Magner to Grand Rapids, J5 to Montreal

TG1996 · Post by **TG1996** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 12:20 pm

http://www.rampagefootball.com/news/pre ... le_id=4904

Another shot in the AFL, hopefully with some PT. Good luck Cole!

After fondly reminiscing on the days...no, weeks... that Magner and J5 spent together in Columbus and seeing this story, I looked to see what Harris was up to.

Apparently, he's learning French. Good luck to Josh, too!!!

hammb · Post by **hammb** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 12:29 pm

In other news, I saw a blurb the other day that Steve Sanders has re-signed with the Browns. He'll be competing in training camp for a roster spot. Steve has spent two full seasons on the practice squad so he's no longer eligible for that. If he wants to continue his NFL career he will need to make an active 53 man roster.

tiznow · Post by **tiznow** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 12:34 pm

Marc Trestman...How will J5 fit into his offense. I think Canada will be good for Josh. Then he can come be a coach at BG.

Falconfreak90 · Post by **Falconfreak90** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 1:36 pm

As always, best wishes to Cole, J5 and Steve on making the rosters. We have tix to the Columbus/Cleveland AFL game in Cbus 3/15 and I was bummed when I found out J5 and Cole were no longer on the Cbus roster. But Robert Redd is on the CLE roster so that is cool!

hammb,
Is Sanders playing with the Gladiators right now? I saw you said he was re-signed by the Browns for next season's TC but is he still going to play for the Gladiators? thanks.

hammb · Post by **hammb** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 1:49 pm

Falconfreak90 wrote:As always, best wishes to Cole, J5 and Steve on making the rosters. We have tix to the Columbus/Cleveland AFL game in Cbus 3/15 and I was bummed when I found out J5 and Cole were no longer on the Cbus roster. But Robert Redd is on the CLE roster so that is cool!

hammb,
Is Sanders playing with the Gladiators right now? I saw you said he was re-signed by the Browns for next season's TC but is he still going to play for the Gladiators? thanks.

I have no idea Freak. I didn't realize that he had ever signed to play on with the Gladiators. This past week though he did sign on to return to the Browns training camp.

Pretty sure that he cannot play on both teams, so it's doubtful he'd be playing for them. Are you sure you were thinking of Sanders, though? I just looked at their roster and I don't see any signs of Sanders there, but Robert Redd is still on the roster, were you thinking of him?

VDub26Falcon · Post by **VDub26Falcon** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 3:56 pm

I hope that Steve can make the Browns roster...he is much better than Tim "Hands of Stone" Carter ever was. Steve has all the tools needed to be an NFL receiver and if he doesn't make the Browns roster I will be sorely disappointed.

hammb · Post by **hammb** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 4:27 pm

VDub26Falcon wrote:I hope that Steve can make the Browns roster...he is much better than Tim "Hands of Stone" Carter ever was. Steve has all the tools needed to be an NFL receiver and if he doesn't make the Browns roster I will be sorely disappointed.

I'd agree that he is better than Tim Carter...I have no place for a WR that cannot catch the ball. I don't have a problem with the guys who make huge plays but have the occasional drops (RE: Moss, Braylon, TO, etc.). But a guy like Carter who drops nearly everything and NEVER makes any big plays to make up for it? No thanks.

That said, Sanders has all the tools to make it in the NFL at WR except for one: Speed. I'd love to see him make it, but his biggest weakness is speed and that's probably the most important attribute for a WR to many NFL people. Not saying they're right, but the fact is that his lack of true burst/breakaway speed is what has kept him off the roster for the past couple years. I'm hopeful that he's become a better route runner and that will be enough to make up for the lack of speed and he'll see the roster. Still, that will always be his biggest weakness for the NFL.

Falconboy · Post by **Falconboy** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 6:40 pm

hammb wrote:
VDub26Falcon wrote:I hope that Steve can make the Browns roster...he is much better than Tim "Hands of Stone" Carter ever was. Steve has all the tools needed to be an NFL receiver and if he doesn't make the Browns roster I will be sorely disappointed.
I'd agree that he is better than Tim Carter...I have no place for a WR that cannot catch the ball. I don't have a problem with the guys who make huge plays but have the occasional drops (RE: Moss, Braylon, TO, etc.). But a guy like Carter who drops nearly everything and NEVER makes any big plays to make up for it? No thanks.

That said, Sanders has all the tools to make it in the NFL at WR except for one: Speed. I'd love to see him make it, but his biggest weakness is speed and that's probably the most important attribute for a WR to many NFL people. Not saying they're right, but the fact is that his lack of true burst/breakaway speed is what has kept him off the roster for the past couple years. I'm hopeful that he's become a better route runner and that will be enough to make up for the lack of speed and he'll see the roster. Still, that will always be his biggest weakness for the NFL.

