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Article: Greer turning the corner
Greer turning the corner
Undrafted playmaker proving scouts wrong
By Bucky Gleason NEWS SPORTS REPORTER
Updated: 10/12/07 7:07 AM
You wonder how it happens with so many scouts from 32 teams scouring so many college games, breaking down so much video, poring over all things measurable. Heck, prospective draft picks strip down to their underwear during the NFL Combine, confirming there’s no such thing as too much information.
How does quarterback Tom Brady sit around until the sixth round? It’s where New England took him in the 2000 draft, 199th overall, which made the Patriots geniuses for finding him so late and dummies for waiting so long. Brady’s greatest quality, his off-the-charts football smarts, couldn’t be measured.
It’s what the Buffalo Bills could be finding in Jabari Greer. Granted, he’s a long way from becoming the Tom Brady of cornerbacks. But based on his performance over the past two weeks and beyond, you can’t help but wonder how he slipped through the 2004 draft without a single team recognizing his potential. Simply, the numbers often lie.
“Everybody has a theory of what is supposed to be, but you never know,” receiver Lee Evans said. “There’s more to it. There’s more than size and speed. You have to be able to play. It’s hard to measure. You have to see how he is as a player.”
Forget that Greer was a three-year starter at the University of Tennessee. It didn’t much matter when scouts looked at his 5-foot-11, 169-pound frame and figured he was too slight to be an effective NFL cornerback. He was ignored by all 32 teams during the draft and eventually signed a freeagent contract with the Bills.
“My size was a big factor for me,” Greer said. “My senior year wasn’t as productive as I wanted it to be. Fortunately, I was blessed to get [into the league]. A lot of people say that’s the hardest part, getting in. But I always felt like I could play.”...............
~The Answer
Let's hope he's a starter against Baltimore.
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