In a truly earth-shattering development in Pittsburgh, white special teams demon Sean Morey, a record-setting wide receiver from the Ivy League who is not supposed to ever be allowed to catch a pass in an actual game, has moved all the way up to fourth on the Steelers' WR depth chart. There's no shortage of patronizing and stereotypical language to be found in this article:
http://www.postgazette.com/pg/05248/565809.stm
Sean Morey is the only player on the Steelers' roster who has an Ivy League education, making him a rare possession receiver. At Brown University, where he set Ivy League records for catches, yards and touchdowns, he earned a degree with honors in organizational behavior, a background that will come in handy this week as the Steelers get ready for the start of the regular season.
All of a sudden, Morey finds himself as something more than one of the team's special-teams standout. All of a sudden, after an injury to Lee Mays, after the release of rookie receiver Fred Gibson, after the final two preseason games in which he caught seven passes in five quarters, including the winning 45-yard catch in Carolina, Morey finds himself as something the coaches never really thought he would be:
The No. 4 receiver in their offense.
But that's where Morey will be when the Steelers open the season against the Tennessee Titans Sunday at Heinz Field, as much by default as hard work and perseverance. Like it or not, he has systematically moved up the depth chart for at least the next two games, and maybe longer, while Mays recovers from a hamstring injury sustained in the final preseason game.
"I'm getting there every day," Morey said. "It's a process. Myself, I believe I am a dependable receiver. Whether or not I've shown that, I'm not sure."
Morey has shown that in the final two preseason games, curiously, right after he dropped a perfect third-down throw from Tommy Maddox against the Washington Redskins that would have resulted in a 20-yard gain.
Since that drop, Morey caught passes of 12 and 14 yards in the fourth quarter against the Redskins, then led the Steelers with five catches for 68 yards -- no drops -- in the preseason finale in Carolina.
Included, of course, was a 45-yard touchdown from Charlie Batch with 1:35 remaining, which allowed the Steelers to pull out a 21-17 victory
"He has really come on the past couple weeks," offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt said.
So, while Hines Ward has plodded through an abbreviated preseason, waiting for a contract extension, and Cedrick Wilson has had difficulty transferring his impressive practice sessions to the playing field, Morey is the one receiver who actually has been productive in the Steelers' offense.
Understand, nobody in the Morey family is reserving rooms in Hawaii for the Pro Bowl. Nor is Whisenhunt or anyone connected with the Steelers' offense devising plays to take advantage of a 5-foot-11, 200-pound wide receiver whose signature is his pit-bull tenacity, not his acrobatic catches.
But, in third-down situations when the Steelers use a four-receiver formation, Morey will be on the field, something nobody envisioned when he was signed a year ago tomorrow merely to help bolster the special teams.
"I'm just shooting to be consistent," Morey said. "I'm just doing my job, and that really starts in practice during the week. It's important to be able to get reps and get the opportunity to play. You feel like you can prepare yourself a little to go out and be successful in the games."
It's not as if Morey has just wandered into a new role. He was recruited to Brown by then-coach Mark Whipple, the Steelers' quarterback coach, and finished his career with 251 receptions, 3,850 yards and 40 touchdowns, all conference records. He was voted Ivy League player of the year in 1997 when he caught 74 passes for a conference-record 1,434 yards and 15 touchdowns.
But, when he got to the NFL, Morey earned his reputation catching something else -- kick returners. After being drafted in the seventh round by New England in 1999 and spending portions of two seasons with the Patriots, he signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in January, 2002, and played in the NFC title game.
Morey was released by the Eagles prior to the start of the 2002 season, then came back to training camp the next year and made the roster as a special-teams demon. He appeared in all 16 regular-season games and two playoff games and was voted the Eagles' special-teams MVP. Morey spent the winter playing in NFL Europe, catching 32 passes for 394 yards and seven touchdowns with the Barcelona Dragons.
When the Eagles released Morey in their final cut last year, the Steelers wasted little time signing him to the active roster. At the time, coach Bill Cowher was elated, saying Morey "can impact a game" and "we have to find a way to get him on the field."
He wasn't talking about playing wide receiver.
"They had no idea if I could play receiver or what," Morey said. "I was pretty much just tagged as a special-teams guy. But throughout my collegiate career and NFL Europe I've always been one of the best receivers. And now I've been given an opportunity to show I can play in the NFL, and I'm trying to make the best of those opportunities."
