 |
Texas' Mike Williams
|
NEW YORK — Friday is a day of anticipation. A day of wondering and waiting and all
that jazz for hundreds of former college football players hoping to get snatched up by an
NFL team.
Five players are here in the Big Apple, invited by the league to be the ones who shake
hands with the commissioner, show off their pearly whites, hold up a jersey with their
name on it, talk to the press and then bolt off to their new teams to do it all over again
in front of the home-town press.
David Carr, the Fresno State quarterback, already has agreed to terms with the
expansion Texans, but the other four here are not quite as certain about their future.
Barring a major surprise, North Carolina’s Julius Peppers will be heading back home
to play for the Panthers. Quentin Jammer, the Texas cornerback who takes physical play
among defensive backs to a new level, likely will go third, although whether it’s to
Detroit or Dallas (in a heavily rumored trade possibility) is still unsure. Two mammoth
tackles, Texas’ Mike Williams and Bryant McKinnie of Miami (Fla.), round out the five
in attendance, and they’re expected to go fourth and fifth overall, though some still
speculate on which will go where.
The league had these five on a whirlwind tour Friday. An early morning visit to a CBS
morning television show was first on the docket, followed by a visit to Ladder 3 of the
New York City Fire Department, a station in lower east Manhattan that lost 12 of its
members on the morning of Sept. 11. There the players talked and joked with firefighters,
posed for pictures, signed autographs and exchanged hats and t-shirts. A media session
followed at the ESPN Zone in Times Square, where dozens of television and print reporters
swarmed the big five like teen-aged girls go at a boy band, and to no surprise for this
journalist, ended up making a larger dent in the free buffet than McKinnie and Williams,
who weigh in at a combined 715 pounds. The players were barraged with questions about
where they want to go, what they’ll do with the money they’re about to be loaded
down with and who they’re most looking forward to going up against in the pros.
Carr, who drew the most lights and attention because he’s the No. 1 guy, a
quarterback and already inked to a deal, talked about his fondness for Brett Favre’s
attitude, his appreciation for the guidance Trent Dilfer has given him and the added
expectations he’ll have to deal with because of all the talent the Texans have put
around him.
McKinnie, sporting a huge national championship ring, said he’s looking forward to
training camp already so he can put all the hype behind him and show his team that it made
a wise choice with its selection. He’s also excited about the prospect of having so
many of his Hurricane teammates entering the league with him.
Williams, the most outgoing of the bunch and a man seemingly ready for a hilarious
career in broadcasting right now, talked about everything: his charm, Jammer’s
eyebrows, the switch that he has for his aggressiveness on the field and his appetite,
which helped him devour a 28-ounce steak with family and friends Thursday night.
After the media day concluded, the five were whisked off to ring the bell at the floor
of the stock exchange. An interview on SportsCenter and a family banquet followed later
this evening.
Jammer and Williams said they planned to be in bed early tonight, because by tomorrow,
their lives will hit the fast-forward button, and they will officially become property of
the NFL. On the eve of the biggest night of their lives, everyone except Carr is just
trying to stay loose with their futures in a holding pattern.
"I’ll be nervous about 11:59 tomorrow morning, but right now I’m just
trying to relax and take it all in stride," McKinnie said. "Texas is already
finished, but once Carolina gets on the clock and it starts clicking down, then I’ll
be nervous."
"Are you going to Cleveland, Mike?" a fan donning a Browns jersey yelled from
the top of the stairs at the ESPN Zone.
"I don’t know where I’m going, man," Williams shouted back with a
smile and a shrug of his shoulders. "I’m going back to my hotel tonight, so when
you find out, you tell me." |
