Posted August 9, 2005 1:12 a.m.

I am a big football fan, but like most people in the South I prefer college football to the NFL every day of the week, except Sunday. That being said, I still follow the NFL pretty closely and know enough to realize Marshall Faulk’s decreased role is because the Rams have a young, exciting back who at this point is simply better.

So you can imagine my excitement when fellow founding getoffus.com editor Kai Caddy called me up a few days ago to let me know the UCA Bears were bringing in none other than Stephen Jackson. (I was just playing with Goff. - Ed)

Of course, it only took me about .00002 seconds to realize that couldn’t be right.

And then it hit me it was Stephen Green.

The former Pulaski Academy standout and brother of Greg Wesley of the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs had been gone from UNC for months and the rumors of his next stop were all over the internet — and all over the state.

At one point Green was going to be reunited with high school teammate Matt Stoltz at Arkansas, then he was saying ?I Will? go to Arkansas State, and then he was going to carry on the family tradition as a UAPB Golden Lion.

The rumors circulated for awhile and eventually died off and I slowly lost interest. The next stop for Stephen Green had long since left my cache of curiosity.

And then when I least expected it, I got that call.

This has the potential to be a big, big acquisition for the Bears. This kid is no joke. He can play running back, wide receiver, safety or corner and probably play any of them pretty darn well. He’s got the pedigree, the stats, the scholarship offers and the physical makeup to lead one to believe you’re looking at a big-time player.

Coming out of high school he was a 4-star recruit and rated the No. 12 safety in the country by Scout.com, a well-respected internet recruiting service. There were only 15 4-star safeties in the entire nation coming out of high school in 2004, and Green was right there in the mix. And that’s coming off a senior season of 1,600+ rushing yards.

He is the type of player who can probably step in right away and make a difference. Getting a late start to camp might retard his progress slightly, and the Bears already have several capable defensive backs so it remains to be seen just what Green’s immediate impact will be but don’t be surprised if it’s significant. Of course, after sitting out a year maybe the guy’s rusty and it’ll take the better part of this season for him to get into the groove, but he’s got 4 years to play so UCA should reap the benefits for some time.

Either you’ve got the No. 12 safety in the country out there playing or the No. 12 safety in the country isn’t good enough to crack the rotation. That bodes well for the Bears either way.

What already speaks volumes about the returning talent is that Green will be lining up at cornerback, not safety, at UCA.

With Cory Cangelosi returning at one safety spot and Jasper Johnson at the other the Bears are absolutely loaded. For those who haven’t seen, Johnson is built better than a Greek God. He’s listed 14 pounds heavier than last year on the 2005 roster, and every ounce of it is rock solid muscle. Nobody other than maybe Jermain Taylor or Henry Briscoe want to mess with this cat. Not only is he Hercules back there, but he has plenty of speed and good hands (ask Harding). At 6-2, 210 lbs. Johnson is a virtual measurable clone of former Arkansas Razorback and current Seattle Seahawk headhunter Ken Hamlin, who is 6-2, 209. If Jasper can lay the wood like Mr. Hamlin that’s going to be bad news for Bears opponents.

Just like the news that Stephen Green will be roaming around back there with him.







		Posted August 9, 2005 1:12 a.m. I am a big football fan, but like most people in the South I prefer college football to the NFL every day of the week, except Sunday. That being said, I still follow the NFL pretty closely and know enough to realize Marshall Faulk’s decreased role is because the Rams have a young, exciting back who at this point is simply better. So you can imagine my excitement when fellow founding getoffus.com editor Kai Caddy called me up a few days ago to let me know the UCA Bears were bringing in none other than Stephen Jackson. (I was just playing with Goff. - Ed) Of course, it only took me about .00002 seconds to realize that couldn’t be right. And then it hit me it was Stephen Green. The former Pulaski Academy standout and brother of Greg Wesley of the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs had been gone from UNC for months and the rumors of his next stop were all over the internet — and all over the state. At one point Green was going to be reunited with high school teammate Matt Stoltz at Arkansas, then he was saying ?I Will? go to Arkansas State, and then he was going to carry on the family tradition as a UAPB Golden Lion. The rumors circulated for awhile and eventually died off and I slowly lost interest. The next stop for Stephen Green had long since left my cache of curiosity. And then when I least expected it, I got that call. This has the potential to be a big, big acquisition for the Bears. This kid is no joke. He can play running back, wide receiver, safety or corner and probably play any of them pretty darn well. He’s got the pedigree, the stats, the scholarship offers and the physical makeup to lead one to believe you’re looking at a big-time player. Coming out of high school he was a 4-star recruit and rated the No. 12 safety in the country by Scout.com, a well-respected internet recruiting service. There were only 15 4-star safeties in the entire nation coming out of high school in 2004, and Green was right there in the mix. And that’s coming off a senior season of 1,600+ rushing yards. He is the type of player who can probably step in right away and make a difference. Getting a late start to camp might retard his progress slightly, and the Bears already have several capable defensive backs so it remains to be seen just what Green’s immediate impact will be but don’t be surprised if it’s significant. Of course, after sitting out a year maybe the guy’s rusty and it’ll take the better part of this season for him to get into the groove, but he’s got 4 years to play so UCA should reap the benefits for some time. Either you’ve got the No. 12 safety in the country out there playing or the No. 12 safety in the country isn’t good enough to crack the rotation. That bodes well for the Bears either way. What already speaks volumes about the returning talent is that Green will be lining up at cornerback, not safety, at UCA. With Cory Cangelosi returning at one safety spot and Jasper Johnson at the other the Bears are absolutely loaded. For those who haven’t seen, Johnson is built better than a Greek God. He’s listed 14 pounds heavier than last year on the 2005 roster, and every ounce of it is rock solid muscle. Nobody other than maybe Jermain Taylor or Henry Briscoe want to mess with this cat. Not only is he Hercules back there, but he has plenty of speed and good hands (ask Harding). At 6-2, 210 lbs. Johnson is a virtual measurable clone of former Arkansas Razorback and current Seattle Seahawk headhunter Ken Hamlin, who is 6-2, 209. If Jasper can lay the wood like Mr. Hamlin that’s going to be bad news for Bears opponents. Just like the news that Stephen Green will be roaming around back there with him.