Warriors in the Pros: Bess, McBriar, Esera

Davone Bess is getting lots of good press from the Miami media today. Omar Kelly of the Sun-Sentinel writes:

There should be an NFL award for the most productive rookie free agent. If there was, Bess would likely win it in a landslide. The Hawaii receiver stepped in for injured starter Greg Camarillo and contributed 84 yards on six receptions.

On MiamiDolphins.com, Andy Cohen writes:

On Sunday in St. Louis, Bess was a prominent part of the game plan. Replacing Camarillo in the starting line-up, Bess had to step up. Had to for Ted Ginn’s sake. Had to help instill more life in the passing game.

Bess responded with six catches. All seemed important. Not bad for a kid who wasn’t even drafted, who was supposed to be too small to make it. Bess was one of those finds you don’t hear about in the draft analysis. He was signed after the draft; the Dolphins saw his gaudy numbers in college at Hawaii and figured “why not?”

I can’t predict how Bess will evolve next year or the year after. But I can tell you this: The 2008 Dolphins desperately need him. They need his speed, his moves, his tenacity. I really think he’s got a chance to be something to covet.

In a Miami Herald article highlighting the success Miami's undrafted free agents are having, Barry Jackson has some info about how excited Miami was to sign Bess:

How convinced were the Dolphins about Bess? Agent Ken Zuckerman said GM Jeff Ireland, immediately after the draft, told him, ''I really like this kid, and he's going to make our team.'' And Zuckerman said upon signing Bess, Dolphins college scout Adam Engroff told him, ``We have our Wes Welker.''

Though Bess didn't run well at the NFL combine, the Dolphins loved his quickness and kept tabs on him. ''He's quicker than he is fast,'' Sparano said. Fourteen teams pursued Bess after the draft, and two offered slightly higher signing bonuses than Miami's $7,000. But Bess ''decided pretty quickly on Miami,'' Zuckerman said. ``They were at the top of his list because they had so many available spots and didn't have anyone like Davone.''

Sparano said identifying and signing Bess ``was a combined effort. He credited Ireland and his staff and receivers coach Karl Dorrell -- who coached UCLA last season and ``knew a lot about him being on the West Coast.''

Pretty cool! And here's another Miami Herald article highlighting Davone's performance against the Rams.

''We wanted to get Davone involved,'' Sparano said. ``It was a chance to evaluate him and see exactly where he is in this full-time role.''

Sparano thought he handled man-to-man coverage very well, adding impressive runs after the catches. Bess, an undrafted rookie free agent, said he never really felt winded.

''I take a lot of reps in practice, so I took that over to the game knowing I had to be physically ready,'' Bess said.

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Todd Archer of the Dallas Morning News has an update on Mat McBriar.

Mat McBriar is doing well, for those who wonder how the injured punter is faring. He said he is no longer in a cast to protect his fractured right, and he will be in a walking boot for another month or so.

In case you forgot, McBriar suffered multiple fractures in his right foot when Sean Morey blocked his punt in overtime against Arizona. The Cardinals recovered the ball in the end zone for the win.

The Cowboys miss McBriar. He has a tremendous leg and can flip field position at any time.

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And Stephen Tsai reports that Tala Esera has been signed to the Philadelphia Eagles practice squad.