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Ogletree Makes Impression

btisports — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 15:56:43 +0000

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Kevin Ogletree has a colorful way of describing the motivation he gained from being snubbed by all 32 teams in the seven-round NFL draft last spring. “That’s my little candle I’m keeping lit, and it’s burning inside,” the Virginia alum told reporters Monday in Irving. Ogletree’s strong push to beat the odds and make the team as an undrafted rookie free agent continued with a three-catch, 37-yard performance against Tennessee that included a 2-yard touchdown reception from Jon Kitna.

“It was my first touchdown in the NFL, it was in the new stadium, there were a lot of reasons that brought joy to me,” Ogletree said. “… It was a nice experience. Hopefully, there will be more.”

Ogletree’s gem impressed Wade Phillips. “He made a fantastic play on the fade route, catching the ball, keeping his feet inbounds,” Phillips said. “He’s got talent.”

Wide receiver Patrick Crayton agreed. “He makes contested catches,” Crayton said. “He’s been performing all training camp.”

Despite being only the second receiver in Virginia history to tally two 50-catch seasons, Ogletree got bypassed in the draft after scouts questioned his route running, his hands and his decision to leave school early. None of those perceived weaknesses was evident at camp. More importantly, they haven’t popped up in the preseason either.

“He’s looked good in practice, but making plays in a ballgame is important,” Phillips said.

If Ogletree makes the team, he’ll join a roster that already includes two receivers who got their starts as undrafted rookie free agents: Miles Austin and Brackenridge grad Sam Hurd. Crayton, a seventh-round pick by Dallas in 2004, said there’s a simple reason the Cowboys have so many long-shot receivers. “They were free agents because you had 31 other teams that didn’t have good scouts,” Crayton said. “Obviously, the Cowboys have some good scouts.”

The Cowboys could keep as many as six receivers, with Roy Williams, Crayton, Austin and Hurd the locks. That leaves Ogletree battling it out with a pack that includes injury-prone Isaiah Stanback, seventh-round pick Manuel Johnson, practice squad vet Mike Jefferson and “Fourth and Long” winner Jesse Holley.

“I’m not looking through lockers or over my shoulder,” Ogletree said. “I’m just coming out trying to get better every day, staying focused, limiting mistakes. Those are the things that will help me make the team.”

By Tom Orsborn – Express-News

1st Rounder Cason Gets $12 million Deal

btisports — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 17:19:48 +0000

Chargers first-round draft pick Antoine Cason had to be a little patient, but he will be on the field with his teammates Friday. Just over 24 hours before the Chargers were set to hit the field for their first full-squad practice of training camp, Cason agreed to terms on a five-year contract.

“I had faith that it was going to happen pretty soon,” said Cason, the 27th overall pick in April’s draft. “We all knew I wanted to be in camp early. It just took a little bit to get there. I’m excited about it.”

Bell, Browns First Pick, In Camp on Time

btisports — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 17:23:00 +0000

The Browns’ Class of 2008 will be fully represented when training camp opens Wednesday afternoon. Beau Bell signed a four-year deal with the team, ensuring no holdouts or missed practice time. The Browns had a unique draft class after trading away their first three picks prior to the draft, then twice trading up on the draft’s second day to get Bell. Bell is expected to provide immediate help on special teams and push for playing time at linebacker. He had 126 tackles in 12 games last fall and hopes to follow his UNLV teammate, Eric Wright, in making an immediate impact with the Browns.

Seahawks Sign FB Schmitt

btisports — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 18:20:21 +0000

The Seahawks have agreed to terms with FB Owen Schmitt, their fifth-round draft pick out of West Virginia. With Schmitt agreeing to a reported four-year deal, the Seahawks have reached terms with four of their drafted rookies. Selected by the Seahawks with a pick obtained from the Cowboys, Owen Schmitt’s collegiate claim to fame was the 11 facemasks he reportedly shattered during his career at West Virginia.

Cowboys Agree with Scandrick

btisports — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 19:10:35 +0000

IRVING, Texas – The Dallas Cowboys agreed to terms with fifth-round draft pick Orlando Scandrick, a cornerback from Boise State. Scandrick is expected to sign his four-year, $1.85 million deal on Friday.The speedy cornerback joins a crowded position that includes returning starters Terence Newman and Anthony Henry, not to mention newly-acquired Adam Jones and first-round pick Mike Jenkins. With his top-rate speed, Scandrick might be in position to contribute right away on special teams, seeing that the Cowboys lost several key coverage players last year in Keith Davis, Nate Jones and Jacques Reeves, who all signed with other clubs in free agency.

Hayden Signs His Deal with Panthers

btisports — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 19:06:28 +0000

CHARLOTTE — The Carolina Panthers have signed sixth-round draft choice (181st overall) Nick Hayden from Wisconsin, the team announced. A 6-foot-4, 292-pound defensive tackle, Hayden played in 44 games, starting the final 39 contests of his career, for the Badgers. He compiled 132 tackles, 10 sacks, six quarterback pressures, six fumble recoveries, which tie for the third most in school history, six passes defensed and two blocked kicks.

