FredEx: "It actually will feel good to shut a lot of people up"

Started by BigEd76, July 31, 2005, 06:49:04 PM

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BigEd76

KC.com

QuoteMouth's off
Mitchell has put up and shut up in KC, for now

By ELIZABETH MERRILL
The Kansas City Star

RIVER FALLS, Wis. — Freddie Mitchell is playing with Dick Vermeil's grandson. He's sneaking up behind Stevie outside the lunch line and mussing up his closely cropped blond hair.

Mitchell is clowning with his teammates. He's standing on his hands, after a long morning practice, and hopping back to his feet.

"FredEx" is nowhere to be found. His reputation traveled 1,100 miles, across the Allegheny Mountains to River Falls. They said FredEx was a team cancer. All mouth, no motor. Vermeil was at a charity golf tournament this summer, and every foursome stopped to weigh in on the signing of Mitchell. Have fun with the mouth of the East, they said.

Vermeil flashed a fatherly smile.

"He hasn't shot or killed anybody," Vermeil said. "He doesn't have a drug problem, he's not a holdout, he doesn't pout. He works his butt off.

"What's it cost? There's no bonus money involved, no guarantees. So you give him a chance. If we didn't do that for Kurt Warner, we wouldn't have had Kurt Warner."

Mitchell didn't kill anyone, but his career almost died on the interview table. When Mitchell taunted New England before the Super Bowl, the city of Philadelphia winced. When he spewed criticism toward quarterback Donovan McNabb, the Eagles decided it was time for FredEx to change ZIP codes.

Mitchell says he's misunderstood. Vermeil says he's a 26-year-old who's smart enough not to make the same mistakes twice.

And Kansas City, a club that prides itself on chemistry, says the chatty receiver is worth the small gamble. At least for now.

Through three days of training camp, Mitchell has caught passes, spent extra time with receivers coach Charlie Joiner and kept his mouth zipped. Well, almost. There was the interview session Friday, when Mitchell told the cameras he had nothing to prove, then headed off alone to the indoor practice facility and said that wasn't entirely true.

"It actually will feel good to shut a lot of people up," Mitchell said. "Just let them know that hey, he's a good receiver who's just been in a bad situation. I felt like it was a bad situation in Philadelphia.

"I think if you ask my team, the actual team on the Philadelphia Eagles, they will say they feel I got a bad rap, too. I just wasn't given that opportunity. Coach Vermeil and Al Saunders, they're giving me the opportunity to be that guy."


In the days before and after Mitchell signed with the Chiefs, a handful of phone calls were made to Philadelphia. Vermeil called coach Andy Reid, who told him he could count on three things — that Mitchell was tough, he'd catch the ball in the crowd, that he'd go to work.

Vermeil said he would've signed Mitchell even without the recommendation.

Another call was placed by Chiefs quarterback Trent Green to McNabb. Green, who makes a point to get along with all of his receivers, declined to comment on their conversation.

"You know what? He's done and said everything the exact opposite of what we heard," Green said. "He's come in here with a great attitude, a great work ethic ... I mean, our camp is long. That first day when they said we were getting everybody up at 5:45 and you've got to be on the field after 7, there were a lot of guys complaining about that. But he's just taking it all in stride.

"I know it's early, it's day three and there's a long ways to go. But he's done and said all the right things at this point."

Mitchell says he didn't receive a gag order from Vermeil. He just doesn't want to give the media any more fodder. For six weeks, Mitchell shopped himself around the NFL and heard GMs say the same thing: They didn't want the distraction.

As the weeks passed and the work didn't come, the former first-round draft pick wondered whether he was finished at 26.

ESPN analyst Sean Salisbury, a friend of Mitchell's, said frustrations over playing time, performance, and the intense media pressure helped lead to his undoing in Philadelphia. Playing on a team with Terrell Owens didn't help, either.

"He was playing with a guy who talked more than him, and he started riding that wave," Salisbury said.

"Freddie's not a bad guy. He's not going to fight anybody in the meeting room, he's not going to cuss coach Vermeil out. He may say some silly things about defense ...

"I think Dick Vermeil will embrace Freddie Mitchell. Will Freddie make the team? Will he be a star? I don't know. But I do like him. He's a pretty good football player."

