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What's it going to be then, eh?
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Nordgren has a fan in Staubach
By LES BOWEN
bowenl@phillynews.com
ROGER STAUBACH THINKS Matt Nordgren might make it in the NFL, despite having thrown just 14 passes in 19 games during his college career at Texas.
After all, Staubach threw no passes and appeared in no games in the 5 years before he began his NFL career with the Dallas Cowboys. Of course, before starting his service commitment, Staubach won the Heisman Trophy playing for the Naval Academy, in 1963. But Staubach said recently in a phone interview he believes the principle is the same - "If you have ability and you can make it, you're going to be able to overcome'' not having played much lately.
Staubach won two Super Bowls and played in five Pro Bowls with the Cowboys. At the beginning of that journey, he was the training-camp roommate of Nordgren's father, George, a running back who played for New Orleans (1966-67) and Dallas (1968-72). Staubach took an interest in his friend's son's career, watching him become one of the nation's top high school QB prospects for Dallas' Bishop Lynch High, empathizing as Matt rode the bench at Texas, first behind Chris Simms, then behind Vince Young.
"I don't want to jinx him,'' Staubach said as Nordgren began the Eagles' rookie minicamp that continues today at the NovaCare complex. "But Matt's got a chance of being that diamond in the rough. If you see him in a workout, you say, 'This guy knows what he's doing.' ''
Certainly, it's no surprise NFL scouts would be wary of someone who never was able to win the starting job in college. But in Nordgren's case, there were special circumstances. The guys he was playing behind were pretty darned good. When Young came along, Staubach notes, "They built the system around him. They were in the shotgun all the time.''
Staubach's take is that Nordgren, a classic 6-5, 235-pound, dropback passer, was "not necessarily the right guy for that system.'' Nordgren, signed as an undrafted free agent by the Eagles after doing a good job in a tryout in the first minicamp, said he enjoyed his time at Texas, where he graduated in 3 ½ years and then made considerable progress toward a graduate degree. Even if he didn't play a lot, he notes that he practiced against the Longhorns' first-team defense and threw passes to top-caliber receivers. He has a big, shiny national championship ring that he was showing off in the Eagles' locker room the other day.
"We're going to have one of these with green on it in about a year, you guys watch,'' he predicted.
"If I hadn't gotten an [NFL] opportunity, I might have'' regretted not going to a college where he could have started, Nordgren said. "I got everything I wanted [out of college], and I'm here. If I went to Louisville or somewhere and threw for 20,000 yards or something, yeah, you probably get a little more money because you'd get drafted, but all in all, it doesn't matter [what you did in college].''
Nordgren grew up in the Dallas area as a Cowboys fan, hardly surprising, with his ex-Cowboy father maintaining close ties to the organization. George Nordgren now owns an energy company; Matt got his real estate license and worked for Staubach's real estate firm last summer.
"I was really close with the entire organization... I'm a little bit frustrated that I didn't get an opportunity over there,'' Nord-gren said. He said being overlooked by his hometown team made him very comfortable playing for a hated NFC East rival.
"I cannot wait - if I make this team, go back to Dallas, man, and have some fun,'' he said.
Second-year Eagles running back Ryan Moats played with Nordgren at Bishop Lynch. Moats went to Louisiana Tech and ran for 3,176 yards. When they left high school, he assumed Nordgren would have similar collegiate success.
"I would never have thought [Nordgren wouldn't play],'' Moats said. "Oh my God - he was one of the top five quarterbacks in the nation. He could've gone anywhere. That was the farthest thing from my mind, that he wouldn't play. But he enjoyed his time at Texas. It's nothing bad; everything doesn't have to go the same way. It doesn't have to be typical, where you go to college and you start 4 years... you still can be a great player and not play 4 years of college football.''
Moats and Staubach see Nordgren as a good fit in a West Coast offense. Nordgren said playing behind Young taught him the importance of mobility.
"To fit this offense you've got to be able to run a little bit, and you've just got to be smart,'' Moats said.
Staubach also lauded Nordgren's mobility, and added: "The West Coast is [about] making the right decisions. A lot of quarterbacks have the physical abilities, but maybe they don't make the right decisions. I would think he'd be a success in it, because he's smart. He was a fantastic high school quarterback.''
Even though he'd prefer to have gotten the opportunity in Dallas, Nordgren isn't in a terrible situation with the Birds. Donovan McNabb and 36-year-old Jeff Garcia are the top two QBs. Training camp will tell whether Koy Detmer stays on the roster; if Detmer, who turns 33 in July, is only available on Sundays as a third QB, he won't be able to continue his role as the holder. Nordgren was the Texas holder last season.
Even if Detmer remains, there probably will be a practice-squad berth available for a young QB, and that just about has to be either Nordgren or former Hawaii star Timmy Chang, who just joined the Eagles from NFL Europe. Chang, listed generously at 6-1, 207, was in camp with Arizona and Detroit last season.
Nordgren wants badly to prove himself as a quarterback, but if he has to go back to Texas and earn a living with his degree, he probably won't starve. He's tall, handsome, polished, sporting that Longhorn championship ring, the son of an ex-Cowboy who is "doing pretty well,'' in the energy business, Matt acknowledges.
Staubach certainly sees him as someone to watch. "Whatever Matt does,'' Staubach said, "he'll be a success at it.''
