Wile_E_Coyote
06-23-2006, 09:32 AM
Receiver’s father and brother were NFL stars, which may be what helps keep him going.
By ELIZABETH MERRILL
The Kansas City Star
The sky crackled Thursday morning, and Herm Edwards pumped his fist and bounced around like a madman. It was a miserable day for receivers. A nightmare for the ballboys. The rain came down in sheets.
About 15 yards away from the action, Edwards was having a blast. When he heard that some reporters were waiting for him in a tent after practice, he screeched.
“Are they made of sugar?”
And that’s how the Chiefs’ final practice before training camp ended, a day that was supposed to give the young players one last look but ended up being one prolonged gut check in the slog. The top two candidates to fill the backup receiver spots — Craphonso Thorpe and Jeris McIntyre — took the majority of the reps. The no-names quietly took to the soggy sidelines.
Terrance Metcalf trudged off the field with the rest of the herd, hoping he’d done enough.
Metcalf’s name hasn’t been mentioned much in the battle of the backups. In three years, Metcalf has wandered to Oakland, Tampa Bay and NFL Europe hoping for a locker space. He has a good feeling about Kansas City. He calls his dad at night sometimes, and he has this feeling in his gut, too.
His father is Terry Metcalf, a Pro Bowl running back who used to knock helmets with Edwards.
Maybe it’s the pedigree that keeps the younger Metcalf going. His brother Eric lasted 13 years in the NFL. Right now, Terrance would settle for one season in a Chiefs uniform. He won’t make excuses, won’t tell you how he was a late bloomer and didn’t really start playing receiver until college.
He doesn’t mention the tumor in his jaw that kept him out of football for an extended time in high school. But Terry will.
“He kind of had to come a different direction,” Terry said. “Because he never really played like Eric and I as a little guy. He had surgery on his jaw and couldn’t play for a couple of years. They took a bone off his hip and put it in his jaw. He had a tumor the size of a softball, but it was benign.
“Then it’s also probably been hard living in the footsteps of his dad and brother. My thing has always been this: When Eric was drafted, people said he had big shoes to fill. I said, ‘no he doesn’t.’ I wear a size 10, and he wears a 9. I can’t wear his and he can’t wear mine, but he can just be the best he can be.”
Physically, Terrance is much different from his dad and brother. He stands 6 feet 3, weighs 207 pounds and initially garnered recruiting interest for basketball. Mentally, they share the same persistence.
Terrance, 26, grew up in NFL locker rooms following his brother, who is 12 years older. He’s also trained with Art Monk, one of his dad’s friends.
“What keeps me going is knowing that I can compete at this level,” Metcalf said. “If I was out there and couldn’t keep up it would be a different story. But I see myself being competitive.”
Metcalf had just one real opportunity Thursday, and he was hounded by three defenders when a jump ball was lofted in the rain. He couldn’t come down with it, but catches were few and far between Thursday. When free-agent hopeful Darrell Hill made an over-the-shoulder catch, he spiked the ball near the 20-yard line.
The final two receiver spots are still up for grabs, and Edwards said he won’t know who will make it until the team treks next month to River Falls, Wis., and plays in pads. As of Thursday, there were 13 receivers on the Chiefs’ roster, but at least one of them might need to be cut as the rookie draft picks begin to sign contracts.
Metcalf plans to be in River Falls.
“I raised my children to never quit no matter what,” Terry said. “If it’s something they love to do, go do it until somebody tells you you can’t do it anymore.
“He was telling me if it doesn’t work out, this might be the last try. But he wants the opportunity. I don’t think he got the opportunity in Tampa. I think he touched the field twice, and that was on special teams. How well can you evaluate a player if he doesn’t touch the field?”
It was a question that wasn’t suited for Thursday, when the sky poured and the dreamers had to wait. Metcalf used to dread days like these because he put so much pressure on himself. One tiny mistake would lead to a bigger one.
One mention of the past made Metcalf feel as if he were chasing ghosts. Edwards said Terry Metcalf was like “lightning in a bottle,” that he reminded him of LaDainian Tomlinson. But there are similarities between father and son.
Terrance, Edwards said, got his dad’s toughness.
“It doesn’t really get old,” Metcalf said. “This is only my third time, and I don’t feel like I’ve been trying forever. And each time I get just that much closer. As long as I can see that it’s within reach, it won’t get old.”
