The Scores Report - The National Sports Blog » Dan LeFevour

Chiefs, Browns, Seahawks all interested in CMU’s LeFevour

Anthony Stalter — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 17:20:26 +0000

According to Central Michigan beat writer Drew Ellis of the Mount Pleasant Morning Sun, the Chiefs, Browns and Seahawks were all on hand to watch quarterback prospect Dan LeFevour work out at his Pro Day on Wednesday morning. The Panthers and Vikings also watched him go through passing drills.

The most notable name on hand was new Kansas City offensive coordinator Charlie Weis, who told Ellis that he was specifically there to watch LeFevour. There was also a rumor that the Chiefs had dinner with LeFevour last night.

Questions have been raised about LeFevour’s arm strength and there also is concern that since he played mostly out of the shotgun in college that he won’t be able to run a pro style system at the next level. According to Ellis, LeFevour may not have quelled scouts’ fears about whether or not he can make all the throws.

“He did well throwing the short to intermediate passes today,” Ellis said. “But there was more loft on his deeper throws than you’d like to see and there wasn’t much velocity on his passes when he wasn’t throwing short. He might ultimately have to play in the West Coast Offense where accuracy is the most important thing.”

Ellis’ last bit about the West Coast Offense provides reason why the Browns would be interested, but why the Chiefs? GM Scott Pioli insisted in late February that the team would not be in the market for a starting quarterback in this year’s draft and is committed to Matt Cassel after signing him to a six-year, $63 million contract last season. And after extending a second-round tender on Brodie Croyle, they seem to be set on Cassel’s backup too, so it’s a little perplexing why Weis would want to watch LeFevour.

Another note from CMU’s Pro Day is that receiver Antonio Brown was garnering attention from the Vikings, Lions, Raiders and Dolphins. In fact, Miami held a private workout with him after he ran a 4.4 40-yard dash, which was an improvement over his 4.5 time at the combine. Brown’s stock has improved and he may wind up being selected before LeFevour.

Photo from fOTOGLIF

Is LeFevour making the right decision by not throwing at the scouting combine?

Anthony Stalter — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 15:48:54 +0000

Depending on whom you ask, Central Michigan quarterback prospect Dan LeFevour is anywhere from a third round pick to a late round selection. And due to scouts’ concern about his lack of arm strength, the latter is probably more realistic.

After a lackluster week of practice leading up to the game, LeFevour threw for 97 yards and a touchdown on ten attempts in last month’s Senior Bowl. In effort to ride that success, he has decided not to throw at the NFL scouting combine, which kicks off Wednesday, February 24 and runs through March 2.

After racking up 12,905 passing yards, 2,948 rushing yards, 149 total touchdowns and a completion percentage of 66.4, his collegiate numbers speak for themselves. But is he taking a major risk by not throwing at the combine? Does he need to prove to scouts that he can make all the throws?

To gain a better perspective on the topic from someone who watched LeFevour play in college, I asked Central Michigan beat writer Drew Ellis of the Mt. Pleasant Morning Sun about the benefits and risks of LeFevour not throwing at the combine.

“The strategy behind not throwing at the combine could simply be to try and give LeFevour the best chance to impress scouts when he finally does throw in front of them,” said Ellis. “LeFevour has chemistry with Bryan Anderson and Antonio Brown and if threw at the combine, he could be throwing to some guy he has never met or worked with.”

While LeFevour opted out of throwing at the combine, he confirmed that he would throw at CMU’s Pro Day in March.

“The key to LeFevour’s draft status will clearly depend on his throwing performance, so I think he and his agent want to make sure he has the best situation possible for throwing in front of scouts,” said Ellis. “Also, at CMU’s Pro Day, he will be the lone quarterback on display. At the combine, he could get lost in the shuffle. Again, this is just maximizing his potential to move up in the draft.”

Of course, LeFevour is taking a risk by not throwing at the combine.

“The only setback to his choice could be in upsetting some teams, but for those that have covered LeFevour, you know he is not a diva or looking to big-time anyone. He is simply trying to give himself the best future possible, and you can’t fault him for that.”

Financially, the only thing that matters is being selected as high as possible come April. That’s why it’s vital for prospects to maximize their strengths and cover up their weaknesses until they get into their first camp.

For LeFevour, his strengths are his size, athleticism, accuracy, leadership, intelligence and work ethic. He can show most of those skills off at the scouting combine without worrying about picking up a ball until his pro day. Thus, it makes sense that he would skip the throwing portion at the combine and risk upsetting scouts in the process. It’s a risk that could wind up paying dividends for the CMU product in the end.

