Hope is Hayes makes big plays
Winston-Salem State star may be gem
By JEFF LOCKRIDGE
Staff Writer
Few analysts had defensive end William Hayes on their
radars, but the Titans had him pegged as a gem hiding at
a Division I-AA school.
The Titans packaged two picks to move up 21 spots in the
fourth round to get Hayes, a product of Winston-Salem
State.
"I never did think where I played had anything to do
with the amount of attention I got," said Hayes, who
notched 78 tackles and forced seven fumbles last season.
"I dominated on that level."
The Titans acquired the fourth selection of the fourth
round (No. 103 overall) from the Redskins to get Hayes,
sending Washington picks No. 124 and 157.
Hayes was the Titans' second defensive lineman taken
behind second-rounder Jason Jones of Eastern Michigan.
"The entire scouting staff looked at William," Coach
Jeff Fisher said. "He was a very fast-rising prospect.
We feel like William can come in and help us
immediately. Despite the fact he comes from a smaller
school, he's got some skills that are rare."
Titans scout Cole Proctor took a liking to Hayes after
watching him last summer.
"I just saw a kid out there busting his butt," Proctor
said. "He's got natural skills."
Hayes did not receive an invitation to the NFL Scouting
Combine and had to go to Wake Forest to participate in
pro-day drills. He said the Colts, Jaguars and Lions
showed some interest, but not nearly as much as the
Titans.
Coming out of Andrews High School in High Point, N.C.,
Hayes visited North Carolina, Clemson and Notre Dame,
but said: "I didn't have no grades whatsoever coming out
of high school."
Hayes, who has 4.61 speed in the 40-yard dash, plans to
keep the small-school chip squarely on his shoulder when
he arrives in Nashville.
"It feel like I'm at home now," he said. "Ain't nothing
going to stop my shine."
April 28, 2008
Colts pleased to get Michigan star in 6th round
By Phillip B. Wilson
phillip.wilson@indystar.com
The NFL wait became too much for Mike Hart on Sunday. So
the Michigan running back took a break from staring at a
TV and went outside his Syracuse, N.Y., home for a
relaxing stroll alongside his niece in a motor cart.
The farther he dropped in the NFL draft, Hart said the
more motivated he became. Projected by some to be chosen
as high as the third round, the Wolverines' all-time
leading rusher lasted until the sixth, when the
Indianapolis Colts used the 202nd overall selection on
him.
"That's one thing I was just talking about when I kept
slipping and slipping," Hart said in a conference call
with Indianapolis media. "It's got me a little fired up.
"I'm ready to go. I'm back like it's my freshman year.
It brought me back down to earth. I've got to go in
there and compete and try to prove myself again. I'm
ready. I'm definitely ready to get going and play
football again."
It's not like Hart didn't expect to drop some. He has
often been knocked for his 5-9 size and didn't help
himself with a 4.76-second effort in the 40-yard dash at
the NFL Scouting Combine.
"I thought I would have been picked like the fourth
round, (at the) latest fifth," he said. "All of a sudden
I slipped and was kind of like, 'Wow.' But I'm glad I
ended up where I ended up, to tell you the truth. Great
team. Great opportunity. I'm excited to be there."
Added Colts president Bill Polian, "The 40 time pretty
much indicated where he would end up (in the draft)."
Hart carried a record 1,015 times for 5,040 yards and
went 1,005 rushes between fumbles. As a senior, the
second-team All-American ran for a Big Ten-best 1,361
yards on 265 carries (5.1 yards per carry).
Listed as the 11th-best running back by Ourlads Scouting
Service, Hart was commended as being a "Tiki Barber type
receiver" and for being "a more than willing blocker."
He also earned praise for his intense competitive
nature.
Polian compared him to former Colts running back James
Mungro, who also ran a 4.7 40 but was claimed off
waivers and stuck with the Colts from 2002-06.
"We're really thrilled to have Mike," Polian said. "This
was a popular pick in our draft room."
The Colts have an established starting running back in
Pro Bowl performer Joseph Addai, but backup Kenton Keith
had mixed success last season and was recently arrested
for criminal trespassing outside an Indianapolis
nightclub.
Hart's selection continued the Colts' penchant for
taking Big Ten players. He's the 17th the Colts have
chosen from that league since 2003.
"Big Ten guys are tough," Hart said. "That shows a lot."
Time to go to work
Finley shows athleticism at tight end
By LORI NICKEL
lnickel@journalsentinel.com
Posted: April 27, 2008
Green Bay -
Tight end Jermichael Finley could have stayed at Texas
for another year and tried to boost his draft stock even
higher.
But after a breakout season at Texas, the birth of his
second child and his recent marriage, it made sense to
the just-turned 21 year old to complete the
transformation in to adulthood and take the next step to
the NFL.
