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As the time drew near for the Baltimore Ravens to make the 22nd overall selection in the NFL draft Saturday, general manager Ozzie Newsome decided he was going to take Oklahoma wide receiver Mark Clayton or no one at all.

The Ravens spoke to Oakland about a trade that would enable the Raiders to slip into Baltimore's spot in the first round. It all depended on the availability of Clayton, who was projected to go as high as 14th in some mock drafts.

"We sweated the pick," Newsome said.

After the Jacksonville Jaguars took tight end Matt Jones at No. 21, the Ravens got the man they coveted, a 5 foot 10 inch playmaker who is expected to have an immediate impact on a passing offense that last year ranked 31st in total yardage.

"When we took Mark Clayton," Newsome said, "he was the highest rated player available, and it also fit a need."

Clayton had 66 catches for 876 yards and eight touchdowns last season, helping the Sooners reach the national championship game against Southern California. In 2003, he had 83 catches for 1,425 yards and 15 scores.

If Clayton and free agent newcomer Derrick Mason perform as expected, first year offensive coordinator Jim Fassel will have a passing game that can provide a measure of balance to an attack that has long relied on running back Jamal Lewis.

"When we met as an offensive staff back in February to start talking about free agency, Jim Fassel made a point that we needed some quickness and suddenness from our receivers," Newsome said. "I think the two players we added brings about that suddenness, guys that can take those 8 or 10 yard catches and go the distance."

That's precisely what Clayton did at Oklahoma, which is why Baltimore jumped at the chance to make him theirs.

"The yards after catch is something we really have not been able to produce in the passing game," Ravens coach Brian Billick said. "Anybody that has seen Mark play, there can be no doubt in your mind that he adds that dimension."

As happy as the Ravens were, Clayton was just as elated.

"There's no better feeling," he said. "Baltimore couldn't be a better place for me."

Newsome, Billick and college scouting director Eric DeCosta spoke excitedly about Clayton's ability to catch the ball and block downfield. At Oklahoma, Clayton threw around his 195 pounds like he was a 320 pound lineman.

"I think he makes Jamal Lewis better because he's a great blocker, and he's going to make Kyle Boller better because he can catch the ball on third down inside or outside," DeCosta said.

Clayton is also proficient at returning kicks, a quality that will enable the Ravens to use him behind B.J. Sams, who last year was backed up by defensive starters Ed Reed and Chris McAlister.

But it's Clayton's hands and willingness to tangle with opposing defensive backs that made him an attractive choice even if he isn't a 6 footer.

"I like productive receivers," Billick said. "He plays like a big receiver in that this guy blocks. I don't mean he's willing to block; I mean he likes to block."

Said Clayton: "Everyone talks about height, but it's about making plays. When the ball's not in your hands, do whatever you have to do to help somebody else make a play, whether it's blocked or clearing out the defense or safeties."

When the draft began, the Ravens coveted one of Clayton's teammates, offensive tackle Jammal Brown. But after Brown went to New Orleans with the 13th pick, Baltimore turned its attention toward Clayton.

There was a lot of angst in the room from that point, right until it came time for the Ravens to be on the clock.

"If Jacksonville would have taken Mark," Newsome said, "we probably would have moved back."

A First-Team All-Big 12 member in 2004, Dan Cody was a finalist for the Hendricks Award for the second straight season.

Finished with 42 tackles and team-highs of 17 TFLs, 10 sacks and 12 quarterback hurries last year. Consensus All-Big 12 selection as a junior after posting 10 sacks and a team-high 17 TFLs.

Played as backup the entire 2002 season and logged only 16 stops, but three were sacks and five were for a loss. Received a medical redshirt (clinical depression) in 2001, one season after recording 11 tackles and two sacks in his true freshman campaign.

Extremely quick and versatile for a player his size. Outstanding pass rushing skills and speed. Very dedicated to his work ethic. Still needs to get stronger and become more effective against the run.

Superb potential, with an upside that cannot be undervalued.

Positives

Cody is a player that compensates for his lack of ideal bulk and weight-room strength with high intensity and a "search and destroy" mentality on the field. He has a long torso and long limbs, but also shows impressive hand usage, a terrific nose for the ball, superb balance, good quickness and great instincts. He is a bit mechanical in his change of direction, but keeps his feet and plays with good leverage and explosion.

