I had just put the kids to bed and was waiting for my wife to come home from work when I went on Facebook. Immediately, an instant chat came up. It was from Dudley Guice Jr., a wide receiver who had been with the Titans and the Blue Bombers of the CFL.
He pointed out we hadn’t talked in a while and asked how I was doing. I told him I was good, my latest book was selling well and that I had two more coming this year. Then I asked how he was doing. And he told me he had just signed a three-year deal with the Colts.
How I got to know Guice is sort of interesting. His was one of many names that came up when the Colts were working out draft-eligible players last year. I vaguely remembered seeing him at the Texas vs. The Nation Game – an exhibition bowl for small-school players that also featured future Colts Curtis Painter, Drew Willy, John Matthews and Adrian Grady. In that game, he was thrown to six times, and caught five for 70 yards and a touchdown. But what really stood out was his size – he looked much bigger than the other wideouts and the defensive backs covering him.
So I looked at his stats, his bio and what video I could get my hands on. He was very productive at Northwestern State in Louisiana as a receiver, runner and return man. Nobody had anything but good to say about him. He graduated Magna Cum Laude with a 3.60 GPA and started taking classes towards his master’s degree. He had even turned down an internship with the FBI to play ball. His pro day numbers were off the chart. He measured in at 6024/209. He ran 1.49 (10), 2.58 (20) and 4.40 (40). He benched 12 times, leapt 39.0 inches up and 10’5 across. The shuttle took him 4.01 and the cone drill 6.61. Oh, and he did a ton of charity work, especially after Hurricane Katrina ripped up the South.
So I got in touch with him. Turned out he was a great guy. I interviewed him for my on-again, off-again blog and made him a Facebook friend.
He didn’t get drafted, but signed with the Titans. As is typical of NFL teams with a weak spot – as with Tennessee’s wide receivers – they brought in a million guys in to compete for few spots. Guice was cut. Rather than stay on a practice squad, he signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the CFL. It was too late in their season for him to make much of a splash (6-76-0 receiving with different rules and a different ball). But it was interesting to see him deal with the Winnipeg winter – he is originally from Mississippi and Winnipeg is north of North Dakota.
So we stayed in touch, and yesterday he told me he was finally – as I predicted long ago – a Colt. It’s hard to say what exactly his potential is, but I can say the Colts have done great things with lesser players. He’s still raw, but definitely has the tools and is a quick learner. I see him opening camp next year as a back-up on the outside.
College stats
2008: 35-606-5 receiving (missed three of 12 games due to injury)
2007: 28-430-4 receiving, 11-84-2 rushing, 11-182-0 kick returns
2006: 14-138-2 receiving
2005: 1-39-0 receiving
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