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Sunday, July 26, 1998
McElroy looking for new lease on career
By FRED GOODALL / AP Sports Writer
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- Two frustrating seasons in Arizona convinced
Leeland McElroy one thing. He'd rather be an appreciated backup
than an underused starter.
The third-year running back is settling into his new role with
the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and optimistic about the prospect of
his NFL career finally taking off.
"Of course it is disappointing," McElroy said, looking
back on his time with the Cardinals, who waived him after deciding
he didn't fit into their plans for this season.
"I would think every athlete that comes out as a rookie
has big dreams for this league. Sometimes it just doesn't happen
that way. It takes some players longer than others," he said.
"I'm just looking to be one of those players that bounces
back, not one of those players to get lost in the shuffle."
The 32nd player selected in the 1996 draft, McElroy never found
a niche in Arizona's offense despite starting eight games and
leading the Cardinals in rushing with 424 yards last season.
Part of the problem was injuries that left the offensive line
in disarray. Another factor was the Cardinals' commitment to getting
the ball into the hands of fullback Larry Centers as often as
possible.
McElroy rushed for 729 yards in two years in Arizona, but only
carried the ball 89 times as a rookie and 135 times in 1997. Despite
being the team's leading rusher, he had just 10 carries in the
final month of last season.
The Bucs claimed him off waivers this month and are giving
him a chance to earn a job as a backup to Warrick Dunn, a Pro
Bowl selection last year as a rookie.
"It wasn't a secret as to what was going to happen. But
I can't say it was totally my fault with the situation the way
it was there," McElroy said of his release.
"I have no hard feelings. That's the nature of the business.
I'm just happy that (the Bucs) are very optimistic about me. They
looked past what happened the past two years and saw the potential
that was there when I was leaving college."
As one on the nation's top all-purpose backs at Texas A&M,
McElroy rushed for 2,442 yards and set an NCAA Division I-A record
of 36.63 yards per kickoff return before leaving school with one
year of eligibility remaining.
The Bucs rated him highly coming out of school and might have
drafted the 5-foot-9, 212-pound running back if the Cardinals
hadn't selected him three spots ahead of Tampa Bay's second-round
turn.
"We felt like he was a guy that had skills. We liked him
as a runner. We liked a lot of things about him," coach Tony
Dungy said.
Dungy said he's not concerned that McElroy struggled in Arizona,
and there are many NFL players who have had productive careers
after not panning out with their original teams.
"You have to be true to your convictions. We felt good
about him. We liked him coming out," Dungy said. "You
have to go by what you think. Just because someone does well for
us doesn't necessarily mean they'll do well for someone else --
and vice versa," Dungy said.
"I don't want to be critical of anybody else's system
or what happened (in Arizona). I really don't know," the
coach added. "But we think he's a good fit for us."
McElroy feels the same way.
"I'm just focusing on trying to get my career back on
track," he said.
"Everybody's been great -- very, very helpful, very accepting.
Nobody's really mentioned or talked about the situation in Arizona.
Everybody's optimistic."
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