Photo from fOTOGLIF

Decade Debate: 15 Best College Football Players

Anthony Stalter — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 15:00:17 +0000

Judging which college football player was the best over the past decade can be a tricky endeavor. Do you rank a player that has won a Heisman higher than one that has not? Do you penalize a player if he played in a pass-happy system that allowed him to put up lofty numbers? Do you judge his performance based on the talent around him or the difficulty of his competition? As part of our ongoing Decade Debate series, here is a top 15 ranking of the best college football players of the past decade. Perhaps more than any of our lists in this decade series, this one could be debated the most given the factors that surround it.

15. C.J. Spiller, RB, Clemson

If you want to be entertained, try turning on a Clemson game and watching Spiller for three-plus hours. He’s a terrific runner, an electrifying return man and one of the deadliest weapons in college football. He is the only player besides Reggie Bush to post 2,500 yards rushing, 1,500 yards in kickoff returns, 1,000 yards receiving and 5,000 yards in punt returns. He’s also tied a NCAA record for most kickoff returns for touchdowns with six. If it weren’t for a lackluster junior season, he’d probably rank higher on this list.

14. Dan LeFevour, QB, Central Michigan

If you don’t know who Dan LeFevour is or scoffed at him being ranked on this list, then you haven’t been paying attention to college football the past couple years. LeFevour hasn’t received the attention that Tim Tebow, Colt McCoy or Sam Bradford have, but he’s posted better numbers than each of the three in almost every category. In 2007, he became only the second player in D-I history to pass for over 3,000 yards and rush for over 1,000 yards in a single season (Vince Young was the first). He also is the MAC’s all-time leader in total offense and currently holds the conference record for career completions, attempts, passing yards, passing touchdowns, total touchdowns and total offensive yards. He has totaled more touchdowns than any player in college football history and is third all-time in total offensive yards. Has he faced the talent that Tebow, McCoy and Bradford have over his career? No. But consider this: He doesn’t have the same talent around him either. Imagine what LeFevour could have accomplished playing with a defense the likes of Florida, Texas or Oklahoma’s.

13. Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech

Did Crabtree play in a system that allowed him to rack up tons of numbers? Absolutely. But he was always a phenomenal player, one capable of single-handily taking over a game with his skill level. He was a two-time All-American, a two-time Biletnikoff Award winner and a two-time Paul Warfield Trophy winner. He also played a huge role in Texas Tech’ upset over No. 1 Texas two years ago while hauling in 10 receptions for 127 yards and one touchdown – which happened to be the game-winner late in the fourth quarter. Had he played more than just two seasons, he might have topped all other receivers on this list.

12. Pat White, QB, West Virginia

Even though some will argue that he had things easy playing his career in the Big East, nobody can deny what White accomplished on the field. He racked up 6,051 passing yards and 56 passing touchdowns, while also compiling 4,480 yards and 47 rushing touchdowns. He accounted for a whopping 10,531 yards and 103 touchdowns over his career and also finished sixth in the NCAA among the most career victories as a starting quarterback with 34. Along with Steve Slaton, White helped put West Virginia on the map in terms of national title contention.

11. Troy Smith, QB, Ohio State

Smith’s college career didn’t end well, as he completed just four of 14 passes for 35 yards along with an interception, a fumble and five sacks (uh, just to be clear, he was the one being sacked) in an embarrassing 41-14 loss to the Gators in the 2007 national title game. But Smith was a solid college quarterback, racking up 5,720 passing yards and 54 touchdowns over his career. He threw only 13 interceptions and also completed 62.7% of his passes while compiling just under 8,000 total yards and 68 total touchdowns. In 2006, he beat out Darren McFadden and Brady Quinn to win the prestigious Heisman Trophy and even though they lost, he led the Buckeyes to one of their three national title appearances of the decade.

10. Adrian Peterson, RB, Oklahoma

Peterson’s freshman season at Oklahoma was absolutely phenomenal and was almost good enough to get him on this list on its own. He broke the NCAA freshman rushing record with 1,925 yards and also led the nation in carries with 339. He was a finalist for the 2004 Heisman Trophy Award, which was the highest finish ever for a freshman player. Due to an ankle injury, he finished with only 1,208 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2005. A collarbone injury also took away most of his junior season, but he managed to finish with 1,112 rushing yards for a total of 4,045 rushing yards for his career. He finished just 73 yards shy of passing Billy Sims as Oklahoma’s all-time leading rusher.

