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Jerry Winkler, someone who came to this site looking for a little more information on Tuff Harris, had this to say about the former Griz standout.

I attended the Tennessee Titans final open practice yesterday and came back to do some research on the new guy - Tuff Harris that was signed on Tuesday.  Head Coach Jeff Fisher spent quite a bit of one on one time with Tuff during practice - and he looked decent during drills.  Could very well see him in action vs Atlanta this weekend.

He was 3rd string DB in drills, but 2nd string on returning punts and kicks.

Harris' interaction with Jeff Fisher, whose son Brandon plays for the Griz, shouldn't come as much of a surprise as most Griz fans already assumed he had a large hand in the signing.

The Titans play the Falcons tomorrow night at 5:30 Mountain Time. If you're a Griz fan with the NFL Network, you can see the game at 7:00 AM on Saturday. Yes it's early but it's a rare opportunity to watch two former Griz play in the same NFL game.

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Watching preseason football is usually a horrendous experience. The stars don't play much and hardly try. However, if you're patient and interested in watching someone who isn't a star -- say, former Griz Tuff Harris -- then you might see some effort.


Photo from last night's game against the Buccaneers.

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As it turns out, some NFL GMs were in the market for a scaled back version of JaMarcus Russell. While Russell was probably recovering from a night out spending his Under Armor endorsement money and making it rain, Swogger spent the day sitting and staring at that ESPN draft frame before signing as an undrafted free agent with the Kansas City Chiefs.

It was a tough draft for quarterbacks as even the one who led his team to a National Championship didn't hear his name called so it was somewhat expected that we weren't going to hear the Griz QB mentioned in the later rounds. This may turn out alright for him as he's going to a pretty good situation; well, at least it's a good situation for  a backup quarterback who's trying to secure a job

Griz defensive back and returnman extraordinaire — hey, he just signed with an NFL team, ridiculous cliche superlatives are fine  — Tuff Harris signed with the Miami Dolphins.

“They'd seen film, and they came and visited last spring,” Harris said. “They have good corners, but they're all young - nobody over two years, I guess. He (Miami secondary coach Mel Phillips) said it's a good opportunity, a good chance to compete.”

The kicking game could be a factor for Harris. Miami's first-round pick, receiver and return man extraordinaire Ted Ginn, Jr., out of Ohio State, is nursing a sprained foot.

“He has an injury and probably won't be doing anything until two months from now,” said Harris, who averaged 14.5 yards per punt return with two touchdowns last fall. “They also mentioned (returning) which is good. I kind of like doing that.”

The only question is, which one of these guys is going to really get lit up first? We all saw what happened to Trent Green last year and God only knows what a training camp punt coverage team — filled with guys trying to earn a job too — will be thinking when they see the undrafted 6' sub 200 lb kid from the boonies head back to field a kick.

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"Who will cover 85 in 2005?" That was the title of a checklist created by Chad Johnson, wide reciever for the Cincinnati Bengals of the NFL. Elon Paige did the same.

Paige, a second year 6'4" 190 lb receiver for Sacramento State, posted his list on the mass media pulpit that is his own Myspace Blog (link is down, Elon decided to make his blog private, guess it was too much attention) Here is an excerpt and his list of "future victims" for the Griz:

Therr are three things in life that are certain: death, taxes, and that 19 will always be open.

This is the exclusive list of future victims for 2006 (playmakers in bold):
...
University of Montana
S ..17 Van Cooper Jr. 6-2 215 Sr.
S ..27 Matt Lesbock 5-11 190 Sr.
CB ..18 Jimmy Wilson 6-0 180 Jr.
CB ..13 Tuff Harris 6-0 195 Sr.

I did my best to find numbers on this guy but I really don't think there are any. From what I found, he got in two games last year and didn't do a thing. He may or may not have returned a kickoff for 10 yards while getting blown out by Cal, but that information varies between two sites.  In high school, Paige was named All Delta League after catching 17 passes for 301 yards for Laguna Creek High School of Clovis, California.

Paige does come from a great pedigree as his father Stephone Paige played nine seasons with Kansas City Chiefs and brother, Stephone II, played two seasons for Hornets.

I'll give Paige the benefit of the doubt, maybe he is always open but never gets thrown to. Confidence (see his post about it) is great for a young receiver, but this may be a step too far. Even so, he's a player I'll keep my eye on.

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