Hayden was twice named All-Big Ten Conference honorable mention. He earned the recognition as a senior in 2007 when he recorded 48 tackles and 4.5 sacks and as a sophomore in 2005 when he produced career highs of 56 tackles and 5.5 sacks. Hayden becomes the first of the Panthers nine draft choices to sign.

Falcons agree to terms with Cooper

btisports — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 17:05:43 +0000

FLOWERY BRANCH, GA – The Atlanta Falcons signed six-year free agent safety Deke Cooper. Cooper, 6-2, 210 pounds, played last season for the Carolina Panthers where he collected 59 tackles (46 solos) with three interceptions while starting 15 of 16 games played. Cooper is a veteran of 73 games with 37 starts and has played for three teams – Carolina (2002, 2007), Jacksonville (2003-05) and San Francisco (2006) since entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent. For his career, Cooper has tallied 249 tackles, six interceptions and 16 passes defensed.

Schmitt is EA Sports Cover Athlete

btisports — Fri, 09 May 2008 17:04:10 +0000

Former West Virginia University fullback Owen Schmitt will be featured on the cover of EA Sports’ “NCAA Football 09″ for the PlayStation Portable. Schmitt, who gained celebrity status with his mohawk and collection of busted facemasks, is the first WVU athlete to don the cover of a video game. EA is featuring different athletes on each version of this year’s game. Schmitt joins former Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan (PlayStation 3), Arkansas running back Darren McFadden (Xbox 360) and California receiver DeSean Jackson (PlayStation 2) as cover athletes.

Chargers Grab Antoine Cason in 1st Round

btisports — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 22:51:20 +0000

“We got a guy that we think is going to be a terrific football player,” Chargers General Manager A.J. Smith said. “Solid character, work ethic, production over the years. Fantastic. (There were) a lot of quality, good football players and we got ourselves one.”

Browns Trade Up, Get Beau Bell in 4th

btisports — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 21:56:03 +0000

“This guy is kind of a hammer type hitter,” Browns General Manager Phil Savage said. “If you saw some of his highlights, he knows how to finish. He brings some explosion at the end of plays. We feel like he’s a powerful tackler.”

Seahawks Select Owen Schmitt with #163

btisports — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 21:07:10 +0000

“He’s a good fullback and we don’t have anybody else like him on the roster,” Seahawks offensive coordinator Gil Haskell said. “He’s got good hands, blocks and he can run.”

Panthers Jump on Hayden in 6th

btisports — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 21:01:05 +0000

Nick Hayden played in 44 games with 39 starts at Wisconsin. He recorded 132 tackles, 10 sacks, six quarterback pressures, six fumble recoveries, six passes defensed and two blocked two kicks in his career.

One of the Big Ten’s strongest players, Hayden took advantage of that power to excel in his role as a stay at home type of run stuffer along the defensive line. A three-year starter for the Badgers, he has that long arm reach and aggressive nature to consistently defeat blocks to make plays working down the line.

Browns Add Darnell Terrell

btisports — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 20:22:41 +0000

Former University of Missouri cornerback Darnell Terrell signed a free agent contract with the Cleveland Browns following the 2008 NFL Draft.

Terrell appeared in 49 games during his college career, starting 34 contests…Posted 169 tackles (107 solos) with 4.5 stops for losses of 25 yards and a pressure…Recovered four fumbles, caused four others and blocked a field goal that he recovered for a touchdown…Returned four interceptions for 28 yards (7.0 avg)

Even players laugh at the PlayStation-like stats

btisports — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 18:40:13 +0000

ESPN.com

Chris Greisen’s cell phone was working overtime. It seemed as if the Georgia Force quarterback was hearing from anyone and everyone who ever saw him throw a football. They were all reacting to Greisen’s “SportsCenter” highlights. In his first Arena Football League start, Greisen tossed nine touchdowns in leading the Force to a 69-65 season-opening victory over the Arizona Rattlers.

It was an oddity to some of Greisen’s friends — well, those not familiar with the nuances of the AFL. Nine touchdown passes in a game? Nine.

Georgia’s Chris Greisen is the poster child of the big stats. He threw nine — yes, nine — TDs in the season opener. “They couldn’t believe it, they were like ‘Nine touchdowns in a game, how does that happen?’” Greisen said with a laugh.

That’s Arena Football — a game designed to produce PlayStation-type numbers and stats that seem impossible to attain are suddenly possible. Greisen, the brother of Jacksonville Jags linebacker Nick Greisen, is a perfect example.

After being the backup to Clint Dolezel in Dallas last season, Greisen is the AFL’s top-rated quarterback, throwing 30 TDs against three interceptions and 1,174 yards over four games. If Greisen keeps it up, he will be on pace to throw 120 TDs and 4,500 yards over 16 games. That actually exceeds any PlayStation stats.

