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PACKERS CLAIM CB DARDEN, SIGN FREE AGENTS ROUNTREE, KAESVIHARN, LENON
posted 04/26/01
Continuing to augment their roster on the eve of their second offseason minicamp, the Green Bay Packers today claimed veteran cornerback Tony Darden from San Diego and signed three other players as free agents, Andrew Brandt, the team's director of player finance, announced today.
Added along with Darden were a pair of linebackers, Paris Lenon and Kevin Kaesviharn, and a guard, Glenn Rountree, all of whom have just played in the recently completed 2001 XFL season, Lenon and Rountree with the Memphis Maniax and Kaesviharn with the San Francisco Demons.
At Memphis, Rountree and Lenon played under Kippy Brown, the Packers' running backs coach in 2000 who now is head coach of the Maniax.
Darden, 5-11 and 193 pounds, is a third-year pro who played in all 16 games for the Chargers last season, starting three. He earlier had spent half of the 1998 season on injured reserve as a member of the Minnesota Vikings and subsequently was out of football in 1999. He had been a two-time All-Big 12 selection at wide receiver for Texas Tech as a collegian. Darden had begun his collegiate career as a quarterback before switching to flanker as a sophomore.
Rountree, 6-3 and 300 pounds, originally was a sixth-round draft selection of the St. Louis Rams out of Clemson in 1998. Released at the end of training camp, he joined Carolina's practice squad later that season. He went to training camp with Philadelphia in 1999 and was released in September, then signing on with the Eagles' practice squad. Rountree joined Denver's practice squad and went to camp with the Broncos in 2000 - after playing with the Barcelona Dragons of the NFL Europe League. He later was waived by the Broncos during the 2000 preseason and out of football for the balance of the year.
As a collegian, Rountree set Clemson school records for consecutive starts
(47) and total plays (3,048).
The 6-foot, 193-pound Kaesviharn is a veteran of two Arena Football League seasons with the Iowa Barnstormers, in addition to his recent 2001 campaign with the Memphis Maniax of the XFL. He finished the 2000 season as the AFL's second-leading tackler, becoming one of only three players in league history to post more than 100 tackles in a season (107) and establishing a team single-season mark with 10 interceptions.
A year earlier, despite playing in just 10 games because of a broken foot, he still led the 1999 Barnstormers with 9 interceptions, including 4 in postseason play.
Lenon, 6-1 and 233 pounds, out of Richmond University, signed on with Carolina as an undrafted free agent April 26, 2000, and was waived prior to training camp (June 19). Subsequently out of football during the 2000 season, he had been a four-year starter at Richmond and a first-team, All-Atlantic 10 selection as a senior.
Minicamp
With 80 players due to take part, the Packers open their second offseason minicamp practice schedule Friday morning with a 10:30 workout. They will return to the practice field for a 2:45 session in the afternoon. The same schedule will prevail for Saturday, followed by a final, 10 a.m. practice Sunday.
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