Friday, May 16, 2014

Former Piranha receiver Terrill Barnes trys out for Redskins

Barnes, 80, seen during a game during the summer of 2009. (John C. Whitehead/The Patriot-News)

About to enter the 2014 season under new ownership and a new home field, the Central Penn Piranha football team already has reason to brag. Former Phish receiver Terrill Barnes has received an invitation from the Washington Redskins to try out for the team this weekend during their rookie minicamp.

Barnes' alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania (IUP), broke the news on Twitter earlier this week.
Barnes spent time with the Piranha during the 2008 and 2009 seasons before going on to play football at the collegiate level.

"When he was with the Piranha a lot of the players told him he needed to go to school, that he was too good to playing here at such a young age," current Piranha head coach and part-owner Tom Laubach said on Friday.

Barnes took his teammates' advice and transferred from Lackawanna Community College to IUP in 2011. In his final season at IUP last fall, Barnes caught 63 passes for 1,104 yards, causing NFL scouts to take notice.

Barnes and his college quarterback, Mike Box, both received invitations from the Redskins to try out for the team this weekend. A Gettysburg native, Barnes stands 6'-3" and weighs in at 215 pounds.

"He is truly a gifted athlete and I believe he will make it in the NFL," Laubach said.

While Barnes tries to make it at the highest level, his former team, the Piranha, are getting ready to kickoff their 2014 season. CPP will take on the Brooklyn Seminoles in their season opener at Warwick High School this Saturday (May 17). Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Former NFL player Raheem Brock buys part of Central Penn Piranha

CPP's Raheem Brock (Samuel Getty Photo)
The Central Penn Piranha will have a new home and new ownership in 2014, the team has announced.

Longtime owner-coach Ron Kerr is stepping down after winning three consecutive championships with the Piranha. Kerr is turning his coaching attention to the NCAA level, where he is an assistant coach at Shippensburg University.

Kerr has sold the team to new head coach Tom Laubach and Piranha defensive lineman Raheem Brock, a former NFL defender. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

In addition to Kerr, longtime CPP general manager and PR guru Dave Kmiecik has also stepped down. Kmiecik is leaving the Piranha, but he isn't leaving football—he will continue working with the Baltimore Ravens and Harrisburg Stampede in 2014.

It won't be easy for CPP to replace men like Kerr—who lost a total of only eight games in eight seasons—or Kmiecik—who worked tirelessly behind the scenes for 19 years—but the Phish are swimming in the right direction. Excellence starts at the top, and CPP's new owners know how to win.

Brock played in the NFL for ten seasons and won Super Bowl XLI with the Indianapolis Colts in 2007. In his career, Brock recorded 347 tackles and 40.5 sacks.

Laubach has been with the team for seven years working under Kerr, who led the team to an 85-5 overall regular season record during his time with the club.

"The previous owners have set the bar high for us," Laubach said in a statement released by the team. "We will do many of the same things that have made us successful since 1995."

The CPP will be returning to the Gridiron Developmental Football League (GDFL) this summer and will be playing their home games at Warwick High School in Lititz, PA.

The Piranha's first game of the season, a preseason contest against the Brooklyn Seminoles, will take place at Warwick High School this Saturday (May 17). Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Monday, May 12, 2014

2014 NFL Draft: Broncos add 21 rookies to roster on draft weekend

Draft weekend has come and gone and the Denver Broncos have 21 new rookies on the roster. Denver drafted six rookies over the weekend and agreed to terms with fifteen more players following the draft as college free agents.

The Broncos have officially signed eleven of their undrafted free agents, so they remain three players below the NFL's 90-man offseason roster limit. Once all of Denver's UDFAs sign, Denver will be faced with 91 total players on the roster, forcing them to part ways with a player to meet the limit.

For more coverage of the Broncos' 2014 draft class and UDFA signees, visit MileHighReport.com.

Saturday, May 10, 2014

2014 NFL Draft: Broncos select three Big Ten players on first two days

(@Broncos on Twitter)
After three rounds of the 2014 NFL Draft have come and gone, the Denver Broncos have three new players on their roster, all of them coming from Big 10 (B1G) schools.

"By the time we get through tomorrow, they're going to call us 'The Big Ten Broncos,'" Denver G.M. John Elway joked following the conclusion of the third round on Friday evening.

The Broncos, who finished last season 13-3 before going on to play in the Super Bowl, loaded up on defense in free agency, signing defensive stars DeMarcus Ware, Aqib Talib, and T.J. Ward. After being embarrassed by the Seattle Seahawks 43-8 in the Super Bowl, Denver went into the offseason looking to get nastier on defense.

That defensive trend continued into the first round of the draft on Thursday evening.

Denver's first round selection, cornerback Bradley Roby, was selected 31st overall out of Ohio State.
Roby, 5-11, 194 pounds, earned first-team All-Big Ten honors in 2012 and 2013.

In the second round, Denver traded up with the San Francisco 49ers from 62nd overall to 56th overall to select Indiana receiver Cody Latimer.
Elway dubbed Latimer, 6-2, 215 pounds, the best blocking receiver in the draft and noted that he—as well as Denver's two other draft picks—will compete for playing time from Day 1.
Finally, the Broncos selected Michigan offensive lineman Michael Schofield 95th overall in the third round.
At Michigan, Schofield spent time at both guard and tackle before playing at guard again in this year's Senior Bowl. Elway said after the draft that the team will work with Schofield first as a tackle and then also give him work at guard.

Denver has four picks remaining today, in the fourth (131), sixth (207), and seventh (242 and 246) rounds. Day Three of the NFL Draft will kickoff at Radio City Music Hall in New York at noon ET.

EA places Broncos receiver Demaryius Thomas in Madden 15 cover vote

EA Sports revealed the sixteen players that will square off in this year's edition of the Madden NFL video game cover vote during the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday evening.

Denver Broncos fifth-year wide receiver Demaryius Thomas is among the candidates to be on the next cover. Thomas, 6-3, 229 pounds, has earned back-to-back Pro Bowl selections over the past two seasons after catching 186 passes for 2,864 yards and 24 touchdowns since quarterback Peyton Manning arrived in Denver via free agency in 2012.

Thomas is a long shot to make it past it past the first round of voting as he is up against the reigning Defensive Player of the Year—Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly, who was featured in the game's first promo video earlier this month.

In addition to Thomas and Kuechly, Bears receiver Alshon Jeffery, Saints tight end Jimmy Graham, Packers running back Eddie Lacy, 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, Eagles quarterback Nick Foles, Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, Steelers receiver Antonio Brown, Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles, Bengals receiver A.J. Green, Eagles running back LeSean McCoy, Colts receiver T.Y. Hilton, Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, Redskins running back Alfred Morris, and Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman have also been nominated to grace the cover.

Sherman and Kuechly are the favorites to win the vote.

Madden 15 will hit stores August 26. Fans can vote for the cover athlete at ESPN.com.