*** DOLPHINS NEWS ***
Nov 10, 1998: -- Uwaezuoke Claimed Off Waivers --
The Dolphins announced yesterday that they have claimed wide
receiver Iheanyi Uwaezuoke off of waivers from the 49ers on Monday.
Uwaezuoke was originally a 5th round draft pick of the '9ers in 1996
from the University of California. In his 2 and a half year career
with the 49ers, Uwaezuoke has caught 24 passes for 323 yards and one
touchdown.
His name is correctly pronounced E-hahn-E ooh-WAY-zo-kay.
Uwaezuoke also returned punts and kickoffs for the 49ers,
averaging 21.7 yards per kickoff return and 11.0 yards per punt
return. He has good speed, having been timed at 4.38 in the 40 and is
tall and lanky at 6'2" and 198 pounds.
To make room on the roster for Uwaezuoke, the Dolphins waived
wide receiver Denis Montana from the regular roster and released
cornerback Raphael Ball from the practice squad. The release of Ball
from the practice squad would seem to indicate that Montana will
probably be signed to the practice squad tomorrow.
In other news, the Dolphins have said that Robert Jones will
play on Sunday against the Panthers, despite having a strained tendon
in his elbow. Also, Brent Smith will keep the left tackle spot when
Mark Dixon returns to full time play this week.
My Comments:
Uwaezuoke's best skill seems to be as a punt returner, where
he started last year for the 49ers. 11.0 yards per return would put
him in the top half of the league this year, although it would be
behind Terrell Buckley's average of 11.8 yards per return.
Certainly, Uwaezuoke is fast and has more experience at
playing receiver in the NFL than Montana. It's doubtful that he will
help the team a lot this year, but he will probably be better than
Montana and he does provide another player who can returns punts
well.
I do have one other comment, however. Why can't the Dolphins
sign someone whose name is easy to spell?
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Curt Fennell,
curt@phins.com, DOLFAN in New Rochelle (almost)
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