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HARTFORD, CT - The unexpected draft pick in Hartford could have unintended consequeces. After a solid, if uninspiring rookie campaign in Hartford, Jim Hickman appeared to be the odds on favorite to be the opening day starter for the Grizzlies. Jerome Mueller was coming off the IR, and Harry Moss' future with the team was still up in the air. With the Grizzlies history of injuries at the QB position, they were going to have 3 proven players that had started at least 10 games apiece. That was until the Pittsburgh Power called.
Looking for a backup QB for this campaign in exchange for a 3rd round pick, the Grizzlies opted to move Mueller in hopes of acquiring OJ Peltier in the third round. The Power agreed and Mueller suddenly found himself in a new uniform. Team management figured out what they had done when they went on the clock at 2.27. They only had one QB under contract for the season!
They figured that Chuck Knight would fall to one of their 3rd round picks, and they also needed a backup TE and RB. Now they needed another QB. They had everyone's number 1, Otis Peterson, as the cream of the QB crop, however, after that, they had a number of surprises. John "Warhammer" Richert, the Grizzlies GM felt that Donald Hanks was overrated entering the draft. He was a mediocre QB at best for Virginia last year with as many INTs as TDs. Alexander was the second QB on their board, but not by much. Again, he had a great combine, but injuries had nullified his senior season at Georgia. So he was a huge question mark. Then came the guys the Grizzlies craved.
Winston Scott from Louisiana State had a number of things going for him. He appeared to be the most polished product aside from Peterson in this year's class. Additionally, he performed extremely well in LSU's offense last year. He also had a good grasp of the pro game after playing LSU's pro style offense.
Dwight Burger of Illinois was next on the Grizzlies board. In addition to great combine numbers, he played extremely well last year. Unfortunately for the Grizzlies, Lansing picked him up in the middle of the 2nd round.
Deron Markel was right behind Burger. He had excellent combine numbers, and an excellent grasp of the pro game after playing in Clemson's Pro-Set offense. In limited time last year, he threw 15 TDs against 4 INTs. This backed up his combine numbers which showed off not only his arm, but his quality footwork. To top it all off, he was nearly as polished as Scott and Peterson were. An obvious fit for the Grizzlies, as well as serving to be an able replacement in case Hickman went down.
That's when things got interesting for Grizzly management. Deron Markel exceeded all expectations in the rookie mini-camp. What once appeared to be Hickman's job to lose, may now be a toss-up entering the season. One thing is guaranteed, however. The Grizzlies have their best QB situation since their first season with Scott Nelson at the helm.
Looking for a backup QB for this campaign in exchange for a 3rd round pick, the Grizzlies opted to move Mueller in hopes of acquiring OJ Peltier in the third round. The Power agreed and Mueller suddenly found himself in a new uniform. Team management figured out what they had done when they went on the clock at 2.27. They only had one QB under contract for the season!
They figured that Chuck Knight would fall to one of their 3rd round picks, and they also needed a backup TE and RB. Now they needed another QB. They had everyone's number 1, Otis Peterson, as the cream of the QB crop, however, after that, they had a number of surprises. John "Warhammer" Richert, the Grizzlies GM felt that Donald Hanks was overrated entering the draft. He was a mediocre QB at best for Virginia last year with as many INTs as TDs. Alexander was the second QB on their board, but not by much. Again, he had a great combine, but injuries had nullified his senior season at Georgia. So he was a huge question mark. Then came the guys the Grizzlies craved.
Winston Scott from Louisiana State had a number of things going for him. He appeared to be the most polished product aside from Peterson in this year's class. Additionally, he performed extremely well in LSU's offense last year. He also had a good grasp of the pro game after playing LSU's pro style offense.
Dwight Burger of Illinois was next on the Grizzlies board. In addition to great combine numbers, he played extremely well last year. Unfortunately for the Grizzlies, Lansing picked him up in the middle of the 2nd round.
Deron Markel was right behind Burger. He had excellent combine numbers, and an excellent grasp of the pro game after playing in Clemson's Pro-Set offense. In limited time last year, he threw 15 TDs against 4 INTs. This backed up his combine numbers which showed off not only his arm, but his quality footwork. To top it all off, he was nearly as polished as Scott and Peterson were. An obvious fit for the Grizzlies, as well as serving to be an able replacement in case Hickman went down.
That's when things got interesting for Grizzly management. Deron Markel exceeded all expectations in the rookie mini-camp. What once appeared to be Hickman's job to lose, may now be a toss-up entering the season. One thing is guaranteed, however. The Grizzlies have their best QB situation since their first season with Scott Nelson at the helm.
