Andre Brown and Anthony Hill To Play In Senior Bowl

Alums NCS Football42

ESPN article
 Senior Bowl Website

The January 24th Under Armour Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala have invited NC State players Andre Brown and Ant Hill to be on the game roster, according to ESPN’s Heather Dinich.

Wolfpack fans may remember that playing in the game after his senior year really helped out Philip Rivers. In particular, questions about his arm strength were answered by this play:

It’s fair to say that a big play by Hill or Brown could really help them as well.

Two NFL coaching staffs coach the two Senior Bowl teams each year, and over 700 NFL general managers, head coaches, assistant coaches, personnel directors, scouts and other front office personnel from the 32 NFL teams annually attend Senior Bowl Week.  In short, there’s no better place to make an impression on the League’s movers and shakers prior to the NFL Combines, and hopefully Brown and Hill can both make strong statements regarding their football skills.

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42 Responses to Andre Brown and Anthony Hill To Play In Senior Bowl

  1. wufpup76 01/05/2009 at 12:43 PM #

    Good luck, guys … give it everything you’ve got

  2. beowolf 01/05/2009 at 12:52 PM #

    Wolfpack fans may remember that playing in this game after his senior year really helped out Philip Rivers, and after the game his draft stock shot up into the top five.

    We also remember that idiot jackanapes Mel Kiper talking pre-game about how Rivers wasn’t a complete quarterback and couldn’t throw the long ball and then had to eat his ignorant words when Rivers threw multiple TDs in the first quarter and heaved one from deep in his own territory to hit the WR in stride en route to a very long gain.

    We remember how a good QB named “Manning” was supposedly a much better QB than someone who set all kinds of records including having the second-most passing yards in NCAA history while completing nearly three-fourths of his passes his senior year; why, this Rivers kids is no better than J.P. Losman, sez Mel “I’m even dumber than my hair” Kiper.

  3. Alpha Wolf 01/05/2009 at 12:56 PM #

    I hear you, Beo. And every time I hear Phil Simms, it reminds me how badly I want to ask him if he still thinks Philip Rivers has no shot to be a good NFL player.

    The worst one was the idiot who compared Rivers to Ryan Leaf. I forget who that was.

    I expect Brown will be one of those mid to late round guys who break out in a year or two. Hill, I am not sure of because I am sure that NFL scouts notice his stone hands the way I do.

  4. TOBtime 01/05/2009 at 1:02 PM #

    ^Right on Beo. Kiper wasn’t the only one who had to eat crow after that game. Rivers threw a TD to everybody except the waterboy. FUnny how the great Eli had to skip that game. I will always believe it was because his Dad KNEW what PR could do and did not want Eli compared to him. The sad thing is, PR is still getting ignored but he is still playing after another Manning (league MVP) dragged his sorry butt off the field Saturday night.

  5. wufpup76 01/05/2009 at 1:06 PM #

    Talking heads … What else are they good for?

    “Mario Williams sux! He’s a huge bust!”

    Pro Bowl player. Thank you Chris Berman, you sage NFL expert, you.

    “Philip Rivers is not accurate and his throwing motion MUST be changed. He won’t make it.”

    #1 rated QB in the entire league. Made Pro Bowl the other year and certainly should have this season. 34 TD’s, 11 int’s. Cutler – at home. Favre – holding another team hostage, at home. Peyton Manning – at home. Rivers beat all 3 this season and is still playing.

    Yep, we sure do need all these talking heads and “experts” for such insightful analysis and to let us know what is “really going on”

  6. beowolf 01/05/2009 at 1:09 PM #

    I don’t know how well Hill will do as a pro, because TE is such a dodgy position to speculate on, but I think Andre Brown could be a fantastic pro if he got on the right team. He’s a tough runner with great hands and a good blocker.

  7. Alpha Wolf 01/05/2009 at 1:14 PM #

    I could see Brown as a Bronco or a Giant pretty easily.

  8. packalum44 01/05/2009 at 1:25 PM #

    I think both of these kids will do great in the NFL if they keep up their work ethic. Hill has an awesome body for a pro tight end. I think many here under-estimate him and his potential. He has been injured alot in college which slowed his development. Hill’s stock went up this season because he began running inside the tackles. Thank you very much TOB!

