AJC > Sports > Tech > Blog > Archives > 2007 > April > 30
Monday, April 30, 2007
What happened to Kenny Scott?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Somewhere on high, there must be an author with an odd sense of humor or coincidence. Reggie Ball will be running routes in mini-camp this week alongside Calvin Johnson in Detroit? How’s that for Motor City Madness? You can’t script that.
Surely few are surprised that Ball did not sign a free agent contract, that he has to try out as a “non-roster invitee” of the Lions to win one. He’s a man without a position, just like Marcus Vick last year.
But Kenny Scott? Talk about plummeting stock. At one point, months ago, he was thought to be a late-second round/third round guy. Then he goes undrafted and doesn’t sign a free agent contract only to end up trying out in Tampa Bay? You can’t foresee that kind of thing unless you were in NFL war rooms the past few months.
Nobody is saying it on the record, but at least after the fact there are whispers that give some indication as to what happened. Apparently, several teams have questions about Kenny’s “character,” which has become a giant catch basin of a word to encompass all kinds of potential issues. Where usually people associate that word with someone who is inclined to end up in trouble, stomp on a fallen player (Marcus Vick), or allegedly pull a gun at a McDonalds (Marcus Vick), or run afoul of drug laws (Marcus Vick), Scott’s legal record is not at issue.
The fact he flamed out of school right before the last game of his career, however, raised red flags. Same goes for Reggie Ball, although his predicament is less about this and more about the fact the former quarterback is now a man without a position.
When I asked Kenny last week what questions surprised him the most in interviews with NFL officials at the combine and since he said, “They tend to ask you about women a lot; they want to see how you respond to that situation. That might be the strangest thing.”
Call me crazy, but I also consider this another argument for staying in school, or at least withdrawing properly (or not signing up for any second-semester classes) to get ready for the draft rather than flunking out or opting to just quit showing up.
NFL officials don’t care as much about whether a potential player graduates as they do that he might let teammates and coaches down by flaming out academically before the final game of his career. That’s not exactly a case of tending to detail by a player, but rather an ominous sign that he might not be dependable enough to invest in.
KaMichael Hall is a fine football player, but his size (6-0, 220) doesn’t help.
Joe Anoai? Search me. I don’t know. Good size, great motor, huge hustler, very level-headed guy. Maybe not a superb athlete, but a pretty darned good football player.
Mansfield Wrotto will have a shot to get in the mix in Seattle, and sooner than later, I think. Great guy, much better fit inside that at tackle in the NFL.
Baseball team lost two of three at Clemson, making their situation a little more dire but not yet critical.
In the Coastal Division, Virginia is 16-7, North Carolina 16-8 and Tech 14-9. Remember, the third and final game of the GT-Virginia series was rained out two weeks ago. Remember this, too: Tech won the first game, and was up 2-0 with two outs in the bottom of the ninth in the second game. Then, Danny Payne walked a batter, hit a batter, and gave up a walk-off three-run HR. Think the Jackets would like to have that one back?
Tech still plays two ACC series, against North Carolina and Florida State (17-4 in the Atlantic division). Plus, a non-conference series.
Better hope for Calvin Johnson’s sake the Lions have a better idea what they’re doing these days than in the past five or six years. They’ve been worse than dreadful, and it has started at the top, with Matt Millen.
Money can buy you a nice house and a nice car, but Calvin will find life in Detroit to be much different than in Atlanta. Doesn’t mean it can’t work out, but the Lions need more pieces and, most importantly, an attitude makeover from top to bottom.