Forgoing his final two years at Texas, the Green Bay
Packers took Finley with their first pick Sunday in the
NFL draft, at No. 91 overall in the third round. With
the departure of Bubba Franks and health questions
surrounding Tory Humphrey, the Packers used Finley to
add depth at the tight end spot behind starter Donald
Lee.
He's an athletic prospect if not an experienced one.
Coming out of Diboll (Texas) High School, Finley was
offered a scholarship and roster spots on the football
and basketball teams at the University of Arizona. But
when he decided on Texas, coach Mack Brown came to
conclusion that he should concentrate on football - at
the receiver spot.
But the traits of a good basketball player - soft hands,
lots of height - remained Finley's strengths even as he
grew in to the tight end position at 6 foot 4 1/2 and
gained 40 pounds to 240.
"From day one when Jermichael committed to play
basketball at Arizona, it told everybody about his
athletic ability," Brown said through a sports
information director at Texas. "He was a wide receiver
that grew into a tight end. He's improved his blocking,
has good feet and great speed, wide receiver speed. He's
a mismatch with height and has tremendous hands."
Finley's position coach at Texas, 11th year assistant
coach Bruce Chambers, said when Finley averaged 24
points and 20 rebounds as District MVP his sophomore
year in high school, he was inadvertently developing his
receiving skills.
"Basketball players make great receivers. Every single
time you see a guy catch a ball in basketball, he has to
extend his arms and he has to catch the ball with his
hands," said Chambers. "You never see a guy let the ball
hit his body. So basketball really does develop great
hand eye coordination."
At Texas, Finley displayed his skills in a 28-21 loss to
Oklahoma, where he caught four passes for 149 yards.
That set a school single-game tight end yardage record
that had stood previously for 40 years.
In 13 games last season Finley had 45 receptions for 575
yards with two touchdowns.
"Whether it was a ball that was thrown behind him and he
reached back for it one handed, or whether it was a ball
where he had to lay out and catch it with one hand,
those kinds of catches became very common," said
Chambers.
He started four games in 2006 and had 31 receptions for
372 yards. With just 26 games under his belt, Packers
general manager Ted Thompson said he wasn't concerned.
"We felt like he's a talented kid that can get up the
field. He's got excellent hands, very athletic and our
coaches were very excited about him joining Donald,"
said Thompson.
Chambers believed there was room for improvement in
Finley's blocking, something Finley agreed with.
"I would give it a B, B-minus. I need to work a little
on the run game," said Finley. "The passing game is
good. When I get down there, I'll bust my butt and do
what I've got to do to get that right."
Finley was raised by his grandmother and has a
half-brother, Texas A&M running back Jorvorskie Lane.
His 3-year-old daughter lives with her mother in another
city and he and his wife, Courtney, are raising their
3-month-old daughter. They were a factor in his decision
to come out.
"He was ready for the next challenge and he wanted and
take care of his kids and his new wife, and they're
excited to move to Green Bay and help the Packers in a
Super Bowl," said Finley's agent Peter Shaffer.
Tight ends coach Ben McAdoo said he expected Humphrey,
who spent the entire last season on injured reserve, to
be ready for the mandatory minicamp.
Bay Port's DeBauche signs with Packers
Bay Port graduate and former University of Wisconsin
punter Ken DeBauche signed with the Green Bay Packers on
Sunday shortly after the draft concluded.
DeBauche had spent draft weekend at his parent's home in
Suamico, waiting for a team to call. He hoped it would
be the Packers.
"It kind of feels the same as when I first started at
Wisconsin as a walk-on," DeBauche said. "Being an
undrafted free agent is as close as you can get to being
a walk-on in the pros. It's just that Lambeau Field is a
little closer to my house than Camp Randall (Stadium in
Madison). It's really neat to think I'll have a chance
to play for the Packers."
DeBauche is the third punter on the Packers' roster.
They also have Jon Ryan, their punter the last two
seasons, and free-agent Ryan Dougherty, who was with the
Packers in training camp last season.
"I had a good workout with the Packers a few weeks ago,"
DeBauche said. "Jon Ryan's had a couple of solid
seasons, but I think competition is always good, and I'm
hoping to compete for a starting spot."
The Packers didn't announce any of their free-agent
signings, though UW-Whitewater running back Justin
Beaver — the Division III player of the year last season
— told the Press-Gazette he will join the team for their
rookie orientation practices this weekend.
Notes: Punter aims to stay home
Team signs DeBauche
Posted: April 27, 2008
Green Bay -
For the second time in seven years, the Green Bay
Packers have added a punter with area ties to the fold.