A player whom Vermeil has been watching since Mitchell's days at UCLA, when he was the nation's second-leading receiver, played on a baseball team that made it to the super regionals and seemingly had the world in his outstretched hands.

Mitchell signed with the Chiefs on the second-to-last day of minicamp but stuck around Kansas City the following week to get to know his new teammates. He's not guaranteeing the Super Bowl, the Pro Bowl, or even that he'll be on the roster when the Chiefs open the season on Sept. 11. He's not even searching for a soundbite.

And that's progress.

"It's entertainment at the end of the day," Mitchell said. "The analysts are going to say whatever they want. I go with it and just relax. As long as I'm not a distraction to my teammates, I'm good."

General_Failure

Poor guy. What a bad situation being stuck behind studs like Thrash and Pinkston.

The man. The myth. The legend.

Wingspan

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General_Failure

QuoteFind out which former Eagle with knee problems was signed to an outrageous contract he's no longer worth.

The man. The myth. The legend.

PoopyfaceMcGee

"Sean Salisbury, a friend of Mitchell's..."

They deserve each other.

QB Eagles

For a second I thought this said "It actually will feel good to shut up". I was amazed.

PhillyPhreak54

Just wait until Samie Parker and Eddie Kennison are catching more balls and let's see what Mr. Mouth has to say then. Let's see if it'll be peaches and cream when Freddie is looked over for those two bums and of course Tony Gonzalez and Kris Wilson at TE.

PhillyPhreak54

Quote from: General_Failure on July 31, 2005, 07:50:20 PM
QuoteFind out which former Eagle with knee problems was signed to an outrageous contract he's no longer worth.

Funny you should say that, GF...

Freddie Mitchell hurt his knee yesterday and might have to have it scoped.

PhillyPhreak54

QuoteKnee interrupts FredEx

By PAUL DOMOWITCH
pdomo@aol.com


RIVER FALLS, Wis. - The first thing Kansas City Chiefs president Carl Peterson did when he signed Freddie Mitchell in June was congratulate him with the handshake of their alma mater, UCLA. The second thing he did was bring the ex-Eagle wide receiver into his office for a heart-to-heart chat.

"I told him I wanted him to come in and do the things I saw him do at UCLA," Peterson said. "And [I told him] I want you to keep your mouth shut."

Mitchell's response: "He said, 'I can do that,' " Peterson said. "I think, without any question, he's been humbled by what transpired the last 6 months. This is a great second chance for him."

Mitchell's second chance was rudely interrupted by some bad luck Saturday when he injured his right knee running a pass route in a training-camp workout. Chiefs orthopedic specialist Dr. Jon Browne, who examined Mitchell, doesn't think the injury is serious. Possibly some torn cartilage, but no ligament damage.

Mitchell, 26, was expected to fly back to Kansas City late yesterday for arthroscopic surgery on the knee.

"He shouldn't be out too long," Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil said. "Assuming they don't find anything else in there than what they think it is, he should be back by the time we're ready to break camp (on Aug. 19)."

Even so, the injury is a big blow to Mitchell. Three or 4 weeks is a long time to be out of sight and out of mind when you're trying to learn a new offense and win a starting job.

On the other hand, that's 3 or 4 weeks when he won't have to worry about his frequently out-of-control mouth getting him into trouble like it did in Philadelphia.

"Freddie always has been Freddie," Mitchell said the day before injuring his knee. "No matter what happens, the media just makes you who they want to make you. They can take out of it what they want to take out of it. As long as my team is there for me, I don't care what anybody says."

The fact that Freddie always has been Freddie is the primary reason he had a much more difficult time finding a new employer after the Eagles released him in May. He never lived up to first-round expectations with the Eagles, catching just 90 passes in four seasons. But fourth-and-26 alone should have been good for at least a couple of phone calls.

Even the Chiefs initially passed on him. They worked out both Mitchell and Az-Zahir Hakim and decided to sign Hakim, who played for Vermeil and offensive coordinator Al Saunders in St. Louis. But Hakim ended up signing instead with the Saints, and the Chiefs signed Mitchell.

