2009 Drafted Cougars
Austin Collie: 4th Round (127th pick) – Indianapolis Colts
What a great day for Austin! Sure he was the 20th WR (19th if you don’t count Pat White as a WR, Miami isn’t) taken in the draft when he should have been about 6 or 7, but he is going to have a great opportunity. Think about it. He is going to have the best QB in the game throwing to him. Tell me that Peyton Manning is not going to make Austin Collie look absolutely amazing.
What is Collie’s Role?
Peyton Manning finally got his Wes Welker. Indy already has there “deep guys” but I think Austin can contribute right away as a possession receiver for them. I am so pumped for his opportunity there.
Fui Vakapuna: 7th Round (215th pick) – Cincinnati Bengals
This is a really interesting pick for BYU. But Let me just say, who more deserving than Fui to get drafted. The guy has been through a lot in his career, and yet still managed to succeed and catch the eye of the NFL scouts. I am stoked for Fui and think that he will have a great career, just like Fahu Tahi’s, in the NFL.
This pick is interesting in that Dan Coates is on the Bengals and plays a Fullback role for them occasionally. Mainly he is the 3rd TE in a big running package, so hopefully this won’t affect our other cougar brother. Dan is a good enough all around TE, with two seasons of experience, that I think they will end up being teammates for the next couple years.
Ray Feinga: UDRFA – St. Louis Rams
I am not going to lie; I have no idea how to compare Ray to the OGs already in St. Louis. All I know is that Ray is good. He is one of the best guys I ever played against, so I don’t see why he shouldn’t have a great opportunity there in St. Louis.
Dallas Reynolds: UDRFA – Philadelphia Eagles
Dallas is going to do awesome. I remember the guys the Eagles brought in last year to play C/G and I know for a fact that Dallas is better than those guys! It was an interesting draft for Dallas because he has played all 3 positions on the OL, starting in every game he ever played in college – Most of any player that was graduating this year. After reading Parcells and Irelands (Miami Dolphins) quotes yesterday about “liking to draft big school guys who start a lot of games” I am surprised they didn’t pick him up. Back to my point, teams gave Dallas a mixed bag of evaluations and scouting rankings had him really low, because they didn’t know how to grade him.
That’s the stupid NFL. You have an incredibly versatile player and instead of his stock rising through the roof it plummets because he can do too much. Go figure.
Travis Bright: UDRFA – Dallas Cowboys
Perfect fit for big Travis Bright! The Cowboys and Titans just love to get BIG HUGE ENORMOUS human beings to be on their front lines, and you don’t get much bigger than Travis, hence the nickname “Baby Elephant”. Although now I would probably call him a Bull Elephant. Travis is big and strong and he will move people out of the way. The Cowboys are traditionally a big run team and he will be perfect for that.
David Nixon – UDRFA – Oakland Raider
This is tough for me because I love Dave and I love the Chargers. It’s like having your best friend tell you they’re playing for the U. But, no doubt about it, I will be rooting hard to D. Nix! I think he may have the best opportunity of all the guys to make the team and contribute right out the gates. First of all, rookies get their chance by playing ST and Dave can do anything. Although I don’t think he has ever played ST in his career, he is so athletic and quick; he can cause a lot of problems for the opposition. Second, Dave is an outstanding LB. He will run circles around those guys in Oakland.
Markell Staffieri
As a side note, John Beck has become a Waiver Player with Dolphins after the told him “Sorry we screwed you over.”
That’s a great summary Markell. Thank you. No doubt that is a great sitaution for Austin and I think it’s great to see Fui get drafted. I always thought that Fui gave so much for BYU Football and now it’s great to see that he is being rewarded. Good for him! I hope John Beck get’s picked up and am glad to see him get out of Miami since Parcells seems to be bringing in all of his guys anyway. Hopefully John will go to a new team with a fresh start and finally have a chance to prove himself. That mess in Miami was a disaster two years ago and was no place for any QB to play. Keep your head up John…good things will happen for you!
I had been hoping Beck would be traded by the Dolphins this weekend to give him a fresh start on a new team. Based on your waiver player comment, does that mean they will be more likely to cut him? As long as he gets a fair chance with another team as he never got that when Parcell’s regime moved in.
What does that mean “Waiver Player?” How is it a “sorry we screwed you over?”
