A day after the folks in Omaha, Nebraska welcomed a UFL franchise, the to-be-named franchise has landed its initial group of players.
The team announced that it has acquired 20 players via an expansion draft by pilfering them from the rosters of the four 2009 teams.
Including in the crop of players is defensive tackle Wendell Bryant, a first-round pick in the 2002 NFL draft. Also, former NFL receiver (and charter member of the All-Time All-Name team) Craphonso Thorpe is headed to Omaha. Thorpe, a candidate for the 2009 UFL Player of the Year award, caught 26 passes for 275 yards and a touchdown in the inaugural six-game season.
The others are linebacker Adrian McCovy, guard Adam Speer, cornberback DeJuan Tribble, defensive end Josh Savage, safety Willie Andrews, defensive tackle Willie Williams, guard P.J. Alexander, guard Fred Matua, running back Shaud Williams, tight end Ryan Neufeld, receiver Frank Murphy, defensive tackle Ross Kolodziej, linebacker Gary Stills, guard Martin Bibla, cornerback Terell Maze, tackle Michael Fladell, tight end Christen Hopkins, and receiver Ryan Hoag.
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I only read this to see if my name was in there somewhere.
Damn, when am I finally going to get my shot?
player of the year nominee with 26 catches and one touchdown. did the winner have 400 rushing yards and 3 tds?
Craphonso. Great first name for a UFL player.
if only he were related to Apollo…
Craphonso Ohno would be the best. name. ever.
CHAMPIONSHIP
Slow day for NFL news. Here’s something to talk about.
• McIntosh skips Redskins’ minicamp, hints at possibility of trade
Here’s another one for you.
For those scoring at home, it now appears that, during next week’s NFL Draft, the Redskins might trade at least three core players from last season’s team: Pro Bowl defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth, former starting quarterback Jason Campbell and starting weak-side linebacker Rocky McIntosh.
Haynesworth, Campbell and McIntosh were not in attendance Friday at Redskins Park as the Redskins began their first three-day minicamp under Coach Mike Shanahan. Haynesworth only plans to participate in the mandatory minicamp June 16-18, according to people in the organization who are familiar with his situation. He’ll skip all but three days of Shanahan’s first offseason program.
Campbell’s agent informed the Redskins the five-year veteran would participate in the remainder of the program, two people familiar with those discussions said, including the voluntary minicamp May 7-9 and the voluntary OTAs, if Campbell remains on the roster after the draft. As for McIntosh, he intimated earlier today that he expects the Redskins to trade him soon.
We’ve been hearing for some time that the Redskins planned to be very active during the draft, and things certainly appear to be lining up for them to make several major moves. Shanahan and General Manager Bruce Allen quickly set out to make-over the roster and change the culture of an organization that has mostly experienced failure during owner Daniel Snyder’s 11-year tenure.
It seems that the surprising trade for quarterback Donovan McNabbwill not be the Redskins’ last big deal of the offseason. The Redskins currently hold the fourth overall selection and also have picks in the fourth, fifth and seventh rounds.
It will be interesting to see how many more picks (and in which rounds) Allen accumulates if he is successful in receiving the compensation the Redskins are believed to be seeking for Haynesworth, Campbell and McIntosh. It certainly appears that Redskins fans should brace for a wild ride next weekend.
Sooooo excited.
I already pre-ordered my Michael Fladell jersey.
Of the 20, only 4 made it to Omaha. 10 immediately began searching for another line of work. 4 got hopelessly lost trying to find Omaha, 2 disappeared under mysterious circumstances in the Badlands, and 2 killed themselves outright.
Tonysservice you know there were only six games, right?
The only reason to read this is to see what NFL scrubs just saw their careers die.
Omaha Oracles 2010!!
21 says:
April 16, 2010 2:29 PM
Sooooo excited.
I already pre-ordered my Michael Fladell jersey
Im getting a Martin Bibla!
Is that the same Willie Andrews who, the day after the Pats lost to the Giants, was busted selling pot?
It turns out the list released was a mistake. The people named are actually employees of a farm equipment firm invited to a company barbeque. The newspaper will print a retraction and apology in their May edition.
Ryan Hoag…wasn’t he a Mr. Irrelevant in the NFL Draft some years back?
Shaud Williams was the Alabama running back interviewed by Bruno on the Ali G show years ago. Great interview.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DII65gLPF88
Ryan Hoag was drafted in the 7th round by Oakland in 2003. He came within an eyelash of making the Jaguars in 2008. Here’s a link to a catch he made against Miami in the preseason. Note how he out-accelerates the two defenders at the end of the clip.
http://www.nfl.com/videos/jacksonville-jaguars/09000d5d80a8344c
what happened to my link to the uber-appropriate scene from Major League- “Who are dese fargin guys?”???
I’m not an Omaha resident. Somebody please suggest the name “Buffalo” for the team. The current suggestions are pretty sad and don’t seem to have much to do with Omaha (at least to a non-resident).