Yardbarker: Jerame Tuman

AND IN ROUND FIVE, IT'S FRANK THE TANK, THE JUNIOR BUS

Sun, 26 Apr 2009 16:02:50 -0500

The fifth round has always been somewhat of a crapshoot for the Steelers organization. It's produced stars like Mike Webster, Barry Foster, and Hardy Nickerson, as well as solid contibutors such as Lee Flowers, Jerame Tuman, and Clark Haggans. On the other hand, it's also given us forgettable names like Omar Jacobs, Tee Martin, and Charles Davis.

This year, the Steelers had two picks in round five, the first one used on CB Joe Burnett, a 5'9", 192-pounder from Central Florida who was a first-team All-American last season. In fact, Burnett has a lengthy list of college accolades, including:

First-team ESPN All-American (2008)
First-team Sports Illustrated All-American (2008)
First-team Conference USA All-Freshman (2005)
3x First-team All-Conference USA (2005-2007)
First-team CollegeFootballNews.com Freshman All-American (2005)
First-team FWAA Freshman All-American (2005)
First-team Rivals.com Freshman All-American (2005)
Third-team Sporting News Freshman All-America

Burnett, a four-year starter at UCF, will add depth at the defensive back position and presumably throw his hat in the ring for a returner job.

With their next pick, the team chose RB Frank "The Tank" Summers, a 5'9", 243-pounder from UNLV by way of Oakland, California. Last season, the bruising back who's sure to be a training camp favorite ran for 740 yards and eight touchdowns on 183 carries, with three 100-yard games to his credit.

Summers has long been on the Steelers' radar, according to this article I dug up from his pro day at UNLV:

And if there's one team whose attention Summers caught more than anyone's as a fullback, it was the reigning Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers, who had two scouts on-hand alongside running backs coach Kirby Wilson.

The Steelers' staffers in attendance, after all of the players' running tests were completed, held Summers behind on the field to have him run a series of cone drills and pass-catching sets.

They wanted to see first-hand the soft and sure mitts that hauled in 36 passes during Summers' two seasons as a Rebel, which were a nice supplement to his 1,668 rushing yards.

After his first grab, a pass to the flat, he turned, grunted and sprinted downfield.

Wilson told him upon returning to the formation that he didn't have to worry about finishing each route after the catch.

Summers paid it no mind, running at least 20 yards, full speed, following each snag. He caught every catchable ball thrown his way.

At one point, one scout said, under his breathe, 'He's a junior Bus', referring to sure-fire Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis, who helped carry the Steelers to a win in Super Bowl XL over Seattle in 2006 to cap his brilliant 13-year career.

Junior Bus? Frank the Tank? This guy's got more nicknames than any other Steeler drafted ahead of him this year. Write it down: you will hear a lot more about Summers in the near future.

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Victor Hobson and His Future with the Arizona Cardinals

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 22:25:18 -0500

Very late in the regular season the Arizona Cardinals added Victor Hobson to the roster and cut Jerame Tuman. We didn't know much about Hobson and didn't expect much out of a guy who was signed so late in the regular season. He played in the final regu...

Steelers Wives vs. Cardinals Wives (pics)

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 08:06:07 -0500

A Super Bowl matchup of epic proportions. Which team has the hottest wives and girlfriends?

Analyzing the Cardinals Defectors

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 12:28:30 -0500

A lot is being made of the Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh West match-up in two weeks, so let's take a look at the departed Stillers and their possible impact on the Super Bowl. Ken Whisenhunt and Russ Grimm The unchosen people. Possible Super Bowl impact: Pretty goddamn high. If the Cards win, most likely ...

Cardinals Re-Sign TE Jerame Tuman

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 11:22:12 -0500

Aiming to bolster their undermanned tight-end corps in advance of this Sunday's NFC championship game against the Eagles, the Cardinals have...

Cardinals Re-Sign TE Jerame Tuman

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 23:16:34 -0500

Aiming to bolster their undermanned tight-end corps in advance of this Sunday's NFC championship game against the Eagles, the Cardinals have...

Cardinals Bring Back TE Tuman; Place Spach on IR

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 19:06:36 -0500

As expected, the Cards have brought in a veteran tight end to take the place of Stephen Spach, as the team has resigned Jerame Tuman. Spach was put on on injured reserve Tuesday due of a torn ligament in his right knee. The tight end had started both playoff games and was injured during [...]

Cards Re-Sign Tuman

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 13:18:29 -0500

To offset the loss of tight end Stephen Spach, who was placed on IR today, the Cards re-signed TE Jerame Tuman, who was released earlier this Considering the current health of TE

Arizona Cardinals Sign Victor Hobson, Cut Jerame Tuman

Thu, 25 Dec 2008 20:20:51 -0500

The Arizona Cardinals signed Victor Hobson to bolster the depth at outside linebacker and special teams. Hobson is a six year veteran who spent five years with the Jets but he's been cut by the Patriots and Bengals this season. Hobson's best season, 20...

Ken Whisenhunt Tells the Tight Ends to Shape Up or Get Ready to Sit

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 12:31:45 -0500

Ken Whisenhunt Tells the Tight Ends to Shape Up or Get Ready to Sit

Apparently we're not the only ones who are disappointed with the tight end position. Whiz should have his four tight ends healthy this Sunday but he's made it clear that he's not happy with any of them. He's said that right now ...