Parcells is an idiot…this will be a blessing in disguise for John. Markell, I think you hit the nail on the head when you compared Austin Collie to Wes Welker. It’s funny to think 4.55 speed is slow in the NFL but I think Austin’s routes, hands and attitude will take him a long way. Fui should turn some heads in Cincinatti. He reminds me of a bigger Reno Mahi with his enthusiasm, selfless play and desire to play the game. Hopefully the rest of the BYU boys will get a decent look during their rookie camps.
Greg,
Yes Fui is a MUCH MUCH bigger Reno Mahe. I think Fui eats Reno’s weight in L and L meat every meal.
Casey,
Two things about getting released in the NFL. #1 regardless of how many years your contract is for you are restricted in your first 3 years. Whoever the first team was to sign you owns you for 3 years. This means that even if you get released and another team wants to sign you your first team has the opportunity to match the offer and keep you or let you go.
Next there is a waiver period. I don’t know all the legalities of it, but basically NFL teams have a period of 24-48 hours to claim John from the Dolphins on waivers. I believe during this period John and his agent cannot actively seek employment for him. After that period is over he is free to talk to any team he wants to.
“Sorry we Screwed you” is almost word for word what they told John. They basically said, look we had opportunities to trade you and we didn’t let you go, you’re not one of our guys, so see you later.
John is in a great position though. He has a lot of value and there have been a lot of teams trying to make a deal with the dolphins for him. I don’t see him being out of work for long.
Thanks for the explanation Mark. Sounds like he will likely get picked up by someone.
This is huge. It’s a big opportunity for Collie, and I expect he will get a lot of downs. Peyton will make the most of him. This could be the start of something big for our boy.
WAIVER explained.
When a player is released broder their contract is up they are placed on waivers for a specified amount of time. During which time any team can sign them and take over their contract. If that happens the player has no say. They have to go to that team. Once the designated period is up the player becomes a free agent and can decline or accept offers as he wishes.
what does UDRFA mean?
Few work harder than John, his work ethic will make him a success, IMO. It also helps that he throws harder than Cutler (combine numbers).
UDRFA equals undrafted free agent. Those are the players that were contacted just after the completion of the draft and informed that a team or teams are interested in them coming to their mini camps for tryouts and possible signing a contract.
Quinn: How’s it going for you and yours? New arrival doing well? Hope so. Good to hear from you.
Congratulations to all our Cougars and best of luck to them in their NFL endeavors. Like the others, I was pleasantly surprised to see Fui get picked. I guess nice guys do finish first sometimes.
It’s unfornate NFL scouts and franchises are so obsessed about a receivers 40 times. If I recall correctly, Jerry Rice ran 4.5 in his 40 yard dash. I think Austin will turn some heads in the league when he gets his shot.
I hope our O-lineman make it in the pros. It’s a shame when even our own fans sell our big boys short by justifying the reason they weren’t drafted is they were never tested against superior competition which I think is BS. Of course I’m biased but Dallas Reynolds, Rey Feinga and Travis Bright are as good as any of the O-lineman that got drafted this year. Yes even that guy who should’ve left his shirt on when running the 40.
UPDATE!!!
So I did not know this yesterday, but David Oswald has signed a Free Agent contract with the St Louis Rams as well. That will be fun for he and Ray to be together.
Congrats to you Oz, sorry I did not know that yesterday.
Free-Agent Contract?
Can you explain that? Does that just mean they get paid while they try-out with no guarantees for the season or is it something else.
PS Deadline for the BYU – OU tickets are April 29. Get them now and let’s show up strong in Dallas.
Free Agent means if a team wants to sign you, you have the option to say yes or no. If you are drafted you cannot say no, or you have to sit out a year (remember Eli Manning’s threats to the Chargers?).
Pay – Right now no matter who you are or how much you signed for you get paid the same. Austin Collie is making just as much per week as Peyton Manning right now. It’s like $250/day for every day you show up for workouts and practice.
Contracts are not paid out until week one of the regular, and payment stops the week of your last game. (Depending on the team you get either 8 or 16 paychecks a year)
PS – As I wrote above… when you sign with a team as a rookie you are their property for 3 years no matter what. IE: Kelly Poppinga signs with the Dolphins. Gets released at the end of the Pre-Season. Then signs with the Rams. When he signed with the Rams the Dolphins would have first had the option to re-sign for whatever his contract was going to be with the Rams. If the Dolphins said no again, Now the Rams can take him.
