Samson news from the Florida papers

PBP = Palm Beach Post
SFSS = South Florida Sun-Sentinel
MH = Miami Herald

About how Samson’s injured shoulder was worse than they thought, his agent Leo Goeas said:
“I didn’t know how bad it was until he had an MRI taken. I don’t know how he played with it. There was a chunk of bone that had broken loose and taken part of his labrum with it.” (SFSS)

About how Samson is going through rehab now and should be ready to start the season, Goeas said:
“If he is healthy, he can go up against any nose tackle.” (SFSS)

SFSS Note: “Goeas said Satele was not surprised by the trade, since the Dolphins had made it clear by acquiring Grove that Satele was not part of their future plans at center.”

About how Samson isn’t upset with the Dolphins, Goeas said:
“There are no hard feelings. He enjoyed his time with the Dolphins and now is glad to be in a place where he is wanted and will be appreciated.” (SFSS)

About trading Samson, Miami GM Jeff Ireland said:
“We signed another center and feel like we had to get better in that area. It’s pretty critical that we did. We saw there was some value out there with Samson. We felt like if we kept Samson we would have moved him to guard and let him compete. But we found out there was significant value for Samson.” (PBP)

“We just felt like we had to get better. Physical stature is not applicable in this case.” (PBP)

“We feel like we had to get better in that area. It’s pretty critical that we did.” (SFSS)

MH Note: “Ireland confirmed that the Dolphins received a sixth-round NFL Draft pick from the Oakland Raiders in exchange for center Samson Satele and also swapped fourth-round picks as part of the deal. Miami’s pick in that fourth round improves 18 spots.”

About how Bill Parcells wants his own players, NY Giants owner John Mara said:
“His quote was always, if you’re going to cook the meal, they ought to let you pick the groceries out. He obviously does a pretty good job picking the groceries. He obviously has an eye for talent and knows how to put a winning program together.” (SFSS)

SFSS Note: “It didn’t help Satele, a second-round pick in 2007, that Parcells didn’t bring him to South Florida. Sunday’s move continued the turnover of Dolphins’ personnel since Parcells was hired in December of 2007. Of the 65 players on the roster, 21 were with the team when Parcells arrived.”

Another update about Samson going to the Raiders

About Miami trading him, Samson said:
“They went in another direction. But it worked out good and I can’t wait to get to Oakland and start fresh.” (HSB)

About Samson’s expectations with the Raiders, his agent Leo Goeas said:
“Sam’s very excited to get to the west coast, closer to family and friends. And with the Raiders, he’s expected to start at center, be a Pro Bowl player and be the leader of the offensive line.” (HSB)

Feature story on Alex Dunnachie

TA = The Age

TA Note: “FOR Alex Dunnachie it’s not so much like a dream come true as living an unimaginable fantasy. Last June, the 18-year-old was happily plugging away at his VCE at Marcellin College, playing school footy on Friday afternoons and having a kick with Banyule on weekends. His immediate plans were to pass school, defer uni for a year, get some money behind him and see what happened next.”

About how he was encouraged to attend the try outs for ProKick Australia, a new punting school set up by Nathan Chapman (former Brisband and Hawthorn defender), Dunnachie said:
“It was a bit wet the morning of the try-outs and I just wanted to stay in bed.” (TA)

Still having trouble believing that his UH scholarship is real, Dunnachie said:
“Everyone’s still just trying to wrap their heads around it, like it doesn’t exist. You don’t even think about something like this, so how can it be happening?” (TA)

About the three football scholarships (Jordan Berry to Eastern Kentucky and Tom Duyndam to Portland State) from Melbourne teenagers who attended his camp, Chapman said:
“This is huge. Even in America, it’s not often that you’ll get a punter walk straight into a full scholarship. For us to get three guys across the line, it’s unheard of.” (TA)

“These three are the exact target we’re trying to hit — kids just out of high school, who missed the AFL draft. We’re giving them another option.” (TA)

Happy Berry and Duyndam got scholarships also, Dunnachie said they have:
“all been in this together, being led blindly without really knowing what was going on”. (TA)

About how he knew nothing about American football a year ago, Dunnachie said:
“I’m still learning the rules now, trying to anyway.” (TA)

About a conversation he had with UH coaches when he went to Hawaii on a recruiting visit (his first time out of Australia), Dunnachie said:
“They asked what the biggest crowd was I’d played in front of. I said, ‘Maybe 150.’ They’re like, ‘That’s 150,000?’ I said, ‘No, that’s 150 people.”‘ (TA)

Asked about how he could be playing in front of 60,000 people now, Dunnachie said:
“It’s a bit daunting when you look at it like that.” (TA)

TA Note: “BANYULE will have to get by without him, as the college wants him in residence by the end of May to start training, begin a sports medicine degree and work towards a masters in physiotherapy.”

Dunnachie said that his scholarship is worth around $15,000, and:
“all my needs are paid for.” (TA)

About how his Australian rules football teammates used to tease him for kicking the ball so far, Dunnachie said:
“they reckoned I wouldn’t pass, just tried to kick it as far as I could.” (TA)

http://www.theage.com.au/news/sport/taking-a-punt-leads-to-hawaiian-shores/2009/03/23/1237656851240.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap3

Samson Satele is happy with the trade to Oakland

About how Samson is happy with his trade to Oakland, his agent Leo Goeas said:
“Samson is excited about the trade. He wanted to be some place where he would be appreciated. As soon as Jake Grove signed with the Dolphins, the Raiders wanted (Satele) at center.” (HA)

About the trade to Oakland, Samson said:
“I’m happy. It’s close to home. It’s just a hop over the ocean.” (HA)

“When I got the call from the (Dolphins’) GM, I thanked him. It’s a business. They went one way. I’m happy to go to the Raiders. It’s a fresh start.” (HA)

HA Note: “Satele started every regular-season game in 2008 despite a torn labrum in his right (snapping) shoulder. During the postseason surgery, doctors discovered that there was a piece of bone that was broken off from the shoulder. A procedure was performed to correct that tear. Goeas said the surgeries were successful, and Satele will be ready to play. Satele will earn $460,000 in base salary this season, and $550,000 in 2010.”