Former Bulldog Stephen Spach will stay in the desert, after signing a one-year deal with the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday.
Spach, who has played his last two seasons with the team, has played in a combined 18 games and has 11 starts with the two-time NFC West champions.
In 2009, Spach caught four passes for 38 yards. He originally signed with Arizona as a free agent back on October 28, 2008 and is probably best remembered for catching the game-clinching pass on third down against the Atlanta Falcons during the NFC Wildcard round.
Spach is probably known more for his blocking on the edge as he often lines up as an extra tight end on the line. He and fellow tight end Anthony Becht was also inked to a one-year deal on Thursday. Its being reported that the Cardinals will put a more heavier emphasis on the running game, due to the retirement of quarterback Kurt Warner, which likely expalins why Spach and Becht was resigned.
At Fresno State, Spach caught 38 passes for the Bulldogs for 376 yards and six touchdowns in his career. He caught the game-winning pass against Virginia in the MPC Computers Bowl in 2004. He first entered Fresno State as a walk-on but performed well enough to earn a scholarship. He was also a four-time Academic All-WAC selection with the Bulldogs and has a degree in commercial recreation and administration.
Last season, San Francisco was one of the league’s worst when throwing the ball, with an average of 205.8 yards per game. Not only that, Carr’s career numbers in terms of completion percentage, yards-per-attempt, touchdown passes and quarterback rating are better than the guy the ‘Niners drafted first overall back in 2005, Alex Smith.
Carr also has more career completions, passing yards and touchdowns than both Smith and Shaun Hill.
Now, this is not to say that because of the numbers game, Carr will be a shoe-in for the starting quarterback spot. Especially when you have a guy in Shaun Hill, who’s 10-6 overall as a starter and is the only signal-caller on the 49ers roster with more touchdown passes than interceptions. Plus, Hill has the higher QB rating out of the three with an 87.3 rating.
You also have to unfortunately consider the fact that Carr is yet to take a team to the NFL playoffs and is 23-56 as a starting quarterback. And yes, we can't forget about all those sacks he's had over the years.
However, Hill and Smith both swapped places last season, where Smith ended up starting the most games with 11 and went 5-6 as a starter. He also had five games where he had a QB rating of over 95.0.
It also became evident that Hill began to progress downward in the 49ers offense last season, which changed in ways that didn’t suit him, such as getting the passing game going.
Carr’s signing means that he’s now about a three-hour drive from Fresno where he can see his family and brother play. It also means that he can enjoy the California weather once again instead of the cold east coast breeze or humidity in Charlotte, or also head into the season knowing that he doesn't need to be a backup right away.
But, more important, Carr is in a situation where he could get a shot at showing people that he’s not a first-round bust, even though he’s on the same roster of another former first round pick that is trying to shed the “bust” label.
First off, let me just start this week's edition of alumni notes by saying congrats to Cameron Worrell on a very solid NFL career.
Worrell officially retired a few days ago and played six seasons in the league. However, its his journey to the league that will earn him a great amount of respect, which will be explained later.
Speaking of retirement, one former Bulldog basketball star could be done, while a former Fresno State star quarterback looks to find a new home.
Here's the March 6th edition of RZF's Alumni Notes:
CARR RETURNING TO CALIFORNIA?
David Carr visited the San Francisco 49ers this past weekend, but no contract was signed.
The 30-year-old former Bulldog is not only looking to compete for a starting position, but he's also rumored to prefer playing for a team in California.
Carr, the first overall pick in the 2002 NFL Draft, has spent the last two seasons backing up Eli Manning with the New York Giants. Carr played in six games, where he threw 21 completions out of 33 attempts for 225 yards and one touchdown.
The last time Carr played in all 16 games was in 2006 with the Houston Texans.
WORRELL CALLS IT A CAREER
The former Bulldog and First Team All-WAC selection in 2002 announced his retirement back on Friday.
In a release, Worrell briefly reflected back on his six seasons in the league and sounded content about everything he learned on the football field, as well as the busisness aspect of the game. He also thanked everyone who supported him over the years.
Worrell's journey began at the tiny town of Chowchilla, Ca, where he was the North Sequoia League Offensive Player of the Year. He originally attended Fresno State as a walk-on, but he did not play as a redshirt freshman in 1999 and would transfer to Fresno City College.
Worrell, however, would return to the Bulldogs in 2001, where he earned All-WAC honors. He went undrafted in the 2003 draft but signed with the Chicago Bears. He played in his first and only Super Bowl with the Bears in 2006.
