Official Jets UDFA Thread

[bitonti]

another one

Josh Buchanan, of NFLDraftBible.com, reports the New York Jets signed Wagner University CB Alfred Phillips Monday, April 28. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

[raffyD]

Just found out that one of my colleagues went to high school in Nebraska with danny Woodhead's mom. She sent me the below story:

http://www.nptelegraph.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19524004&BRD=377&PAG=461&dept_id=601696&rfi=6

Woodhead signs with Jets

04/28/2008

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Danny Woodhead running for yardage during a game last season

After a frustrating day of watching other running backs drafted that had neither the statistics nor pre-draft numbers that Danny Woodhead produced, the proven winner from North Platte will get his chance in the National Football League with the New York Jets as a free agent.

Near the end of the draft, the Jets contacted Woodhead and offered a free agent contract and now the North Platte boy is headed to the Big Apple.

“It’s awesome, it’s another step,” Woodhead said. “It’s something that’s always been a dream of mine, ever since I was growing up and playing backyard football. (The Jets) needed to bring in another running back. They only had three signed going into mini-camps and that’s always good when there’s not as many running backs, you have a better chance of making the team. That was one of the things (about going to the Jets) and obviously they wanted me, too.”

Woodhead has faced questions about his size throughout his career, from high school through college and now into the NFL. Each time, the speedy running back has answered beyond anyone’s expectations and yet, he has his doubters at this next level of opportunity.

In high school, Woodhead started as a sophomore, making an immediate impact on an already talented team for North Platte high school. He was shorter then and his weight was nearer 175 pounds than 200, and yet he went on to rush for over 1,000 yards despite playing running back for only part of the season.

As a junior and then a senior in high school, Woodhead overcame teams that were focused on stopping him and he led his team into the playoffs both years. At that time, his detractors still focused on his size and not his accomplishments and although he did receive numerous honors, the biggest slap in the face came from the University of Nebraska, as then-head coach Frank Solich told Woodhead he was too short, too small, too slow and too everything else he could think of to play for the Huskers.

Chadron State stepped in and treated Woodhead with the respect he deserved and in four years, Woodhead accomplished what no other running back in any division has ever done in establishing a new NCAA all-division career rushing record. All this despite being 5-feet, 7 ½ inches tall.

Although Woodhead was snubbed again by not being invited to the NFL combine, he simply went out and posted numbers that were off the charts at a pro day hosted by Nebraska. He was clocked in the 40-yard dash in a time between 4.33 and 4.38 seconds, he had a vertical leap of 38 ½ inches, and he bench-pressed 225 pounds 20 times, all numbers that placed him in the top five of all running backs taken in the draft.

So now, once again, Woodhead is in the position of having to prove himself all over again and from what he says, that is how he likes it. Whether or not he gets a true opportunity to show his stuff for the Jets, he will have already have proven that a person can achieve what he sets his mind to. That with hard work and dedication, dreams can be realized no matter what anyone else thinks.

“The next step is the rookie mini-camp and that’s going to be this weekend,” Woodhead said. “I’ll leave Thursday and the camp is Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I’m excited and I’m a little nervous because I don’t know what to expect.”

The New York Jets now have a whole new fan base in the middle of Nebraska. Together we watch as the rest of the world gets a chance to see something special those of us in North Platte have already had the privilege to watch since Woodhead was in grade school.

Good luck Danny.

[slats]

I've already got Caulcrick penciled in on the 53 man roster (for what it's worth), but Woodhead has an uphill battle ahead of him.

[raffyD]

I've already got Caulcrick penciled in on the 53 man roster (for what it's worth), but Woodhead has an uphill battle ahead of him.

Uphill? He's a white midget rb, we have to think of something more difficult than just uphill.

I would be shocked if he ever carried the rock for the Jets but I'm pulling for him big time.

[slats]

Uphill? He's a white midget rb, we have to think of something more difficult than just uphill.

Well yeah, there's that.

