March 20, 2001
LAS VEGAS – With destiny in their hands entering
Saturday’s nationally-televised contest against the
division-leading Los Angeles Xtreme, the resurgent Las
Vegas Outlaws (4-3) added two players Monday to the
offensive side of the ball. Outlaws Head Coach Jim
Criner claimed offensive center/guard Aaron Graham and
wideout Eric Guliford from the XFL player pool. In order
to make room on the team’s roster, tackle Eric Bateman
and WR Todd Floyd were waived.
Graham, a four-year NFL veteran with the Arizona
Cardinals, signed with the Kansas City Chiefs following
the 1999 NFL season and was released from Kansas City on
the eve of the most recent campaign. The two-time NCAA
champion at Nebraska was Arizona’s fourth-round pick
in the 1996 NFL draft and played in 62 NFL games, a
total which includes 41 starts at center and left guard.
The 6-4, 285-lb. Graham is an enormously respected long
snapper who never had a punt blocked in his four years
at Nebraska, where he teamed with Outlaws S Jamel
Williams. Graham recorded the fastest-ever snap from
center to holder at the 1996 NFL Player Combine, while
his father, David, was a ninth-round pick of the L.A.
Rams in 1970.
“Aaron is a big, physical, quick lineman who will fit
in easily with our system,” said Criner, who has added
five offensive players to the team in the since February
26. “He will compete immediately for a spot on our
line, and brings competitiveness and strength to our
center and guard positions.”
Outlaws C David Diaz-Infante started the first four
games of the Las Vegas season before missing the last
three games with an infection in his right knee. Because
of the uncertainty of the two-time Super Bowl
champion’s return for Saturday’s crucial Western
Division contest at Los Angeles, the addition of
Graham’s strength and experience to the offensive line
comes at a pivotal time in the Outlaws season.
Guliford also brings experience and a proven ability to
change the game on both offense and special teams to Las
Vegas. The former Arizona State star has spent five of
the last eight seasons in the NFL (Minnesota
Vikings/Carolina Panthers/New Orleans Saints) and three
in the CFL. During his last two seasons as a teammate of
Outlaws K Paul McCallum in Saskatchewan, Guliford caught
123 balls for 1756 yards and 12 TDs and returned 90
punts for nearly 1,000 yards.
“As with the recent additions of Mark Grieb, Yo Murphy
and Tony Berti, bringing Guliford and Graham to Las
Vegas improves the competition at each position and
forces everyone on our roster to give 100% effort,”
stated Criner. “Guliford has proven to be a weapon for
both his NFL and CFL teams, and we expect him to add
speed and savvy to our roster.”
Guliford finished his career at Arizona State as a
second-team All-Pac 10 selection who ranked second in
school history and third in conference history in career
receptions, with 164. He was named the Sun Devils’
Offensive MVP after his senior year, in which he caught
55 balls for 801 yards and two TDs. During the 1997 and
1998 seasons with the New Orleans Saints, where he
played with the Outlaws’ Brett Bech, Guliford led the
team in punt return yardage to mark five out of six
years that he led his team in that category. In 1997, he
finished second in the NFC and third in the NFL in
kickoff return yards, averaging 26.2 yards/return, and
tied the record for longest KO return in NFL history
with his 102-yard TD return at St. Louis on August 31,
1997. |
