|
 |   |
|
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Video Plus Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities 
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE
|  |
The name game Remember Mike McMahon come draft weekend
Updated: Monday February 26, 2001 6:51 PM
INDIANAPOLIS -- As a group, the quarterbacks didn't leave any scout, coach or personnel man shaking their head in awe at the NFL Scouting Combine's Sunday workout. Shaking their heads, maybe. But if you're looking for a name to tuck away and check up on come April, you would do well to remember Rutgers quarterback Mike McMahon. Perhaps more than any other prospect at the game's glamour position, McMahon came out of Indy's second most well-known annual sporting spectacle with a bit of buzz surrounding his status. "I thought he was the best quarterback prospect I saw this weekend," Vikings quarterbacks coach Alex Wood said Monday. "This wasn't a great group overall, but he was the best. He's got some height, some touch, and he can move. I liked what he did out there." Granted, consensus No. 1 pick Michael Vick of Virginia Tech didn't take part in the Combine workouts. But while no one offered that Purdue's Drew Brees or Florida State's Chris Weinke did much to help themselves, the comments were almost universally positive when it came to McMahon. "He's got height, he's athletic enough, he's fast enough and he had a pretty solid workout," Tampa Bay director of football administration John Idzik said. "He got some touch and some tools, and you pair that with his athletic ability and you have to consider him a guy that helped himself here." Longtime NFL scouting guru Gil Brandt has likened McMahon to a "poor man's Rich Gannon" from a mobility standpoint, and said after Sunday's workout: "I've liked the kid for a month now. I would think he improved his situation this weekend." McMahon opened some eyes by running an impressive 4.55 in the 40-yard dash, and at 6-2 1/2, 207 pounds, he's more of a traditionally sized pocket presence than either Vick (6-0) or Brees (6-0 1/4 inch). McMahon threw just 18 touchdowns with 17 interceptions as a senior this season for the sorry Scarlet Knights (3-8), and finished his college career with 41 touchdowns and 52 interceptions and an 8-23 starting record. But his team was so often behind that McMahon was forced to play catch-up for most of his Rutgers tenure. McMahon's reputation started rising with a strong showing in the Blue-Gray All-Star Classic, in which he was named the Blue MVP for completing 16 of 28 passes for 284 yards and three touchdowns. He followed that up with a good Senior Bowl performance, and now has added a solid Combine testing and workout to his resume. While it's too early to pinpoint where McMahon might go in the draft, it is conceivable that he could be picked in the second round, and become the third quarterback selected after Vick and Brees, well ahead of Heisman winner Weinke. McMahon made it clear this weekend that he does not lack for confidence in his own abilities. In his media session Friday, McMahon showed no willingness to settle for third billing. "I think I'm the best quarterback in the draft, personally," he said. "I don't mean to knock Michael Vick or Drew Brees -- I think they're both great players -- but you have to have confidence if you're going to play quarterback. "You always have to feel you're the best. To be honest, I'd be a little disappointed if I went lower than the second round. If not, some of the teams that passed on me will realize they made a mistake in a few years." At least 20 teams reportedly interviewed McMahon personally at the Combine, and conventional wisdom within the league says that McMahon's collegiate numbers must be viewed within the framework of him having virtually no team around him at Rutgers. Another plus for McMahon: He was coached at Rutgers by Terry Shea, now Dick Vermeil's quarterbacks coach in Kansas City. Under Shea, McMahon was steeped in the West Coast offense that remains very popular in the NFL. Don't be surprised if the Chiefs are the team that most aggressively pursues drafting McMahon, who is a native of Pittsburgh, an area that has long been known as a cradle of pro quarterbacks. Another quarterback who improved his standing at the Combine in the eyes of some scouts was Florida's Jesse Palmer, who didn't even end the season as the Gators starter in head coach Steve Spurrier's revolving door policy. But Weinke was particularly unimpressive, exhibiting something of a scatter arm and later admitting that his mechanics were off. Brees neither damaged or boosted his standing. He appears locked into the No. 2 position, behind Vick, and wasn't particularly accurate Sunday with any pass that had much depth to it. "I felt comfortable," Brees said. "But it wasn't my best day. I wasn't perfect and I wish I had thrown the ball a little bit better." Brees will have a chance to make a few amends when he has his private workout at Purdue on March 8.
The wheelchair? It's nothing. Next question?Hands down, the strangest sight of the entire Combine came Friday, when highly regarded Texas defensive tackle Shaun Rogers was wheeled into the media room in a wheelchair, but then refused to discuss his injury with reporters. Rogers, an All-America selection who figures to be a top-10 pick, had a walking cast on his right foot. He eventually admitted he had surgery to repair ligament damage in his ankle, stemming from a Sept. 29 game against Houston. Rogers said he played the rest of the season in pain, but disagreed when asked if thought his stock would plummet in the draft. "This is not a negative on my part," he said. "I'm still the same Shaun Rogers that played at Texas in '99 and 2000."
Running to the top of the chartsAbout half of the teams in the draft's first dozen slots might be in the market for a lead running back, No. 3 Cleveland chief among them. All of those teams got good news at the Combine because running back looks like it has joined the defensive line and wide receiver as areas of strength in the April 21-22 draft proceedings. At least three running backs ran in the range of 4.4 or better, and that was with top-rated Deuce McAllister of Mississippi declining all but a few of the workout drills. Texas Christian's LaDainian Tomlinson and Wisconsin's Michael Bennett were reportedly between 4.35 and 4.4, and little known Derrick Blaylock of Stephen F. Austin ran in the low 4.3s. Blaylock is projected as a third-down type back in the NFL. McAllister will conduct a private workout for NFL teams March 21 in Oxford, Miss. He is still rated ahead of both Bennett and Tomlinson, but all three runners are expected to be selected in the top 15 picks. Besides the Browns, Cincinnati at No. 4, New England at No. 6, Chicago at No. 8, Carolina at No. 11, and Kansas City at No. 12 could be shopping in the running back market. The Bengals need is likely contingent on them losing Corey Dillon via free agency.
Believing Butch is a little tougher in some areasNew Browns head coach Butch Davis met with the national media for the first time at the Combine, and tried to put the controversy surrounding his exit from the University of Miami behind him. After repeatedly stating that he was going to remain in Coral Gables, Davis bolted not long after telling his players to disregard all the Cleveland speculation. "I know people were sad, angry and they were upset," Davis said, apparently opting for understatement by South Florida standards. "But this was a great opportunity. An opportunity of a lifetime." Asked if he thought people in South Florida were ready to forgive and forget, Davis answered by touting his record at Miami. "I think in time, I hope those people in retrospect will look back and see how much adversity we overcame," Davis said. "With the exception of SMU [which had its football program suspended for NCAA violations], I don't know many programs that overcame more than we did."
QuotableFrom 370-pound Texas offensive tackle Leonard "Big" Davis, on whether his size elicits trepidation for all he meets: "They don't have any reason to fear me. I'm a nice guy." Don Banks covers pro football for CNNSI.com.
| ||||||||||||||||||||