He would then have stints with Miami and the New York Jets before returning to the Bears in 2008.
Away from the field, Worrell has been very active in the central valley with running his own football camp along with former Bulldogs. The Passing Down Skills Camp features high school football players getting instruction from the ex-bulldogs and also gets the young people to interact with the former 'Dogs.
SKIPING OUT ON HIS TEAM AND CAREER?
While Worrell made his retirement relatively quiet, another former Bulldog on the other hand might be leaving his sport in disgust.
Rafer Alston was suspended immediately by his current team the Miami Heat on Saturday. Reports are surfacing that Alston is now begining to mull retirement.
Alston did not attend the team's victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday and the Heat initially stated that the 33-year-old guard missed the game due to "personal reasons." However, reports then surfaced that Alston became only available to the team through text messaging and was disgruntled over losing his starting point guard position.
Alston first lost his starting spot in Miami's overtime win against the Los Angeles Lakers back on Thursday. Carlos Arroyo has since taken over for Alston.
"Rafer Alston, while having made contact with the team via text message, has made himself otherwise unavailable to the team. As a result he has been suspended indefinitely," the team said in a release
Alston began his second stint with the Heat back in January, after reaching a buyout with the New Jersey Nets, whom acquired the journeyman guard from the Orlando Magic in a trade that involved Vince Carter.
If his career is indeed over, Alston would have finished 11 seasons in the league that included stops in Milwaukee, Toronto, Houston and the NBA's Development League.
posted Feb 16, 2010 3:29 PM by Lorenzo Reyna
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updated Feb 16, 2010 3:41 PM
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By: Lorenzo J. Reyna
redzonefrenzy.com
There’s six notable names from the Fresno State campus who could find a new NFL home. Here’s a closer look at who could go where:
NFC
DAVID CARR (New York Giants)
Current status: Unrestricted Free Agent
Why he’ll leave: The Giants are seeking an upgrade at backup quarterback. Plus, the team is looking to develop Rhett Bomar and see where that takes them.
Why he’ll stay: The supply and demand for a quality backup quarterback is considered small this upcoming offseason, which may influence the Giants to bring him back for another year.
Best case scenario: Carr will enter his ninth season in the league and while some view him as a first round bust, there are some people, particularly Pat Hill, that see him as a starting quarterback once again.
His best shot at a starting position is with St. Louis. Kyle Boller is a unrestricted free agent and the team will also likely part ways with long-time starter Marc Bulger. Plus, Carr has ties to head coach Steve Spagnuolo from the Giants (Spagnuolo was the team’s defensive coordinator with New York in Carr’s first season).
Bringing in Carr will help create an open competition for the Rams’ starting QB position.
BRYAN ROBINSON (Arizona Cardinals)
Current Status: Unrestricted Free Agent
Why he’ll leave: He’s 35 and the Cards’ may look to get younger in the defensive trenches.
Why he’ll stay: He’s been one of the best run-stuffers for Arizona’s 3-4 scheme and the Cards’ have lots of free agent uncertainty to address on defense, which includes the retirement of Bertrand Berry as well as Karlos Dansby’s contract situation.
Best case scenario: Robinson, the last active Bulldog from the Jim Sweeney era, can still be a solid contributor with his size in a 3-4 defense. However, he’s not getting any younger and the Cardinals will likely try to get younger and faster after ranking 20th in total defense in 2009.
STEPHEN SPACH (Arizona Cardinals)
Current Status: Restricted Free Agent
Why he’ll leave: Spach has had knee problems while with Arizona.
Why he’ll stay: The team seems to love his blocking and the other tight end Anthony Becht is an unrestricted free agent.
Best case scenario: Spach, an NFL journeyman who’s played for four NFL teams since 2005, will likely stay in the desert due to Becht’s status.
AFC:
VERNON FOX (Denver Broncos)
Current Status: Unrestricted free agent
Why he’ll leave: Fox was only brought in to help a Bronco secondary depleted with injuries towards the end of last season. Plus the team will likely address the situations involving WR Brandon Marshall, DE/OLB Elvis Dumervil, QB Kyle Orton and TE Tony Scheffler, which will make resigning Fox a likely afterthought.
Why he’ll stay: Outside of veterans Brian Dawkins and Renaldo Hill, Denver’s safeties are relatively inexperienced. Plus, the team may not bring back 15-year veteran Ty Law. If there’s room and if Denver has some injury concerns in the secondary, Fox may be welcomed back in the Rocky Mountains.
