As soon as the final selection of the 2012 NFL Draft was off the board, the Broncos front office was once again hard at work.
The team began furiously working the phones to sign a handful of college free agents, in the end signing 13.
The 13th pickup? Wide receiver Eric Page.
Highly coveted after his record-setting college career at Toledo, Page had several offers to mull over from interested NFL teams. So he took his time before deciding to become a Bronco.
“Denver is a great city,” Page said about why he picked the Broncos. “I just talked it over with my family. We had other teams in our minds, but Denver was the best team for me.”
Despite forgoing his senior year of college for the NFL, Page left Toldeo as the Mid-American Conference’s all-time leading receiver. His 306 career receptions are just 43 behind the NCAA record-holder, Ryan Broyles, who played four seasons at Oklahoma.
Page finished his career at Toledo with 3,446 yards and 25 touchdowns in addition to averaging 27.3 yards on 80 kickoff returns with five total return touchdowns. He was named first-team All-America after returning three kicks for touchdowns as a sophomore and ranking third in the country with a 31-yard kick return average.
He ranked second in the country last season with 125 catches and finished fifth in the nation as a sophomore with 99. During his first year as a wideout, Page finished 20th in the country with 82 catches. The former high school quarterback amassed more than 1,100 receiving yards in each of his three seasons as a Rocket.
Despite going undrafted, Page doesn’t regret his decision to leave school early to pursue his dream of playing in the NFL.
“I think everybody wants to be drafted,” he said. “That’s your goal when you come out of college. But I ended up in a good position. I was blessed by God to end up here and I’m happy.”
He has already opened some coaches’ eyes with his acrobatic catches and return ability in minicamps and OTAs.
Special Teams Coordinator Jeff Rodgers mentioned Page as a player who could have an immediate impact in the return game and Head Coach John Fox echoed that sentiment in a conference call with the team’s season ticket holders.
That’s a role that Page would embrace should he get that opportunity.
“I like special teams,” Page said. “I like kick return and punt return just because it’s another chance to get the ball in my hands. … We had a great kick return team at Toledo. They opened the holes and I just had the vision to follow what the coaches told me to do.”
Regardless of where the coaches want Page to play, the versatile player said that he’ll do his best to show that he has the skills to succeed.
“I’m willing to do anything,” he said. “If they want to put me at kick return or punt return, gunner, receiver – it doesn’t matter to me. I just want to play and that’s my goal.”
-Stuart Zaas
Tags: Eric Page
PUM PUM PUM
B-R-O-N-C-O-S BRONCOS BRONCOS BRONCOS!!!
One day closer to FOOTBALL!!!
Von Manning Football 2012!!! Superbowl Champions or Bust!!!
http://espn.go.com/blog/afcwest/post/_/id/45095/will-there-be-a-royal-revival-in-san-diego
SPLUH… Hate to read this… I miss Fast Eddie already (not to be confused with Easy Eddy Mac)!!! Hope you do well in 14 games this year and fake an injury for the two against us, cause we would have no choice but to put you in the dirt HARD!!! (Traitor!!!) Hate Hate Hate that he signed in SD… but still hope he does well
@tlcat06 says:
June 18, 2012 at 8:29 pm
FTR, I think we have a lot of really cool cats on our team… my sleeper is: Omar Bolden, cornerback
I liked this signing immediately! He has great returning skills. Also, the kid was a captain on his team even though he had to sit out with an injury his Senior year. I’m very intrigued by this kid and hope he shocks the world, much like Chris Harris did last season. Plus, he might have Champ Bailey talent and that’s tough to find anywhere:
Cat:
Thanks for your sleeper in Omar- I like him also! My pick is Ben Garland!
Hometown: Grand Junction, CO
High School: Central Height / Weight: 6-5 / 275
Position: DL
2008 (Junior) – Started every game at nose guard … recorded 39 total tackles, including 15 unassisted … fourth on the team with 7.5 tackles for loss for 28 yards … had 4.0 quarterback sacks for 17 yards … forced a fumble, the first of his career, vs. Southern Utah … four tackles, a TFL and a forced fumble vs. Utah … career-high two tackles for loss vs. UNLV … season-high, and matched career high, with seven tackles vs. Army … also had a sack … five tackles vs. CSU … pass breakup and 0.5 tackles for loss vs. BYU … two tackles and a sack at TCU … three tackles and a half-sack vs. Houston in the Armed Forces Bowl … enters the season with a streak of three straight games and four of the last five with a tackle for loss or a sack.