9. Eric Crouch, QB, Nebraska

Consider this: Since Crouch graduated, no Nebraska team has finished in the top 10. The last of the great Cornhusker option quarterbacks, Crouch finished with a 21-4 record as a starter and helped lead a Nebraska offense that finished as the nation’s best in 2000 and 2001. The 2000 squad still holds the mark for the highest team rushing average of the decade with 349.3 yards per game.

8. Calvin Johnson, WR, Georgia Tech

Johnson’s Yellow Jackets never contend for any national titles, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t deserving of this ranking. He finished just shy of 3,000 yards for his career with 28 touchdowns, racked up 13 100-yard receiving games, and won the Biletnikoff Award in 2006. He was usually a one-man wrecking crew for GA Tech and virtually impossible to cover one-on-one. Despite facing double and even triple teams at times, he routinely made highlight reel plays and wound up being the highest player ever drafted out of Georgia Tech when the Lions selected him with the No. 2 overall pick in 2007.

7. Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas

McFadden was so good at Arkansas that the team essentially didn’t even need to have a quarterback on the field. The original Wildcat back, McFadden rushed for 4,590 yards in his career, which ranks him second all-time in career rushing yards in the SEC behind the great Herschel Walker (Georgia). McFadden also ranks seventh all-time in the SEC for career rushing touchdowns with 41 and holds most of Arkansas’ rushing records. He wound up throwing seven passing touchdowns out of the Wildcat formation and totaled 51 touchdowns in his three-year career. He capped off his collegiate career by helping the Razorbacks beat No. 1 LSU in triple-overtime in 2007.

6. Matt Leinart, QB, USC

Even though the man (Carson Palmer) he replaced was pretty damn good, Leinart is arguably the greatest passer in USC history. For his career, Leinart finished with 807 of his 1,245 pass attempts for a competition percentage of 64.8. He racked up 10,693 passing yards and 99 touchdowns to just 23 interceptions, making him the Trojans’ all-time leader in career touchdown passes and competition percentage. He ranks only second behind Palmer in completions and yardage and averaged nearly 8.6 yards per attempt while compiling an impressive 37-2 record as a starter. Ah yeah, he also won a Heisman Trophy, led USC to a BCS national championship in 2004 and an AP national championship in 2003.

5. Colt McCoy, QB, Texas

It would take an hour to list the many records McCoy has set in his career, but here are just a few: He holds UT’s record for most total touchdowns, most touchdown passes in a career, most passing completions in a game, most consecutive passing completions in a game and most career passing yards in a season. He also holds the NCAA’s highest single season completion percentage at 77.6% and most wins by a starting quarterback with 44. McCoy was the runner up in last year’s Heisman race and before it’s all said and done, he might have a national title under his belt as well. Considering who took the snaps before him at Texas, his feats are nothing to scoff at.

4. Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Pittsburgh

Fitzgerald won the Biletnikoff award for the best receiver in college football in 2003 and was a unanimous All-America selection that year as well. He also came in second for the Heisman in 2003, which was the closest a wideout has come to winning the prestigious award since Desmond Howard won it in 1991. For his career, Fitz caught 161 passes for over 2,600 yards and set a school record with 34 receiving touchdowns. He was also the only player in PITT history to notch consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons and he set a NCAA record with at least one touchdown catch in 18 straight games. At times, he was almost un-guardable – much like he is now in the NFL.

3. Reggie Bush, USC

Bush was an absolutely electrifying open-field runner and one of the most dangerous athletes while playing for USC. He won the Heisman Trophy in 2005 by averaging 8.7 yards per carry, while also rushing for over 1,700 yards and scoring 16 total touchdowns. He ranks 10th in college football Division I-A history with 6,551 all-purpose yards and was one of the most thrilling athletes to ever play in the NCAA. During his Heisman season in 2005, he led the nation with more than 220 all-purpose yards per game and was almost unstoppable with the ball in his hands. Unfortunately, his career will also be associated with the possibility that he accepted cash and prizes under the table.

2. Vince Young, QB, Texas

Talk about a winner: Young posted a 30-2 career record while at Texas. His .938 winning percentage as a starting quarterback ranks sixth best in Division I-A history and places him No. 1 in wins by UT signal callers. His 6,040 career passing yards ranks him fifth in school history, while his 44 touchdowns ranks him fourth. His 3,127 rushing yards makes him UT’s all-time leading player in that category and his 37 rushing touchdowns places him fifth. Young will be best known for what many consider to be the greatest performance in Rose Bowl history after he rushed for 200 yards and threw for 267 yards in a thrilling come-from-behind 41-38 victory over USC.

