Stone Cold Posted July 26, 2002 Share Posted July 26, 2002 interesting article...enjoy -Stone Cold Trying to jump from Hampton U. to Redskins Greg Scott By JIM DUCIBELLA, The Virginian-Pilot © July 26, 2002 CARLISLE, Pa. -- They don't call Jon Jansen ``Rock'' for nothing. The Washington Redskins offensive tackle is 6-6, weighs 306 pounds. It takes kids on bikes two days to pedal around him. It's also how long it took defensive end Greg Scott to run by Jansen and get into the Redskins backfield during passing drills. ``Play after play, I was getting nowhere,'' said Scott, a Hampton University All-American and the Redskins' seventh-round pick in the 2002 draft. ``But on one play, I kind of gave him a couple of fakes, he went for one, and I got inside. I said to myself, `Thank God, I finally got behind him.' '' There are some prospects for whom that would be the highlight of a very short, painful career that never lasted one regular season. The Redskins think Scott's can be different, even though he was the 234th player taken in the draft. ``He has a great opportunity to be a factor,'' Redskins defensive line coach Ricky Hunley said Thursday. `With our defensive line, it's hard to see how the whole thing's shaping up. We haven't seen Bruce Smith or Santana Dotson, and we've got to get those guys in there. ``But we also have to develop our young guys, and Greg is in that mix. They all have a chance to contribute.'' Smith and Dotson were placed on the Physically Unable to Perform list Wednesday. No one knows when they'll be ready to take a full workload. In the meantime, the Redskins are studying their other line candidates intensely to see what they can do. ``I try to mix it up,'' Scott said. ``Sometimes, I use speed, sometimes I use a little power. But you have to go at Jon Jansen with your `A' game.'' At Hampton, Scott was a 3-year starter at left defensive end, finishing his career with 128 tackles, 11 sacks, 27 tackles behind the line of scrimmage and 13 quarterback ``pressures.'' A publication entitled The NFL Draft Report named him first-team All-MEAC and All-American. Draft weekend wasn't nearly as pleasant as Scott hoped. He hung out with some friends in Hampton, watching it on TV, wondering before almost every pick whether this would be the moment he'd hear his name. Finally, three minutes before the Redskins picked in the final round, nearly 30 hours after the selection process started, a call came in from Washington. ``When my name was called, it was a blessing,'' Scott said. ``It was something I'd worked hard for all my life. I let out a sigh of relief.'' And with good reason. Any chance the coaches would harbor a preconceived notion that Scott couldn't compete against players with fancier resumes was thrown out the window with Hunley on board. The former Denver Broncos star is a native of Petersburg, familiar with the competition at traditionally black schools. ``It doesn't matter what program you come out of,'' Hunley said. ``It's who you are as an individual. If you have that confidence level that you can compete, you're well on your way. ``There's a misconception in football that you have to compete for 60 minutes. That's impossible. Plays last only a couple of seconds. All you have to do is compete for a couple of seconds. If you can compete for that time and you have the technique, you've got a chance.'' Scott admits that a part of him he feels like he's representing I-AA football, even though there are dozens of players on NFL camp rosters with the same background. ``You know how they say I-AA is not up to par as far as competition,'' he said. ``When you go up against these big-name guys, you have to hold your own. You have to put up a courageous mentality. You have to be just as physical as they are.'' Scott believes he has the tools. He's working on the mental aspects of the game, learning how to be tougher, smarter, how to quickly digest and put into practice what the coaches want. ``No doubt I still have a lot to learn,'' he said. ``That's why I hang around the veteran guys like Bruce Smith, to soak up all the knowledge I can.'' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skinsfanbu Posted July 26, 2002 Share Posted July 26, 2002 That's a great gift! Welcome aboard.... HTTR, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbear Posted July 26, 2002 Share Posted July 26, 2002 Cool article. Welcome aboard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theposse Posted July 26, 2002 Share Posted July 26, 2002 That's a cool story. Sounds like Scott is taking the right approach- I'll be cheering for him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PCS Posted July 26, 2002 Share Posted July 26, 2002 Now that's an introduction. Welcome to the board Stone cold. There are none better. :cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
@DCGoldPants Posted July 26, 2002 Share Posted July 26, 2002 WHAT?!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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