100%CardsFan
100% embarrassed
The Arizona Republic
Apr. 1, 2004 12:00 AM
The media blitz was on Jerome Evans, the man who walked into Cardinals camp uninvited Sunday and is trying to catch on with the Rattlers.
Nearly every Valley media outlet came to Rattlers practice Wednesday to tell the bread maker's story.
The Rattlers are loving the publicity, but the 6-foot-5, 275-pound lineman will have to improve today if he wants fame to last longer than 15 minutes.
Evans, who hadn't played since 1998, when he was a defensive lineman at Kansas State, looked physically overmatched at times in his first workout. He is about 20 pounds lighter than his playing weight.
"I was a little rusty," Evans said. "But I can work out those bugs and come out (today) and give it my all."
Evans will go through another workout today before the Rattlers, at 3-5 suffering the worst start in franchise history, decide whether he can help them.
"One thing you don't do is judge a guy in one day," said Pete Kettela, Rattlers director of player personnel, who invited Evans for a two-day tryout. "If we had done that with Hunkie Cooper, he never would have played here. He didn't light up the scoreboard the first day or the first week."
The Rattlers released starting defensive specialist Hamin Milligan and backup receiver/linebacker Larry Nixon before Wednesday's practice.
Evans moved here three weeks ago from Michigan to pursue a football dream. He has been working out with two personal trainers in Scottsdale and has been working 12-hour shifts making bread.
Trainer Luke Neal said he was taking Evans to the Cardinals facility Wednesday after Rattlers practice to apologize to coach Dennis Green, or "whoever will listen," for barging in on the Cardinals minicamp.
Coach Danny White is impressed that Evans would come out of the blue to try to make an NFL team.
"We knew something about him that we don't know about a lot of players, and that is this guy wants to play football, or I don't think he would have done that," White said. "Now it's a matter of, does he have the ability to back it up? That's what we're trying to find out."
White's quick assessment after one workout?
"Defensively, it looked like he was a little bit nervous, a little bit rusty," White said. "But once he settled in, he was bringing the heat pretty good. We played him a series at offense, and he's got good enough feet, he's a good enough athlete to play the offensive side, as well."
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/rattlers/0401rattlers0401.html
Apr. 1, 2004 12:00 AM
The media blitz was on Jerome Evans, the man who walked into Cardinals camp uninvited Sunday and is trying to catch on with the Rattlers.
Nearly every Valley media outlet came to Rattlers practice Wednesday to tell the bread maker's story.
The Rattlers are loving the publicity, but the 6-foot-5, 275-pound lineman will have to improve today if he wants fame to last longer than 15 minutes.
Evans, who hadn't played since 1998, when he was a defensive lineman at Kansas State, looked physically overmatched at times in his first workout. He is about 20 pounds lighter than his playing weight.
"I was a little rusty," Evans said. "But I can work out those bugs and come out (today) and give it my all."
Evans will go through another workout today before the Rattlers, at 3-5 suffering the worst start in franchise history, decide whether he can help them.
"One thing you don't do is judge a guy in one day," said Pete Kettela, Rattlers director of player personnel, who invited Evans for a two-day tryout. "If we had done that with Hunkie Cooper, he never would have played here. He didn't light up the scoreboard the first day or the first week."
The Rattlers released starting defensive specialist Hamin Milligan and backup receiver/linebacker Larry Nixon before Wednesday's practice.
Evans moved here three weeks ago from Michigan to pursue a football dream. He has been working out with two personal trainers in Scottsdale and has been working 12-hour shifts making bread.
Trainer Luke Neal said he was taking Evans to the Cardinals facility Wednesday after Rattlers practice to apologize to coach Dennis Green, or "whoever will listen," for barging in on the Cardinals minicamp.
Coach Danny White is impressed that Evans would come out of the blue to try to make an NFL team.
"We knew something about him that we don't know about a lot of players, and that is this guy wants to play football, or I don't think he would have done that," White said. "Now it's a matter of, does he have the ability to back it up? That's what we're trying to find out."
White's quick assessment after one workout?
"Defensively, it looked like he was a little bit nervous, a little bit rusty," White said. "But once he settled in, he was bringing the heat pretty good. We played him a series at offense, and he's got good enough feet, he's a good enough athlete to play the offensive side, as well."
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/rattlers/0401rattlers0401.html