On running plays, Cody is explosive out of his stance, and very quick off the ball. He has very good leaping ability (I saw him hurdle a blocking back to deflect an Omar Jacobs pass in the 2004 Bowling Green game) and the ability to skate, string plays out and catch plays from behind.

Cody shows a good feel for blocking schemes, fighting pressure and using his hands to disengage and transfer on the block. He flattens very quickly and shows a good burst working through trash. He plays at a low pad level and despite his size, generally holds his ground at the point of attack.

On the pass rush, he is better served coming off the edge, where he can build speed and zero in on the quarterback. He looks a little stiff at times in redirection and when trying to combat the offensive tackles in traffic, he spends more much time playing games with the blocker than locating the ball. He has an assortment of rush moves and is very effective with his hands generating rip, club and spin moves to break into the backfield.

Cody's speed off the edge lets him bend around the corner and he shows enough burst to close effectively. Cody can generate a strong jolt in his hips and hands to rock the offensive tackles back on their heels and shows enough speed and explosion to get penetration coming off the edge.

Negatives

Sometimes Cody's high motor gets the best of him. He gets a little too eager to penetrate and a smart quarterback can draw him offside by changing up the cadence. When he plays at a low pad level, he can easily sink his hips and shoulders to drive with power after initial contact. He flattens quickly and has the suddenness to come up and under.

Cody has some phyical liabilities (size, bulk, weight room strength) that cause him to sometimes get washed and widened or steered away from the play. But he is a tireless worker who pushes himself and others to succeed, but sometimes gets too excited: He once scared the coaching staff when he was yelling on the sidelines during the 2004 Texas A&M game and suddenly blacked out.

But, he is a fearless athlete and if you are looking for an old-time football player, Cody is a man among boys.

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Adam Terry is a towering blocker with outstanding height and excellent agility. The three-year starter was the anchor of the Syracuse offensive line from his left tackle position.

Terry played in four games as a true freshman in 2001 at Syracuse. He started eleven games at left tackle in 2002, Terry again lined up at left tackle the next two years, extending his string to 35 consecutive starts.

In 2003, he was a second-team All-Big East Conference choice and earned All-American recognition from Dopke.com. Terry was the recipient of the Ben Schwartzwalder Exemplary Football Player Award in 2004, in addition to picking up first-team All-Big East and All-ECAC accolades.

Positives

Has a tall, even-proportioned frame, with long limbs, good bubble, thick thighs and calves and room on his frame to add more bulk. Adequate to gain position and sustain his blocks. … Shows the ability to pull and trap, keeping his feet and balance when on the move.

His body control and foot movement allow him to make proper adjustments when working in space. Very good pass protector who sets quickly and has the hand usage and long arms to lock on and steer. Shows a quick kick slide in his pass set and while he does not explode with his hands, he gets good placement to sustain.

Very athletic for a player his size. Quick to spot twists and games. Displays good strength at the point of attack to get movement or widen the defender. … Strong on his hand punch and gets his hands inside, showing the ability to steer his man wide.

Solid cutting off the backside penetration. Demonstrates good athleticism and quickness on his pulls. Can flip his hips and seal back inside on the counter play and looks to finish blocks. Plays with good knee bend and has adequate anchor but his punch can be a little wide and miss-timed. Does show better timing and technique on cut blocks and can see and pick up twists. Plays on his feet and is a good athlete in space.

Negatives

While he has adequate quickness off the ball, he struggles to uncoil on the snap. Displays marginal explosion and pop on contact. Does not generate much push at the point of attack.

Lacks that aggressive nature you expect from a left tackle and despite his size, is more of a wall-off, finesse type that will not generate many knockdowns. Must be more explosive when trying to create movement for the ground game, as he struggles to stay low in his pads. When he gets too erect in his stance, he cannot redirect quick enough to combat counter moves.

Might be better suited for right tackle, as his frame makes it difficult for him to get low enough in his pads to be effective redirecting to the corners. Can find targets working up field, but needs to be more consistent hitting it square.

In pass protection, his set speed and foot quickness are good, but he struggles at by oversetting and will then have to redirect and power down inside. His leg base in the running game gets a little narrow, but is correctable.

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One of the most powerful players in college football, Jason Brown was the unquestioned leader of the Tar Heels offense, Brown has been a dominating force in the middle of the field, registering 270 knockdown blocks during his last two seasons.

