Pro. Brandon Stokley

[PantherCanada]

Originally posted by BabbForHeisman
How about Carolina...I heard he was thinking about signing there last time when he ended up with the Colts. Can you imagine Jake throwing to Brandon and Steve Smith, with Muhsin Muhammed as a solid #3 guy?

Nice... we'll take him! And don't forget Keary Colbert - that would be great.

So how did a guy from Virginia end up playing for ULL anyway?

[PantherCanada]

Well, I suppose I answered my own question now, of course his dad coached so probably moved there when he got the job.......

[Cajun1997]

did not know Brandon was born in Blacksburg, VA. I did a google search on Nelson looking to see if I could find anything on his coaching history at other schools, did not find anything yet but did find this of interest

LINK

[Turbine]

Originally posted by SwampHound
did not know Brandon was born in Blacksburg, VA. I did a google search on Nelson looking to see if I could find anything on his coaching history at other schools, did not find anything yet but did find this of interest

LINK

Great find, it seems only the beginning was different from what I copied below.

https://forumeus.com/sh...&threadid=2099

I'm glad you found it, because the old link is dead.

After a bunch of waffling I am of the opinion that coaches should never coach their sons, or the sons of their bosses. It is a death knell.

[RaisingCajun08]

Originally posted by BabbForHeisman

How about Carolina...I heard he was thinking about signing there last time when he ended up with the Colts. Can you imagine Jake throwing to Brandon and Steve Smith, with Muhsin Muhammed as a solid #3 guy?

I would love to see Brandon in Carolina. But if he was there I think he would be the #3 receiver.

Either way Brandon would be in a situation that does nothing but favor him. He is playing the on the side of 2 of the best receivers in the AFC. If he would play with Carolina, he would be playing with 2 of the better receivers in the NFC.

[RaginFan2]

Originally posted by SwampHound
did not know Brandon was born in Blacksburg, VA. I did a google search on Nelson looking to see if I could find anything on his coaching history at other schools, did not find anything yet but did find this of interest

LINK

Yeah, Nelson coached at VA Tech for a short period prior to going to Clemson.

Originally posted by PantherCanada
Well, I suppose I answered my own question now, of course his dad coached so probably moved there when he got the job.......

Brandon's dad, Nelson, was from Crowley, LA and played QB for LSU. He came to UL after a stint as OC at Clemson, including their National Championship year. Brandon went to HS in Lafayette (Comeaux HS). He did not attract much interest coming out of HS. Not sure if that was due to his dad being the head coach of the Ragin' Cajuns or not.

[Clutch0364]

He only played football his SR year in high school. I believe he played basketball before that but he still holds every receiving record at Comeaux.

[damaster]

Its really nice to see someone make it big like brandon , the guy can play

[NewsCopy]

Peyton Manning knew long ago that former Raven receiver Brandon Stokley would fit in perfectly with the Colts

It began as a hunch, a suspicion that the scrawny but fast white kid on the other end of hundreds of his spirals might be special.

Given his brilliance this season, it's clear Peyton Manning is a passing savant. But even back then, when he was an All-America quarterback at the University of Tennessee, during the early years of his family's summer football camp, there was ample evidence of his acumen.

And he sensed something in that kid, Brandon Stokley, a wide receiver who was toiling at the University of Southwestern Louisiana, a former Division I-A in-dependent so obscure it now goes by the name University of Louisiana-Lafayette and belongs to the Sun Belt Conference.

Their chemistry, their rapport was too much to ignore.

"I remember just when he was in college, I was thinking it would be great to play with a guy like that," said Manning. "He and I, for whatever reason, just have no trouble developing timing."

It would have to wait, though.

Manning was the No.1 draft choice overall in 1998 by the Indianapolis Colts, embarking on a career that might ultimately result in an induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

As for Stokley, the beginning wasn't as promising. Despite finishing his college career with every receiving record in school history, he couldn't shake the small-school stigma.

Stokley, 5-foot-11 and 197 pounds, was selected in the fourth round of the 1999 draft by the Baltimore Ravens, who were intrigued by his speed, his toughness and his pedigree — his father, Nelson, was a former quarterback at LSU and coached Stokley at USL.

It seemed like a perfect fit — a team desperate for playmakers and production, perhaps not in that order, adding someone capable of both in one draft pick — but it never quite meshed.

In four seasons in Baltimore, Stokley managed just 60 receptions for 913 yards and seven touchdowns. He was active in only 33 of 64 games, starting 11. There were highs, such as blowing past New York's Jason Sehorn for a 38-yard touchdown in the Ravens' 34-7 victory in Super Bowl XXXV, but those were always overshadowed by the lows, specifically all of his injuries.

The rest of the story
By JEFFREY MARTIN
Daily Record/Sunday News

Reach Jeffrey Martin at 771-2080
jmartin@ydr.com

[NewsCopy]

OWINGS MILLS -- Brandon Stokley built a reputation in Baltimore defined by extremes.

He was known as the deceptively fast, glue-fingered wide receiver who burned New York Giants cornerback Jason Sehorn for a deep touchdown to ignite the Ravens' Super Bowl XXXV rout.

However, Stokley also became a fixture on the injury report. He was constantly sidelined with a variety of ailments that frustrated him to no end and eventually spelled his exit out of town and a modest contract with the Indianapolis Colts.

Healthy after spending four years in the Ravens' training room, Stokley has emerged as a critical, complementary cog in the Colts' offensive machine. He has posted a career-high 58 catches for 936 yards and nine touchdowns for the top-ranked passing game in the league.

"Finally, I can go out there and show my ability, show that I belong here," said Stokley, listed as questionable with a mild groin injury but slated to start Sunday against Baltimore. "I think being healthy, I can show everybody what I can do."

Now, Stokley in the slot is a popular destination for quarterback Peyton Manning's precision spirals.
He has registered 46 first downs, and has made double-teaming Marvin Harrison an ill-advised choice as Indianapolis has averaged an NFL-high 34.9 points per contest.

"When I got to the Colts, I remember saying Brandon Stokley would be the ultimate slot receiver in this offense," said Manning, who spent the past decade throwing to Stokley at the Manning family's football camp in Louisiana. "He's just been a perfect fit for our offense. He and I, for whatever reason just have no trouble developing timing.

"It's been a very easy transition. I've known Brandon for a long time and have always had a great relationship with him."

Stokley was always viewed as highly capable by the Ravens' coaching staff and scouts after being drafted in the fourth round in 1999 out of Southwestern Louisiana.

He just couldn't be counted on because of his iffy health, and was limited to 60 receptions in four seasons.

Ultimately, the Ravens declined to offer more than a one-year veteran minimum contract and Stokley departed.

"Obviously that was the issue here, he clearly had a injury history," Ravens coach Brian Billick said. "Brandon is a great young man and I'm thrilled that he has stayed healthy and is doing so well over there."

The rest of the story

Aaron Wilson
Scout.com
Carroll County Times
Westminster Maryland