Best case scenario: Denver does have two tall safeties in Josh Barrett and David Bruton, who are both 6-2 and will likely be developed for the future. At this point, Fox may be best suited to come back to any team if there’s injuries in the defensive backfield.
SAM WILLIAMS (Oakland Raiders)
Current status: Unrestricted Free Agent
Why he’ll leave: The Raiders are trying to make DE Richard Seymour their top priority on defense this offseason and they already inked kicker Sebastian Janikowski to a rich deal. They may not have enough in their wallet to keep Williams.
Why he’ll stay: Depth for a pretty young Raiders’ linebacker unit.
Best case scenario: Williams is considered one of the NFL’s good guys for his off-the-field work and has spent his entire career with the Raiders. But because he’s unrestricted, as well as Seymour getting a new deal as a top priority, he’s likely to part ways with the silver and black.
LOGAN MANKINS (New England Patriots)
Current status: Restricted free agent
Why he’ll leave: With a couple of pro bowls under his belt and the fact that he’s just 27, Mankins (photo) is hands down the hottest commodity among free agent offensive linemen. He’ll be expected to get a good number of interest from several teams.
Plus, with nose tackle Vince Wilfork’s contract issue and the team rumored to be pursuing DE Julius Peppers, the Patriots will likely give up a ton to get both players, and it may not be enough to keep Mankins in New England.
Why he’ll stay: Mankins has expressed interest in staying with the Pats and he’s been a main fixture for the Patriots offensive line.
Best case scenario: Mankins may not get a eye-popping deal with the Pats, especially with an uncapped year looming as well as the interest involving Peppers and Wilfork. But he has been open to staying with the team he’s played his entire NFL career for.
However, teams like Kansas City and Washington may be in strong pursuit for one of the league’s top all-pro guards. The Chiefs already have a good number of Ex-Patriots on board and may deal guard Brian Waters to make room for Mankins.
In the nation’s capital, Redskin owner Daniel Snyder will more than likely throw his cash out when it comes to marquee free agent names. It won’t be surprising if he makes a pursuit for Mankins to help address the offensive line issues in D.C. Guard Randy Thomas is 34 and coming off of a season-ending injury and the team also doesn’t have a lot of depth at the guard spot.
Still, whether if he stays or goes, Mankins is the cream of the crop of this season’s Bulldog NFL free agent class.
It looks like former Bulldog Lane Kiffin likes them young.
Last year, the then Tennessee head coach offered a scholarship to 14-year old Evan Berry, the younger brother of former Volunteer star safety Eric Berry. Now, Kiffin has gotten his latest potential star quarterback at USC, for 2015.
Kiffin offered a scholarship to 13-year-old David Sills of Delaware. Apparently, Sills is supposedly the best quarterback prospect in his age group.
Sills also hasn't driven a car yet, probably hasn't had a breakout of pimples on his face yet, he might not have had his first kiss either and, he's probably never gotten a chance to see an R-rated movie in a theater (unless an adult was with him).
Here's how it all went down:
According to the Wilmington News Journal, Bear, Del., seventh-grade quarterback David Sills committed Thursday night to accept a football scholarship from USC.
The 13-year-old, who attends Red Lion Christian Academy, told delawareonline.com "my heart was beating so fast" when he talked to Kiffin.
Red Lion high school varsity coach Eric Day confirmed that Kiffin recently offered the teen a scholarship, and that Sills committed, according to the Wilmington paper.
This is the second time that the former Bulldog backup quarterback and student coach has gotten involved with minors. At this point, I think its time we recognize this: If David Stern can put an age limit on the NBA Draft then maybe, there needs to be an age restriction on offering scholarships for any NCAA institution, regardless if its USC, Tennessee or heck, Fresno State.
If the NCAA doesn't address this, Lane Kiffin and USC just might start scouting for talent at the next Pop Warner Football Championship. Who knows, he may start telling 13-year-old kids that if they don't play at USC, they'll end up pumping gas.
posted Feb 1, 2010 2:04 PM by Lorenzo Reyna
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updated Feb 1, 2010 3:18 PM
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By: Lorenzo J. Reyna
redzonefrenzy.com
ALUMNI NOTES 2/1/10
LaDanian Tomlinson was one of the running backs selected to the NFL's 2000-2009 All-Decade team, but he might not have gotten there if it weren't for the man who helped pave the way for him to run through defenses.
Former Bulldog Lorenzo Neal was the only fullback named to the league's all decade team, which was announced prior to Sunday night's Pro Bowl contest. Neal teamed with Tomlinson from 2003-2007, where the star running back rushed for more than 1,335 yards with Neal blocking for him.
