NFL Hopefuls Play to Impress in East-West Shrine Game

ORLANDO -- John Estes has discovered potentially the quickest path from Hawaii to the NFL included a week layover in Florida.

Estes, a center from the University of Hawaii, isn't a household name. He lacks size and, while technically sound, isn't outstanding in any one area. In fact, NFL scouts were not surprised when Estes had the shortest arm length among offensive linemen on his West team.

Regardless of measurements, background or position, Estes was one of many players with plenty to prove here in Saturday's East-West Shrine game, a showcase for college football All-Stars looking to boost their profiles for the NFL Draft.

"It was unbelievable just seeing all the talent around me," said Estes, who started all 41 games at college.

"I wanted to prove that I can play with bigger players. It's always been the knock on me playing in the WAC that I don't really see top-notch talent, I really don't go against the best and we'll see how Estes does at the Shrine game and see if he can block bigger, stronger guys.

"I am a hard worker; I felt like I did that all week pretty well."

It was an important step for Estes and all the players involved, despite the overall streaky but spunky play in the East's 13-10 comeback victory.

Northwestern quarterback Mike Kafka threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Penn State tight end Andrew Quarless in the closing seconds to seal the win in the Citrus Bowl. While the lack of pure drama mattered little, it was the effort -- and the support for the beneficiary of the game, Shriners Hospitals for Children -- that counted most.

"There are no losers in this game, none at all," said East head coach Romeo Crennel, defensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs.

"Today's game showed how close games can be. There's a thin line between winning and losing and a lot of times there's a thin line in life between making the right decision and the wrong decision."

"There are no losers in this game, none
at all."
-- East head coach Romeo Crennel For the first time this city hosted the nation's oldest senior All-Star game, played every year since 1925. It's also the first of two All-Star games, followed by the more prestigious -- at least in player name recognition -- Senior Bowl next week in Mobile, Ala.

Both are regarded as important interviews and auditions for players looking to impress. In April 2009, 90 percent of players from the East-West Shrine game were either drafted or signed as free agents by NFL teams.

"The thing that I found so enjoyable -- and I guess I shouldn't have been surprised -- is that they hang on every word," West head coach Marty Schottenheimer said.

"They are trying to get every small amount of information from you that they can. You have to keep working to find different ways to get the message across. I am looking at this thing like a fan. That was a terrific football game."

All 32 teams had scouts in attendance Saturday, including several general managers and head coaches. They had plenty to critique in a game played before a small but appreciative crowd of 8,345 and in sunny, 80-degree weather. The game also was televised on ESPN2.

"All-Star games are vital to our clubs," said Ron Hill, vice president of football operations for the NFL. "Scouts get a week to look at and visit with the players and see how they react in a different setting."

Doug Williams, director of pro personnel for the Tampa Bay Bucs, played in the 1997 East-West Shrine game and is a member of its Hall of Fame. Williams starred at Grambling State University and understands firsthand the importance of the Shrine game.

"Coming from a small school, the game was a stage for me, an opportunity to show what I could do," said Williams, a first-round draft pick of the Bucs in 1978 and, to date, the only African-American to win a Super Bowl as a starting quarterback -- he led the Washington Redskins past the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXII.

The Shrine game provides that same opportunity more than three decades later. Josh Johnson, the game's 2008 Offensive MVP, is now a quarterback for the Bucs.

Earlier in the week, former NFL coach Tony Dungy urged players to try to savor and enjoy this moment in their careers.

"They can make lifelong friends here," said Dungy, who played in the 1977 Shrine game and became the first African-American head coach to win the Super Bowl when his Indianapolis Colts defeated the Chicago Bears on Feb. 4, 2007.

"Go out and have fun. I know they're trying to impress people. I saw plenty of pro scouts, but there will be plenty of time for that. They just need to enjoy the week and have fun during the game."

Hometown Central Florida senior defensive tackle Torrell Troup was one of four players from in-state schools represented on the East Team. UCLA had the most players appearing the game, with four of them earning spots on the West team.

Nearly 30 players from the non-automatic qualifying schools participated. The West team had the biggest non-AQ influence with 18 players, including 13 players from the Mountain West Conference.

Among the other notable players included quarterbacks Todd Reesing of Kansas and Daryll Clark of Penn State; defensive linemen Greg Hardy of Mississippi, Lindsey Witten of Connecticut and Willie Young of North Carolina State; safety Kam Chancellor of Virginia Tech; and tight end Dennis Pitta of BYU.

This game wasn't filled with first-round picks and draft-day locks. The players making up the rosters are mostly on the cusp of being drafted or looking to move up from their current projections.

The game's top honors had a Big Ten flavor.

Kafka, who closed his career with a flourish when he threw for a school-record 532 yards in Northwestern's 38-35 overtime loss to Auburn in the 2010 Outback Bowl an hour or so West on I-4 in Tampa, was named the Offensive MVP. He completed 18 of 27 passes for 150 yards after struggling early underneath center -- he played in the shotgun formation in college.

Wisconsin's O'Brien Schofield, a defensive end for the Badgers, was converted to linebacker when he arrived at practice and earned Defensive MVP honors.

Even the turf held up in this old city-owned stadium.

Orlando and the Citrus Bowl were ridiculed for poor field conditions during the Champs Sports Bowl and Capital One Bowl after a cold snap before the games earlier this month prevented new grass on the field from taking properly.

The grass was replaced ahead of the Shrine Game to the tune of $35,000, and this time city leaders said they were confident the field would hold up better.

Of course, the game represents far more than football.

Proceeds from the game -- estimated in upwards to one million dollars -- will benefit the Shriners Hospitals for Children, an international pediatric specialty health care system.

Players earlier in the week visited Shriners Hospitals for Children in Tampa, giving them an opportunity to witness first-hand the mission they are supporting by playing in the game.

The game's for a great cause.

It's also a great chance for players such as Estes to impress and find the quickest path to the NFL.