But I think if not for Leon Washington, he might have a legitimate shot. As it is, he's probably a decent candidate to make the practice squad only to be plucked off of it.

[124]

Caulcrick on the Practice Squad? I think the guy has a legitimate chance to make the roster, especially with the release of Tutt. If he's on the PS, he could very well be picked up ala Danny Ware. I think the Jets have learned their lesson with that one. Hopefully.

[flgreen]

I've already got Caulcrick penciled in on the 53 man roster (for what it's worth), but Woodhead has an uphill battle ahead of him.

I agree

I don't think it was an accident that Tutt was cut to make room for him, If this guy can push the pile in short yardage situations, I think he makes the roster. The Jets were dismal in short yardage last year.

Woodhead would seem to be a very long shot, except for a 2 things.

One being 4.33 speed. White or not, that is very fast.

Second the Jets signed him in record time after the draft was over. I think Tangini looks at him as a major sleeper.

Small school or not 8,000 yards is a lot of production. IMO if this kid can return punts, he may have found a home. Perhaps PS at first.

[jetfan718]

there are some good prospects still out there...the one that stands out the most is WR-Adarius Bowman, also DE-Rudolph Hardie, DT-Kurt Hout, LB-Roderick Johnson and DT-Ogemdi Nwagbuo also the JETS signed a couple prospects OC-Brett Byford,

DE-Jacob Owens, LB-Kenwyn Cummings

[ArizonaJet]

OMAHA, Neb. (AP)

[khesanh]

OMAHA, Neb. (AP)

[flgreen]

Bravo JETS bravo now go and sign Ezra Butler please

Jets are now at 80. They would have to cut someone else to get another FA

[Jets1Fan]

there are some good prospects still out there...the one that stands out the most is WR-Adarius Bowman, also DE-Rudolph Hardie, DT-Kurt Hout, LB-Roderick Johnson and DT-Ogemdi Nwagbuo also the JETS signed a couple prospects OC-Brett Byford,

DE-Jacob Owens, LB-Kenwyn Cummings

I want Bowman, and there's a thread I started about him, but apparently from a source that I don't (and pray to god is wrong) trust, Bowman signed with the Eagles.....I HOPE NOT!!!, but i also know we'd never sign him, unfortunately.

[#27TheDominator]

I want Bowman, and there's a thread I started about him, but apparently from a source that I don't (and pray to god is wrong) trust, Bowman signed with the Eagles.....I HOPE NOT!!!, but i also know we'd never sign him, unfortunately.

Why wouldn't we sign Bowman? Because he kept spitting the ball up at the Senior Bowl? Because he blazed a 4.8 at his pro day? I know, it is the suspended sentence hanging over his head for all that weed! The guy didn't get drafted for a reason. Character concerns are probably the least of his problems at this point.

[jetfan718]

Bravo JETS bravo now go and sign Ezra Butler please

too late he signed with San Fran

[jetfan718]

I want Bowman, and there's a thread I started about him, but apparently from a source that I don't (and pray to god is wrong) trust, Bowman signed with the Eagles.....I HOPE NOT!!!, but i also know we'd never sign him, unfortunately.

according to draft daddy he's still unsigned

[Jets1Fan]

Why wouldn't we sign Bowman? Because he kept spitting the ball up at the Senior Bowl? Because he blazed a 4.8 at his pro day? I know, it is the suspended sentence hanging over his head for all that weed! The guy didn't get drafted for a reason. Character concerns are probably the least of his problems at this point.

I hate doing both of these things....................BUT

wait and see.

[Irish Jet]

I want Bowman, and there's a thread I started about him, but apparently from a source that I don't (and pray to god is wrong) trust, Bowman signed with the Eagles.....I HOPE NOT!!!, but i also know we'd never sign him, unfortunately.

Adarius Bowman = Troy Williamson without the speed.

