Jessie Newman

[NewsCopy]

That breeze motorists felt while creeping through 5 o'clock traffic on Congress Street on Wednesday was a sigh of relief from Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns.

The MRI on offensive tackle Jesse Newman's right knee revealed a sprain, a diagnosis far better than the worst fears raised when he was felled in last Saturday's scrimmage.

Newman wasn't in action in Wednesday's final preseason scrimmage, and he will be held out of the Sept. 3 season opener at Texas, but he is expected to return to action for the Cajuns before long.

"Jesse Newman is a good player, and a young player," offensive line coach Ron Hudson said of the sophomore standout. "He is a valuable part of our team. You never know 'til you get the pictures back what you're going to find. Some guys are more flexible than others. It's good for us to know, and it's really good for him to know how serious it is.

"He will be back in the lineup. In the meantime, it gives us a chance to work other guys in there."

Hudson will continue patching together his offensive line, but injuries in that unit have at least enabled the Cajuns to discover new faces.

"We're going through growing pains," Hudson acknowledged after the scrimmage. "As an offense, and on the whole unit, we've been rolling guys in and out of there. That can affect you a little bit.

"But when someone goes down and we're moving guys around, you find out who wants to play. They go out and get the opportunity to show what they can do. They want the chance to earn playing time.

The rest of the story

Bruce Brown
bbrown@theadvertiser.com

[lxa656]

Does anyone else feel like you can just breathe better! Whew!

[NewsCopy]

VANCOUVER -- Leo Blanchard is an unlikely story himself, an Edmonton kid who never played football in high school but later developed into a two-time CFL all-star and a five-time Grey Cup champion. Yet the former Edmonton Eskimo offensive lineman believes that Jesse Newman's road to the CFL is even more implausible. Newman's former offensive line coach with the junior Victoria Rebels, Blanchard frankly is mystified that his former charge has turned into a pro prospect. Though Newman wasn't selected in the two-day NFL draft that ended Sunday, the left tackle from Powell River, B.C., by way of Louisiana-Lafayette is a possibly first-round pick in Wednesday's CFL Canadian college draft. B.C. Lions, with the No. 6 pick in the first round, are serious about obtaining more offensive line depth. And it would shock no one if Newman is their man, though 2008 could be one of most fluid drafts in recent memory. "I'm quite shocked that he (Newman) ended up in the NCAA and did so well," Blanchard admits. "To be able to go to a major American college, especially coming from where he did, it just blows me away. For a guy who never showed anything to end up playing there is pretty significant." The rest of the story Vancouver Sun

Illness keeps offensive lineman from National Football League Several years ago Jesse Newman decided he would do whatever it took to get into professional football. He left his home in Powell River to pursue his dream and eventually was successful in obtaining a scholarship in the United States. The 6-4, 310 pound 25-year-old has played four years for the University of Louisiana Ragin Cajuns on the offensive line and in two weeks will graduate with a exercise science degree. Last weekend Newman and his teammates anxiously watched the two-day National Football League draft for which he was eligible but had a slim chance after suffering from mononucleosis over the Christmas break in Powell River. There wasn't enough time for him to overcome the resulting weakness before his evaluation and subsequently came up short in his performance for recruiters. The rest of the story

[snote]

third player picked.. Calgary

[BeauCajun]

_ third player picked.. Calgary _

WOW. That's great.

[RaginDave]

Hopefully a couple of years in the CFL and he will be NFL bound.

[snote]

Hopefully a couple of years in the C.F.L. and he will be NFL bound.

yeah, if that's his hope, i got no problem w/that

ps. did you hear rebowe today ?

pss, (anybody?)

[Turbine]

_ yeah, if that's his hope, i got no problem w/that

ps. did you hear rebowe today ?

pss, (anybody?) _

Rebowe, like me . . . gets all his Sports of Note from The Sports Note.

He even found out where Jesse Newman was drafted through The Sports Note

[Pirogue]

_ Rebowe, like me . . . gets all his Sports of Note from The Sports Note.

He even found out where Jesse Newman was drafted through The Sports Note _

aNY OTHER cAJUN hOSERS TAKE OFF?
EH?

[Just1More]

_ Hopefully a couple of years in the C.F.L. and he will be NFL bound. _

That could happen. Either way, congrats to Jesse.

[NewsCopy]

Jesse Newman was so close he could smell the sweat, feel the impact. With any luck, the injured Calgary Stampeders rookie offensive lineman soon will be able to do a little grunting and groaning of his own, but just inching closer to the real thing Tuesday felt real good. "Just being able to put my helmet on today felt great," the 25-year-old, 2008 third overall draft choice said with a grin. "I haven't been in pads for two weeks now, so it feels good to be back out there, and to do anything on the field is awesome." On this day, however, it was mostly doing what he's been doing since he underwent arthroscopic surgery to deal with a unruly lateral meniscus in one of his knees -- except he was taking part in some of the drills and watching from a few steps away instead of from the whirlpool. The rest of the story John Down, Calgary Herald

[NewsCopy]

Newman's knee healed enough for game duty With one of those big mitts, Jesse Newman points to a sunny spot in McMahon Stadium's south end zone. "I did it over there." That's where, on the second day of Calgary Stampeders' training camp, Newman wrenched his left knee during an innocent one-on-one drill. Font:****It was a mess. Did the joint pop or snap or grind or what? "Probably all of the above, man," says Newman. "It just felt, uh, unnatural. I knew something was wrong. I bent it the wrong way, the way it wasn't supposed to be bent. "The doc said my knee wasn't in great condition to begin with. O-linemen, in general, don't have perfect knees." To repair the damage, Newman underwent arthroscopic surgery last month. All of which put the rookie in an unenviable position -- having to launch a comeback before he had a chance to get anywhere. The rest of the story Scott Cruickshank, Calgary Herald