Hammb's response about Sanders speed has me thinking a bit. We seem to always have this problem when it comes to our best wr's try and make it in the NFL. Magner shows every ability to catch the ball but can't make it cuz he's likely just too slow for the NFL, Chuck Sharon again made plays in practice all pre-season but still couldn't even beat out a struggling Reggie Williams(Jags) for a roster spot cuz he's likely wasn't fast enough for his height at 6'0. Now Sanders has that prototypical NFL size and length but again his problem as of late is apparently a lack of NFL worthy speed.

What I'm getting at is that it seems every other Mac school seems to be getting their best stars at the skill positions on to NFL rosters ala WMU WR Gregg Jennings , UT Wr Moore (Saint) while we still have no skilll position player from BG who's actually "made it" yet. So far its ST's guys with Kary Cambell LB and Sean Suisham K to make any meaning full time in the NFL outside of Scotty M. I know its not the end all be all but to me it seems rather sad to see our best talent of 4 and 5 years ago still not make it while teams that weren't even good (ex.WMU) have players that make it and get drafted pretty high. I guess this is more recruiting insight than anything else. It just seems that were getting soundly beat in the recruiting of top skill position players in the Mac.

TG1996 · Post by **TG1996** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 7:42 pm

I love following the Falcons on Sundays as much as anyone, but I'll take what those guys brought to the field in 2003 every day over playing in the NFL. I obviously wish the best for all of them, but winning games in college are infinitely more important to me than success in the league.

footballguy51 · Post by **footballguy51** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 8:01 pm

Honestly, these other MAC schools that weren't any good but had these star players that make it in the NFL is because that team only had that player. An all-star receiver is great, but not if he's the only decent receiver on the team. We had 3 or 4 good receivers, so no team could key on any single player, where as these other teams with one stand-out wide-out had essentially one option and the other teams knew it. Any plays that player made were purely on talent and that's it, where a lot of the plays our players made were because of offensive scheming and the defense's inability to key on one subject.

hammb · Post by **hammb** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 9:19 pm

TG1996 wrote:I love following the Falcons on Sundays as much as anyone, but I'll take what those guys brought to the field in 2003 every day over playing in the NFL. I obviously wish the best for all of them, but winning games in college are infinitely more important to me than success in the league.

While I definitely agree with this notion there is something to what Falconboy's saying as well. Every once in awhile I sit back and think what a guy like Jennings would have done in our offense.

I'm not one to go spouting 40 times or even following 40 times, but there is truth to the fact that we have not had a decent WR with NFL speed as long as I can remember. It's one of the recruiting deficiencies that I really cannot fathom. Why would a great WR NOT want to play in our offense? They'd have so many catches, yards, and TDs it's scary.

TG1996 · Post by **TG1996** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 9:26 pm

hammb wrote: While I definitely agree with this notion there is something to what Falconboy's saying as well. Every once in awhile I sit back and think what a guy like Jennings would have done in our offense.

I think that, too, to an extent. But ask anyone outside Wisconsin or the MAC where Greg Jennings played college ball and see if you get an answer. Do I wish we had more players in the league? No doubt. But if we can get a group of guys to come together as a team for BG, I love that much much more.

Falconfreak90 · Post by **Falconfreak90** » Sat Jan 26, 2008 9:39 am

hammb,

I knew Robert Redd was on the Gladiators but I thought I read somewhere Sanders was signed to them as well...I could be wrong. It's happened a couple times in the last 10 years.

Warthog · Post by **Warthog** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 11:07 am

Saw in the "Transactions" section in the Blade today that Josh Harris signing with Montreal is official. Good luck Josh!

Dayons_Den · Post by **Dayons_Den** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 12:13 pm

hammb wrote:
TG1996 wrote:I love following the Falcons on Sundays as much as anyone, but I'll take what those guys brought to the field in 2003 every day over playing in the NFL. I obviously wish the best for all of them, but winning games in college are infinitely more important to me than success in the league.
While I definitely agree with this notion there is something to what Falconboy's saying as well. Every once in awhile I sit back and think what a guy like Jennings would have done in our offense.

I'm not one to go spouting 40 times or even following 40 times, but there is truth to the fact that we have not had a decent WR with NFL speed as long as I can remember. It's one of the recruiting deficiencies that I really cannot fathom. Why would a great WR NOT want to play in our offense? They'd have so many catches, yards, and TDs it's scary.

I think wondering what a Jennings or Dante Ridgeway or Dominic Hixon would do in our offense is kind of a catch 22. Give Brandon credit in that he recruits players that work well in his offense- a sort of synergy- sum is greater than the individual.

Yes Omar to Jennings would have been nice and all but perhaps one of the reasons Jennings didn't consider BG is because he knew he wouldn't be The Man at BG he would be part of a receiving corps. WMU had a decent QB in Cubit on that day we blanked the Broncs 52-0. Jennings had 4 catches for 52 yards that day. Which says to me Omar to Sharon-Sanders-McGrady-Magner-Hawkins is a better option than Omar to Jennings.

Maybe the corps vs. The Man is the reason a standout NFL speed WR doesn't want to come to our offense?