FOR THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
FOOTBALL
MONDAY, AUGUST 15, 2005
Herford makes transition
lustin O'Neal/KANSAN
Wide receiver Marcus Herford catches a pass during practice Thursday on the practice fields behind Anschutz Sports Pavilion.
Freshman moves from QB to WR
RYAN COLIAANNI
colaianni@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTWRITER
Freshman wide receiver Marcus Herford darted up the field against junior cornerback Charles Gordon and suddenly stopped. Gordon stopped too, giving Herford the opportunity to take off again, and catch a pass that would have warranted a touchdown if it had not occurred in practice.
Not a small feat considering he was up against Gordon, who was a third team All-America selection last year.
Herford has impressed many of his teammates and coaches during training camp thus far, as he transitions from being a quarterback to being a wide receiver.
"Marcus is doing well. He is a young man that is very powerful. He is a good blocker on the perimeter," Kansas coach Mark Mangino said. "He is starting to learn the little nuances that are important to running pass routes and getting leverage on defenders."
Herford is learning those nuances through friendly competition with Gordon and other defensive backs.
"We do have a little rivalry going; it's all in fun. He is my teammate, it's all in getting me better and getting him better," Herford said.
Herford was originally recruited to be a quarterback for
the jayhawks and worked on the scout team as a quarterback last season, as he took a redshirt. Herford was highly touted out of high school as he was rated the 25th-best dual-threat quarterback in the nation by Rivals.com.
decided that he might be better used at the wide receiver position.
"He is a good, hard-working young guy," Mangino said. "We are hoping that he will be ready to make a major contribution, and he is certainly on that path."
When he began spring practices, after last season, he worked as a quarterback until Mangino
Herford is using his experience as a quarterback to help grasp the position better.
"At quarterback, I didn't see some of the things the receivers were talking about, but now with me being a receiver, I see openings and stuff like that," Herford said. "While I am running those routes, I know where to go, what moves to make to get open."
The DeSoto, Texas, native is using Gordon and fellow wide receiver, senior Mark Simmons, to improve as well.
"If I run a route bad, they are going to let me know it. They are doing a real good job to help me perfect my routes," Herford said.
Gordon feels that sometimes Herford may think too much when he is on the field.
"We are trying to get him to use that speed to his advantage," Gordon said. "Sometimes he thinks a lot in his routes. We need to get him to not think so much and just run the routes."
Herford is expected to bolster a wide receiving corps that is expected to be led by Simmons and junior college transfer Brian Murph, Jr. His size and speed are what teammates are raving about.
Simmons believed that the addition of Herford as a wide receiver may give the Jayhawks an advantage when throwing the ball deep downfield this season.
"He was a quarterback so he understands how to read defenses," Simmons said. "Everyone we have at wide out can stretch the defense."
"He is a bigger receiver, a more physical receiver; He's got some speed," Gordon said.
NFL
Clarett injures groin will miss opener
BY KRISTIE RIEKEN
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
HOUSTON - Maurice Clarett hasn't played in a game in more than 2 1/2 years.
- Edited by Jayme Wiley
He'll have to wait at least another week to make his NFL debut.
The former Ohio State star and third-round draft pick has a sore groin and will miss the Denver Broncos preseason opener on Saturday against the Houston Texans. "The MRI was negative," Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said. "It's nothing serious. It's not to torn. He is getting rehab right now, working out a couple of times a day in the weight room, getting treatment about four times a day. Hopefully when we get back, he will be ready to go."
While Clarett, who did not accompany the team to Houston, awaits his first NFL game, Jerry Rice will make his Broncos debut in hopes of making the team for his 21st season.
Rice, who sat out practice Wednesday morning with a sore heel, participated in the remainder of the team's workouts in Houston. He is listed as second-string at one of the receiver positions behind Ashley Lelie.
The Texans will get a first look at their revamped defense, including first-round draft pick Travis Johnson. Coach Dom Capers moved Kailee Wong from outside to inside linebacker in his 3-4 defense and picked up speedy free agent Morlon Greenwood to play middle linebacker in an attempt to generate a pass rush.
They got Phillip Buchanon from Oakland in the offseason, and he'll join last year's runner-up
for defensive rookie of the year,
Dunta Robinson, at cornerback
Johnson, a defensive tackle who missed one day of training camp before signing, said he's up to speed and ready to play his first game. As for what will be in his head when he lines up for his first play, Johnson answered quickly.
Houston's new defense will be tested by the Broncos' high-powered offense. Denver was fifth in the league in average total yards with 395.8 yards per game, and quarterback Jake Plummer threw for a Broncos single-season record of 4,089 yards.
"Violence," he said with a laugh. "It's always controlled violence. I'm going to go out there and work hard."
Plummer said practicing with Houston all week gave his offense a good chance to get reacquainted with the 3-4.
Even without Clarett, the Broncos have a multitude of good running backs led by Mike Anderson. Second-stringer Tatum Bell had 75 carries for 396 yards and three touchdowns as a rookie and could push for the starting job.
Both coaches said they expect to play their starters for about 10 plays and then use the remainder of the game to evaluate players vying for roster spots.
"We've got a lot of guys fighting for positions and backup positions," Shanahan said. "That's what preseason is all about. To see how they operate in game situations and hopefully they play well."
"These games you'd like to go out, you'd like to see your team be efficient in all three areas," Capers said.
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