New Website!

I will be shorty joining up with the better maintained outfit at WVUPros. I'll begin by editing and moving some of the articles already contained on this site. Afterwards, I will continue writing for them, focusing on non-contemporary drafted/undrafted players. You should check out the WVUPros' Facebook Page and Twitter Account.

Update on Schmitt and the Rest of the Trio

Is a blog still a blog without new content? Well, here we go...

Owen "Beer Truck" Schmitt is overwhelmingly the most impressive of the big three that also includes Patrick White and Steve Slaton.

Schmitt was picked up by the Eagles from the Seattle Seahawks at the beginning of the season and has since accumulated more receiving yards than in his previous two seasons. So far he has 70 yards on 7 receptions. The most in one game was 3 receptions for 43 years against the Washington Redskins, which included yet another impressive leap reminiscent of the good old days. That catch and one other can be seen in the video below.

Patrick White and Steve Slaton have, in comparison, have had less than ideal years.

Slaton, after an impressive outing during his rookie season with the Houston Texans, has floundered since the beginning of last season. In the previous season, he suffered through fumble troubles, dropping the ball 7 times, while competing for snaps with other tailbacks. This year, still not at the starting job, Slaton has only had 17 touches but has a 5.5 yards per carry average and no fumbles.

As if you didn't know, White was cut from the Miami Dolphins before the start of the season. Luckily, he's a talented guy and took a contract from the Kansas City Royals. Probably for the best, considering the looming NFL lockout and the fact that he has the potential for a significantly higher paycheck in the MLB than the NFL. Must be nice to have those kind of options.

Every dog has his day

Seahawks fullback Leonard Weaver will likely be lost to free agency (though they will attempt to keep him). Did he go to WVU? No. Should you care? Yes. Guess who his backup is?

UPDATE (3/21/09): If you haven't figured it out already, that dog is Owen Schmitt. And it appears he will indeed have his day.

First Ring for an Alum

CORRECTION (3/3/09): The wording is a little confusing on this. It means that this was Ryan Mundy's first Super Bowl ring, not the first Mountaineer to receive a Super Bowl ring. That title (as far as I can tell at the moment) goes to Jeff Hostetler. Hostetler was drafted to the Giants in 1984 (I'm not that far back yet). In 1991 he started for an injured Phil Simms in Super Bowl XXV and passed for 222 yards and 1 touchdown in a win over the Buffalo Bills. So, despite the story/post below, Jeff Hostetler won the first ring for an alum.

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Ryan Mundy Will Get a Super Bowl Ring
By Scott Grayson

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers are still basking in the glory of their big win over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl 43.

It was the sixth Super Bowl title for that franchise, but the first for a former Mountaineer.

Former Mountaineer defensive back Ryan Mundy was at the Backyard Brawl on Monday night. He was a sixth round draft pick last year by the Steelers.
. . .
http://www.wboy.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=51874&catid=3

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In addition, Mundy was resigned to the practice squad.

2008 Undrafted Players

Marc Magro: Undrafted in 2008, linebacker Margo was signed to the Miami Dolphins practice squad. After this, there is some conflicting information. There are sources saying he was cut by the Dolphins in October but picked up by the Rams in September. Not possible. Either way, he ended up with the Buccaneers practice squad.

Johnny Dingle: The Kansas City Chiefs picked up Dingle, who left college early, after he was undrafted in 2008. The Chiefs played him during the preseason but released him before regular games began.

Keilen Dykes: The Arizona Cardinals signed Dykes, a defensive tackle. He was released before the beginning of the season but then resigned to the practice squad.

Darius Reynaud: The Vikings picked up Reynaud after the draft, released him, then re-signed him the the practice squad. During the season, he was given a chance as a kick returner. Reynaud returned eight kicks for 201 yards, a 25.5 yard average. He was limited during the latter portion of the season, due to a turf toe injury.

Eric Wicks: Wicks was signed by the Seattle Seahawks but was released before the regular season after two injuries.

Ryan Mundy - Rookie Season?

Surprisingly, I didn't realize that Ryan Mundy was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers (surprising since they're my pro-team). Mundy was drafted in the sixth round (194th overall). The reason I didn't realize that he wasn't on the Steelers roster was because, well, he wasn't. Mundy suffered an ankle sprain in pre-season and was released. In November he was re-signed to the practice squad. Next year?

Below is an interview with Mundy by a local Pittsburgh station.

Owen Schmitt - Rookie Season

Owen Schmitt, everyone's favorite Mountaineer at one point or another, was drafted late in the fifth round (163rd overall) by the Seattle Seahawks. He was used sparsely by Seattle as a backup fullback. He only carried the ball five times but had a respectable 4.2 yards a carry. Hopefully he'll see more playing time next year. Much of that will hinge what the Seahawk's offense looks like after the coaching change.

Below is a nice little highlight from a pre-season game. Look familiar?

Steve Slaton - Rookie Season

I feel that I should start with Slaton, since it seems he is the most prolific 'Eer to Pro in recent years. He was drafted in the third round (89th overall) by the Houston Texans in 2008. He put up great rookie numbers in his first year. Slaton ended up the Texan's go-to RB and amassed 1,282 yards on 268 carries (4.8 yards per carry). This makes him the top rookie running back as well as 6th overall in total yards. Additionally, he only had two fumbles. This is good to hear as I'm sure Mountaineer fans remember a few of his gut wrenching fumbles during college.

Below is an interview video and below that some rookie season highlights.