The University of Wisconsin's Ken DeBauche, a
native of nearby Suamico and graduate of Bay Port High
School, agreed to sign with the Packers shortly after
going undrafted in this past weekend's NFL draft.
"My house is about 15 minutes away from Lambeau Field,
so I've been a fan ever since I can remember," said
DeBauche on Sunday night. "Obviously tickets aren't easy
to come by, but I've been to at least 10 (games) during
my life. I was actually at both playoff games this
season.
"So I definitely know about the Packers."
The 6-foot-1, 218-pound DeBauche averaged 42.5 yards
from 2004-'07 for the Badgers, with only 115 of his 231
punts having been returned. DeBauche can also hold on
place-kicks.
DeBauche follows former UW and Green Bay Preble product
Kevin Stemke, who signed with Green Bay as an
undrafted free agent in 2001.
"Actually I know Kevin pretty well. I've known him for
four years now, so we talk from time to time," DeBauche
said. "He tells me what he went through at this time,
and I'm sure I'll be talking to him in the next day or
two. I'm sure he'll give me some insight, and some of
the things that he learned when he had a chance with the
Packers."
DeBauche visited the Packers' facility a few weeks ago
in advance of the draft, and also worked out for
representatives from the New Orleans Saints and St.
Louis Rams.
"I knew going in that it was pretty unlikely that I was
going to be drafted," he said. "So I was just hoping to
get a chance with a team, and it just so happens that
team is the Packers and they're right down the road from
me.
"We thought the Packers were a good situation so once
that was out there we jumped on it."
DeBauche will provide competition for both incumbent
Jon Ryan and first-year player Ryan Dougherty,
who spent some time in camp last year with the Packers.
Also on Sunday night, the Packers were known to have
agreed to terms with five other rookie free agents:
running back Kregg Lumpkin of Georgia; wide
receiver Taj Smith of Syracuse; tight end Mike
Peterson of Southwest Missouri State; linebacker
Danny Lansanah of Connecticut and long snapper
J.J. Jansen of Notre Dame.
Also, UW-Whitewater running back Justin Beaver
will work out for the Packers at their rookie
orientation camp this coming weekend.
Laying the groundwork:Breno Giacomini,
the Packers' fifth-round pick, was asked about his
parents' background with regard to his name, and
provided an interesting answer.
"So they moved here a year before I was born, and that's
why they're Brazilian or whatever," he said. "I've got
three younger sisters, and that's it, they've been
living up here ever since. My last name is Italian, and
that's due to my great grandfather being Italian. But
after that everybody's Brazil."
General manager Ted Thompson, meanwhile, had a
bit of trouble when asked about Giacomini after the
draft had finished.
"And Gino, I'm not even going to try and say his last
name," said Thompson, who was then corrected by some
media members. "What is his name? Breno Giacomini."
No stranger to controversy:
A Louisville product, Giacomini caused a stir following
the Cardinals' upset loss to Kentucky last season when
he was captured in a photograph giving Wildcats fans a
double middle-finger salute during pre-game drills.
Giacomini, when asked about it on Sunday, termed it a
mistake.
"That's a rivalry, and I was really amped up, really
fired up on that day," he said. "It was just an
emotional thing that I really couldn't control it at the
time, but I've learned from that. I wish I didn't do it,
but it happened and I suffered the consequences. It's
something that won't happen again."
According to reports, Giacomini issued a public apology
afterward and was also punished by coach Steve
Kragthorpe.
"I had to do some stuff for Coach Kragthorpe, some
community service and some sprints - a lot of sprints,"
Giacomini said. "Coach K handled it the way he should, I
think."
Giacomini also apparently settled a legal issue
recently. He had been facing charges of operating a
motor vehicle under the influence, reckless driving and
driving with a suspended license in Louisville late last
month.
Police said he had a blood-alcohol level of .118 after
he was pulled over driving the wrong way down a one-way
street.
"That's been taken care of, that's all set," Giacomini
said. "I just went through everything I had to go
through . . . and I'm moving forward from that."
Brotherly love:
Defensive end Jeremy Thompson, who the Packers traded up
in the fourth round to select, just so happens to be the
younger brother of current Packers tackle Orrin
Thompson.
Offensive line coach James Campen was asked if
there's already been some discussion about the possible
training-camp battles the two figure to have assuming
they square off against each other.
"That'll be interesting. It'll be fun," Campen said.
"Orrin is a great kid, high character, and he speaks
nothing but with high regards for his little brother.
"I'd imagine that their mom and dad, they probably had
to tug them apart as little kids for fighting and
messing around. Well, now they get to do it in a big
stage, so that'll be exciting, I'm sure, for both of
them."
Staff writers Tom Silverstein, Greg A. Bedard and Mark
Stewart contributed to this report.
