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Greg Paulus


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. . .signs with the Saints.

http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2010/05/11/greg-paulus-gets-a-shot-with-the-saints/

The surprise football career of former Duke basketball player Greg Paulus looks like it will last a little bit longer. Paulus, who played quarterback for Syracuse last year after spending four years playing basketball for Duke, impressed the New Orleans Saints enough that the Super Bowl champs have decided to give him a shot to earn a backup spot behind Drew Brees.

"I think anybody that could be put in the same category as Drew Brees, that's something you want to be a part of," Paulus told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "Just to be considered for something like that -- trying to be a part of his team -- that's something that I'd love to have."

I met Paulus in March at an NCAA basketball sub-regional pod in Providence, R.I. He was there networking, because he said he didn't think he'd be drafted by an NFL team and didn't know if one would give him a shot to try and make a roster. And assuming he didn't play pro football, he wanted to pursue a career in basketball coaching. I got the sense that the coaching idea was his long-term plan regardless of what happened with football, but he did seem to want to give pro football a shot if somebody were willing to give him the opportunity.

Last year, Paulus played for Syracuse head coach Doug Marrone, a former saints offensive coordinator, and threw for 2,024 yards with 13 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.

The Saints have only one quarterback other than Brees under contract, and that's former Missouri QB Chase Daniel. He, along with Paulus and this year's seventh-round pick, Sean Canfield, will compete to see who will back up the Super Bowl MVP in 2010.

Dude's got staying power, I'll give him that.
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