"There's no risk at all for us," Vermeil said. "We signed him for the minimum salary. A 1-year contract. No bonus. If he plays like we think he can, great. If he doesn't, it doesn't cost us anything."

Ironically, the man who put Mitchell out of work - Eagles coach Andy Reid - also was the man who helped convince Vermeil to sign him.

"Andy was very positive about this guy," Vermeil said. "I have a good relationship with Andy. If [Mitchell] was a jerk, Andy would have told me he was a jerk. He told me he was a hard worker. He catches the ball inside. He can play inside or outside. He's tough. Has a great work ethic.

"He said the kid got in trouble in Philadelphia because he talked too much and it kept getting bigger than life. But he said it was definitely worthwhile to give him a second chance."

Kansas City is a good situation for Mitchell. They have just one wideout on their roster - Eddie Kennison - who caught more than 25 passes last season. With the release of Johnnie Morton, the other top three wide receivers in camp are Dante Hall, Samie Parker and Chris Horn, who combined for 49 receptions and just two touchdowns last season.

"I'm just trying to learn the offense and make the team better," Mitchell said. "That's all I'm trying to come in here and do."

When he first signed with the Chiefs, Mitchell said he wanted to "shut a lot of people up," that he was a "good receiver in a bad situation" in Philadelphia. Since then, though, Mitchell has toned down his comments and kept his "FredEx" persona under wraps.

Asked if he felt he had something to prove to the Eagles and others, like Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who blasted him on national television shortly after the Super Bowl, Mitchell said: "I never have anything to prove. It's a team game. When you try to prove something to somebody and step outside of the team, that's when things go to hell."

If he had learned that lesson a year or two earlier, he might still be with the Eagles.

PhillyGirl

Quote from: PhillyPhreak54 on August 01, 2005, 04:45:33 AM
Quote from: General_Failure on July 31, 2005, 07:50:20 PM
QuoteFind out which former Eagle with knee problems was signed to an outrageous contract he's no longer worth.

Funny you should say that, GF...

Freddie Mitchell hurt his knee yesterday and might have to have it scoped.

Yes, we know...lol. We already had it posted in the "other teams" thread and Ed had started a second one about it. lol
"Oh, yeah. They'll still boo. They have to. They're born to boo. Just now, they'll only boo with two Os instead of like four." - Larry Andersen

Tomahawk

Quote from: PhillyPhreak54 on August 01, 2005, 05:07:17 AM
Asked if he felt he had something to prove to the Eagles and others, like Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who blasted him on national television shortly after the Super Bowl, Mitchell said: "I never have anything to prove. It's a team game. When you try to prove something to somebody and step outside of the team, that's when things go to hell."

What did Belichick say? I must have missed it as I wasn't really in the mood to watch football junk after the Super Bowl.

PhillyGirl

Quote"All he does is talk," Belichick said in this week's issue of Sports Illustrated. "He's terrible, and you can print that. I was happy when he was in the game."

Late Wednesday night, Belichick was a guest on "The Tonight Show" and told Jay Leno, "He said he was bringing something for Rodney Harrison. I don't know. Maybe it was the two dropped passes."
"Oh, yeah. They'll still boo. They have to. They're born to boo. Just now, they'll only boo with two Os instead of like four." - Larry Andersen

Rome

QuoteIn the days before and after Mitchell signed with the Chiefs, a handful of phone calls were made to Philadelphia. Vermeil called coach Andy Reid, who told him he could count on three things — that Mitchell was tough, he'd catch the ball in the crowd, that he'd go to work.

Wow.  Further proof that Reid is a classy MOFO. 

Considering all the whining Bitchell did in Philly and the headaches he caused for the team, the fact that Big Red looked past that and accentuated the positive is just amazing.

MURP

QuoteAdam Teicher, of the Kansas City Star, reports agent Matt Couloute said Tuesday, August 2, Kansas City Chiefs WR Freddie Mitchell (knee) was advised not to have arthroscopic knee surgery when he was in Atlanta for a second medical opinion. Couloute also said Mitchell was told that if his injured right knee mended as anticipated, he could return to practice in seven to 10 days. Mitchell has a slight tear in his right meniscus. Couloute said Mitchell's desire to get the second opinion and decision to decline to have the surgery were aimed at a speedy return.