Neal was a four-time pro bowl selection and made consecutive appearances from 2005-2007. He was also a two-time All-Pro in 2006 and 2007. Neal also blocked for former 1,000 yard rushers Eddie George, Corey Dillon, Adrian Murrell and Warrick Dunn.
MANKINS' FUTURE UP IN THE AIR
Former Bulldog guard and two-time pro bowler Logan Mankins addressed his situation about continuing his career as a New England Patriot to the Boston Herald this past weekend.
Mankins sounded like he wasn't too concerend. Especially considering if 2010 develops into an uncapped year, Mankins would only be a restrictive free agent barring a renegotiation:
“The Patriots are doing all their evaluations," Mankins told the Herald. "I’m sure as the offseason goes on, everything’ll start picking up in the next month.”
In the mean time, Mankins enjoyed himself while participating in the Pro Bowl, where he even took his wife and three children to Miami.
"You get to hang out with a lot of guys you play against, get to meet a lot of new guys that you probably wouldn’t ever meet,” Mankins said. “We had a lot of fun. We all have some good stories to tell each other about talking about guys we go against that are similar.”
AJIROTUTU A POTENTIAL VINCENT JACKSON?
Former Bulldog wide receiver Seyi Ajirotutu has caught the attention of former NFL head coach Marty Schottenheimer, according to a recent post on rotoworld.com.
Schottenheimer, who first saw Ajirotutu in the East-West Shrine game, made this assesstment on the Bulldogs' Ex-top wideout:
"He reminds me a lot of Vincent Jackson or Malcom Floyd in San Diego," Schottenheimer said. "He is a big kid and can run like the wind. I’ve been very impressed by him."
Ajirotutu may not be considered a top receiving prospect in this upcoming NFL Draft. In fact, most draft experts don't have the former Bulldog in the top 25 among wide receiver prospects.
However, Jackson wasn't heavily rated either. In fact, Jackson fell to the 2nd round with the 29th pick to the Chargers. Floyd also wasn't considered a top-quality prospect, because he went undrafted. And yet both men would end up playing an intricate role with the Chargers passing attack.
If a former NFL coach is endorsing Ajirotutu, this could mean that the former Bulldog could hit a good payday by the time April or the summer rolls around.
The question of whether or not Brett Favre will retire, or play, was brought up to Viking receiver and former Bulldog wideout Bernard Berrian on Monday.
The wideout, who led the Vikings with nine catches for 102 yards in the 31-28 loss to the Saints on Sunday's NFC Championship game, cracked this joke in regards to Favre Watch 2010:
“It’s still early,” Berrian told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. “Way too early. Brett is liable to change his mind five, 10 times down the road.”
Sounds like the Vikings, including Berrian, know what's coming, the all-new season of Brett Favre's "As The World Turns" that will likely air on ESPN from the months of February to perhaps late July.
While Berrian joked about Favre's unpredictable future, he did acknowledge that he had fun playing with Favre during Minnesota's 12-4 regular season and first NFC title game appearance since 2001:
"It was a fun season playing with a guy like Brett,” Berrian said to the Star-Tribune. “Brett is a fun dude. He’s fun to be around. Playing with him, you find out why people gravitate towards him and why people love him.”
But its doubtful that a number of people, including purple and gold fans, perhaps even Prince will gravitate and love the yearly media frenzy we'll soon have with Brett Favre.
I also doubt that Prince would want to write a song about it.
On a side note in regards to Berrian, while his fumble inside the Saints' 10-yard line with 9:45 left in the game was costly, he did show me that he was ready to become the Vikings' top receiving threat again if the opportunity presents itself down the road.
After Sidney Rice's monster performance against Dallas in the divisional round, here I was admittedly thinking that it was time for Berrian to take a backseat to Rice in the passing game, especially in a year that saw a hamstring injury and zero 100-yard games for Berrian in 2009.
However, despite being a victim of one of five costly Viking turnovers, Berrian turned in his best performance of the year by separating himself from the Saints en route to the nine grabs for 102 yards.
While there was that infamous fumble, as well as the joke on Favre, its no joke that Berrian did come to play on Sunday. Now, its just a matter of seeing him stay healthy and doing this more consistently in 2010, even if Favre Watch or As The World Turns starring Brett Favre goes on in Minnesota.
The star wide receiver from St. Mary's High School in Stockton decommitted from California this week and will instead become a Fresno State Bulldog according to a report earlier this week from Fresno State Scout affiliate barkboard.com. Harper made his decision to not attend Cal and play for the Bulldogs back on Monday of this week.
