earned All-Ohio, All-District and All-County honors in both his junior and senior seasons for his exploits as a wideout. He didn't even play on both sides of the ball until his senior year when he had three interceptions on defense. But his defensive efforts were overshadowed by his production on offense as he had 43 catches for 739 yards and 12 touchdowns in his final high school season. 

When he got to Akron however, the coaching staff looked at his 5'9 ½" 170-pound frame and saw a defensive back not a wideout. Corner took the change in stride. 

"The coaches gave me an opportunity to showcase my skills at corner," he said. 

And Corner made the most of it. As a redshirt freshman he finished seventh on the team in tackles with six pass breakups and a pair of interceptions. His numbers were similar in his sophomore campaign. His junior year Corner increased his pass theft total to four, only to obliterate the figure his senior season. 

Corner had seven interceptions last year to lead the Mid-American Conference and rank fourth in the nation. He finished second in school history with 15 career interceptions. 

So how does Corner explain all those takeaways? Ironically, his experience at wide receiver helps him predict routes. 

"I think I can read body language from a wideout very well," said Corner. "The other thing that helps me is my film study. I watch a tremendous amount of film so I can run a receiver's route almost before they run it." 

Now 180 pounds, Corner has added muscle and is stronger than he was as an incoming freshman. Though still a bit undersized by NFL standards, Buffalo's personnel evaluators aren't concerned about how he handles himself against the run. 

"He's about 5'9 ½" and plays a lot bigger than that," said Bills scout Tom Roth. "He's very good in run support." 

"He's more of a finesse guy taking on lead blockers and things like that because he's not real big," said Bills scout Emeritus David G. Smith. "But he doesn't back off. He hits people." 

One good example would be when Akron faced Ohio State. Corner raced off the edge into the backfield to drop 240-pound running back Chris Wells for a loss bringing the Akron faithful to their feet. 

"Football is a contact sport and I love contact. I love to tackle and to get as many hits as I can," he said. "As far as run support I feel I'm very good at that." 

Where Corner really shines however, is in coverage. With 4.5 speed and a 36-inch vertical Corner not only has the ability to cover the faster and quicker wideouts, but the taller ones as well. 

"You see that on film," said Roth. "There was a play against Ohio State and I think it was against either (Brian) Robiskie or (Brian) Hartline and they're both 6'2". He went up top and knocked the ball down." 

"You want to talk about him covering big receivers," asked Smith rhetorically. "Akron put him on the best receiver every game. Look at him against the guy we took in the second round. He covered (James) Hardy like a blanket. (Bills defensive backs coach) George Catavolos said if he was two inches taller he'd be a first-round draft choice. He felt he was the best cover guy that he looked at out of all the defensive backs." 

Hardy finished the game with four catches for 65 yards and a touchdown, but Corner was not covering him the whole game with teammate Davanzo Tate splitting duty with him. 

"I don't think he got much of anything on me," said Corner. "I tip my hat to him. He's a great wideout. I covered him a few times and he ran a deep route when I was on him and he got a one-yard gain on a hitch on me if I remember right. He's a good wideout. I'm not bragging, he's a very good wideout. He's one of the best I went against last year." 

Despite all his ability Corner was not invited to the combine, though he doesn't hold a grudge. 

"I thought I should have been invited, but you can't cry over spilled milk," he said. 

"Sometimes people at the combine don't get it right in our opinion," said Bills Vice President of Scouting Tom Modrak. "Sometimes they'll not hit everybody. It's not a math problem, its judgments. Some guys fall through the cracks." 

And the Bills are glad that Corner was one of them because it kept other NFL teams off his trail. Buffalo had their eye on the Akron product early bringing him in for a pre-draft visit at One Bills Drive.

"I loved my visit there and I loved the coaches there," Corner said. "My impression of the coaches was that they're very knowledgeable. I think I can help there and improve my game. I feel my talents can fit the team very well."

 

From draft day to rookie camp, small-town player gets his chance
By Elizabeth Merrill
ESPN.com
May 9, 2008

Xavier Omon, a sixth-round draftee out of Northwest Missouri State, has a sought-after combination of size, speed and sure hands.

KANSAS CITY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT: The rookie has two bags, an MP3 player and a ticket he's eyeballing like a straight-flush poker hand. He fetches a ride with his girlfriend, because his old green clunker died months ago. She tells him she loves him, and that she'll see him in three days.

They know, as they say goodbye in a crowded hallway near the security gate, that his life is about to change.