All Free Agent means is that you were not drafted. The contracts are the same (except your bonus is about 250k less). For a veteran Free Agent means that your contract with a team expired. IE: Dan Coates signed a 2 year deal with the Bengals. Coming into the off season he was a free agent.
I think they will all have a great chance if they are given the opportunity, and can take advantage of that opportunity when it arrises.
Hey great topic and comments, answered alot of questions.
thanks Guys
The latest gossip is that Detroit is looking to claim Beck off the waiver list. As terrible as the idea sounds, it could be a good opportunity for John. Detroit isn’t exactly Miami but they’re a team that has been in the wilderness for a long time and looking for a QB to lead them out. Scott Linehan is a Mike Martz disciple which means a more vertical offense and that will suit Beck well. But it is Detroit we’re talking about.
Miami 2007 in review…
- New Coach (fired after one season, and a lame duck after about the 3rd game)
- No Running game – Starters and backups injured
- No Receiving game – top WR traded
- No QBs to help build stable scheme
- Weak line
- Weak Defense
Beck’s first start comes after more than 5″ of rain, the NFL later admits that the game shouldn’t have been played.
Beck did have a bunch of turnovers, and he missed on some opportunities. But few if any QBs, and even athletes at other postions ever succeed in such circumstances. Ever see footage from other “star QBs” early in their career in similar circumstances – I’m not even sure many have had to go through such. The QBs that come to mind are Jim Plunkett, Steve Young, Troy Aikman, Vinny Testaverde (ok, not a star), there are many more.
John Beck will do just fine when he lands on a team who appreciates him. Even Peyton Manning would have difficulties on the wrong team. There’s a reason why so many QBs fail to make it in the NFL. It’s about the toughest job in sports there is.
While Chad Pennington is being heralded as being the hero of Miami’s offense last year, does anyone really believe he would’ve won more than 3 games in 2007 – Remember NO Ronnie Brown Wildcat, NO Ricky Williams, no receivers, and no Parcells.
I’m not sure that the Lions will be a great place for Beck. They’ve drafted Stafford as their QB of the future (as Beck was at Miami), so why they wouldn’t be looking for a more veteran QB to hold the reins while Stafford gets into the system is beyond me. I don’t think that Beck in Detroit would be good for him or for the Lions–but then again, what could be worse for the Lions???
I think it’s safe to say that the Lions have absolutely no interest in John. They think Matt Stafford is the next Matt Ryan.
What’s the talk about Michael Reed. I was sure a team would give him at least a tryout.
Markell:
I haven’t heard any news from John from NFL websites, so I assume that John has made it through the waiver period and can choose the team he wants to go to assuming there are multiple teams that are interested?
Jake – That is the biggest travesty of the entire draft. How Michael Reed did not end up in a camp is beyond me. I hope that it is not the end of the road for Mike, and than he has the opportunity to play on either in the CFL or in an NFL camp.
Sean – John has sign with the Baltimore Ravens
Where did you see he signed with the Ravens? I went to the Ravens site and there is no news on him.
Bret,
Just a hunch.
Hope the Hunch is a good one.
Hey do you remember coming to our home for Dinner with Cameron, Quinn, Ben, Kayle and Dustin? Bret Hutchison
Staff, did he have any other offers? How did he decide on the Ravens? It seems they have their man in Flacco. I’m sure Cameron had something to do with it. Tell him best of luck for us.
PS If the Ravens play the chargers and John’s not starting, who do you cheer for?
Bret,
I do remember. You live right down the street from my cousins.
Petey,
Yes he did. He did a lot of asking around, talking to players and other people and just making sure what he felt was the best fit for him. I think he feels really comfortable with his decision and is looking forward to a new start.
The Ravens do play the Chargers here in San Diego this year and John knows how much I love the Chargers. It’s the second game of the season so still early enough that I can root for my Chargers without impacting the outcome of the Ravens playoff hopes.
Ahh…Markell, I see how you roll. Cheering for Weddle over Beck, the Cougars and family!
