4D THE WICHITA EAGLE „ SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2009
COM/SPORTS
Stafford agrees to
deal with Detroit
Associated Press
Matthew Stafford and the
Detroit Lions agreed on a six-
year deal Friday night, his
agents told The Associated
Press.
Tom Condon and Ben
Dogra, who represent
Stafford, said the Lions will
pay Stafford $41.7 million in
guarantees and as much as
$78 million.
Quarterback Matt Ryan, the
No. 3 pick in
NFL NOTES last year’s
draft, was
signed to a
$72 million,
six-year con-
tract with
$34.75 mil-
lion guaran-
teed by the
Atlanta
Stafford
Falcons.
Detroit
desperately
needs a
quarterback to help turn
around the NFL’s first 0-16
team, which has had the worst
eight-year stretch in the
league since World War II,
and is turning to Stafford after
he was a starter in each of his
three seasons at Georgia.
The Lions will formally take
Stafford with the No. 1 pick in
the draft today.
They will have more
chances to rebuild their team
with the 20th overall selec-
tion, a second-round pick and
a pair of slots in the third
round.
Detroit general manager
Martin Mayhew said earlier in
the week the chances were
“very good” an agreement
would be reached with the
No. 1 pick before the draft
begins.
Stafford might get a chance
to initially learn from the side-
lines, backing up Daunte
Culpepper.
First-year coach Jim
Schwartz has said Detroit’s
staff studied Stafford exten-
sively on film.
“We’ve seen every pass he’s
CHIEFS
From Page 1D
number of years and what
they have done there develop-
ing that program with
Belichick,” said former
Patriots linebacker Monty
Beisel, who last month signed
with the Chiefs. “You could
kind of see the type of guys he
likes to bring in and develop. I
think they are starting to bring
in that type of guy here and
incorporate into the group of
guys we already have.
“I think both Todd (Haley,
new Chiefs coach) and Scott
just look for smart guys that
can play football. They are
looking for football players and
guys that might be able to play
multiple positions and do dif-
ferent things, whether it is
offense, defense or special
teams. The more you can do,
the better. I think a lot of the
guys that I have seen that have
been brought in from the free-
agent market this year are guys
like that. I think they look at
guys from a personality stand-
point and see where the pieces
fit and what kind of chemistry
guys will have together. From
what I have seen in the last
couple of weeks everything is
fitting together.”
If it’s fair to expect anything
from Pioli this weekend, it’s
that the Chiefs won’t wind up
picking in the same seven
spots in which they’re now
scheduled. The Patriots were
famous on draft day for their
desire to move around, most-
ly to collect additional picks.
Six times in nine drafts with
Pioli, the Patriots wound up
selecting more than seven
players. Moments after com-
pleting the trade with Atlanta
for Gonzalez, Pioli talked
about dangling the pick
obtained from the Falcons, a
second-rounder in 2010, as
trade bait to help the Chiefs
acquire an extra pick or two
this year.
“(New England) was so
good at moving around and
not being forced into taking
the best player available if
that’s not at a particular posi-
tion of need,” said former
Baltimore coach Brian Billick.
“They were very flexible that
way.
“I don’t think Kansas City
has that latitude this year
given the picks they have, but
that was a definite pattern
with New England.”
A peek at the nine New
thrown in the last two years,
and that’s where you learn
about his decision-making
ability,” Schwartz said last
month.
Stafford was 27-7 as a
starter for the Bulldogs,
throwing for 51 touchdowns
and nearly 8,000 yards.
When Schwartz was hired
last winter, he joked that it
was about time to replace
Bobby Layne, who starred at
quarterback for the Lions
when they were an NFL
power in the 1950s.
In a coincidence, Stafford
and Layne both played at
Highland Park High School in
Dallas.
Gonzalez introduced in
Atlanta — Tony Gonzalez
announced his Super goal on
his first full day as a member
of the Atlanta Falcons.
“I’m here for one reason,
and that’s to win the Super
Bowl,” the All-Pro tight end
said Friday. “I haven’t won a
playoff game in my whole
career. I want to come here,
go to the playoffs and win
playoff games. I want to go to
the Super Bowl and win the
Super Bowl.”
Acquired in a trade
Thursday from Kansas City,
Gonzalez reiterated that he
will always keep the Chiefs
first in his heart, but the five-
time All-Pro quickly acknowl-
edged that Atlanta offered
him a better chance to com-
pete for a championship.
