When I heard that the Jacksonville Jaguars released quarterback David Garrard, I had no idea how it would open the door for Tom McCarthy, the captain of the 2010 Yale squad, to join the Jaguars.
But that is exactly what happened.
The move of cutting Garrard opened a spot on the Jaguars' 53-man roster. Defensive end John Chick was promoted from the practice squad to the active roster which left a spot to be filled on the practice squad. That was when Jacksonville signed McCarthy to the practice squad.
McCarthy had some things working in his favor. First, one of the three preseason games he appeared in with the Atlanta Falcons was against Jacksonville. McCarthy had a tackle in that game, one of the two he made in his time with the Falcons. Also, Yale head coach Tom Williams was a defensive assistant with the Jaguars before taking the job with the Bulldogs and I'm sure he gave McCarthy a glowing recommendation to Jacksonville head coach Jack Del Rio. Finally, all you have to do is look back to McCarthy's performance at the two pro days he took part in to see that some of his strength and speed numbers were on par with players taken in April's NFL draft. The 6-foot-6 McCarthy checked in at 265 pounds at Yale's pro day and was able to run in the low 4.7 second range in the 40-yard dash and do a 35-inch vertical leap when he worked out for scouts at Fordham's pro day.
Thankx for the update.I hope he plays in games.
ReplyDeleteFascinating, behind-the-scenes info. Many thanks.
ReplyDeleteWill Coach Williams release a two-deep roster before the Dean scrimmage?
I think the first official two-deep chart won't be out until probably next Tuesday. Many of the positions seem pretty clear cut especially at QB, TB, WR, DE, DT, CB and SS. I am curious to see where the freshmen linemen like Chism and Carberry fit into the mix as well as Will Vaughn at linebacker and who emerges as Geoff Dunham's primary backup at free safety.
ReplyDeleteAny idea as to how much players on the taxi squad are paid?
ReplyDeleteI believe practice squad players earn $5,700 per week
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