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(Gerry Dulac can be reached at gdulac@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1466.)
http://www.postgazette.com/pg/05248/565809.stm
Sean Morey is the only player on the Steelers' roster who has an Ivy League education, making him a rare possession receiver. At Brown University, where he set Ivy League records for catches, yards and touchdowns, he earned a degree with honors in organizational behavior, a background that will come in handy this week as the Steelers get ready for the start of the regular season.
All of a sudden, Morey finds himself as something more than one of the team's special-teams standout. All of a sudden, after an injury to Lee Mays, after the release of rookie receiver Fred Gibson, after the final two preseason games in which he caught seven passes in five quarters, including the winning 45-yard catch in Carolina, Morey finds himself as something the coaches never really thought he would be:
The No. 4 receiver in their offense.
But that's where Morey will be when the Steelers open the season against the Tennessee Titans Sunday at Heinz Field, as much by default as hard work and perseverance. Like it or not, he has systematically moved up the depth chart for at least the next two games, and maybe longer, while Mays recovers from a hamstring injury sustained in the final preseason game.
"I'm getting there every day," Morey said. "It's a process. Myself, I believe I am a dependable receiver. Whether or not I've shown that, I'm not sure."
Morey has shown that in the final two preseason games, curiously, right after he dropped a perfect third-down throw from Tommy Maddox against the Washington Redskins that would have resulted in a 20-yard gain.
Since that drop, Morey caught passes of 12 and 14 yards in the fourth quarter against the Redskins, then led the Steelers with five catches for 68 yards -- no drops -- in the preseason finale in Carolina.
Included, of course, was a 45-yard touchdown from Charlie Batch with 1:35 remaining, which allowed the Steelers to pull out a 21-17 victory
"He has really come on the past couple weeks," offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt said.
So, while Hines Ward has plodded through an abbreviated preseason, waiting for a contract extension, and Cedrick Wilson has had difficulty transferring his impressive practice sessions to the playing field, Morey is the one receiver who actually has been productive in the Steelers' offense.
Understand, nobody in the Morey family is reserving rooms in Hawaii for the Pro Bowl. Nor is Whisenhunt or anyone connected with the Steelers' offense devising plays to take advantage of a 5-foot-11, 200-pound wide receiver whose signature is his pit-bull tenacity, not his acrobatic catches.
But, in third-down situations when the Steelers use a four-receiver formation, Morey will be on the field, something nobody envisioned when he was signed a year ago tomorrow merely to help bolster the special teams.
"I'm just shooting to be consistent," Morey said. "I'm just doing my job, and that really starts in practice during the week. It's important to be able to get reps and get the opportunity to play. You feel like you can prepare yourself a little to go out and be successful in the games."
It's not as if Morey has just wandered into a new role. He was recruited to Brown by then-coach Mark Whipple, the Steelers' quarterback coach, and finished his career with 251 receptions, 3,850 yards and 40 touchdowns, all conference records. He was voted Ivy League player of the year in 1997 when he caught 74 passes for a conference-record 1,434 yards and 15 touchdowns.
But, when he got to the NFL, Morey earned his reputation catching something else -- kick returners. After being drafted in the seventh round by New England in 1999 and spending portions of two seasons with the Patriots, he signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in January, 2002, and played in the NFC title game.
Morey was released by the Eagles prior to the start of the 2002 season, then came back to training camp the next year and made the roster as a special-teams demon. He appeared in all 16 regular-season games and two playoff games and was voted the Eagles' special-teams MVP. Morey spent the winter playing in NFL Europe, catching 32 passes for 394 yards and seven touchdowns with the Barcelona Dragons.
When the Eagles released Morey in their final cut last year, the Steelers wasted little time signing him to the active roster. At the time, coach Bill Cowher was elated, saying Morey "can impact a game" and "we have to find a way to get him on the field."
He wasn't talking about playing wide receiver.
"They had no idea if I could play receiver or what," Morey said. "I was pretty much just tagged as a special-teams guy. But throughout my collegiate career and NFL Europe I've always been one of the best receivers. And now I've been given an opportunity to show I can play in the NFL, and I'm trying to make the best of those opportunities."
------------------------------------------------------------ --------------------
(Gerry Dulac can be reached at gdulac@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1466.)