It's just the way Xavier Omon always wanted it. As a sophomore at Beatrice High School in southeastern Nebraska, he told a handful of people -- only the ones he trusted -- that someday he'd be an NFL running back. But life, for the first 23 years at least, has been far less hopeful. He was 8 when his brother was killed by a drunken driver; he was 14 when another brother committed suicide.

Division I football snubbed him, recognition eluded him, but none of that matters now because Omon is holding a plane ticket to rookie camp. He's dressed in gray pants and an Ecko sweatshirt. He knows it's the fanciest outfit he'll need for his first week in the NFL.

Everything else is a mystery. He fidgets in the terminal and pops his head up every time a flight announcement is made. He's nervous. He knows he's in good shape, but is it NFL shape?

Omon's row is called, and he walks briskly to the door. His eyes do not turn back.

"I'm 23 years old, and I've never even been to a wedding before," he says. "I've been to five funerals and no weddings. So much bad stuff has happened in my life, stuff that is so big, and then this comes along. … Something really nice has finally happened."

ADVENTURE GOLF CENTER, LINCOLN, NEB., SUNDAY OF NFL DRAFT WEEKEND: A black Honda rolls into the parking lot at 11 a.m., and Omon steps out with four casually-dressed fellows. On the car ride up from Beatrice to Lincoln, the men do a mock draft pool to predict where Omon will go. Xavier has the Packers at the top of his list, and he's handicapping with the benefit of insider information. For the past few weeks, Green Bay has done a decent amount of calling.

Truth is, no one knows when -- or if -- he'll be drafted. His agent, Joe Linta, is confident Omon will go somewhere from the fourth to the seventh round. "Be patient," Linta has told him. But many gurus don't even have Omon on their boards.

Before the NFL draft starts on Sunday, Xavier Omon gets in a round of mini golf with some friends at the Adventure Golf Center in Lincoln, Neb.

To take the edge off of the day, Omon decides he'll play miniature golf with his stepdad Anthony, brother Rafael, nephew Kieyn, and confidante Ben Essam. They'll go back to Beatrice later in the afternoon for a draft party. Omon struggles with the whole party idea. For months, he didn't want one. What does he say if his name isn't called?

He'll get to that later. He walks into the clubhouse, and the woman at the counter asks if he wants the red or the blue course. Red has more hills; blue has more hazards.

"Which one is harder?" he asks.

Red, she says.

"We'll go with red."

Omon is quiet on the outside, but he's tight with those in his inner circle. Essam coached him in basketball at Beatrice, and at 31, doesn't look much older than Omon. Essam was the perfect combination of grown-up and peer when Omon struggled with his brother's suicide. They made this pact, probably eight years ago, that they'd spend draft day together.

Rafael had to be there, too, because the brothers were always close. That's just the way they were brought up.

Rafael pulls a few strokes ahead, and Xavier accuses him of cheating in mini golf. For more than an hour, the pink elephant hiding behind the bushes is hardly broached. Of course Omon can focus on something besides the draft. He's an athlete. At Northwest Missouri State, he became the first college football player to run for at least 1,500 yards in four straight seasons. He is a scout-salivating combination of size, speed and sure hands.

He shanks his sixth-hole putt off the course.

Meanwhile, back in Connecticut, Linta waits by the television. This ain't his first rodeo. The blue-collar agent with a Yale degree rattles off funny one-liners as fast as he can break down escalator clauses. He's a calming influence on a maddening day. Linta has 11 clients who may or may not make it in this draft. His marquee player, Delaware quarterback Joe Flacco, goes in the first round Saturday to the Ravens.

If Omon isn't called, it means Linta's phone will be burning at roughly 6 p.m., when the cattle call starts for undrafted rookies. Linta, who's built a solid clientele on successful second-day picks, is still very hopeful.

"I believe in Omons," Linta says, "but not omens."

A BUDDY'S HOUSE IN SOUTH BEATRICE, LATE SUNDAY AFTERNOON: It's quiet in the Honda on the ride back home, and when Omon walks into a crowded basement full of family and friends, he's in desperate need for air.

Omon has grown up with these people, eaten dozens of meals at some of their houses, and they helped a young black teen feel at home in a predominantly white community of about 12,000. But now, Omon needs to escape.

The fifth round races by, and a TV draft guru lists the top five running backs still available. Omon's name isn't mentioned.

Lauren Williams looks on as her boyfriend, Omon, gets the call from the Bills.