“The feeling is mutual,”
Gonzalez said. “Kansas City is
where I grew up. I’d just
turned 21 when I got there.
The last 12 years, it’s just
been great. I’m going to miss
it, but I’m looking forward to
being a part of what’s happen-
ing here.”
Atlanta, which last year had
a rookie quarterback in Matt
Ryan, a first-time head coach
in Mike Smith and a first-time
general manager in Thomas
Dimitroff, is coming off an
11-6 season that ended with a
wild-card loss at Arizona.
England drafts of which Pioli
was a part reveals some clues.
The Patriots liked big guys
(defensive linemen Richard
Seymour, Ty Warren and
Vince Wilfork and offensive
lineman Logan Mankins) in
the first round. Interestingly,
New England twice picked a
tight end in the first round.
The Patriots also liked quar-
terbacks in the middle or late
rounds (five, including Cassel
and Tom Brady).
Whatever position they
played, most New England
draft picks had certain qualities.
“They’d better be smart and
they’d better be dependable,”
Pioli said. “Smart isn’t just
knowing where to line up on
the field. Smart is guys who
come into offseason training
in shape, like Zach (Thomas)
did. Just because he wasn’t
playing in the playoffs.æ.æ.æ. He
spent three months away
from playing games but
shows up here as one of the
best conditioned athletes
we’ve seen so far in the offsea-
son program.”
Mayock said, “Everybody can
say this, but I really think they
believe: smart, tough, fast.
They’ve placed more emphasis
on smart than most teams.
You’ve got to be able to do
some things that they ask you
to do that are a little bit more
diverse than a lot of teams.
Players that can play more
than one position are always
highly coveted and players that
are intelligent enough to han-
dle that assignment.”
The Chiefs are hopeful this
leads to drafts more fruitful
than some of their recent
ones, but there’s no guaran-
tee. The only sure thing is that
things are different.
“It’s about making football
important,” said former New
England linebacker Mike
Vrabel, who came to the
Chiefs in the Cassel trade. “It’s
about being prepared, about
being accountable and consis-
tent. To be consistent, at least
your teammates and coaches
know what to expect every
week and it’s not something
that’s great one week and
kind of (lousy) the next.
“The football team you see
today will not be the same
football team you see at the
end of July. That I can assure
you. There will be a lot of
competition at every spot.
There will be a high demand
placed on guys that think
football is important, that put
football and teammates at the
top of their priority list.”
Kansas State quarterback Josh Freeman sprints during the NFL Combine in February. His combination of size and athletic
skills are a potent blend for pro scouts, enough to counteract his inconsistent performance in college.
FREEMAN
From Page 1D
„ „ „
It’s Wednesday. While Wefald’s first
question remains unanswered, the second
has been resolved.
“People are like, ‘Your life is going to
change,’ and I tell them, sure, it’s going to
change, but it’s the same life,” Freeman
says. “I just won’t have any class. Football
becomes my class.”
Freeman awakens at his parents’ house
at 11:15 a.m.
He begins autographing trading cards,
4,000 provided by a company named
Panini. About an hour later, he’s bored.
“It’s not fun, but you get paid,” he says.
Ah, the perks of being a professional.
It all becomes official today at New York’s
Radio City Music Hall, when Freeman
will join eight of his invited peers in the
Green Room and await his fate at the NFL
Draft. His family will be there, as will for-
mer K-State coach Ron Prince, as
Freeman’s vision becomes reality.
Freeman expected this. Maybe not the
plot twists of recent weeks, but the end
result, which he believes will culminate
with a firm handshake on-stage from com-
missioner Roger Goodell. He suspects he’ll
be selected in the first round, somewhere
between No. 8 and the low 20s.
“Ever since I knew what the first round
was, I wanted to be in it,” Freeman says.
“In high school, I knew I wanted to be a
first-round quarterback.”
„ „ „
It’s April 2006. Prince’s prize pupil at his
previous stop, Virginia, is D’Brickashaw
Ferguson, a 6-foot-6, 305-pound offensive
tackle. Ferguson will be selected fourth
overall in the NFL Draft by the New York
Jets — but not before issuing an invitation
to his former offensive line coach to attend
the festivities.
The K-State coach passes along the
information to his players, afterward sin-
gling out Freeman, who enrolled early in
the hopes of claiming the starting spot.
“He told him, ‘That could be you,’æ” says
Freeman’s father, Ron. “He said he wasn’t
going to guarantee it, but he said Josh
could be the kid in the Green Room. Josh
just said, ‘Wow.’
