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Cason Hopes to Bolster Tuskers Running Attack

September 7, 2010 - United Football League (UFL 1)
Florida Tuskers News Release


ORLANDO, FL - TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2010- The Florida Tuskers running back position has been a hot topic in training camp ever since Head Coach Jay Gruden brought in four legitimate National Football League veterans to battle for the starting job.

Arguably the biggest name of that bunch was Tatum Bell, who was surprisingly the first to be let go - being released just over a week into training camp.

Perhaps the main reason for his dismissal was the emergence of Aveion Cason, whose speed and vision to find open holes in the defense turned the heads of Tuskers' coaches in the opening week of practice.

Along with teammates Dominic Rhodes and Maurice Hicks, Cason is now expected to be a big factor in a talented stable of running backs the Tuskers will throw at the opposition this season. For Gruden, the depth at running back will mean less pressure on his quarterback Brooks Bollinger and will present another solid option for an offensive attack that will run multiple formations.

"We're excited to have three talented backs in camp and we're prepared to feature all three of them at certain times," Gruden said. "I think our running game this year will be head and shoulders better than it was last year. Aveion, Maurice and Dominic give us a three-headed monster. All three are hard runners and each brings a little bit something different to the table."

Cason made his NFL debut in the 2001 season as an undrafted free agent with the St. Louis Rams. From there, he has been with the Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Lions, Dallas Cowboys, and Arizona Cardinals.

The St. Petersburg, Florida native appeared in 56 career games in the NFL rushing for 562 yards on 126 carries and three touchdowns. Cason is also a very capable pass receiver as he caught 64 passes for 655 yards and two scores.

He will most likely become the favorite to be the go-to running back in third down situations and Cason believes his ability to catch passes out of the backfield will help the Tuskers keep the chains moving this season.

"I am comfortable catching passes out of the backfield," Cason said. "I always did it in college and when I was in St. Louis with [coach] Mike Martz liked to throw the ball around a lot."

Cason also gained extensive NFL playing time returning kicks where he compiled 2,457 yards on 105 career returns. The Tuskers could also use Cason's speed and ability on special teams to elude tacklers and hopefully start offense drives in prime territory.

As a jack-of-all-trades type of player, Cason has used this camp to solidify his spot on the Tuskers roster as a third-down back and kickoff return specialist, but has also got his share of carries with the first unit. Gruden's offense features a multiple of offensive formations, which means the title of starter is less important. Cason is just one piece of an offense that Gruden hopes will give defensive coordinators nightmares as they prepare to face the Tuskers this season.

As training camp 2010 draws to a close this week a Tuskers team that was one game from the championship last season looks to complete some unfinished business. "Our guys want to come out and win the championship," said Cason of his teammates' mentality coming out of camp. "That's our goal right now is to win it all this year."

Tuesday Training Camp Notes: Tuesday was originally scheduled to be the Tuskers "cut down day," but Head Coach Jay Gruden decided to extend training camp by two more days... "Because we started a few days early, I was hoping to end camp early and begin preparations for the first game. But because of injuries and tight battles at several positions we just need more time to figure out our 52-man roster," Gruden said...the team will practice from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. for the rest of the week...the Tuskers added punter Ken Parrish (East Stroudsburg State), defensive tackle Langston Moore (South Carolina) and center Harvey Jasper (San Diego State) to the training camp roster...Parrish was recently released from the Philadelphia Eagles training camp roster and also spent time in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers and New York Jets...a three-year letterman in soccer, Parrish switched to football for his senior season, where he earned all-conference honors...Moore is a veteran of eight NFL seasons (2003-08), having played for Detroit, Arizona, and Cincinnati...in 51 career NFL games, Moore recorded 76 total tackles with five quarterback sacks...Jasper has NFL experience with the Redskins, Eagles and Cardinals and also played for the Orlando Predators of the Arena Football League and went to camp with Hartford in the UFL...when asked why he wears receiver gloves to practice, Tuskers Special Teams Coach Al Roberts stated that in his earlier days of coaching he was always picking up gloves off the practice field and would wear them to practice the next day to see who would claim them...after a period of time, he just grew comfortable with wearing them...former NFL first-round draft pick Quentin Coryatt is currently serving as a volunteer assistant coach for the Tuskers during training camp...Coryatt, who was selected with the second pick of the first round by the Colts in 1992, played eight seasons in the NFL.



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