Hmmm…if John’s taking snaps, I hope you remember your true allegience:)
Tony,
I have loved the Chargers long before I knew Weddle and John. I will never root against John if he is playing. But John knows how I roll too. When I found out I was having a boy he did not get me a Dolphins autograph, he got me LT’s (Ladanian Tomlinson).
I bleed blue to the core…the Ravens don’t have much blue.
Petey, why would Cameron have something to do with it? Who are you referring too when you say Cameron?
Markell, if you are ecer in town and come to the cousins feel free to stop by any time.
Bret,
I believe he was referring to Cam Cameron who was the Dolphins HC and drafted John, he is now the OC in Baltimore.
Markell,
I just looked that up and saw that. Thanks for the clarification. There for a moment I thought Cameron Jensen had been talked out of retirement. I wish he would do that BTW. I had lunch with him a few weeks ago and he is doing great. You and Quinn should have him do a story about his experiences in the NFL on this space.
Can I just say how awesome it is that Sakota is FINALLY gone from Utah. Thank goodness! Doesn’t it seem like that guy was there from like 2002-2009 somehow? Did he get drafted?
Not that I ever doubted the sources here but the internets have finally made it official that Beck is a Raven. Baltimore is not as nice as Miami but he’s in a better club. Harbaugh is a talented young coach and he already knows Cam Cameron’s offense. I won’t be surprised if he beats out Troy Smith for the #2 spot.
Oops forgot the link:
http://www.baltimoreravens.com/News/Articles/2009/05/Reports_-_Beck_Signs_With_Baltimore.aspx
Staff or Gooch,
Any chance of getting an update on Bryan Kehl how is first year went and what his plans for next year are?
Any word on Travis Bright at the Dallas Cowboys training facility? I’m assuming he was there participating in the rookie camp.
I think they said that night on the news that Travis was fine.
Markell or Quinn,
I know this is a little off subject, but do you have any idea why Matt Ah You would have wanted to leave BYU his senior year? I hear that he might be transferring to Weber St. I know Mc Bride is a likeable coach, but doing that your senior year just doesn’t make sense. Do you think there was a schooling issue, and it is best for him to transfer to sweep it under the rug raher than it be a big issue?
Bret,
I don’t know why he is transferring or if he is transferring. What I do know is that it is not a cover up. Coach Mendenhall, as you may have noticed in the past is not one to hide things and cover things up. He really likes players to face their problems, struggles openly. If it were an academic issue I think we would know about it.
There are a lot of reasons for why people transfer. Everyone is different and although it always makes us (the fans) disappointed when a player leaves the program, it is usually the best thing for that individual. In the end you have to let the players live their lives in happiness.
Of Course I agree with you 100%. Just transferring in your senior year when he has contributed so much over his three years is not what you would expect to happen. Seems like your senior year is when you look to shine. I wish him the best, but really hate to lose him. We need all the good linebackers we can get.
pistol12,
sakoda didn’t get drafted, though i don’t think that many punter/kickers went this year. i’m sure he’ll be a free agent to someone.
Sakoda…very accurate from 35 in, but that won’t get you in the NFL. His long game is weak.
Sakoda is trying out with the chargers.
Just read something on Scout.com that said they talked to Matt Ah You and he is looking at transferring in state to Weber St., SUU, or Dixie. It is purely for Playing time reasons. I hope he does well at any of those schools.
I wish Matt well, but I think he may regret this decision. Even if he wouldn’t start this year, he’d see a lot of action, no? Especially w/ the great need at backer.
Tony, I know where Matt is coming from, and I can understand his decision. I am not going to explain things on this one because it could be a sensitive topic, but even though he should be playing I think he knew he was not going to get the opportunity, so he is going somewhere where he will get that opportunity.
Well, that’s why you’re the insider, and I’m the fan;)
I hope things go well for Matt.
Just hear crickets chirping when I come back to the site. Must be May. When do you think you’ll kick back in gear, just before fall camp?
I sure hate this time of year. It is like waiting for Christmas or a birthday when I was a kid. Hope things pick-up with off season work-outs this summer.