“For me, that wasn’t even a considera-
tion.”
„ „ „
Many of us never considered it.
We witnessed the successes — his first
start against Oklahoma State, a 28-24
comeback victory that he clinched using
his legs, and the back-to-back upsets of
top-10 Texas teams.
We witnessed the struggles — notably
the winless record against Kansas,
Missouri and Nebraska.
And we chose to focus on the negatives.
None of it was his fault, former K-State
offensive coordinator James Franklin says.
LUTZ
From Page 1D
although he was the starter for just one
season at Southern California. Even so,
Sanchez could go as high as No. 2 overall
to the Rams. Heck, he might be the Lions’
guy by the time the draft begins this after-
noon.
As for Freeman, there is a lot to like. At
6-foot-6 and 250 pounds, he stands like an
oak tree in the pocket and has quick feet if
he needs to evade a rusher. He can fit the
ball into tight spaces with briskness.
Still, Freeman is one of those “buyer
beware” types.
He threw 34 interceptions during his
three seasons at Kansas State, versus 44
touchdown passes. He had some big
games, but he also stunk up the joint occa-
sionally.
Freeman has pizzazz. He can make
throws that make you come out of your
seat. Sometimes you come out of your seat
because of a great throw you can’t imagine
anyone else making. Sometimes you come
out of your seat because of an inexcusable
flub.
Freeman is far from a sure thing, but the
same is true of Stafford and Sanchez and
almost every other quarterback chosen in
every other draft.
How do you know?
Do you think the New England Patriots
“There were unfair expectations of what
he did,” said Franklin, now the Maryland
offensive coordinator. “Everyone wanted
to know why he didn’t win more. A quar-
terback won’t come in and change every-
thing. You can have an average quarter-
back and surround him with great talent,
and he’ll be good. But surround a great
quarterback with average talent and he
can only do so much.”
So, during the past four months, begin-
ning when Freeman’s requested feedback
from an advisory committee revealed he’d
be no worse than a second-round choice,
he’s heard it all.
He’s been asked about it all, too.
In particular, why he locked on to Jordy
Nelson during his sophomore season?
“Jordy is a hell of a player,” Freeman
says. “We game-planned to get him the
ball 10-15 times per game. If they want
to say that’s all I did, that’s fine.æ.æ.æ.
He was one of the hardest-working, most
reliable guys on the team. And you know
what? The NFL teams agreed with me.
They said when you have a great receiver,
you get the ball to him. That’s what we
did, but it just seemed a little more exag-
gerated.”
And, most of all, why he didn’t win more
at K-State? Why couldn’t he be more like
Todd Reesing, his spunky counterpart at
rival Kansas?
“Todd is a tremendous quarterback,” he
says. “I was really impressed with him in
the Border War. Todd is a player. I can’t
take anything away from him, but we ran
a different system. He got my vote for All-
Big 12.
“But when it comes down to it, I’d rather
be Josh Freeman.”
Because Josh Freeman has a future in
the NFL, and Reesing probably does not —
and there’s no shame in either, really.
But listen to Oklahoma State coach Mike
Gundy’s recent comments:
“The first time we saw him, because of
his size, his stature, how he carried him-
self, and then his arm strength, we knew
he had a chance to play (in the NFL).æ.æ.æ.
He’s just kind of arrived nationally, people
are just starting to find out about him, but
we knew in our staff room that he was
going to be a first-round pick. You don’t
find guys 6-foot-6 and 200 — and whatev-
er he weighs, 50 — that can throw it and
are accurate as he is, and he seems very
durable.”
Sure, it seems so obvious now, and
Freeman has always looked the part.
But when he was tossing more intercep-
tions than touchdowns, he was a pro?
When he was throwing off of his back foot,
appearing panicked in the face of a pass
rush?
Over the phone, Franklin, who was
invited to the Green Room but can’t be
there because of the Terrapins’ spring
game, sighs.
“He’s a legitimate first-round pick,” he
says.
„ „ „
It’s May 2008, and Prince is the featured
speaker at a Scott City Catbackers event.
Liquor has been flowing, and after a disap-
Associated Press bust than bounty so far.
Josh Freeman throws during the NFL
Combine. His arm strength is first-round terbacks have been selected in the first
caliber.
knew what they were getting when they
picked Tom Brady in the sixth round of the still in the league.
2000 draft?