Despite the team's offensive struggles in 2003, he did not allow a sack and appeared in 818 snaps, missing only two plays vs. Wisconsin due to a knee sprain. He played with a "heavy heart" in 2003 after his brother was killed during military operations in Iraq. Dedicated to the team, he rushed home to attend the funeral, but was back with the squad in time to play in their next game. In 2004, Brown played at an All-America level, registering 142 knockdown blocks as he did not allow a quarterback sack on 701 plays.

Positives

Has a big frame with a barrel chest, thick arms, big bubble, quadriceps and calves. His lower frame is much thicker than his upper body, but he does a nice job of playing on his feet and maintaining balance. Shows good body control with some quickness to get off the snap. Even for a player of his girth, he can bend his knees and play at a good pad level to prevent defenders from attacking his feet.

Gets a good leg base and generates tremendous power behind his hand punch. His legs are very thick, but he can still get enough explosion out of his stance and into the defender.

When he gets position on his man, he will sustain and finish. His strong leg base and arm strength keeps the defenses constantly aware of his abilities. Even though he does not have great speed, he will flash aggression with his hands into the defensive tackle and has more than enough pop and strength to consistently put his opponents on their backs.

Exhibits sudden force with his hand punch. Has the tenacity to take on stunts and gets good movement off the snap in short yardage situations and goal line stands. Shows a good set and a powerful punch to stop the pass rush charge.

Negatives

Has had weight control issues and considering that his frame is past maximum growth potential, any additional weight will affect his mobility. Best working in the trenches, as he does not have the top-end speed to cause damage working into the second level.

Can pull and adjust in the second level, but labors to get into gear as he is heavy-footed. His problem arises when he starts to lose his stamina late in games, as he will revert to leaning and pushing rather than gaining position.

While he added over 20 pounds to his frame prior to 2003, he worked hard in the 2004 offseason to keep his weight in check, but needs to play in the 310-315 range to be effective.

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Justin Green, a tailback for the Griz as a junior, when he ran for 1,146 yards, is rated among the top seven fullbacks available. The position being as rare as it is in the NFL, that's about the number that will be drafted.

"It's kind of a deal where all the hard work I put in is kind of finally coming to a peak," he said. "The biggest thing is I'm happy for the opportunity. Not many people get the opportunity to do what I'm doing, all the guys I've played with through the years. Since I was a little kid I've been dreaming of playing in a professional football league."

Green gained 638 yards and scored eight touchdowns as a senior, and evolved into a fullback prospect. Green said 14-15 teams have contacted him to verify draft information, and that he's spoken personally with the running back coaches from Seattle, Cincinnati and Green Bay. He recently flew to Baltimore for interviews with the Ravens.

"I'm No. 6 according to the San Diego paper," said Green, a San Diego native. "Personally I don't know, and it doesn't really matter. I'm just happy with the opportunity. It doesn't matter what team I go to, what round I go in, I just want to play football and have some fun."

Green left school after the fall semester to work out in Indianapolis in preparation for the Combine. His agent, Buddy Baker of IM Sports Services, footed the bill. Green feels the pay-off still.

"I'm still doing the same drills, the same workouts from that," he said. "It was the first time I ever used supplements, and I got a little leaner than I was even when I finished the season. And I built muscle.

"And it helped with my confidence. There were a lot of things they did to prepare for the mental part of the game as well as the physical."

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Derek Anderson, a three year starter was the first quarterback to lead the Beavers to three bowl games during the school's 112-year history. Possesses 20 of the top 50 single-game passing marks (over 281 yards) in OSU annals. Only the second player in Pac-10 Conference history to throw for over 4,000 yards in a season.

Positives

Has excellent arm strength and ended his career as the school's record holder for most of the program's passing records … Played in five games as a true freshman, hitting on 17 of 41 passes (41.5 percent) for 263 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions. Moved into the starting lineup in 2002, setting school single-season records with 3,313 yards and 25 touchdowns.

Broke his own school record and had the second-best season in Pac-10 Conference annals when he threw for 4,058 yards in 2003. Connected on 261 of 510 passes (51.2 percent) with 24 touchdowns as a junior, but also set a school record and tied a conference mark with 24 interceptions, sharing those dubious Pac-10 honors with Dan Fouts of Oregon (1970).

Extended his consecutive starts string to 38 in 2004, completing 279 of 515 passes (54.2 percent) for 3,615 yards, 29 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. One of only six Pac-10 quarterbacks to pass for more than 10,000 yards, joining Carson Palmer (Southern California), Steve Stenstrom (Stanford), Cade McNown (UCLA), Cody Pickett (Washington) and Andrew Walter (Arizona State).