1. Tim Tebow, QB, Florida

Perhaps the greatest thing about Tebow is that he’s more than just records – and yes, he has those too. He holds the SEC record for rushing touchdowns and points scored and was the first player to compile 20-plus touchdowns rushing and passing in the conference’s history. He’s also been apart of two national championship teams, is a two-time Maxwell Award winner, a three-time First-team All-SEC winner, the 2007 Davey O’Brein Award winner and the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner. But on top of that, perhaps no player outside of Vince Young has willed his team to victory this past decade more than Tebow has. He epitomizes what college football is all about: Passion, pride and determination. He might not make a great NFL quarterback some day, but he has been one hell of a college football player this past decade.

Honorable Mention: Colt Brennan, QB, Hawaii; Graham Harrell, QB Texas Tech; LaDainian Tomlinson, RB, TCU; Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma, Carson Palmer, QB, USC; David Pollack, DE, Georgia; Ken Dorsey, QB, Miami; Eric Berry, S, Tennessee; A.J. Hawk, LB, Ohio State; Ed Reed, S, Miami; Andre Johnson, WR, Miami; Jamar Fletcher, CB, Wisconsin; Terrence Newman, CB, Kansas State; Tommie Harris, DT, Oklahoma; Jason White, QB, Oklahoma, Ndamukong Suh, DT Nebraska.

Photo from fOTOGLIF

Is Dan LeFevour a potential middle-round steal?

Anthony Stalter — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:15:23 +0000

For those of you that partook in Wednesday night’s MAC football matchup between Toledo and Central Michigan, you had to be impressed from what you saw out of senior quarterback Dan LeFevour.

LeFevour completed 29-of-36 pass attempts for 341 yards and two touchdowns in the Chippewas’ 56-28 rout of the Rockets. He also rushed 14 times for 19 yards with a whopping four touchdowns, which was rather Tim Tebow-esqe.

LeFevour doesn’t get as much press as fellow quarterback prospects Tebow, Colt McCoy, and Sam Bradford because of the conference he plays in. Hell, he even takes a back seat to Cincinnati’s Tony Pike on Mel Kiper’s list of top senior prospects at the quarterback position.

But the kid is good – real good.

Now, I admit that I’m biased because I went to CMU. But it’s hard not to appreciate what LeFevour can do when you watch him. He has great size at 6-3, 238-pounds, can run, can throw with accuracy, and has demonstrated excellent leadership. He was the 2006 MAC Freshman of the Year, the MVP for the 2006 Motor City Bowl and the 2007 MAC Championship Game and was the 2007 MAC Offensive Player of the Year.

You might be thinking, “MAC football? Wow, who cares…” But don’t forget that Ben Roethlisberger is a product of the MAC, as is Chad Pennington. While not quarterbacks, Randy Moss, Joshua Cribbs, Lance Moore and a host of others also played in the MAC, so it’s clear that the conference is harvesting talent.

Granted, LeFevour does benefit from playing in a college-style offense that allows him to put up gaudy numbers and therefore it might take him awhile to learn a pro system. He also doesn’t throw the prettiest deep ball and his threat as a runner will be neutralized in the NFL because he doesn’t have great top-end speed. But he has the size, strength and durability to play at the next level, is a student of the game and is a winner. He could be a steal in the middle rounds in next April’s draft.

Photo from fOTOGLIF

LeFevour sets MAC record as Central Michigan shocks Michigan State

Anthony Stalter — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 20:21:33 +0000

What’s a Saturday in college football without a great upset?

Central Michigan, a 14.5-point underdog entering the game, went into East Lansing on Saturday and shocked Michigan State 29-27 in the final minute of the fourth quarter.

After quarterback Dan LeFevour (who passed Byron Leftwich for the most yards of total offense in MAC history during the game) found teammate Paris Cotton on an 11-yard touchdown pass (in which Cotton made a great catch while keeping one foot in bounds along one of the sides of the end zone) to cut MSU’s lead to 27-26 with under a minute left to play, CMU head coach Butch Davis decided to go for the lead instead of kicking the extra point to attempt to push the game into overtime.

If you’re a football fan, it’s hard not to love Davis’ decision. His MAC team was playing a Big Ten opponent in a tough environment and they had just seized all the momentum after the touchdown. Why not try to steal a victory on the road?

