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Mike Richardson article:
http://www.macon.com/197/story/30837.html
http://www.macon.com/197/story/30837.html
For Michael Richardson and Chansi Stuckey, the road to the NFL hasn't been easy.
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Richardson, a former wing back at Warner Robins...drafted Sunday in the later rounds by New England...Richardson had success on the field and off at Notre Dame. As a cornerback, he had 115 tackles - 85 solo - in his four-year college career...That success did not surprise his former Demon coach, Richard Fendley.
"He was highly recruited by the academic schools but not local schools like Georgia and Georgia Tech," Fendley said. "He's a good all-around player."
At Warner Robins, Richardson was used as mostly a wing back blocking for Willie Reid, who was drafted last year by Pittsburgh. Richardson rushed for a career 1,866 yards and scored 23 touchdowns. He was a standout in track and graduated with a 3.9 GPA.
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Willingham moved Richardson to the cornerback position,a spot the Notre Dame coach desperately needed to fill. It stuck as Richardson played that position ever year.
"Notre Dame's scheme fit into Mike's skills," Fendley said. "They played a lot of man with the defensive backs chasing receivers all over the place. I know the defensive backs got blamed for a lot of the defense's problems this season but they weren't getting any pressure up front."
...Willingham was fired and New England offensive coordinator Charlie Weis was brought on...It took a while for Richardson to get adjusted to his new coach's style but his efforts obviously got the attention of NFL scouts.
"I know that Charlie came from the same organization," Richardson said in a conference call Sunday. "I really enjoyed my time here with Coach Weis."