For his career, Anderson completed 768 of 1,515 passes (50.7 percent) for 11,249 yards, 79 touchdowns and 57 interceptions.

Negatives

While his passing statistics are impressive, his turnovers are equally alarming. Anderson's 57 interceptions resulted in 999 yards and six touchdowns in returns by opponents. He fumbled the ball 23 times, with 14 resulting in turnovers and his indecision in the pocket resulted in him being sacked 95 times for losses of 665 yards during his career. Has a compact delivery, but raw mechanics. Carries the ball low and will revert to a slight side arm slinger type of delivery when on the move. Has a lot of passes deflected at the line of scrimmage when he does not unleash with a high release. Throws a tight spiral with velocity and low trajectory, but shows inconsistency on most of his throws.

Has completed just a little bit over half of his pass attempts and is prone to forcing his tosses into a crowd, resulting in 57 interceptions for his career.

Displays all the physical tools you look for in a quarterback, but he hasn't stepped up and been the player he's capable of being. His long ball accuracy is a very big concern, as he seems to have plenty of arm strength behind it, but his throws are frequently off target.

If some coach can unearth his talent, that NFL team can have a late round find. Will be drafted more on his physical ability rather than production.

Based on physical talent and arm strength, he's certainly worth a look in camp, but he needs to drastically upgrade his development to be considered anything more than a camp talent.

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Mike Smith is a big, bruising linebacker who completed his fourth season as a starter. Entering his senior season he was tied for the team lead with 31 career starts.

Moved to WILL linebacker from MIKE linebacker 2004 during spring practice. A solid player against the run and has the knack to quickly learn a quarterback's instincts.

Baltimore traded its third-round and sixth-round picks this year, and a third-round pick in 2006, to take the 6-8, 330-pound Terry at 64th overall. "He will eventually start for the Ravens someday," said college scouting director Eric DeCosta. "He was really too good to pass up."

The 6-5, 255-pound Cody, who had 42 tackles and 10 sacks last season, will be converted to an outside linebacker in the Ravens' new 4-3 alignment.

ED REED

Coach Brian Billick took a look at the Ravens' schedule and pronounced it good. His players, however, might feel otherwise.

While the Ravens have back to back road games just once, the all-important bye which players use to get away from football, let dings from the season heal falls in the third week of the season. A date that early figures to limit the number of days the players will get off, as the Ravens will still be focusing on working out the early-season kinks.

"They understand that this early, we are going to have to work through it to a degree," Billick said. "I'm still going to try and give them a little time away. But they understand that is just the way it falls, and they will adapt."

It is the second earliest bye week in the team's 10-year history, an unkind fact the schedule makers more than made up for by giving the Ravens four nationally televised night games. It is the most a team can have and the second time in franchise history the Ravens have played that many.

The Ravens will begin the season hosting the Indianapolis Colts on Sept. 11 in a Sunday night game that was announced a couple of weeks ago. The Ravens will also play host to the Green Bay Packers on Dec. 19 on Monday Night Football, then play at home against the Minnesota Vikings on Christmas night. Pittsburgh will host the Ravens in their other Monday night game Oct. 31.

Packers quarterback Brett Favre will play for the first time at M&T Bank Stadium.

"The players are always energized by that," Billick said. "We'll see that as a sign of respect. Now comes time for our obligation to step up to that sense of anticipation that we're good enough to have four prime-time games."

The game against Pittsburgh will be the first of two against the Steelers in a four week span, ending when the rivals play Nov. 20 at M&T Bank Stadium. It will be the first time since the NFL created the AFC North division that the teams have not met in the last couple of weeks of the year.

Only one of the final five games is against a division opponent, the season finale at Cleveland on Jan. 1. The Ravens also play host to the Bengals (Nov. 6) after the first Pittsburgh game, then travel to Cincinnati (Nov. 27) the week after the second Steelers game.

"To play both Pittsburgh and Cincinnati twice within a month's period of time, it's a little bit different than we've had before," Billick said.

The difference, though, is not necessarily beneficial. Three of the final four games will be against playoff teams, including a Dec. 11 matchup at Denver. Overall, the Ravens play six of their games against teams that made the playoffs last year and have five games against teams that had double digit losses (two against the Browns).

It is tied for the sixth toughest schedule by winning percentage in the league and could put the Ravens in as many as seven nationally featured games.

