jaxvid said:
You guys are gonna love this. Martz and Marinelli are sticking their fingers right in the eye of the caste system.
This story about Mike Furrey is also very good. Mike Martz deserves our support for what he has been doing. Mike was a walk on in college and undrafted in the pro's. Snips from the article:
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=AmdrRRI.C94fPUTdDyC2xk 2F2bYF?slug=ap-lions-furrey&prov=ap&type=lgns
Furrey has 65 receptions for 773 yards, ranking among NFC leaders in both categories, and four touchdowns.
"I can't wait for them to quit saying `safety,"' he said Wednesday. "I'm a receiver. Full-time."
Last season, Furrey wasn't.
He started 11 games at safety for the
St. Louis Rams, led the team with four interceptions, defended eight passes and made 55 tackles. St. Louis released him after the season and he wondered if his career would resume as a safety or receiver.
Former Rams coach Mike Martz gave him a call last spring shortly after joining the Lions as offensive coordinator because he envisioned the 6-foot, 190-pound Furrey as the slot receiver the team needed. On the same day Furrey accepted Detroit's offer, the
Buffalo Bills called wanting to sign him as a safety.
It wasn't a tough decision to follow Martz to Detroit.
"He gave me an opportunity out of Arena (football), believed in me for the first couple of years of my career, then gave me an opportunity to start at safety," said Furrey, who played in the Arena Football League before his shot in the NFL.
"When I was out on the streets, hanging out in Columbus, Ohio, he's the one that called me wanting to bring me up here."
Martz said Furrey has a lot of talent, like a lot of receivers, but his intelligence on the field sets him apart.
"He understands this position extremely well, probably as well as anybody has played this position in the league," Martz said.
Both Furrey and Martz are convinced the experience at safety helped him learn to read defenses better.
"He has a different perspective having been on the other side of the ball," Martz said
Edited by: Bart