Terry Bradshaw, Jim Plunkett, John
Elway, Drew Bledsoe, Peyton Manning,
Michael Vick, Carson Palmer and Eli
Manning were No. 1 overall picks who
made it big.
Tim Couch, David Carr and Alex Smith
are No. 1 picks who didn’t. Or haven’t. Or
probably won’t.
I think NFL teams often talk themselves
into taking quarterbacks before they have
to. The Lions have a zillion needs; why
does Stafford have to be at the top of the
list?
What happens if an even better quarter- 316-268-6597 or blutz@wichitaeagle.com.
WWW.KANSAS.
Associated Press
pointing 5-7 season, the K-State faithful,
while riled up, are desperate to hear some-
thing, anything positive.
Prince doesn’t disappoint.
The coach tells the captive audience that
Freeman, according to the NFL, is regard-
ed as the No. 1 quarterback prospect in the
country. Murmurs pass through the
crowd, followed by some cheers, scattered
applause.
Afterward, Prince is asked to elaborate.
He says scouts have told him that
Freeman, after an uneven sophomore sea-
son, is everything the NFL is seeking, par-
ticularly from a measurables standpoint.
It’s hard to argue otherwise.
„ „ „
It’s February 2009, and Freeman is train-
ing in Tempe, Ariz., at Athletes’
Performance Institute, cramming for the
biggest job interview of his life, the NFL
Combine. He’s working out beside
Georgia’s Matt Stafford, the presumptive
top choice in the draft, and Freeman,
never lacking for confidence, thinks he’s
on the same level. But Freeman is per-
plexed one day when he overhears ESPN’s
draft analysts discussing his “stock.”
“They were saying, ‘Why did he come
out?’ They all said I’d be a third- or fourth-
round guy, maybe sneak into the second
round,” Freeman says. “A week later,
everyone was saying Josh Freeman is a
first-round pick, and I was just out there in
Arizona, chilling.”
„ „ „
Now, it’s April 25.
Already, he has met Tampa Bay’s Byron
Leftwich, San Francisco’s Alex Smith and
Detroit’s Daunte Culpepper, whom he
mimicked growing up. He has shrugged
off comparisons to Oakland’s JaMarcus
Russell and embraced those to Pittsburgh’s
Ben Roethlisberger. He has failed to buy
anything gaudy for himself or his siblings,
although he’s certain he’ll spoil everyone
soon enough. He has answered, with a
straight face, a question from a NFL per-
sonnel type wondering if he has ever worn
women’s underwear; the answer was no,
which elicited laughter from all parties.
And he dined with former K-State defen-
sive coordinator Raheem Morris, currently
the head coach of the Tampa Bay
Buccaneers, one of the popular mock draft
destinations for Freeman.
What he hasn’t had is any second
thoughts.
He laughs when asked what it will feel
like to become some franchise’s property.
Freeman is ready, eager to silence the
critics.
He hears the doubts — he always has.
He probably always will.
“People have been using this ‘boom or
bust’ thing with me, whether I’ll be great
or terrible,” he says. “But if you think
about it, about 50 percent of the first-
round quarterbacks are boom or bust.”
Jeffrey Martin covers Kansas State sports.
Reach him at 316-269-6763 or
jmartin@wichitaeagle.com.
back is there for the Lions in next year’s
draft, but they have already committed
themselves to Stafford?
But because two quarterback-needy
teams struck it rich last year in the first
round, when Atlanta took Matt Ryan with
the third pick and Baltimore selected Joe
Flacco at No. 18, it’s trendy to go for the
rifle-armed gusto.
Never mind that in 2007, Oakland went
for JaMarcus Russell with the No. 1 overall
pick and the Cleveland Browns later took
Brady Quinn at No. 22. It’s too early to call
either quarterback a bust, but they’re more
During the past 10 NFL drafts, 28 quar-
round. Last season, 12 were full-time
starters and 24 — all except Vick, Couch,
Akili Smith and Cade McNown — were
That’s a good ratio and it speaks well for
Freeman’s future. But it also speaks to
teams’ reluctance to give up on a first-
round draft pick, especially quarterbacks.
If I’m the Jets and Freeman is on the
board at No. 17, I’m sweating bullets.
Same with Tampa Bay two spots later.
I see all the good Freeman represents,
but I also see the bad. And I’m not sure it
adds up to a first-round pick.
Eagle sports columnist Bob Lutz co-hosts
“Sports Daily” from 9-11 a.m. weekdays on KFH,
1240-AM and 98.7-FM. Reach him at