The Ravens have just the lone night road game at Pittsburgh before coming home the next week, a scenario Billick favors.

"They are all good teams, and everybody is going to talk about how tough the schedule is and the league didn't do us any favors," Billick said. "That aside, just the pacing of it, I like the look of it so far."

The foundation of the Ravens' draft success can be traced back to the franchise's first pick in 1996, when owner Art Modell pushed for Lawrence Phillips but the scouts' grades pointed to Jonathan Ogden.

TO BE UPDATED

In a draft class headlined by a couple of University of Oklahoma standouts, it's only appropriate that the Ravens' latest investments could produce dividends sooner rather than later.

The Ravens landed a play-making receiver (Oklahoma's Mark Clayton), the draft's best speed rusher (Oklahoma's Dan Cody), a quality offensive tackle (Syracuse's Adam Terry), a pure power center (North Carolina's Jason Brown) and a top-rated fullback (Montana's Justin Green) in this weekend's draft.

Four ESPN analysts had the Ravens among their top three most-improved teams from the draft, primarily on the strength of Clayton and Cody, two impact talents who were among the team's top 25 prospects.

But this class potentially could have five players starting this season for a playoff-caliber team. The Ravens are an injury away from promoting top backups such as Terry, Brown and Green.

"Back in January, Ozzie [Newsome, general manager] came down to my office and gave me a list of team needs, and this was the final piece," said Eric DeCosta, the Ravens' director of college scouting.

Yet need never outweighed value, as the Ravens refused to reach just to add a nickel back (fifth defensive back) or another defensive tackle.

The Ravens envision Clayton as another late first-round gem in the same Pro Bowl vein as safety Ed Reed and tight end Todd Heap. They project Cody to become an eight- to 10-sack rusher and a possible replacement for Peter Boulware.

As for Terry and Brown, they add much-needed youth to an aging offensive line.

Terry provides insurance behind Jonathan Ogden and Orlando Brown, tackles who missed a combined seven starts. Jason Brown is the primary backup to center Mike Flynn, who was sidelined for nearly half of last season with a broken collarbone.

The Ravens likely found another backup fullback to Alan Ricard with Green. He is expected to push former fourth- rounder Ovie Mughelli, who has been a disappointment.

In total, the Ravens came away with five players who graded fourth or higher at their positions. This could become their deepest draft since 2002, when they delivered five key contributors (Reed, defensive end Tony Weaver, punter Dave Zastudil, running back Chester Taylor and dime back Chad Williams).

"It seemed like last year, every player we were ready to pick got snatched up right before we had a chance to get on the clock," general manager Ozzie Newsome said. "It kind of worked in reverse this year. As we've been talking around the league, we took players when other teams were trying to move up to get them. It kind of fell in our favor."

The Ravens wrapped up their draft with Oregon State's Derek Anderson, a strong-armed project who will be the team's No. 3 quarterback, and Texas Tech's Mike Smith, an aggressive linebacker who has potential on special teams.

The only negative was the team's inability to find a nickel back. Behind starting cornerbacks Chris McAlister and Samari Rolle, the Ravens have Dale Carter (who missed all of last season with a blood clot in his lung) penciled in as the nickel back and have remained optimistic about the return of Deion Sanders.

The team had targeted about five corners to take in the fifth round but all were selected in the third and fourth rounds, where a total of eight were drafted.

"It's not that we didn't try [to get a nickel back]," Newsome said. "That was one of the areas I did want to bring some youth in. This is also an area which will be enticing for undrafted college free agents who want to come in and feel like they can make our roster."

"I've said it half-jokingly about a million times: Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean they aren't really after me."

"Phil Savage did an outstanding job for this organization but at the end of the day, there is one guy on draft day that has to make the call, that has to have the collective prospective of what the board is and what it does for this team," Billick said. "I don't know if there's anybody any better at it than Ozzie. As long as Ozzie stays in that chair, I think our success will continue."

REGULAR SEASON OPENER

In their first draft without their head scout, the Ravens were able to grab one of their top-10 rated prospects, drafting Oklahoma receiver Mark Clayton with the 22nd overall pick.

The reaction in the Ravens' draft room was part jubilation and part relief.

In having to anxiously wait a half-hour to see if Clayton would slip past the Dallas Cowboys and the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Ravens were faced with two extreme scenarios: they would either land their last coveted player or they would trade down to Oakland's No. 26 slot.

