Valdez Showers on a kick return during the 2014 season.
Harry Fodder: What's In a Number? For Gator-Turned-Redskin, A Lot
Thursday, July 28, 2016 | Football, Chris Harry
Valdez Showers put on his NFL jersey, then innocently wandered into some controversy Thursday.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — National Football League teams are opening training camps across the country this week, which means several dozen University of Florida products will be taking the field, including nine players selected in the 2016 draft, with a couple first-round picks in Vernon Hargreaves III and Keanu Neal.
But you'll never guess which Gator has created the most early NFL buzz.
Answer: Valdez Showers.
Told you you'd never guess.
Showers, the former defensive back-turned-receiver, signed as an undrafted free agent with the Washington Redskins and trotted Thursday morning onto the team's practice field in Richmond, Va., wearing a No. 10 jersey -- the number donned the last four seasons by the polarizing, lightning-rod and Internet-click magnet and quarterback Robert Griffin III. According to a Thursday afternoon story on The Washington Post website, the sight of a new guy in that number caused quite a commotion from the fans.
"Wow, you have Robert's number now," one fan shouted at Showers.
"Oh, who's that guy that has RG3's number?" another asked.
Showers wore No. 10 at UF, where he caught six passes for 64 yards as a senior last season. The number became available when Griffin was released and signed with the Cleveland Browns during the offseason. Given the chance to wear the number that got him there, Showers went with it. He didn't think of the potential fallout. Then again, why would he?
"For me, it was like, 'OK, it's cool. I got my college number,' " Showers told reporters Thursday. "I didn't really look at who had it before me or anything like that. I just took it and left."
The odyssey of Griffin — from Heisman Trophy winner to blockbuster trade acquisition to record-setting 2012 NFL Rookie of the Year quarterback to devastating knee injury to ineffective QB to inactive every game last season — has been reported ad nauseam. Griffin, though, is getting a fresh start with the Browns, while the Redskins have moved on to Kirk Cousins.
None of that means anything to Showers (pictured in his new wears, right), who enters camp as clearly a longshot to make the squad. But he's getting a fresh start too.
"Coming from a program like Florida, I feel like I'm prepared," Showers told The Post. "But I'm just seeing how much the details really matter here. It's really about the details. Everybody here is really fast, really strong. It's the details that separate people and that's one thing that I noticed once I got on the field. It's so much further than college."
And what you wear matters. Obviously.
But you'll never guess which Gator has created the most early NFL buzz. Answer: Valdez Showers.
Told you you'd never guess.
Showers, the former defensive back-turned-receiver, signed as an undrafted free agent with the Washington Redskins and trotted Thursday morning onto the team's practice field in Richmond, Va., wearing a No. 10 jersey -- the number donned the last four seasons by the polarizing, lightning-rod and Internet-click magnet and quarterback Robert Griffin III. According to a Thursday afternoon story on The Washington Post website, the sight of a new guy in that number caused quite a commotion from the fans.
"Wow, you have Robert's number now," one fan shouted at Showers. "Oh, who's that guy that has RG3's number?" another asked.
Showers wore No. 10 at UF, where he caught six passes for 64 yards as a senior last season. The number became available when Griffin was released and signed with the Cleveland Browns during the offseason. Given the chance to wear the number that got him there, Showers went with it. He didn't think of the potential fallout. Then again, why would he?
"For me, it was like, 'OK, it's cool. I got my college number,' " Showers told reporters Thursday. "I didn't really look at who had it before me or anything like that. I just took it and left."
The odyssey of Griffin — from Heisman Trophy winner to blockbuster trade acquisition to record-setting 2012 NFL Rookie of the Year quarterback to devastating knee injury to ineffective QB to inactive every game last season — has been reported ad nauseam. Griffin, though, is getting a fresh start with the Browns, while the Redskins have moved on to Kirk Cousins.
None of that means anything to Showers (pictured in his new wears, right), who enters camp as clearly a longshot to make the squad. But he's getting a fresh start too.
"Coming from a program like Florida, I feel like I'm prepared," Showers told The Post. "But I'm just seeing how much the details really matter here. It's really about the details. Everybody here is really fast, really strong. It's the details that separate people and that's one thing that I noticed once I got on the field. It's so much further than college."
And what you wear matters. Obviously.
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