I’m on pins and needles waiting to see if more tix will get released to BYU for the OU game. Only released 7,500 initially and my tix have not been confirmed yet. I did place an order with the BYU ticket office the first day that we could…
As far as Ah You, I can’t imagine the frustration for many players who know they are good enough to start to not get playing time for WHATEVER reason. You work your tail end off for several years and don’t see the field. I wouldn’t want to be the wind beneath anyone’s wings – well, maybe a backup QB, but even that would not be great (Jason Beck – don’t know how/why he did it), especially if you can see the field elsewhere.
Since it’s only 108 days, 20 hours and five minutes until kickoff (give or take), can we start getting some posts on the basics? Perhaps a position-by-position series for the defense? Or defensive packages for certian down-and-yardage situations? Quinn did a great job on the Xs and Os posts this past year, and I’d love to start really getting into the basic strategies during this down time, so we can focus on analysing the players when they start up practise again in the fall.
No offense guys, but you need to get some jobs or something. Have you nothing else to do but get jones’d about upcoming sports? Love the Cougars (and hate the fact that I only got to see one live BYU rugby game on their way to this year’s national championship), but while talking football is fun and all, I think we can wait a few more weeks. Can’t we?
And yet here you are, commenting on a blog dedicated to BYU football in May.
Guys Guys Guys, No need to bicker with one another when we have such an important season coming up.
Quinn and I need this “Down Time” to plan how to improve the site to keep everyone happy and eager to come discuss the Cougs.
We will be posting some new things here in the next week, just bare with us as we work to make things better for our readers.
Russell T. is going on a mission and forgoing his senior season of football. I am sure T. has his reasons, and I wish him the best.
It seems like everyone feels this is going to be a serious set back for the football team, but I am not so sure. Staff, as a former ILB in a 3-4 defense I want your take on this. I have never considered Russell T. to be a zero technique NT. I don’t think he could consistently handle both gaps and therefore we were forced to play him as a one (sometimes 2) technique DT. In my opinion this hurts the 3-4 defense a lot because it either forces the tackle and OLB to play down into the gaps or the poor ILB to face a guard who knows he will never have to worry about the DT. Is it hard to argue we would not be better off with a much bigger DT that can play a true zero at NT in the 3-4?
BYU Jack,
Russell is not forgoing his senior year. Just like Ian he can come back and play when he is done with his mission.
Russell was by far the best NT I played behind before his knee surgery. Through most of the year this year I think he was still trying to get back to 100%. From what I hear from the players he was actually looking better than his former self right now, but him going on a mission is the best news I have heard this year.
The main point of your question is basically do we need a dominate NT in order to play the 3-4 and the answer is without a doubt YES! Do we have one right now? ABSOLUTELY NOT! This is a HUGE question mark coming into the season.
Not sure if this is totally known but I helped Manase Tonga at the bank today and he said he’s in. He looked pretty good but he said he’s going to get beat up pretty bad when he starts practice. Can we say Thunder and….. Thunder in the backfield?!
Vaughn,
Thanks for the update. Manase, Harvey and our O-line are going to have to be mules if we are to reign in the Sooners…
On Manase:
Gooch or Staff, how do you think the outcome of last season might have been different had Manase been on the team? How do you think him being on the team will affect the outcome this year? I’ve got my own opinions but I’d love to hear your thoughts.
One (only?) good thing I can see that came from him missing last year was Fui having a chance to get more reps and ultimately get drafted into a really good situation.
Russell leaving will be hard to replace. Let’s hope the team will get someone in there who is ready to step up the plate. A list of possible replacements currently on the roster include:
Steven Fisher
Bernard Afutti
Tevita Hola
Rockney Kalamafoni
David Tuitupou
Is this site not working for others besides me?
I can’t pull up the story on Manase.
I can’t get to the Manase article either. This is the only one I can see.
It doesn’t work for me either…..
Thanks for the article on manase.
Any more word on Mike Reed? He was a fantastic receiver and a great team player. Had he not dropped that rifle shot from Max against AZ in the LVB, I’m guessing he would have been on an NFL team. (We probably would have won that game, too.) Hope he makes it to the CFL. Anyone know what he’s doing now?
Same story for Curtis Brown: talented player who did great things but didn’t get much of a shot.
Mike Reed was a good college player w/ an awesome attitude. Curtis was a good RB and great catching the ball in the flats and making something happen. He also had a great winning attitude. They are both missed.
In my opinion, neither one has quite enough for the NFL.
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