His girlfriend, Lauren Williams, suggests they go outside and shoot some hoops. He sinks the first shot, misses the second, then Ludacris bounces on his cell phone. It's a 716 area code, and Omon wonders if it's a prank. The man on the other end is an exec with the Buffalo Bills. Omon doesn't have time to think it's strange, that the Bills weren't at his pro day, and now they're calling. He falls to his knees. Within a couple of minutes, he'll start to cry.

He thinks about his brothers. Effiong was 18 when he committed suicide. The night before he died, he sat with Xavier in their living room, watching boxing, talking about football. As on many other nights, the kid was going on about the NFL and how he was going to play there someday. And in this one moment, after one short ringtone, his mind zooms back to everything he's been through and everywhere he'll go. He kept his word.

Down in the basement, the cheers have reached Saturday autumn decibels. The crowd runs outside to find Omon. He bolts past his girlfriend to grab one of his buddies.

Rafael cackles. He has Buffalo in his mock draft sheet, and has just won four bucks.

CENTRAL JUNIOR HIGH, LAWRENCE, KAN., TUESDAY: Rookie camp is two days away, and Omon wants to say goodbye to some old teachers and friends. He hasn't seen most of them for 10 years. His last day of school, before the family moved to Beatrice, Omon spent in ISS: in-school suspension.

He thinks he got into a fight with a kid, but can't really remember.

"I kind of had an attitude," Omon says. "I wasn't bad. I was young."

He dreamed of being a quarterback as a kid, and wanted to be Randall Cunningham.

"This is a stupid story," he says, "but my favorite color is green. I think the Jets and Eagles were playing each other, and I decided whoever won the game was going to be my favorite team."

Maybe Mr. Winchester would remember some of this. He was Omon's football coach in junior high. Omon pops in to say hello, thanks, and tell him he made a difference. Then he goes home for another restless night.

"I just want to do a little reminiscing," he says. "See where I came from. People always forget where they came from."

NORTHWEST BAGGAGE CLAIM, BUFFALO, LATE THURSDAY AFTERNOON: Five large men step off a connecting flight from Detroit, and Kevin Meganck is holding a sheet of paper with 22 mug shots. Meganck is the Bills' pro player analyst, and he's been assigned to pick up the latest batch of newbies. He doesn't really need the sheet. After years of watching college football players, Meganck can easily spot them in a crowd.

At the Bills facility, Omon is fitted for a helmet.

It's a 15-minute drive to the Bills' training facility in Orchard Park, and sometimes, the Toyota Sequoia gets pretty quiet on these runs. Thursday is no exception. Derek Fine -- the tight end from Kansas -- finally breaks the ice with his homespun southern drawl.

One time, the Bills sent a video crew on the airport trip so fans could meet Roscoe Parrish, their first pick of the 2005 draft. Only Parrish was too shy to speak. Somebody finally got the wide receiver going with a discussion about movies. Parrish loves movies.

"Some guys you can't get to shut up," Meganck says. "Other guys don't say a word."

Like most rookie camps in the NFL, the Bills' is a hodgepodge of rare college talents, fringe players and young men trying to hold on. Ten of the rookies were drafted, four are trying out and the rest are free agents.

Because he was picked in the sixth round, Omon is guaranteed roughly $100,000 in bonus money that many of his undrafted counterparts will never see. But not much else is guaranteed.

The rookies sign paperwork shortly after arriving at the Bills' 95,000-square-foot training facility. The undrafted ones ink meager contracts; the drafted sign waivers in case they're seriously hurt.

Rookies are run through a battery of measurements and tests, including body composition.

A 320-pound offensive lineman, a big deal at his Division I university, wanders around the weight room with a lost look. A coach stops him.

"Welcome to Buffalo," he says. "You're not the only one nervous. Everybody's nervous. There's some fluttering nerves around here."

They'll drop their bags at the players' lounge, and get fitted for helmets in the equipment room. When Omon sees the shiny red helmet with the Bills' logo, he glances over to Fine.

"We just kind of looked at each other without saying a thing," Omon says. "We're here. We've made it."

They shoot headshots for the media guide, and are herded off to the weight room for body-composition tests. The Bod Pod looks like a giant egg, and Omon has to step into it and blow through a tube. He's claustrophobic. He measures in with 14 percent body fat. He's told NFL running backs should be around 9 percent.

"A little chubby, I guess," he says.

He's rooming with Fine for the weekend at the Millennium, a $160-a-night hotel near the mall. After dinner and a quick grip-and-grin session with some Bills supporters, Omon hunkers in with his mini-playbook and the Pistons-76ers game. He calls his old offensive coordinator from Northwest Missouri State to relate the Bills' offense to the Bearcats.