“This game is all about scoring and it’s a byproduct of a couple of things, with the motion and being able to run at the line of scrimmage,” Greisen said. “Teams can’t outnumber you from a coverage standpoint, like they can in the NFL. It makes for an offensive game that is very explosive. Talking with my brother, Nick, he understands the Arena game. Just that some of my friends back home who don’t understand the game, can’t see how you throw nine touchdowns in a game.”

Nine touchdown passes in a game is still somewhat of a rarity in the AFL. The undefeated Force are also unique in scoring 60 points or more in each of their first four games, becoming the first team to do that in the league’s history. Greisen’s 135 quarterback rating and 76-percent completion percentage are also unusual (an upper-90 or close to 100 rating marks an elite NFL quarterback).

“It is crazy,” says Utah Blaze quarterback Joe Germaine, who played at Ohio State from 1995-98 and had short stints in the NFL with the Rams, Chiefs and Bengals. “The Arena League produces the crazy numbers because, in my opinion, it’s a different game altogether. In the outdoor, you try to establish a running game, which sets up the pass. There’s no running, or hardly any running, and there’s no punting. It’s almost like fastbreak football. You’re going three-on-two and looking to score almost every time.”

The average AFL game most times results in what is typically a college basketball score — usually landing somewhere in the 50s or 60s.

“We did this on purpose, the high scores and offensive numbers isn’t by accident,” said Tampa Bay Storm’s Tim Marcum, the most successful coach in the league’s history. “Mouse Davis is responsible for the run-and-shoot offense of this league. He made the rules accordingly to have three-on-three down the field. It’s the reason why there are the crazy statistics in this league.

“I remember when I was with Denver in 1987, we brought in a new quarterback (Whit Taylor) on a Tuesday and he threw 10 TDs in our game that Saturday. That’s crazy, isn’t it? If you look at the [the NFL] and took out the linebackers out of pass coverage, ask yourself what kind of scores you would have? You have four-on-four down the field and you might get the same kind of scores we get in the Arena League.”

Defensive players — the pincushions in this offensive array — keep it simple. It’s all about making stops. For an AFL defense to get three or four stops in a game is very good, and usually translates into victory.

“We gave up 47 points and we’re considered one of the better defenses in the league,” said Philadelphia Soul defensive lineman Dwayne Missouri, after the Soul turned back the Colorado Crush, 71-47, last Thursday. “In the outdoor game, TDs are demoralizing, especially when you give up five or six touchdowns. In this league, it’s all about making stops. You make enough of them, you win.”

Utah receiver Siaha Burley is a seven-year AFL veteran. He played with a high potent offense in Los Angeles, he’s played with one of the best QBs in Tony Graziani, and now he catches passes from Germaine. Burley led the AFL in scoring two years ago and finished second behind Colorado’s Damian Harrell last year.

Burley said you better score your share of points when running anywhere from 60 to 70 plays a game. There’s also much more man-to-man defense in the AFL, as opposed to zones in the NFL. We’re also talking about a 50-yard field, with the chance to score on every play.

Burley also thinks the big numbers will continue growing — where scores can reach NBA proportions. He says it has to do with the improved quality of the players in the league.

“I have to admit from my rookie year until now, there’s a lot more talent in this league,” Burley said. “Defensive backs and receivers are much better now. You used to have two of your best receivers play defense the whole game. Now with the open substitution, you have your guys on the field whenever you want.”

But as good as the defensive backs might be these days, they still give up touchdowns regularly. It’s just part of the game.

“You have to have a short memory, because there’s so much offense in this league,” Soul defensive back Eddie Moten said. “This is a different game than the outdoor game.”

The numbers prove it.

By Joseph Santoliquito

Bills Bolster Secondary, Add William James

btisports — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 14:06:14 +0000

By Allen Wilson — BuffaloNews.com

The Bills agreed to terms with former Philadelphia cornerback William James on a two-year contract, The Buffalo News has learned. James, 28, is a seven-year veteran who has started 45 games in his career. The 6-foot, 200-pounder gives the Bills more size at cornerback, something they lacked. James is expected to challenge Greer for the starting spot opposite McGee.

“Will is looking forward to going to Buffalo and competing for a starting job,” his agent said. “Will has a lot of confidence in himself and his ability and he’s excited about the opportunity to go in and win a starting job.”

James, formerly known as Will Peterson before legally changing his name, is a former third-round draft pick of the Giants. He started 39 games in 51 appearances with the Giants from 2001 through 2005. His most productive year was 2004, when he had 69 tackles (61 solos), two interceptions and one forced fumble.

James, who has overcome two serious back injuries in his career, spent the past year and a half in Philadelphia. He played in 14 games with six starts last season, but lost his nickel cornerback job to Joselio Hanson by the end of the year.