But LeFevour’s two-point pass attempt failed as Antonio Brown caught the ball out of bounds and it appeared that Davis’ decision to go for two would cost the Chips an attempt at the win.

But on the ensuing kickoff, CMU’s Andrew Aguila bounced a perfect onsides kick attempt over a Spartan player and Chippewa receiver Bryan Anderson recovered the ball. After LeFevour led CMU into field goal range, Aguila missed a 47-yarder but one of the MSU defenders had jumped offsides. Agulia didn’t miss his next attempt as he booted a 42-yarder to give the Chippewas a win.

For a CMU team trying to prove that they belong in the top 25, this was a huge win. Granted, they lost last week 19-6 on the road at Arizona, but beating Michigan State in East Lansing will definitely turn some heads. It’ll be interesting to see if the Chippewas can break into the rankings at some point this season.

LeFevour, who is incredibly fun to watch, and the Chippewas could wind up being a nice story by the end of the year.

Mel Kiper is losing it

Anthony Stalter — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 14:30:52 +0000

During one of his recent chats on ESPN.com, Mel Kiper answered a reader’s question about the quarterback class of 2010 and listed Central Michigan’s Dan LeFevour as the next best signal caller behind Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford.

Jeff, Mpls: Looking ahead, will next years QB class be a lot better than this years?

Mel Kiper: Next year’s QB class will have Sam Bradford as the No. 1 guy. After that, you’d be looking at Dan LeFevour out of Central Michigan. Bradford should be the No. 1 overall pick. LeFevour in the top 10-15. Colt McCoy. Then Tim Tebow will factor in. And Pike out of Cincinnati.

I love Dan LeFevour. I’m a CMU grad and credit him for making the Chips relevant again in the MAC. He’s fun to watch and I’ll root for him no matter where he winds up. But I want some of whatever Kiper is smoking because there’s no way LeFevour is the second best quarterback behind Bradford in the 2010 draft class.

First and foremost, LeFevour rarely takes a snap from under center and he plays in the spread offense. He’s mobile, tough and he has decent size at 6’3″, 229 pounds. But he doesn’t have great arm strength or accuracy, doesn’t play against top competition in college and one has to believe that he would struggle trying to grasp a pro style offense. Kiper is nuts if he sees LeFevour as a top 15 pick.

Tennessee’s next head coach: Cincinnati’s Brian Kelly?

Anthony Stalter — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 16:25:29 +0000

Since Phillip Fulmer made the decision to step down at the end of the year, speculation has run rampant on who will replace him as the next head coach at the University of Tennessee. While The Oregonian suggests that Oregon State’s Mike Riley could be in line for the position, I’ve got another name to keep your eye on: Cincinnati’s Brian Kelly.

Five years ago, Kelly was a nobody winning multiple Division II championships at little old Grand Valley State in Grand Rapids, Michigan. From there, he was hired at Central Michigan University, which had won more than three games only once in the previous four seasons. After finishing with a 4-7 record in 2004 (his first year in Mt. Pleasant) and 6-5 in 2005, Kelly led the Chippewas to a MAC Championship in 2006 before jetting to Cincinnati before coaching CMU in the 2006 Motor City Bowl.

In his first season at Cincinnati, Kelly led the Bearcats to their second ever 10-win season (first since 1949) and a top 25 ranking. He was named Big East Coach of the Year and currently has the Bearcats ranked 19th in the nation despite having to play a total of four different quarterbacks this season due to injury.

Tennessee needs a confident, offensive-minded leader and Kelly fits the bill. Many in the Mt. Pleasant area hate him for the way he left CMU in the lurch after winning the MAC Championship in 2006, but the fact of the matter is that he made that program relative again (the Chips are going for their third straight MAC title this season). He was the one that converted Joe Staley (who is currently starting for the 49ers right now) from tight end to offensive tackle, and also the one who recruited Heisman candidate Dan LeFevour. And the job Kelly has done at Cincinnati in his two years has been remarkable to say the least.

When talking to people who have worked with him in the past (like Mt. Pleasant Morning Sun columnist and Central Michigan beat writer Drew Ellis, who is a close friend of mine), you get the impression that Kelly is a cocky, but confident coach. The Vols need someone headstrong that can turn the program around in only a few short years. No offense to Riley or any other candidate Tennessee may consider, but Kelly has won everywhere he’s gone and he seems like a coach that can light a fire under that program’s ass.