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Student of the game
BY ROBERT TURBEVILLE
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
Arkansas-Pine Bluff offensive
tackle Courtney Van Buren wasn’t the only one caught off guard
on NFL Draft day when he went to San Diego in the third round
as the 80 th pick overall.
But even though that was at least a round earlier than he
expected, and two rounds earlier than the many other teams
thought he would go, Van Buren still likely could have aced a
pop quiz on the Chargers.
Van Buren said his hobby was doing homework on San Diego
and every other team in the NFL.
"I know a little bit about everybody on every team," Van
Buren said before his rookie orientation in San Diego.
"I’m kind of like a football nerd a little bit.
"There’s a definite youth movement going on in San Diego."
Van Buren’s knowledge of the game is just one reason the
6-6, 330-pound dominator at the NCAA Division I-AA level is
said by some to have all the ingredients of a future star.
Sure, there was some mumbling on draft day about the
Chargers jumping out and taking Van Buren too early, but UAPB
Coach Lee Hardman said Van Buren was anything but a secret
even though he wasn’t invited to the Indianapolis combine
before the draft.
"I talked to several scouts that came down," Hardman said.
"Their opinion is Courtney can play 12 years or more in the
pros if he stays healthy. His attitude, his intelligence, his
work ethic give him a great opportunity to stay there for many
years."
The Chargers completed their first minicamp a week ago.
Van Buren is one of seven unsigned Chargers draft picks, but
they hope to have him in board when training camp begins July
23 in Carson, Calif.
Right now, there’s no verdict on whether or not Van Buren,
a St. Louis native, was a draft stretch. Certainly, he’ll have
time to grow and learn with the Chargers, who have Vaughn
Parker returning at right tackle and who signed former Dallas
Cowboys starter Solomon Page on June 4. They return Damion
McIntosh as the starting left tackle.
But San Diego offensive line coach Hudson Houck has been
mentioning Van Buren in the same breath as the Pro Bowlers he
coached with the Cowboys.
Hardman said he could see why.
"He’s a smart guy. He took that NFL [intelligence] test
and scouts said Courtney blew everyone out of the water. He
scored higher than most quarterbacks." Van Buren, a
two-time All-Southwestern Athletic Conference selection, is
ready to back up the high praise.
"Being a third-round pick from a small black school, you
are definitely going to have people questioning [the
selection]," Van Buren said. "I’m going to go there and try to
show them that small-school guys can play. Through the years
that’s been shown — Jerry Rice, Walter Payton.
"I definitely have a lot to prove and I’m sure I will
prove there are some excellent ballplayers in the SWAC and
other small conferences."
Van Buren could have played in one of the major
conferences. There were some offers, he said. But they all
wanted him to play offense. As a senior at Ladue Horton
Watkins High School, Van Buren was determined to play on the
defensive line.
Hardman gave him the shot. After spending the 1998
season as a redshirt scout team defensive tackle, Van Buren
discovered he could play immediately on the offensive line.
And he did. For four years he was a fixture on the Golden
Lions offensive front.
His pre-draft bio on NFL.com described Van Buren as "a
rising star who simply dominated in isolated blocking
situations. Has surprising foot speed and balance for his
size. One of the strongest blockers in the Southwestern
Athletic Conference, boasting a 450-pound bench press."
He also has 5.34-second speed in the 40-yard dash, squats
550 pounds, power cleans 320 pounds and has a 30-inch vertical
jump. It failed to mention his studious approach to the
game.
Van Buren said he spent his Sundays in college glued to
the television set, watching his heroes, Orlando Pace, Jon
Runyan, Kyle Turley, "all the mean guys,"
and trying to learn from them.
"I looked at what worked and what didn’t work and tried to
implement their game into my game from week to week," he said.
Known as a nice enough guy off the field, Van Buren said
he considers himself to be as mean as his heroes now.
"Yeah, I like finishing people,"
he said. "I like making people look bad on tape, bad on game
film. I like that, because they’re trying to make you look
bad."
In less than a month, the Chargers will find out how good
or bad their risky draft pick really is.
"I just want to come in and work hard. I really don’t want
to speculate about the future," Van Buren said. "Work hard and
make my presence felt as a rookie. Whatever happens, happens,
and I’ll play my part whatever it may be.
"My first goal is to learn the system and learn all the
plays and the intricacies of the position at the NFL level.
Get accustomed, acclimated to that and we’ll see from there."
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