Former ASU receiver Kerry Taylor blasts head coach 

by Tim Ring / 3TV Sports

azfamily.com

Posted on July 3, 2011 at 9:30 PM

Updated Monday, Jul 4 at 1:02 PM

PHOENIX - Personal and professional conflicts between a coach and player are common in sports. There isn’t a locker room in the world that doesn’t have its fair share, but what is not common are serious internal issues being aired publicly.

Kerry Taylor played four years at Arizona State University under head coach Dennis Erickson.

Perhaps unprecedented, 3TV has the case of a successful college player turning on the very head coach he went to battle for during his entire career.

Taylor knows firsthand what’s happened to the football program over the past three seasons and he passionately believes Coach Erickson is not the right man for the job.

Taylor said he wants ASU to win Pac-12 football championships and for that to happen he said a coaching change has to be made.

3TV reached out to Erickson multiple times this past week for comment. The coach declined all opportunities.

Taylor sat down with 3TV Sports and opened up about his experience under Coach Erickson and why he would tell any high school football player not to attend ASU under its current football regime.

The former wide receiver claims the ASU football program is being mismanaged by Coach Erickson. Taylor cites nepotism, apathy and the treatment of players as examples of why Erickson is not the right man for the job.

Taylor said for ASU to complete for Pac-12 championships, a head coaching change has to be made.

Taylor led the Sun Devils with 54 receptions for 699 yards and three touchdowns last year during his senior season. He was honorable mention all-conference, but wasn’t drafted in the NFL Draft.

Marc Schiechl signed with the Jags... darn.

for those who don't remember, Ted visited his pro day at Colorado School of Mines ([duh] )

his numbers were siiick.

Originally Posted by: RajiRoar 

Weights 238 and bench presses 225 pounds? That has to be a typo. If you can't bench press your own weight...

Originally Posted by: zombieslayer 

Packers Sign Ohio State RB Brandon Saine 

The Green Bay Packers have agreed to terms with Ohio State running back Brandon Saine, a deal that was tweeted by his representatives at XL Sports Management on Tuesday.

Saine did not visit Green Bay before the NFL draft, but he reportedly picked the Packers over a handful of teams that were interested in acquiring him.

At the NFL combine, Saine ran the 40-yard dash in 4.40 seconds and bench-pressed 225 pounds 22 times. His vertical leap was 34.5 inches. Saine stands 5-11 and weighs 220 pounds.

College summary

Saine was a four-year contributor on offense for the Buckeyes, but he never took command of the Ohio State backfield despite all his physical traits. It didn’t help that Saine was constantly in competition with some pretty talented running backs at Ohio State. His best season in Columbus was 2009, a year in which he rushed for 739 yards and caught 17 passes for 224 yards. He was named second team All-Big Ten for his efforts.

Despite starting the 2010 season on the Doak Walker award watchlist and being named a team captain, his production dropped considerably last season. He became more of a pass-catcher in ’10, and Saine posted 23 catches for 195 yards and five touchdowns out of the backfield. His rushing numbers went from 739 yards to just 337 on 75 less carries.

Overall, Saine rushed for 1,408 yards and nine touchdowns and caught 55 passes for 616 yards and eight touchdowns in four seasons. He also has limited experience on special teams, as he returned 17 kicks for 302 yards.

Commentary

While Saine has the body type to be an every down back in the NFL, that scenario never came to fruition at Ohio State and it won’t with the Packers. He was a complimentary player with the Buckeyes and that has to be the expectation as he enters Packers camp. Saine could be an effective change of pace option, however, as he can hit the edge with his speed and is a weapon out of the backfield. His hands are also as good as you could want from a first-year back.

The Packers obviously have a crowded backfield as it stands currently, but Saine will be someone to watch in camp. The Packers offense could find a bunch of different ways to use him if he progresses down the road. Saine should be a solid practice squad possibility.

Florio wrote that this year there is a $75,000 limit per team on total rookie free agent signing bonuses. Because of this teams won’t be able to have enough money to really go after the free agents they like with high bonuses. This is actually not the case, as I will explain.