Summer boredom has set in with me so I did you the favor of catching up with some former Tigers in the NFL and combined some pertinent links to info on each one. As always, there is a brief smattering of videos and pretty pictures to keep you entertained.
It's kinda ironic that Chansi Stuckey and Justin Miller roomed together at Clemson. It's even quirkier that they were both drafted and retained by the New York Jets. Here's an interesting point to look forward to this season: Both are coming off season-ending injuries that happened around the same time last year. Chansi has made some news, taking every bit of free time he had from the injury to improve his game and strength. It seems he will enter the mini camps slated as the number three reciever for the team. Miller is also doing well for coming back from a knee injury, as per USA Today. He seems to be earning some favorable light after he clocked some chick in a club fight last year around this time. A site by the name of MVN has listed Justin as a make or break player for this coming year, although I'm not so sure that I'd listen to an author that looks like an internet tough guy.
Tye Hill has been mentioned very little in league news as he was also sidelined with a season-ending injury but per his website he is making a strong case to turn around a terrible Rams defensive backfield (Yet again, another author who moonlights as a human train wreck working for MVN). Bernie Miklasz, who's staff picture is worse than his last name, states in what amounted to be just a long name dropping list (so what does that make this post?) that the Rams coaches seem to be pleased with his progress through OTAs. After reading this article, I came to the conclusion that if you don't take a good picture, you should put one on your columns.
Charlie Whitehurst seems to be getting cozy on the Chargers sidelines while Anthony Waters yearns for playing time. In yet another name list from yet another hideous author (this time of the female persuasion) it is stated that Whitehurst's chances at rising through the ranks might have been killed through the signing of a three year contract extension for Billy Volek, the current #2 man at QB for the Chargers. Coaches are impressed with Waters's hard drive and eagerness to play. Also, a four game suspension for Scotty Cooper at the beginning of the year could help Anthony get on the field for the first time in his pro career. Shades of Alvin Mack... minus the not going to the pros part.
Charles "Baby Eater" Bennett hasn't seen and probably won't see playing time... ever. But hey, at least he's in the big show, makin' his money, and had a good college career that he can reminisce about and perhaps parlay him into some airtime for Clemson football in an announcing role like Patrick Sapp did.
Also with the Bucs, Gaines Adams continues to be a beast. He has, however, discontinued beasting McDonald's Big Mac's for the time being. The Buc's coaches can't wait to get Gaines back on the field as he apparently went Steve Lattimer (I promise, that's the last Program reference for this post) with his workouts this off-season and did everything short of eating the 45 plates off of the weight racks in the Tampa Bay work out room.
I couldn't find anything on Philip Merling besides this sketchy website and the following picture of him at an OTA:
This leads me to believe that the Derrick Hamilton theory might be alive and well with a PO Box address in South Beach. Although, Jason Taylor heading out of Miami has to be good news for him in some fashion or another.
Nothing new from Leroy Hill who's playing for the Seattle Seahawks. If by nothing you mean he's still considered to be one cog in the machine of one of the leagues nastiest defenses/line backing corps. Also, apparently the weather in the PAC Northwest is much more forgiving to football players than it is in the South. Who knew, right? And yes, he still looks mean as hell.
I thought that by this point in his career, Brian Dawkins aka minor god of the safety religion, would be thinking about retirement or at least plans after football. While he is doing great things in the community that some of the leagues more established players are known for doing (see his Burn Prevention Golf Tournament as well as his fight to prevent the Beetus), he is ready to go for this upcoming season and is in better shape than he's been in previous years.
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