DMN: Cowboys' Stanbeck Has Promise To Keep
By CALVIN WATKINS / The Dallas Morning News
cwatkins@dallasnews.com
IRVING – Isaiah Stanback came home to Seattle after rehabbing his right foot and talking to NFL teams across the country.
Stanback wanted to see the man to whom he made three promises to: his grandfather.
Robert T. Williams was dying, and Stanback knew he had to hurry. He had fulfilled promises to play college football for Washington and graduate with degrees in marketing and American ethnic studies.
Williams died before he could see the final promise – Stanback playing in the NFL.
Stanback, a quarterback/wide receiver, was drafted by the Cowboys in the fourth round on April 29, less than a week after his 81-year-old grandfather passed away from an undisclosed illness.
"I prayed he would see me in a college game and get drafted by an NFL team," Stanback said from his Seattle home earlier this week. "But I guess he'll see me from a better place."
Stanback is a quarterback whom the Cowboys are trying to convert into a wide receiver/punt returner.
The easy part is moving Stanback to receiver, a position he played some at Washington.
Dallas called the Washington coaches asking for videotape of Stanback returning kicks. Sure, they said. Stanback had returned kickoffs, but never a punt. Not even in high school.
Nevertheless, the Cowboys believe he has the tools to make the transition. Patrick Crayton, the Cowboys' seventh-round pick in 2004, moved from quarterback to wide receiver, and he's No. 3 on the depth chart.
"[Stanback is] an outstanding individual," Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said. "His intangibles are great. He's smart, athletic and willing to do whatever you want to do."
What makes things interesting is Stanback is trying to recover from a severe right foot injury suffered in a loss to Oregon State on Oct. 14. Doctors told him recovery time was between eight to 12 months. Stanback got his protective boot off in March. He said he's not sure what he can do in this week's minicamp but his goal is to be ready for the season, he said.
Stanback said he can do some cutting and running but he isn't 100 percent. And he isn't feeling sorry for himself, because he feels the injury to his Lisfranc joint was a blessing.
When Stanback went down, backup Carl Bonnell took over for Washington. When Bonnell was injured, it moved third-stringer Johnny DuRocher into the lineup. After DuRocher suffered a concussion, doctors performed tests and discovered he had a brain tumor, ending his career.
"At first, I was, 'Why is this happening to me,' " Stanback said. "But after seeing what happened to the other quarterbacks, I never questioned God's plan. I felt if I didn't get hurt we would never have known about Johnny. It made it a lot easier to deal with."
For most of his athletic life, Stanback has dealt with what people said he couldn't do.
He was a quarterback in high school and signed to play at Washington with the hope of playing quarterback. However, once with the Huskies, he juggled positions to help the team.
He played receiver, but the bulk of the time was at quarterback. Then there was last season. His team was 4-2 until he was injured making a cut. He underwent season-ending surgery Oct. 17.
"A lot of kids have those type of injuries," Washington offensive coordinator Tim Lappano said. "I was devastated [because] he was 90 percent of our offense when that happened."
Stanback said he enjoyed his time at Washington, despite three head coaches as well as fan and media pressures to succeed.
He sought ex-Washington quarterback Warren Moon, a Pro Football Hall of Famer, for advice.
"I learned a lot from him, and he helped me get through all the changes at Washington," Stanback said.
Said Lappano: "He's fought his whole career here. He's a tough kid, a fighter that's not going to let anything bother him."
Now Stanback is in Dallas, where the team hopes he can excel. Early in the draft, the Cowboys wanted to pick a receiver. They instead went with defense and offensive line in their first two picks.
With their third pick, the Cowboys selected Stanback.
The team was done looking for wide receivers because it found its man. Stanback hopes so, because he has a promise to keep.
"He's not advanced, but sometimes you have to go on ability," Phillips said. "We think he has a chance to be an impact player."
cwatkins@dallasnews.com
IRVING – Isaiah Stanback came home to Seattle after rehabbing his right foot and talking to NFL teams across the country.
Stanback wanted to see the man to whom he made three promises to: his grandfather.
Robert T. Williams was dying, and Stanback knew he had to hurry. He had fulfilled promises to play college football for Washington and graduate with degrees in marketing and American ethnic studies.
Williams died before he could see the final promise – Stanback playing in the NFL.
Stanback, a quarterback/wide receiver, was drafted by the Cowboys in the fourth round on April 29, less than a week after his 81-year-old grandfather passed away from an undisclosed illness.
"I prayed he would see me in a college game and get drafted by an NFL team," Stanback said from his Seattle home earlier this week. "But I guess he'll see me from a better place."
Stanback is a quarterback whom the Cowboys are trying to convert into a wide receiver/punt returner.
The easy part is moving Stanback to receiver, a position he played some at Washington.
Dallas called the Washington coaches asking for videotape of Stanback returning kicks. Sure, they said. Stanback had returned kickoffs, but never a punt. Not even in high school.
Nevertheless, the Cowboys believe he has the tools to make the transition. Patrick Crayton, the Cowboys' seventh-round pick in 2004, moved from quarterback to wide receiver, and he's No. 3 on the depth chart.
"[Stanback is] an outstanding individual," Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said. "His intangibles are great. He's smart, athletic and willing to do whatever you want to do."
What makes things interesting is Stanback is trying to recover from a severe right foot injury suffered in a loss to Oregon State on Oct. 14. Doctors told him recovery time was between eight to 12 months. Stanback got his protective boot off in March. He said he's not sure what he can do in this week's minicamp but his goal is to be ready for the season, he said.
Stanback said he can do some cutting and running but he isn't 100 percent. And he isn't feeling sorry for himself, because he feels the injury to his Lisfranc joint was a blessing.
When Stanback went down, backup Carl Bonnell took over for Washington. When Bonnell was injured, it moved third-stringer Johnny DuRocher into the lineup. After DuRocher suffered a concussion, doctors performed tests and discovered he had a brain tumor, ending his career.
"At first, I was, 'Why is this happening to me,' " Stanback said. "But after seeing what happened to the other quarterbacks, I never questioned God's plan. I felt if I didn't get hurt we would never have known about Johnny. It made it a lot easier to deal with."
For most of his athletic life, Stanback has dealt with what people said he couldn't do.
He was a quarterback in high school and signed to play at Washington with the hope of playing quarterback. However, once with the Huskies, he juggled positions to help the team.
He played receiver, but the bulk of the time was at quarterback. Then there was last season. His team was 4-2 until he was injured making a cut. He underwent season-ending surgery Oct. 17.
"A lot of kids have those type of injuries," Washington offensive coordinator Tim Lappano said. "I was devastated [because] he was 90 percent of our offense when that happened."
Stanback said he enjoyed his time at Washington, despite three head coaches as well as fan and media pressures to succeed.
He sought ex-Washington quarterback Warren Moon, a Pro Football Hall of Famer, for advice.
"I learned a lot from him, and he helped me get through all the changes at Washington," Stanback said.
Said Lappano: "He's fought his whole career here. He's a tough kid, a fighter that's not going to let anything bother him."
Now Stanback is in Dallas, where the team hopes he can excel. Early in the draft, the Cowboys wanted to pick a receiver. They instead went with defense and offensive line in their first two picks.
With their third pick, the Cowboys selected Stanback.
The team was done looking for wide receivers because it found its man. Stanback hopes so, because he has a promise to keep.
"He's not advanced, but sometimes you have to go on ability," Phillips said. "We think he has a chance to be an impact player."
posted by The Gryphon at 5:15 PM
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