    BTW, I wish Toney Baker a full recovery b/c he will be a senior next year. Remember he was the 2nd rated RB out of high school behind….Johthan Stewart!

    Make us proude boys! Go Pack!

  9. choppack1 01/05/2009 at 1:31 PM #

    Mel has his opinions – but at least he knows who the players are. I think he and a lot of folks wrote Rivers off for the same reason he ended up as a QB for NC State instead of an SEC or Big 12 school – unorthodox throwing motion and other limited physical skills.

    As he did at NC State – Rivers has shown that his accuracy is amazing, and he moves very well w/ in the pocket to buy him extra time – and his arm strength is good enough to make all of the throws he needs to make.

    It’s worth noting that he also has the GA QB Stafford at the top of his list and considers Tebow a H-Back/fullback/TE prospect. This kid is the antithesis of a Rivers – he’ll have good arm strength, is tall enough and can make all the throws.

  10. Alpha Wolf 01/05/2009 at 1:43 PM #

    ^ People seem to constantly under-rate Tebow’s arm. Bet we see it shine in the BCS-TG.

  11. LKNpackfan 01/05/2009 at 1:47 PM #

    TE hands aren’t so critical in many nfl systems, but size and blocking are. Hill’s size and blocking ability make him a solid 3-6 round pick imo.
    I also think Brown will be a pleasant surprise for whoever picks him up in the later rounds. Consider what he’s done in his healthy years here, now consider what he’s done against the O line he’s did it behind.

  12. choppack1 01/05/2009 at 2:12 PM #

    Agree on Brown – I think he’ll have a shot in the NFL – got NFL body and speed.

    Alpha – I think Tebow is being punished for Alex Smith’s bust in the NFL. He does throw an ugly ball from time to time and supposedly has a slow release. However, he doesn’t throw many INTs. I think his QB play has improved a great deal since he was basically brought in on running downs his freshman year.

    We’ll see – I think a lot of the things the spread requires – like the ball handling on the fakes and the reads – will make him an intriguing prospect. I also believe that if you’re a smart kid and you’ve got physical tools – you can be an NFL QB. We know Tebow is a strong kid w/ good speed.

  13. whitefang 01/05/2009 at 2:13 PM #

    It would be great to see these guys up their draft places in this game. Am looking foward to seeing it.
    I loved the way Rivers showed Mel K how wrong he was. But it’s not as if Rivers wasn’t drafted and came out of nowhere. SD let a pretty damn good QB go to make him the man. So somebody knew he was NFL material.
    The thing about Rivers though is he doesn’t have a gun for an arm. But he has what is even more important in the NFL. The stuff between the ears. He “sees” the field and “reads” as good as anybody ever IMO. It is easy and fun to speculate, but maybe the fact that he can’t throw the 100 mph, finger-breaking, Farve fastball made him better at reading. He can’t just muscle the ball somewhere he shouldn’t and get away with it.
    Wish the Panthers had him.

  14. JKL 01/05/2009 at 2:22 PM #

    s

  15. JKL 01/05/2009 at 2:23 PM #

    Any word on Jamelle Eugene, Nate Irving, or Willie Young?

  16. choppack1 01/05/2009 at 3:16 PM #

    whitefang – a qb really only needs so much arm strength. It’s better off for a qb to have a golden head and a mediocre arm than vice versa.

  17. SuperStuff 01/05/2009 at 3:33 PM #

    Damn it was sweet watching Rivers get MVP at the senior bowl. That added to the three bowl MVPs he already had. If the defense was as solid as Rivers during his tenure we could have crushed Ohio State those two years.

  18. McPete 01/05/2009 at 3:37 PM #

    Tavaris Jackson in Minnesota has a rocket for an arm. unfortunately for him, he’s got zero accuracy on deep throws. makes that arm kinda useless. jay cutler has a rocket arm, he juses it to fire lasers to the opposing team (i’m still bitter about my fantasy football team).

    chad pennington supposedly has a noodle for an arm, and he finished 2nd in mvp voting this year.

    rivers has to take brett farve’s pro bowl spot. brett doesn’t want to go to hawaii anyway, he’s comfortable in wranglers.

