Anthony Morelli
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 Anthony Morelli (left) hands off to Austin Scott at Penn State. |
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| Free Agent — No. -- | |
| Quarterback | |
| Date of birth: June 21, 1985 | |
| Place of birth: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | |
| Height: 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | Weight: 231 lb (105 kg) |
| Professional debut | |
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| No regular season or postseason appearances | |
| Career history | |
| College: Penn State | |
| Undrafted in 2008 | |
Teams:
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| Roster status: Active | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Selected NFL statistics (through Week 17 of the 2008 NFL season) |
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| TD-INT | -- |
| Passing yards | -- |
| QB Rating | -- |
| Stats at NFL.com | |
Anthony Michael Morelli (born July 7, 1985 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at Penn State.
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[edit] Early years
As a 10-year-old, Morelli won the National Football League's 1995 Punt, Pass, and Kick competition, throwing a 50-yard pass in front of his hometown crowd at Pittsburgh's Three Rivers Stadium.[1]
[edit] College career
Morelli originally committed to the University of Pittsburgh in August 2003,[2] but de-committed due to Pitt's existing situation with Tyler Palko, along with the recent move of Miami, Virginia Tech, and Boston College out of the Big East, and chose Penn State instead.
Morelli's junior year at Penn State got off to a good start: He threw a 42-yard touchdown on his first pass as the Nittany Lion's starting quarterback in a 34-16 win over the University of Akron. However, he has struggled since, particularly in a 28-6 loss to rival Ohio State. With the Lions down 14-6, Morelli threw two late interceptions that Ohio State returned for touchdowns, effectively ending any hopes of a comeback and making the game look a lot more lopsided than it was. Morelli finished the game with only 106 yards passing. As a result of this performance, Morelli's play had become a polarizing issue amongst Nittany Lion fans. Some fans wanted to bring in backup Daryll Clark, a redshirt freshman whose style of play resembles that of Morelli's predecessor and former Heisman hopeful, Michael Robinson. Other fans have come to Morelli's defense, pointing out the amount of playing time typically required to develop good quarterbacks. By season's end, Morelli had thrown for 2,424 yards, 11 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. He took over third place on Penn State's season passing yardage list, trailing only Kerry Collins (1994) and Tony Sacca (1991). Despite his relatively decent statistics, Morelli expressed frustration over the conservative nature of Penn State's play calling in a November 2006 interview with the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.[3] After struggling all season, Morelli was able to redeem himself during the 2007 Outback Bowl against Tennessee, leading the Nittany Lions to an upset victory.
Morelli's senior season began with a dominant victory over rival Notre Dame but quickly lost momentum with ineffectual campaigns at rival Michigan and at Illinois highlighted by his tendency to turn the ball over in critical situations. Morelli then led Penn State to blowout wins over Iowa and Wisconsin and a close road win against Indiana, but Morelli struggled against rival Ohio State and was unable to rally Penn State to victory over Big Ten rival Michigan State in the closing minutes of the game. Overall, Morelli left Penn State with his name in the record books as the only quarterback in Penn State history to pass for more than 2,000 yards in two seasons.[4]
[edit] Controversy
Morelli revealed that he has not spoken with high school coach Neil Gordon since his final game in 2003. He accused Gordon and his staff of sabotaging his college recruitment, spreading rumors about his intelligence and his inability to read defenses.[5]
Morelli told the assembled media for the 2007 Outback Bowl that he'd received numerous death threats during the 2006 season.[6]
[edit] Professional career
[edit] Arizona Cardinals
Morelli was signed by the Cardinals as an undrafted free agent immediately following the 2008 NFL Draft. In his first professional appearance, Morelli went 2-6 for 13 yards against the New Orleans Saints in Arizona's 2008 preseason opener. He was cut on August 30, 2008, after a lackluster performance in week 4 of the preseason against the Denver Broncos, which included an interception returned for a touchdown.[7]
[edit] References
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ Penn Hills' Anthony Morelli decides on Pitt
- ^ Morelli facing high expectations - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
- ^ Ross Jr., Sam. "Media remains critical of Penn State's Morelli". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/s_544236.html. Retrieved on 2007-12-24.
- ^ Morelli critical of former high school coach
- ^ [2][dead link]
- ^ "Cardinals, Morelli agrees to terms". KFFL. 2008-04-27. http://www.kffl.com/player/18734/nfl. Retrieved on 2008-04-28.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Michael Robinson |
Penn State Starting Quarterback 2006–2007 |
Succeeded by Daryll Clark |
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