Harper's decision makes him the 14th commitment for the Bulldogs in 2010. Also, for a team that will have to replace the likes of Seyi Ajirotutu, Chastin West and Marlon Moore, Harper becomes the fifth wide receiver added to the Bulldogs roster.
Harper finished the season with 40 receptions for 731 yards and nine touchdowns for the Rams. He had two games this past season where he went over 100-yards receiving for the 11-1 Rams.
Harper also carried the ball 31 times in the ground game, where he totaled 391 yards and scored four times. Harper for the season totaled 122 points and scored 20 touchdowns.
Some of Harper's other credentials include first team selections in the Northern California region, first team All-Tri City honors and first team junior All-State multi-purpose according to CalHiSports/ESPN.
Another thing of note, the quarterback that was giving the 6-2, 190 pound receiver the ball at St. Mary's was Marcus McDade, who is also committed to the Bulldogs. McDade made his decision to come to Fresno State back on December 14.
posted Jan 17, 2010 3:17 PM by Lorenzo Reyna
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updated Jan 17, 2010 3:38 PM
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By: Lorenzo J. Reyna
redzonefrenzy.com
For the second time since 2007, former Fresno State Bulldog Bernard Berrian is making an appearance in the NFC Championship game.
Berrian caught three passes for 32 yards as the Minnesota Vikings thrashed the Dallas Cowboys 34-3 to advance to the conference title game next Sunday at New Orleans.
Berrian's previous appearance in the NFC Championship game was with the Chicago Bears, who would trounce the Saints 39-14 to win the NFC title before losing to the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLI.
Now, the six-year veteran will look to help get the Vikings to a fifth NFC title in franchise history, by facing the same team Berrian had to face in his last appearance before making a trip to the Super Bowl, the 14-3 New Orleans Saints. The top-seeded Saints routed the Arizona Cardinals 45-14 on Saturday.
His last game versus the Saints came last season, when he caught six passes for 110 yards and one touchdown in the Vikings' 30-27 victory back on October 6, 2008.
Also, in the four games that he's played against the Saints, Berrian has never lost to New Orleans.
posted Jan 13, 2010 2:37 PM by Lorenzo Reyna
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updated Jan 13, 2010 4:47 PM
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By: Lorenzo J. Reyna
redzonefrenzy.com (photo courtesy of the Associated Press)
Apparently, former Bulldog player, assistant coach and new USC football head man Lane Kiffin has become as faithful as Tiger Woods, at least in Knoxville, Tennessee according to a future sports personality.
University of Tennessee student Erin Exum, who's majoring in sports broadcasting, has given us her rant towards the man that was once embraced by the Rocky Mountain Top faithful, but has now emerged as perhaps the most-hated man in Tennessee not named Steve Spurrier or Urban Meyer in an open letter to espn.com.
The letter states that students, professors and even Volunteer football players have made this into a mockery, but also a much heated topic of discussion.
Exum's letter starts by comparing Kiffin's loyalty towards the University of Tennessee to Tiger's infidelity. She then goes on by saying that football players at the university joke that they don't need to go to class anymore because they have no coach to follow.
Perhaps the biggest motivation for Volunteer students though, according to Exum, is going to the one place on the campus known for bringing in motivational events, the ceremonial rock.
The rock that once said "Hail Kiffin" and even had Meyer's cell phone number on there (in the wake of Kiffin accussing the Florida coach of recruiting violations), has now been replaced with obscenities and even Layla Kiffin's cell phone number (in case you're wondering, Layla is Lane's bombshell housewife, who's also an object of internet entertainment according to this lost website).
Basically, its good riddance to the former Bulldog backup and Fresno State student assistant coach for his latest mishap. Forget recruiting violation, how about faithful violation.
Heck, what are the chances a marquee NFL job opens up, and Kiffin decides he wants to go the Pete Carroll route and get ready for the "meat grinder" of the NFL? Especially if things go awry in Seattle and the first guy on the list to replace Carroll happens to be Kiffin?
Volunteer fans have every right to bash the man who once said that he'll embrace the great traditions at Tennessee, including singing Rocky Top after beating Florida, which Gator Nation can no longer worry about.
And the Land of Troy might need to keep their cartwheels to a minimum, because what if Kiffin becomes unfaithful in Trojan land?
The letter by Exum in its entirety can be found here.
On next weeks show Lucio and Lorenzo Review the game against Wisconsin and get you ready for the game against Boise State. Listen today on the website or download it on Itunes.
