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.
Anthony Becht: The 2000 NFL draft has been pretty productive. Becht was drafted by the Jets in the first round (27th overall) but only managed to have 40 receptions in his college career. This tells us the guy was one hell of a blocker.
In five seasons with the Jets (2000-2004), Becht seems have been given more of a receiving role than anywhere else. He peaked in 2003 with 40 receptions for 356 yards, an impressive 8.6 yards a gain, while making 26 first downs. In 2004, however, he had a career low 100 receptions. The stats say he was on the roster for all the games in his last year with the Jets (only missing two in his career - his rookie year - so far).
Since his time with the Jets, Becht signed with the Buccaneers but has been hampered with injuries. Knee, ankle, hamstring, and most recently his elbow. He even had lasik eye surgery. He wasn’t used much as a receiver. In 2007, Becht became an unrestricted free agent and, although still sought after by the Bucs, signed with the Rams.
Coincidently, signing with the Rams as a free agent in 2008 teamed Becht up with former WVU teammates Mark Bulger and Marc Magro.
Jerry Porter: The Oakland Raiders drafted Porter in the second round (47th overall) as a wide receiver. Porter played for the Raiders for eight years (2000 to 2007). During his time there, 2004 and 2005 appeared to be his most productive and he had over 900 yards in each. 2006, with the hiring of head coach Art Shell, spelled the beginning of the end for Porter’s tenure in Oakland. He openly criticized Shell’s hiring and asked to be traded before the season began. He was suspended in August of that year due to open criticism during practice, though his sentiment was echoed by other players. After only playing in four games in 2006, Porter bounced back in 2007 while receiving 705 yards without Shell at the helm.
Porter became a free agent after the 2007 season and was picked up by the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was plagued by both hamstring and groin injuries during the 2008 season. After only having 11 receptions, giving him about $1 million a catch, there’s some talk about him not being invited back.
Barrett Green: The Detroit Lions drafted green in the second round (50th overall) as a linebacker. He played four years in Detroit (2000-2003) and was generally productive. His pinnacle, both for the Lions and his career, came in 2003 with 93 tackles and 3 sacks.
Green was signed by the Giants in 2004, playing there for two years. His first year, he started in nine games and only had 37 tackles. During the 2005 season, Green was plagued by knee and ankle injuries and barely played at all.
Green attended a Miami Dolphins mini-camp in 2006 but was injured during practice. Shortly afterward, in May of 2006, he was signed to a one year contract with the Houston Texans. After re-aggravating his groin injury during practice, he was not able to suit up for pre-season games and was released in August before the beginning of regular 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.
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