2005-04-25 - 10:52 p.m.
continuing with the nfl draft...
the undrafted kids got their turn today with the first round of free agent signings. included in this were four UH players, two of which could've been drafted, and another two of which i had no idea would be picked up at all. and oddly enough, one player who i thought would be the first of the undrafted has yet to sign a contract.
Timmy Chang signed with the arizona cardinals. i see this as a double edged sword. on one hand, TC's got a chance to play now because dennis green has no problems with playing quarterback carousel. he'll rotate his quarterbacks like pitchers and the bullpen. and plus he'll be in the same camp as kurt warner who's a good guy who'll help the backups.
but at the same time, this means that dennis green would not be afraid to throw timmy into the fire. it's kinda scary. i don't trust dennis green in tutoring young qb's.
abraham elimimian signed with the san diego chargers. i don't see a problem with this. the depth at cb seems to be at just the right place for elimimian to play as a special teamer and maybe spot duty here and there and ease his way into the league as a nickel or dime back.
lui fuga also signed with the chargers. he'll be used as a nose tackle, a job i don't know if he did at UH. hrm... he has the size to do it, but i wonder if he's strong enough... i'm sure he is, but i just wonder about his ability to absorb two or three blockers.
matt faga might've been the better pick to play NT for san diego as he's about 35 lbs. heavier so he's even more of a space eater. but he signed with the miami dolphins. i guess that'll work out since both of their dt's were injured last season which means that faga might get a chance to play a lot this season. i'm sure he'll get a few snaps per game, and special teams play too.
west keliikipi though has been out of the mix though. he's yet to sign a FA contract with anyone which boggles my mind. but i did hear that tampa bay has offered him a contract. i'm kinda worried about keliikipi going to tampa because i don't like jon gruden. the situation is ripe for him though. i think mike alstott is on his way out because he's getting older and injuries are taking away from his ability. plus, alstott was never a great blocker. infact he detested the job, while keliikipi does the job adequately. plus he can catch the ball out of the backfield and he can hit the hole hard. and if he maintains his current weight he'll be twenty pounds heavier than alstott is, and mike's a pretty big guy. the only thing alstott really has on him is his speed i think. keliikipi isn't slow, but he's not that fleet of foot either. but that's okay. he's only a short yardage kind of guy anyway.
and that's my take on the undrafted free agents for UH.
oh, before i go, i almsot forgot about one more prospect...
uriah moenoa has also yet to sign a contract with anyone to even attend camp. i'm guessing someone will pick him up sooner or later because he was a good guard who could play all five positions. that versatility plus his outstanding pass blocking abilities should have him land somewhere tomorrow if not by the end of the week. i mean, c'mon guys, we all know UH linemen can develop into some good nfl players. i hold optimism on this kid.
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