<HR class=tagline color=#cccccc SIZE=1>To reach Elizabeth Merrill, Chiefs reporter for The Star, call (816) 234-4744 or send e-mail to lmerrill@kcstar.com (lmerrill@kcstar.com)
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By ELIZABETH MERRILL
The Kansas City Star
The sky crackled Thursday morning, and Herm Edwards pumped his fist and bounced around like a madman. It was a miserable day for receivers. A nightmare for the ballboys. The rain came down in sheets.
About 15 yards away from the action, Edwards was having a blast. When he heard that some reporters were waiting for him in a tent after practice, he screeched.
“Are they made of sugar?”
And that’s how the Chiefs’ final practice before training camp ended, a day that was supposed to give the young players one last look but ended up being one prolonged gut check in the slog. The top two candidates to fill the backup receiver spots — Craphonso Thorpe and Jeris McIntyre — took the majority of the reps. The no-names quietly took to the soggy sidelines.
Terrance Metcalf trudged off the field with the rest of the herd, hoping he’d done enough.
Metcalf’s name hasn’t been mentioned much in the battle of the backups. In three years, Metcalf has wandered to Oakland, Tampa Bay and NFL Europe hoping for a locker space. He has a good feeling about Kansas City. He calls his dad at night sometimes, and he has this feeling in his gut, too.
His father is Terry Metcalf, a Pro Bowl running back who used to knock helmets with Edwards.
Maybe it’s the pedigree that keeps the younger Metcalf going. His brother Eric lasted 13 years in the NFL. Right now, Terrance would settle for one season in a Chiefs uniform. He won’t make excuses, won’t tell you how he was a late bloomer and didn’t really start playing receiver until college.
He doesn’t mention the tumor in his jaw that kept him out of football for an extended time in high school. But Terry will.
“He kind of had to come a different direction,” Terry said. “Because he never really played like Eric and I as a little guy. He had surgery on his jaw and couldn’t play for a couple of years. They took a bone off his hip and put it in his jaw. He had a tumor the size of a softball, but it was benign.
“Then it’s also probably been hard living in the footsteps of his dad and brother. My thing has always been this: When Eric was drafted, people said he had big shoes to fill. I said, ‘no he doesn’t.’ I wear a size 10, and he wears a 9. I can’t wear his and he can’t wear mine, but he can just be the best he can be.”
Physically, Terrance is much different from his dad and brother. He stands 6 feet 3, weighs 207 pounds and initially garnered recruiting interest for basketball. Mentally, they share the same persistence.
Terrance, 26, grew up in NFL locker rooms following his brother, who is 12 years older. He’s also trained with Art Monk, one of his dad’s friends.
“What keeps me going is knowing that I can compete at this level,” Metcalf said. “If I was out there and couldn’t keep up it would be a different story. But I see myself being competitive.”
Metcalf had just one real opportunity Thursday, and he was hounded by three defenders when a jump ball was lofted in the rain. He couldn’t come down with it, but catches were few and far between Thursday. When free-agent hopeful Darrell Hill made an over-the-shoulder catch, he spiked the ball near the 20-yard line.
The final two receiver spots are still up for grabs, and Edwards said he won’t know who will make it until the team treks next month to River Falls, Wis., and plays in pads. As of Thursday, there were 13 receivers on the Chiefs’ roster, but at least one of them might need to be cut as the rookie draft picks begin to sign contracts.
Metcalf plans to be in River Falls.
“I raised my children to never quit no matter what,” Terry said. “If it’s something they love to do, go do it until somebody tells you you can’t do it anymore.
“He was telling me if it doesn’t work out, this might be the last try. But he wants the opportunity. I don’t think he got the opportunity in Tampa. I think he touched the field twice, and that was on special teams. How well can you evaluate a player if he doesn’t touch the field?”
It was a question that wasn’t suited for Thursday, when the sky poured and the dreamers had to wait. Metcalf used to dread days like these because he put so much pressure on himself. One tiny mistake would lead to a bigger one.
One mention of the past made Metcalf feel as if he were chasing ghosts. Edwards said Terry Metcalf was like “lightning in a bottle,” that he reminded him of LaDainian Tomlinson. But there are similarities between father and son.
Terrance, Edwards said, got his dad’s toughness.
“It doesn’t really get old,” Metcalf said. “This is only my third time, and I don’t feel like I’ve been trying forever. And each time I get just that much closer. As long as I can see that it’s within reach, it won’t get old.”
<HR class=tagline color=#cccccc SIZE=1>To reach Elizabeth Merrill, Chiefs reporter for The Star, call (816) 234-4744 or send e-mail to lmerrill@kcstar.com (lmerrill@kcstar.com)
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