In other words:

Adarius Bowman = Nothing

[jetfuel]

Published November 16, 2007

Enlarge photo Buy this photo

(Photo by Mike Itchue/For the Lansing State Journal)

Around the end: Jehuu Caulcrick (left), shown scoring against Pittsburgh, holds MSU's single-season record for touchdowns with 20.

Finishing touch

Caulcrick proves effective for MSU near the goal line

Sam Hosey Jr.

For the Lansing State Journal

When Mark Dantonio took over as Michigan State's coach, he wanted to feature a smash-mouth offense.

He just didn't know if his new team had the personnel.

But in 6-foot, 255-pound senior Jehuu Caulcrick, who fled war-torn Liberia as a child, Dantonio uncovered MSU's most prolific red-zone finisher ever.

In MSU's 48-31 win over Purdue, Caulcrick scored twice, breaking the single-season touchdown record (20) previously held by Blake Ezor (19).

"He is the scavenger," joked MSU quarterback Brian Hoyer of Caulcrick's knack of punching the ball in for touchdowns in goal-line situations.

"It's just that desire," Caulcrick said. "I take pride in what I do. Some people want to stereotype me as a short-yardage back, so if you can't beat them, join them."

The blend of Caulcrick and junior tailback Javon Ringer was exactly what Dantonio needed.

"It was very important that we had guys that could fit the design, the concepts that we wanted to go to," Dantonio said. "And a lot of it was about them in terms of why we were able to go to this.

"We need to have good football players at that position. They have to be our premier players."

MSU is scoring touchdowns on 68 percent of its red-zone opportunities against 58 percent last year. "We've had great success down there this year," MSU senior offensive lineman Mike Gyetvai. "That's a great thing to have and Jehuu does a tremendous job, as you can see, running the rock in there. Even when there's not holes sometimes, he makes us look a little better than we are maybe."

Caulcrick is MSU's second-leading rusher with 714 yards on 185 carries. He has 38 career rushing touchdowns, which is second in MSU history behind Lorenzo White's 43. But for the Spartans, Caulcrick means more than just yards and touchdowns.

"I think Jehuu Caulcrick, first of all, he's done a great job in the leadership area," Dantonio said of one of his four captains. "He's been a guy that will rally people a lot of times."

Ringer credits Caulcrick for his own success.

"Having Jehuu on the team really helped me out, especially my freshman year because I played a lot...," Ringer said. "He was the only person that's been my roommate for home game and away games.

"So having him there just really helped me break into the system. He was the first person really, on the football field that I really talked to like that."

Dantonio said the leadership of Caulcrick and Ringer helped set the tone in the fourth quarter of last week's win over Purdue.

"I turned around on the bench on Saturday and they were sitting there on the trainer's bench and they had two big smiles on their faces," Dantonio said. "I wasn't smiling and I said, 'What's up?' And they said, 'We're gonna' win this game coach.' And they were just smiling, laughing, 'Don't worry about it coach.'"

Ringer recalls feeding off of Caulcrick, one of the team's practical jokers.

"I think Purdue just scored a touchdown or a field goal and I remember that me and Jehuu were just sitting on a water cooler," Ringer said. "Jehuu was sitting down and I was laying up against it and we were real relaxed. And coach D, I guess he was upset about what had just happened, he walked by and we just looked at him smiling. And he just asked, 'Are you guys alright?' I just gave him the thumbs up and Jehuu was like, 'We got this, we got this. Don't worry about it.'"

With Caulcrick's emergence this year, he's even begun to show up on the NFL Draft radar.

Scouts Inc. says: "Caulcrick's blend of size and athletic ability is intriguing, but he doesn't have great power, burst or speed. He should level off as a late-round prospect for a team looking to develop him as a short-yardage specialist."

Caulcrick admits he's hoping for an NFL future, but that's not high on his list of priorities these days.

"It's something I hope to have," he said, "but right now I'm not really thinking about it because I'm thinking about getting to a bowl game."

