Steve McClendon agrees to deal with Eagles

April 27, 2009

By Drew Champlin

Defensive tackle Steve McClendon got the call about an hour ago from the Philadelphia Eagles. He’ll report Friday to a rookie mini-camp in Philadelphia.

McClendon, an Ozark native, was a full-time starter last year and was healthy for the first time in his career. He had 40 tackles, 7 for loss and 3 sacks, and if you remember that big fumble recovery against Middle Tennessee in the opener when he ran 67 yards to set up a field goal after Troy had stopped a MTSU scoring drive.

“It’s big,“ McClendon said. “It’s a great opportunity for me. I know I’ve been waiting for it so I’m going to go up there and give it all I’ve got. I’ll go up there and handle business.“

McClendon said teams were apprehensive at first because of a medical condition he had in the early part of the 2007 season when a swollen lymph node in his neck had to be removed, but that checked out fine. He was hoping to get drafted, but figured he would be a free agent. Nevertheless, he still slept well Sunday night.

“You can’t stress too much about it,“ McClendon said. “I’ve got a tattoo that says ‘Trust God, have no doubt.‘ If I trust God and have no doubts, I know everything will work out.“

Dion Small agrees to deal with Tampa Bay

By Drew Champlin

11:10 a.m. - looks like another Troy member finds his way to the Tampa Buccaneers, as Dion Small has agreed to terms with them. More later.

12:10 p.m. UPDATE - Some quotes from Small, who jumped on the Tampa Bay offer when they called. Previously, his top three were Buffalo, Cleveland and Houston.

“The other teams were in the picture early, but then Tampa Bay called,“ Small said. “I was about to go to Buffalo, but I decided for myself to go to Tampa Bay.“

He’ll report to a mini-camp Thursday with teammate Terence Moore. Tampa Bay also has two of Small’s former teammates in Elbert Mack and Chris Bradwell. Mack made the team as an undrafted free agent last year. Bradwell made it to the final cuts and was released before the season started, but just re-signed with the Bucs.

“I did look at that,“ Small said. “I was projected to be a free agent so I wasn’t expecting to get drafted. I’m going in there thinking that I’ve got to make this team, so I’m going to do whatever it takes to make the team.“

Small said the Bucs would work him at right and left guard and possibly center. He was a two-year starter at right tackle for Troy and made the all-conference team both years he was at Troy.

Monday links

April 26, 2009

By Drew Champlin

HERE is the game story Ken Rogers wrote on Troy’s Sunday win over UL-Lafayette. Five big games this week against some very good offenses. Auburn on the road Tuesday, Auburn at home Wednesday and Middle Tennessee at home Friday through Sunday.

HERE is the online story I wrote on Troy’s NFL updates Sunday.

I hope to have more of these Monday. Also, I’ve got to put together the Post-Spring: Offensive line look for you guys. I haven’t forgotten, but didn’t want to bury it over the weekend.

HERE is your unofficial Carolina Panthers depth chart now, presented by the Charlotte Observer.

Troy NFL free agent thread

By Drew Champlin

No other Trojans were drafted besides Sherrod Martin, who went in the 2nd round to the Carolina Panthers, but several are likely to end up in camps. As I hear stuff, I’ll update this post periodically.

8:45 p.m. - Safety Terence Moore will sign a free-agent deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Moore said he would go to minicamp Thursday. The Bucs are the same team that signed Elbert Mack last season. Mack made the team.

“(Tampa Bay coaches) were telling me that they wanted me,“ Moore said. “I was looking at the depth chart and they got rid of a lot of key players. I see it as the perfect opportunity to go in and prove myself. There’s definitely some motivation (in seeing Mack make it in the same scenario). I know the coaches really take a look at the people they bring into camp.“

Moore said he had talked to the linebackers and special teams coach with Tampa Bay. He played special teams all four years at Troy and proving you can play special teams can help players like Moore stick on the roster. He said he had also talked with Minnesota and Detroit. He said right now it’s looking like he’ll be a linebacker at Tampa Bay, but they talked to his agent about him playing safety as well.

9:30 p.m. UPDATE - Heard back from strength coach Richard Shaughnessy, who told me that defensive tackle Dion Gales has agreed to a deal with the Kansas City Chiefs. Defensive end Kenny Mainor has agreed to a tryout with the New York Giants on May 7. They want to see how his knee holds up. Offensive lineman Dion Small should know tomorrow where he ends up and the three teams are the Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns and Houston Texans.

Still waiting to hear on several others. The guys with the best chances are Steve McClendon, Trevor Ford, Tavares Williams, Chris Jamison and Xavier Moreland. Kennard Burton could play somewhere with his skills, but his height will hold him back.

Troy loses second straight to ULL

By Drew Champlin

Troy again had some troubles with ULL pitching, losing its second straight in the series. Trojans try to avoid sweep at 1 p.m.

This will be an RPI dropper at the worst time, but not the end of the world. Sounds like ULL has those pitchers that can really frustrate you when they hit their spots, and the hitters that are finding the holes. While I’m covering the finals of a women’s pro tennis tournament today, Ken Rogers will be there covering the game for us.

After tennis, hopefully I can get in touch with other Trojans who may have gotten drafted or signed free agent deals. I should have all the players and who they sign with later tonight, so check the blog or sign up for twitter updates.