THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, October 18, 1996 TAG: 9610180733
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: JAMES C. BLACK, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 116 lines
A selfish play from an unselfish player. New York Giants rookie safety Percy Ellsworth was just trying his best to help the team.
In Sunday's loss to Philadelphia, Eagles wide receiver Irving Fryar made a leaping one-hand grab down the middle in front of Ellsworth.
``If he went up to the receiver and made the hit, the play would not have happened,'' Giants defensive backs coach Zaven Yaralian said of the sequence. ``He thought it would be tipped and he could make the interception.''
Ellsworth said he was trying to make the best of the situation.
``I was playing the tip,'' said the former Southampton High and Virginia standout. ``Instead of making the hit, I was trying to get the team a turnover.''
Yet, if the third weekend of April - the NFL draft - was any indication, Ellsworth would not have had a chance to make a play at all. Ellsworth, an Associated Press second-team All-American last season, was not drafted.
``I know the Giants received a very good break,'' Ellsworth's high school basketball and assistant football coach Randy Jessee said. ``They received someone that will help them down the line.
``The way that he has stepped up and is playing now says there was probably a mistake in the draft proceedings.''
To this day, no one has explained to Ellsworth, who signed a one-year deal as a free agent, why he was overlooked in April.
``It's not like it was haunting me but I would like to know the reason,'' said Ellsworth, who turns 22 on Saturday. ``There are 30 teams.''
The usual suspects - speed, size and injuries - did not appear to be serious issues.
Ellsworth ran 4.51 in the 40-meter sprint for the scouts; he's 6-foot-2 with a 39-inch vertical; and went to camp weighing 199 pounds. He has since bulked up to 215.
He suffered shoulder injuries early on in college but did not miss any games his final two seasons. So just what was the problem?
Apparently, the Drewryville native simply did not command the pro teams' attention.
``Basically, a lot of guys get overlooked in the draft,'' Washington Redskins wide receivers coach Terry Robiskie said, ``but with hard work and listening to coaches, you can improve a lot.''
Yaralian had a list of 10 players that he studied. Ellsworth was not one of them.
Conrad Hamilton, a seventh round pick from Eastern New Mexico, was New York's only defensive back selection.
Also selected during the weekend were five defensive backs from four other ACC schools.
``I thought my numbers were comparable if not better,'' Ellsworth said.
Round by round, the former conference foes got their calls. Clemson's Brian Dawkins to Philadelphia and Leomont Evans to Washington;, Georgia Tech's Ryan Stewart to the Detroit Lions; Duke's Ray Farmer to Philadelphia; and North Carolina's Sean Boyd to the Minnesota Vikings.
Interestingly, in a four-game stretch that ends next week against the Lions, the Giants play the four teams that drafted the other five ACC defensive backs.
``My senior year, I was all-ACC,'' Ellsworth said. ``I thought people would look at that.''
Apparently not.
Yet, as proven by non-drafted Dallas offensive linemen Nate Newton and Mark Tuinei, the draft process has its cracks. And the process of Ellsworth getting by the system was a unique one.
Joe Skiba, a locker room assistant for the Giants, was familiar with Ellsworth. He had previously read about the safety in several college magazines. So one day before the rookie camp, he simple asked Yaralian if he knew Ellsworth.
``We were just watching game film and he had never heard of him,'' said Skiba, a junior at William Paterson (N.J.) College.
Shortly after, Ellsworth was informed by agent Tony Agnone that he was headed for the Giants' rookie camp.
Yaralian was impressed once Ellsworth got there.
``During practice, he was always around the football making interceptions and being in the middle of the play,'' Yaralian said. ``He gives us size and depth at the safety position. He's a big kid and he can move.''
The Giants biggest concern was Ellsworth's foot movement.
``He could cover ground but his footwork wasn't there,'' said Yaralian.
As had been his trademark through high school and college, Ellsworth worked hard, improved and earned a spot on the team's inactive roster.
``If you showed him a tape on what he had to work on, he could see it and say `I got it' and he would do it,'' Virginia defensive backs coach Art Markos said. ``It didn't take him very long to pick up what he had to do.''
His first NFL regular-season appearance came against the Washington Redskins - his family's favorite team.
``It really meant something,'' Ellsworth said. ``I really wanted to be out there and play because I feel I can make a difference.''
Two weeks later, he got his first start against Minnesota in place of the injured Tito Wooten.
Ellsworth was relatively cool the night before the Vikings game.
``I talked to him the night before. ... He was very upbeat and looking forward to the challenge,'' Jessee said.
Skiba, on the other hand, was a mess. He worried that if Ellsworth got burned for a couple of touchdowns, Skiba would never hear the end of it.
No need to worry though. Ellsworth went out and did what got him so much attention at Virginia. He got an interception - off of his idol Warren Moon, nonetheless. Yet, the dream was too good to be true. The pick was called back because of a penalty.
However, the Giants (2-4) left the Meadowlands with a victory while sending Minnesota away with its first defeat.
On the season, Ellsworth has yet to make an interception that counted. He's been in on 17 tackles. And regardless of what happens in New York's remaining nine games, no numbers will define the success of his rookie season.
``The only thing that could make this a great rookie season is if we win the Super Bowl,'' Ellsworth said.
But after talking about the playoffs and then reflecting, Ellsworth added, ``If I can make the Pro Bowl, that wouldn't be bad either but I have to be realistic.''
And just how realistic is it for an undrafted rookie to be starting at a primary skilled position? In Ellsworth's case, very. ILLUSTRATION: ASSOCIATED PRESS photo
Giants safety Percy Ellsworth: ``The only thing that could make this
a great rookie season is if we win the Super Bowl.'' by CNB