The Roost

Chants in the NFL

A pair of former Coastal Carolina football players have signed NFL contracts, with safety Quinton Teal signing with the San Diego Chargers and linebacker Maurice Simpkins inking a deal with the Green Bay Packers.

Teal had been with the Carolina Panthers the last three seasons. He played in all 16 games last year, making three starts and recording 20 tackles. One of the most accomplished players in CCU history, he is the Chants' all-time leader with 17 interceptions (2003-06) and 31 pass breakups. He also ranks third in program history with 227 total tackles.

http://www.lajollalight.com/sports/272976-chargers-sign-quinton-teal-at-strong-safety

Simpkins ranks second on the Chants' all-time totals tackles list, having tallied 272 from 2003-05. He is also tied for first in program history with 34 tackles for loss and ranks third all-time with 14 sacks. He had previously played for the Green Bay Blizzard of the Indoor Football League.

http://www.waow.com/Global/story.asp?S=12958995

Friday Links

Here are a few links to pass along: Former Coastal safety Quinton Teal has impressed with the Carolina Panthers this year and has suddenly been thrust into the starting lineup; a writer with NFL.com believes former Coastal quarterback Tyler Thigpen has plenty of upside to offer; and Liberty has announced that former South Carolina quarterback Tommy Beecher will start this season for the Flames.

Thigpen on the move?

Kansas City and Jacksonville are discussing a potential trade for Chiefs quarterback Tyler Thigpen, according to a report by NFL.com. The former Coastal Carolina standout, who started 11 games in 2008, has been mentioned in potential trades since the Chiefs acquired Matt Cassel in the offseason.

Check this logo out

I'll have an item in my Thursday notebook about the work that former softball coach Jess Dannelly is doing in his new position as associate athletic director for community outreach. His main focus will be on building a Coastal Carolina Letterwinners' Association for all former athletes. Check tomorrow's paper for more on that, but here is a look at the logo created for the group. It brings together all the former logos for the school:

Is CCU rooting for DJ?

While watching coverage of The Masters today, I began thinking about the predicament that Dustin Johnson may have forced upon Coastal Carolina with his arrest on DUI charges last week. I'm sure Coastal would normally relish having a former student-athlete in the event, but I wonder if Johnson's legal troubles have school officials hoping he doesn't play well this weekend.

Sunday morning links

Good morning to all. Here are some links of interest I found while perusing the Internet this morning: Here is our story previewing spring football practice with spring storylines to watch. Here is our story on Kansas City's trade for Matt Cassel and its impact on Tyler Thigpen. Here is the Kansas City Star's story in which Thigpen's agent, Joel Turner, tells them the opposite of what he told me about his client's opportunity to start. Here is our story about Coastal's basketball loss to Winthrop on Saturday, which came from our sister paper, the Rock Hill Herald.

Trade likely decides Thigpen's fate

Tyler Thigpen's status as the starting quarterback in Kansas City has been questioned all offseason, especially after the team hired a new coach and new general manager. The former Coastal all-American learned his fate on Saturday, when the Chiefs traded for Matt Cassel, who threw for 3,693 yards and 21 touchdowns in New England last season after Tom Brady's knee injury.