But everything fell into place, Dallas chose defensive end Marcus Spears and Jacksonville surprisingly took receiver Matt Jones, and Clayton fell to the Ravens.

"We sweated the pick," general manager Ozzie Newsome said. The nerves that stretched from the Ravens' complex to the NFL draft in New York peaked just before Jacksonville made its pick official, when Ravens scout Joe Hortiz peeked at the Jaguars writing their selection on the draft card.

Hortiz told team officials that he saw Matt Jones' name, causing Newsome to call Clayton to double check. "Have you heard from Jacksonville?" Newsome asked Clayton. "Well, I'm just going to keep you on the line just in case."

It was only two years ago that the Jaguars stymied the Ravens' attempt to draft quarterback Byron Leftwich by tying up the phone lines with Minnesota. But this time, Jacksonville helped them out by taking Jones, a converted quarterback who wasn't graded as a first-round talent by the Ravens.

"There's always a bit of luck involved," DeCosta said. "Mark Clayton is my favorite player at that position. I wouldn't say we had him graded the highest. But if he's 6-foot-2, in my mind, he's the best player at that position in the draft."

But what impressed scouts was his natural pass-catching ability and toughness. The combination of great vision, sure hands and smooth route-running led to a reputation of being the most polished receiver in the draft.

The addition of Clayton continues an offseason devoted to improving a passing attack that ranked second-to-last in the NFL, from the hiring of offensive coordinator Jim Fassel to the free-agent signing of Derrick Mason.

Clayton and Mason should significantly upgrade an underachieving receiving corps as well as give it a different look. With both wide-outs just 5-10, the Ravens will have one of the shorter tandems in the NFL.

Asked if he has taken a liking to smaller receivers, coach Brian Billick said, "I like productive receivers. He plays like a big receiver in that this guy blocks. I don't mean he's willing to block; I mean he likes to block."

Another factor in Clayton sliding down in the first round is a rumor about him having an arthritic knee condition. "The grade that Mark Clayton had from our medical staff was the same grade of some guys we took in the top five of the draft. And they have been right a lot more times than they've been wrong" Newsome said.

Clayton caught the eye of Newsome at the Senior Bowl practices at the end of January. That confirmed what the scouts had seen at Oklahoma, where Clayton holds nearly every school receiving record, from career receptions (221) to yards (3,241) to touchdowns (31).

Not known as a blazer, Clayton was able to break big plays with his elusiveness. "The yards after a catch is something we really haven't been able to produce in the passing game," Billick said. "Anybody that has seen Mark play, there can be no doubt in your mind that he adds that dimension."

Like the Ravens, Clayton was elated over his latest connection. "There's no better feeling," Clayton said. "Baltimore couldn't be a better place for me."

"There's a lot of enthusiasm in the room right now," DeCosta said. "There are very few guys in any draft that you feel so strongly about from a consensus standpoint. And Mark was that guy."

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A LOOK AROUND DA LEAGUE

Sam Mills, an undersized linebacker who became a Pro Bowl player with the New Orleans Saints and Carolina and was later an assistant coach for the Panthers, died after fighting cancer for nearly two years, the Panthers said. He was 45.

Mills, a former Baltimore Stars standout who learned he had cancer of the small intestine in August 2003 but continued to coach Carolina's linebackers between chemotherapy treatments, died at his home in Charlotte, N.C.

"Sam was one of the finest people you will ever meet. You would never know that he was a player who made Pro Bowls and had all this attention because he treated everybody the same no matter who they were," Carolina general manager Marty Hurney said. "He was the type of guy you want your kids to grow up to be."

Mills was an undersized linebacker out of Montclair (N.J.) State who tried - and failed several times - to catch on with NFL and Canadian Football League teams. He gave professional football one last shot when the U.S. Football League debuted in 1983.

Every day, Stars coach Jim Mora asked his assistants who was the best player on the field. Every day, they told him "Sam Mills."

"I don't need a 5-9 linebacker," Mora kept saying. Mills ended up as one of Mora's favorite players and when Mora went to the Saints after the USFL's demise, he brought Mills with him in 1986.

A five-time Pro Bowl selection, the 5-foot-9, 225-pound Mills spent the final three seasons of his 12-year NFL career with the Panthers, beginning with their inaugural 1995 season.

There is a statue of him outside Bank of America Stadium. Mills was honored at the Ed Block Courage Awards in Baltimore, receiving the first Johnny Unitas Tops in Courage Award.

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