By LES BOWEN
bowenl@phillynews.com
ROGER STAUBACH THINKS Matt Nordgren might make it in the NFL, despite having thrown just 14 passes in 19 games during his college career at Texas.
After all, Staubach threw no passes and appeared in no games in the 5 years before he began his NFL career with the Dallas Cowboys. Of course, before starting his service commitment, Staubach won the Heisman Trophy playing for the Naval Academy, in 1963. But Staubach said recently in a phone interview he believes the principle is the same - "If you have ability and you can make it, you're going to be able to overcome'' not having played much lately.
Staubach won two Super Bowls and played in five Pro Bowls with the Cowboys. At the beginning of that journey, he was the training-camp roommate of Nordgren's father, George, a running back who played for New Orleans (1966-67) and Dallas (1968-72). Staubach took an interest in his friend's son's career, watching him become one of the nation's top high school QB prospects for Dallas' Bishop Lynch High, empathizing as Matt rode the bench at Texas, first behind Chris Simms, then behind Vince Young.
"I don't want to jinx him,'' Staubach said as Nordgren began the Eagles' rookie minicamp that continues today at the NovaCare complex. "But Matt's got a chance of being that diamond in the rough. If you see him in a workout, you say, 'This guy knows what he's doing.' ''
Certainly, it's no surprise NFL scouts would be wary of someone who never was able to win the starting job in college. But in Nordgren's case, there were special circumstances. The guys he was playing behind were pretty darned good. When Young came along, Staubach notes, "They built the system around him. They were in the shotgun all the time.''
Staubach's take is that Nordgren, a classic 6-5, 235-pound, dropback passer, was "not necessarily the right guy for that system.'' Nordgren, signed as an undrafted free agent by the Eagles after doing a good job in a tryout in the first minicamp, said he enjoyed his time at Texas, where he graduated in 3 ½ years and then made considerable progress toward a graduate degree. Even if he didn't play a lot, he notes that he practiced against the Longhorns' first-team defense and threw passes to top-caliber receivers. He has a big, shiny national championship ring that he was showing off in the Eagles' locker room the other day.
"We're going to have one of these with green on it in about a year, you guys watch,'' he predicted.
"If I hadn't gotten an [NFL] opportunity, I might have'' regretted not going to a college where he could have started, Nordgren said. "I got everything I wanted [out of college], and I'm here. If I went to Louisville or somewhere and threw for 20,000 yards or something, yeah, you probably get a little more money because you'd get drafted, but all in all, it doesn't matter [what you did in college].''
Nordgren grew up in the Dallas area as a Cowboys fan, hardly surprising, with his ex-Cowboy father maintaining close ties to the organization. George Nordgren now owns an energy company; Matt got his real estate license and worked for Staubach's real estate firm last summer.
"I was really close with the entire organization... I'm a little bit frustrated that I didn't get an opportunity over there,'' Nord-gren said. He said being overlooked by his hometown team made him very comfortable playing for a hated NFC East rival.
"I cannot wait - if I make this team, go back to Dallas, man, and have some fun,'' he said.
Second-year Eagles running back Ryan Moats played with Nordgren at Bishop Lynch. Moats went to Louisiana Tech and ran for 3,176 yards. When they left high school, he assumed Nordgren would have similar collegiate success.
"I would never have thought [Nordgren wouldn't play],'' Moats said. "Oh my God - he was one of the top five quarterbacks in the nation. He could've gone anywhere. That was the farthest thing from my mind, that he wouldn't play. But he enjoyed his time at Texas. It's nothing bad; everything doesn't have to go the same way. It doesn't have to be typical, where you go to college and you start 4 years... you still can be a great player and not play 4 years of college football.''
Moats and Staubach see Nordgren as a good fit in a West Coast offense. Nordgren said playing behind Young taught him the importance of mobility.
"To fit this offense you've got to be able to run a little bit, and you've just got to be smart,'' Moats said.
Staubach also lauded Nordgren's mobility, and added: "The West Coast is [about] making the right decisions. A lot of quarterbacks have the physical abilities, but maybe they don't make the right decisions. I would think he'd be a success in it, because he's smart. He was a fantastic high school quarterback.''
Even though he'd prefer to have gotten the opportunity in Dallas, Nordgren isn't in a terrible situation with the Birds. Donovan McNabb and 36-year-old Jeff Garcia are the top two QBs. Training camp will tell whether Koy Detmer stays on the roster; if Detmer, who turns 33 in July, is only available on Sundays as a third QB, he won't be able to continue his role as the holder. Nordgren was the Texas holder last season.
Even if Detmer remains, there probably will be a practice-squad berth available for a young QB, and that just about has to be either Nordgren or former Hawaii star Timmy Chang, who just joined the Eagles from NFL Europe. Chang, listed generously at 6-1, 207, was in camp with Arizona and Detroit last season.
Nordgren wants badly to prove himself as a quarterback, but if he has to go back to Texas and earn a living with his degree, he probably won't starve. He's tall, handsome, polished, sporting that Longhorn championship ring, the son of an ex-Cowboy who is "doing pretty well,'' in the energy business, Matt acknowledges.
Staubach certainly sees him as someone to watch. "Whatever Matt does,'' Staubach said, "he'll be a success at it.''
Who?