"He was a little confused on it," Omon says. "I have to figure it out on my own."

BILLS PRACTICE FACILITY, FRIDAY MORNING: The first thing the rookies learn is that everybody runs, from stations to the post-practice stretching, regardless of whether it's an early-May workout or Week 14.

Omon, taken in the sixth round, has high expectations of himself.

They wake up at 5:30 this morning, and shuffle between classes and two practices. This, running backs coach Eric Studesville says, is precious time for the rookies because it's the most one-on-one interaction they'll have with the coaches, and it's that window NFL types like to call "laying the foundation."

Studesville and Omon, who initially met at the combine in February, hit it off right away. Studesville believes there are no dumb questions, and if a guy raises his hand in the classroom, it probably means three others were confused. Omon is always asking questions. He wants to get things right.

Two running backs and two fullbacks are in Buffalo this weekend. Omon gets most of the reps. Forty minutes into the first workout, he takes a handoff, and Studesville yells, "There we go!"

After the workout, roughly 15 media types flock to cornerback Leodis McKelvin, the Bills' first-round draft pick. McKelvin gets teased by the rooks because he got a ride to practice while the others walked. But Omon says he's cool. He walks off the field alone and gets ready for a 2 p.m. workout.

Omon warms up for his first day of rookie camp.

In college, people said Omon had a quiet confidence. He hated the fact that he had to redshirt as a freshman. Some nights, he'd clear his head by calling his buddy Essam in Beatrice. Most days, he just didn't understand why he wasn't playing.

Omon almost doesn't want to have the sit-down with Studesville over what the Bills expect of him. Because if they say it's special teams, or practice-squad fodder, it very well might clash with what Omon expects of himself.

By Saturday, after the morning workout, Omon lingers on the field to chat with his coach. He asks what he needs to do to get better.

Keep doing what you're doing, Studesville says.

"He's nervous, which is fine," he says. "They're all nervous. They should be nervous because it's a new experience, and they're not really sure. And they'll get comfortable here by tomorrow, and the next time we come back, the veterans will be here and they'll be 10 times more nervous because now they've got to deal with peer pressure in the locker room and dealing with older guys. They're trying to figure out how a bear goes through the woods."

Facing the lights, cameras and questions is part of the rookie inauguration.

KANSAS CITY, SUNDAY NIGHT: A big white jet crawls into Terminal 3 at the Kansas City airport, and Omon greets his girl. He has no playbook -- the rookies had to give those back before they grabbed fajita rollups for a late lunch and dashed off to the airport.

When the final horn goes off Sunday back in Buffalo, the rookies collectively exhale. They are exhausted and spinning. They come from entirely different backgrounds and draft-day stories, but in early May, they have so much in common.

"It's so much more mental [work]," he says. "We haven't even gotten into the physical part."

He knows his life will never be the same. But he goes to sleep Sunday night feeling comfortable and at peace, the first time he's slept well in a month.

Maybe, it's an omen.

Elizabeth Merrill is a senior writer for ESPN.com. She can be reached at merrill2323@hotmail.com

 

Scott: I can help the Browns
The former Parkland star, signed to a 1-year deal, will get his chance.
By Gary R. Blockus | Of The Morning Call
May 5, 2008

The Continental Airlines flight bringing Austin Scott back to Allentown touched down at 5:20 p.m. on Sunday.

Scott was still soaring an hour later.

The former Parkland High School football star came back from a tryout at the Cleveland Browns' rookie minicamp with a 1-year contract.

Scott, a running back who played sparingly at Penn State University because of injuries and personal issues, showed enough of his talent, speed and skill at the tryout to earn his first NFL contract.

NFL contracts aren't guaranteed, which means that Scott must make the 53-man roster or the team's practice squad in order to have the contract honored.

"I'm just ecstatically happy," Scott said from the home of adviser and attorney John Karoly. "I've come a long way picturing where I was a month ago. It's like two different worlds."

A month ago, Scott was preparing to go to trial on a rape charge, a charge that was subsequently dropped.

"That roadblock was something that he didn't want to hold him back, or anybody else back," Karoly said. "It could have been a stumbling block -- not so much for him -- but for the kids behind him who look up to him.

"We've talked with Austin about faith, family and friends. Once he stared that adversity in the eyes, we told him there's nothing any harder that the NFL can throw at him. He's raring to go."

The 23-year-old Scott will graduate from Penn State on May 17 with a degree in recreation, parks and tourism management. He will report to an ongoing Browns camp either that day or the following day. Regular training camp opens in mid-to-late July.