  19. backinpack 01/05/2009 at 3:48 PM #

    We can always compare P-Riv to others with our rose-colored glasses, but the reality is that Big Ben and Eli have won Super Bowls and P-Riv hasn’t. Until then he’s always going to be second tier as an NFL QB IMNSHO.

  20. wufpup76 01/05/2009 at 4:05 PM #

    ^No one’s trying to take away from the accomplishments of others … Cutler, Favre, both Mannings, and the burger all are (or were) good QB’s that most teams would probably love to have

    The point is taking the media types and others to task for their words … State fans haven’t had a lot to hang their collective hats on for a while, so we’re kinda reduced to this until one of our revenue teams captures a championship of some kind (other than Old Spice or State championship in football) 🙁

    And Rivers has had a really good season any way you cut it

  21. TOBtime 01/05/2009 at 4:14 PM #

    About 2 more years of numbers like he has put up the last 2 years and PR won’t be a second tier to anybody. Marino never won a SB but of course did go to one. 3/1 TD to INT ratio in the NFl is amazing.

    SOmebody did know about PR in San Diego – Marty Schottenheimer. He was his coach at the Senior Bowl and said he came away amazed at PR’s smarts. As I’ve said before, most offensive lineman can throw the ball a mile but that doesn’t make them a good QB.

  22. Alpha Wolf 01/05/2009 at 4:19 PM #

    he reality is that Big Ben and Eli have won Super Bowls and P-Riv hasn’t. Until then he’s always going to be second tier as an NFL QB IMNSHO.

    True, but the man-crushes on Favre and Elway before they won Super Bowls was prevalent.

  23. choppack1 01/05/2009 at 4:41 PM #

    “We can always compare P-Riv to others with our rose-colored glasses, but the reality is that Big Ben and Eli have won Super Bowls and P-Riv hasn’t. Until then he’s always going to be second tier as an NFL QB IMNSHO.”

    So let me get this right…Doug Williams, Jim Plunkett, Trent Dilfer – great NFL QBs – Dan Marino, Dan Fouts, and the scores of other QBs who were productive were not? That’s just total bunk. If anything, Rivers hasn’t gotten his due because he plays w/ a team that the last few years has gotten it done on the ground.

    I do agree that winning a Super Bowl will suddenly make SOME folks realize that Rivers is a good QB.

  24. ChiefJoJo 01/05/2009 at 4:50 PM #

    I think Brown could do well in the right system. He’s got good size and solid speed, and has learned to block and catch passes pretty well out of the backfield (though that’s been more of Eugene’s role). Downside is lack of consistent production and injury/durability concerns. I could see him as a 2nd day pick who ends up surprising some people in camp.

    I see Hill about the same… looks the part physically, but downside is the lack of consistent production and that he lacks great hands. He used to be a devastating blocker, but I’m not sure if he returned to that level in ’08. He has the tools.

    Of course their lack of production is somewhat due to being on a medicore team, moreso than lack of individual ability. You have to have blockers and a QB to throw it and we haven’t had much of both until the latter half of 2008.

    One thing that will help these guys is they really stepped up to lead the team this year when we were down. They held us together when we could have given up, and were a big part of going bowling. I think in interviews with our staff, the NFL scouts will be impressed with that in an era where teams can no longer afford to deal with costly (literally) off the field problems. These guys will be assets to their teams.

  25. Gene 01/05/2009 at 4:54 PM #

    “Marino”

    Throwing for 5,000+ yards, back when 3,000 passing yards in a season really meant something, sort of got everyone’s attention about how good Dan Marino is irregardless of winning a Superbowl.

    Elway deserved the man-crush. He led the Bronco’s to three Superbowl appearances, even if they were lopsided losses; he carried the team to a lot of success on his arm and legs (don’t forget how great a runner Elway was).

    Favre had a few great years, when he played under control (i.e. had a solid running game), but his Superbowl win was due in large part to Desmond Howard’s two punt (or kick returns, can’t remember) for TD’s, which is why Desomnd howard won Superbowl MVP honors. Take those away and the Patriots would’ve won the game.

    I never understood the man-crush on Favre. He’s a great QB, but asking him to carry a team for a season on his arm just hasn’t worked, since he is too interception prone. He didn’t lead his team to victory in the Superbowl. He was lucky a Parcell’s coached team had uncharacteristic special teams let downs.

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