Ben Garland is a rookie defensive lineman from the Air Force Academy who joined the Broncos as a college free agent on April 30, 2010… Totaled 115 tackles (52 solo), 11.5 sacks (66 yds.), three forced fumbles and two blocked kicks in 39 career games (34 starts) for the Falcons… Opened all 13 contests as a senior and totaled 45 tackles (21 solo) and 4.5 sacks (30 yds.) to earn second-team All-Mountain West Conference honors from the league coaches… Started all 13 games at nose guard as a junior and placed fourth on Air Force with 7.5 tackles for a loss (28 yds.) while adding 39 total stops and four sacks… Played all 13 games (8 starts) as a sophomore and finished second among the team’s defensive linemen with 31 tackles (15 solo)… Played four games as a true freshman for the Falcons… Earned first-team all-state honors in football as a senior at Central High School in Grand Junction, Colo., and played one year of basketball at the school… Served as an element leader in Cadet Squadron 27 at Air Force… Majored in systems engineering management at Air Force… Ben Garland was born on April 6, 1988, in Grand Junction, Colo.
I Love Me Some Home Grown Boys!!!
FTR
B T What people don’t realize about the non-0standar oil currency is the economnic imopact it ewill have on the USA. Peoplew will be sayingf, Wow! Gas in only $7.00 asd gallon.
Show some love Broncos Country!!!
http://espn.go.com/blog/afcwest/post/_/id/44935/poll-peyton-mannings-health
Good Morning Broncos Country!
I don’t think we need to worry about any blog hitting over 1000 comments for a while………unless they don’t post a new one til training camp! LOL
Watched the video of Hargrove at the podium giving his speech. I found it interesting………I mean, he sounds very convinced he did no wrong. I think there’s more to both sides of the story that we’ll prob never fully know. Bottom line is that the NFL is gonna stick by its story and will not waiver from its punishment. I just find it hard to understand why players were suspended in all this……….if there’s no hard proof that money was accepted by a player, why are they being punished for going out there and playing the game the way they always do.
Still no Prater signing………………….sigh………..oh well, I keep telling myself that it’ll be any day now. They have until July 16th to get it done so I guess both sides aren’t overly urgent about it.
Sleeper Pick: Weber
Weber will be the number 2 guy with Oz number 3. Hanie will be cut. Weber has paid his dues on the practice squad and he will tear it up in training camp and in pre-season games to force Fox to name him the back-up QB. Os will come along nicely but nowhere near developed as Weber………..and Hanie is just a bad QB and will be disposible.
Kod, I think the commish is making a statement. This is probably happeninng in other organizations too and he wants it to stop. If the Saints hadn’t lied about the program in 2009 this wouldn’t be happening. Just MO though.
I like Weber, nice sleeper pick
Not that it’s ok, but some of these guys we involved in something and it bugs me that they’re denying it. At least own up to the part you had even if it’s smaller than the commish says.
I know this isnt Broncos related but WOW: http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d829fada5/article/percy-harvin-requests-a-trade-from-minnesota-vikings?module=HP11_breaking_news
I was not prepared for that… now do you think they will grant it and if so where does he go?
Yeah, it’s just a huge mess all around…………and one I’m so glad our Broncos have absolutely no part of. If this was an issue back in 09, then why is it all only blowing up now?
I can’t believe they’re not paying the man…………he’s a stud for them and highly underpaid. Would love to see a guy like that in orange and blue!
They investigated in 2009 but the stuff was hidden. Don’t worry they had bounties this year at least on Rodgers that we know about.
Kod, me too!!!!! He was the only.reason Minny had a chance to beat us, he destroyed us this season. I dont think we hve enough to trade… doubt they want DJ.
They can’t really afford to trade him. They don’t have any WR… maybe he’s doing this because they are ignoring him.
Geez, you’d think that after getting questioned on it back then they would’ve abandoned it permanantly and got rid of any evidence at that time. Oh well………….they have no one to blame but themselves and now their suffering the consequences.
This doesn’t suprise me coming from Minny………….they’ve done a horrible job running that organization in the past few years with the whole Farve thing………….to the McNabb thing, and now the way they’re handling this. Oh well………..glad it’s not our Broncos!
I hear Ocho talking in an interview that he’s getting back to being Chad Johnson. Does this mean he’s gonna change his name back officially too? It’s funny that ever since he’s changed his name, his stats have gone down. I’m surprised he hasn’t changed it back sooner. LOL
Kod, yes. I have a hard time feeling sorry for the Saints in anyway. Stupidity can come back to bite you in the butt!
I do think that Minny should have never hired Frazer. It’s a mess and I’m with you, glad it’s not us!
I think he will. Besides if hes not in Cincinnati it can’t be the same. This just goes to show you how complicated the Patriots playbook is and how somple Miamis is.
If he actually concentrated more on making his game better than all hijinks, he would prob be one of the games elite receivers………..but oh well………..glad he’s not part of the broncos!
No need for the blog killer anymore………………the blog is doing a fine job of that all on its own! lol
hey what do ya know, a new blog.