"I'm going to turn it up another couple of notches," Scott vowed. "I just want to get ready for the preseason minicamps and make an impression to make the final cut, to make it to the season, actually.

"I want to make sure that they understand they can use me and that I'm a good athlete to have on their team. I want them to know that I can help the Browns. I want to make an impression on special teams."

In addition to his skills on the field, Scott -- like all the other participants at the minicamp -- had to learn an assortment of formations, plays and terminology in just a few days.

Scott, who was battling a cold during the tryout, didn't report any problems picking up the plays, but said there were some anxious moments when they called several of the players into a room 20 minutes after the final workout on Sunday morning.

The Browns had already signed Notre Dame's Darnell Terrell as an undrafted free agent immediately following the NFL draft. Terrell had been Scott's backup during the annual Big 33 Game in high school, and both players are relatively the same size.

"When I was sitting there, I didn't think they were going to call my name," Scott said of the postpractice meeting, "but mine was the first name called."

"It's a good day for Austin, and obviously for our company," Scott's agent, Chris Lencheski of SKI & Co. said. "We don't disclose terms of contracts."

Scott is thankful for the opportunity to make an NFL roster.

"This is good," he said. "It's time to build up to where I was before this whole nightmare started [with the charges]. I'm not going to let the people of the Lehigh Valley down."

gary.blockus@mcall.com
610-820-6782

 

Foster headed to Colts

Eric Foster

Before the end of the 2008 NFL Draft, Eric Foster had already learned where he would be spending his future. The Indianapolis Colts phoned Foster towards the end of the sixth round and offered him a free agent contract. For the Colts, it was not a reach, chance or unexpected move. Throughout the entire draft season, the organization had become quite familiar with Foster.

"I got a sense they liked me a lot," said Foster. "I went out there for a private visit. Then, they sent the scouts down to New Jersey and I worked out for them. I was constantly in contact with them. I thought they were going to make a move on me between the fifth and sixth round. But it didn't turn out that way."

Having already visited Indianapolis, Foster had a brief chance to familiarize himself with his new surroundings. Just a few days after accepting the Colts' offer, Foster will make a return visit to Indianapolis.

"They fly me out Thursday for physicals, then I start a four day mini camp. I really love the city and the environment. I'm just excited to go out there, give it my all and bring my portion to the table. I'm in a great situation, having a chance to play with a former Rutgers player in Gary Brackett. They compete year in and year out for a Super Bowl championship. I couldn't ask for anything better."

Foster's journey through this off-season has seen its share of ups and downs. After being snubbed from the NFL Combine, Foster worked incredibly hard to prepare for Rutgers' pro day. There, he tweaked a hamstring during his first forty yard dash attempt. As a result, Foster was unable to do any more running that afternoon.

Foster continued to persevere and went on to work out for a few NFL teams following that pro day. At those workouts, he was able to perform without the hindrance of a tight hamstring.

"It's a feel good story," Foster stated. "As much as I wanted to get drafted, I couldn't be in a better situation than I'm in now. I'd rather be in the situation to be a free agent and go in the right scheme as opposed to getting drafted in the late rounds to the wrong team and the wrong outfit."

Foster trained for his Pro Day at TEST Sports in Martinsville, NJ. Brian Martin, who headed up the training, was able to see Foster's progression on a daily basis. He offered his thoughts on Foster's signing.

"The TEST family is very proud of Eric Foster for signing his new priority free agent contact with the Indianapolis Colts," said Martin. "He is a perfect fit for their scheme. He has an incredible work ethic and will one day be a pro bowl player."

Perhaps more important than which team a player goes to is the scheme which that team runs. Going into a scheme that doesn't suit a particular player could wind up being disastrous for that player.

"You want to be in a scheme that fits your personality and your strong suits the best," said Foster. "They like me inside at D-tackle and they like me outside. I can do different things. I think I bring a lot to the table for the Indianapolis Colts."

As the drama unfolded in Radio City Music Hall this past weekend, Foster was forced to watch 252 other players hear their name called. Even though he was not selected in the 2008 NFL Draft, Foster is determined to make his presence felt at the professional level.

"All I ever wanted was an opportunity. There's nothing but an upside for what I can bring to a team. To see guys that I feel I'm better than go in front of me, I'm using it as motivation. Out of the 252 players that got drafted, I'd like to think I'm somewhere between those 252. But that gets me in game tempo. I'm a man on a mission. Not  
that it wouldn't have been the same if I got drafted, but it's like I'm more focused now with a chip on my shoulder. Like I said, I'm a man on a mission."

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