Copyright 2008 Lansing State Journal Use of this site signifies your agreement to the

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[jetsrule128]

Hempstead, N.Y.----Wingate University senior defensive end Kenwin Cummings (Maxton, N.C.) has reached a free agent contract agreement with the New York Jets, team officials announced this week. Earlier, Wingate senior tight end Chris Conklin (Snow Camp, N.C.) reached a similar agreement with the Carolina Panthers.

The Jets hope Kenwin Cummings will fill a linebacker position with the club. A 6-2, 270-pound graduate of Purnell Swett High School, Cummings was named to the Don Hansen

[jetsrule128]

N.Y. gives Catanese Jets ticket

By Jeffrey Jen (Contact)

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Zach Catanese

Zach Catanese

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The call came a year later than he thought, but Zach Catanese doesn't care.

He's finally getting his shot with an NFL football team.

Catanese, a Trinity High School and Shasta College product, signed as an undrafted free agent Monday with the New York Jets.

Terms of the deal have yet to be finalized and Catanese still must pass a physical, but the former Knight is headed to East Coast to attend Jets mini-camp this weekend.

Catanese, a two-year starting safety at Arizona State after transferring from Shasta College, was considered a draft prospect heading into last year's draft. However, a knee injury in his final collegiate game when Arizona State played in the Hawaii Bowl dropped his stock. He went undrafted, then unsigned.

He's been rehabbing the injury, a partial tear of his left anterior cruciate ligament and a torn meniscus, hoping for a chance to show his football skills.

"It's been a long road back," Catanese said. "I feel pretty good right now. My legs are stronger than before."

In conversations with the Jets coaching staff, Catanese said he is being looked at either as an outside linebacker or at strong safety. He is also expected to contribute as a special teams player.

The Jets run a 3-4 defense and New York didn't select either a linebacker or a safety in this year's draft. The Jets did sign another strong safety, Virginia's Nate Lyles, and two linebackers, Rutgers' Brandon Renkart and Wingate's Kenwyn Cummings, as free agents right after the draft.

Having the Jets emerge as a destination was sudden for Catanese, who was pondering separate routes in his life.

Prior to the call Monday, he had been working out for Canadian Football League teams. He already had a workout with the Saskatchewan Roughriders and was set to also work out for the British Columbia Lions and the Hamilton Tiger Cats.

He is set to graduate in a few weeks at ASU with a degree in business communications. He had even interviewed with an insurance company.

"I was getting to the point where I was going to hang up the cleats," Catanese said. "I didn't want to be 23 and sitting on the couch, wondering what to do with my life," Catanese said. "I was looking at all of my possibilities. I wasn't going to put all my eggs in one basket."

But last week, his agent Derrick Fox told him the Jets were showing interest and were digging up some old ASU films of him.

"I heard all of that before so I wasn't putting too much stock into it," Catanese said.

Apparently, the Jets liked what they saw and contacted first Fox, then Catanese on Monday. Before he knew it, Catanese was bound for mini-camp, which starts Friday.

The Jets also signed another former Knight, quarterback Ricky Ray, in 2004. Ray had a couple of successful seasons with the Edmonton Eskimos in the CFL, but spent much of his time with the Jets on the practice squad before returning back to Edmonton the following season.

Now it's Catanese who will attempt to make the most of his sudden chance. Then again, given the pothole-filled route he took, Catanese is being cautious about things and hoping things really do work for him this time.

"It will be fun," Catanese said of the opportunity. "I'm looking to get back into competition again. Nothing's for sure. You have to take it one day at a time."

His former coaches are more than happy for him, knowing how hard he worked to get to a program such as ASU, then how he had to overcome his injury.

"All this gets him is an opportunity to play in the NFL," Knights coach Craig Thompson said. "That's really all he wanted. An opportunity to show what he can do."

[jetfan718]

• Josh Abrams RB / ST Ohio University; Rodrick Johnson LB Oklahoma State; Alan Turner WR Southern Illinois