Stoney Case
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| Stoney Case | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | July 7, 1972 |
| Place of birth | Odessa, Texas |
| Position(s) | QB |
| College | New Mexico |
| NFL Draft | 1995 / Round 3 / Pick 80 |
| Statistics | |
| Team(s) | |
| 1995-1998 1999 2000 |
Arizona Cardinals Baltimore Ravens Detroit Lions |
Stoney Case (born July 7, 1972) is a quarterback in the Arena Football League, and a former NFL quarterback with four teams.
Contents |
[edit] High School and College
Case played high school football for the Odessa Permian Panthers, quarterbacking the team to an undefeated, 16-0 season and the Texas 5A football title in 1989, one year after the events chronicled in the book and movie Friday Night Lights. The Panthers were voted ESPN's National Champion team as a result. During his Permian career, Case also lettered in baseball as an outfielder, first baseman and pitcher. His brother Stormy Case also played quarterback for the Panthers and went on to play for Texas A&M.
Recruited to play college football for the University of New Mexico, Case was a four-year starter for the Lobos and remains the only player in NCAA Division I-A history to post 8,000 career passing yards and 1,000 career rushing yards. In the course of his college career he threw or ran for 98 touchdowns, ranking second in NCAA Division 1-A history to Ty Detmer’s 121 touchdowns.
[edit] Early NFL Career
Case was drafted into the NFL as a third round pick in 1995 and played quarterback for Arizona Cardinals from 1995 to 1998, though he spent part of that time on loan to the Frankfurt Galaxy in the NFL Europe. He was signed as a free-agent by both the Indianapolis Colts and Baltimore Ravens in 1999, and went to Detroit with the Lions as a unrestricted free-agent in 2000.
Case saw only limited action during his NFL career. He played in two games during his rookie season, but saw no action in either 1996 or 1998. He played twice in 1997 as a replacement for injured starter Kent Graham. He played in 10 games for the Baltimore Ravens in 1999, starting four contests and winning two of them. He also played in five other games later in the season, receiving playing time as a back-up quarterback. In all, Case played in a total of 24 career NFL games over six years, 12 as a starter, where he threw for 1,826 yards and 4 TDs while rushing for 270 yards and 5 scores.
As an NFL player, Case was attacked by some fans for his uncertainty and lack of a penetrating long ball. His most dismal career performance came in October 1999 when he appeared for the Ravens against the Kansas City Chiefs, completing only 15 of 37 passes for 103 yards. "The Chiefs", noted the Baltimore City Paper, "by comparison, ran back his intercepted passes for 108 yards. Repeat: 103 yards forward, 108 yards backward. Add in those two touchdowns off interceptions and Case did almost precisely as much for Kansas City as did the Chiefs' own quarterback, Elvis Grbac (112 yards, two TD passes)."
[edit] Detroit Lions
2000 saw Case sign with the Detroit Lions as the primary backup to quarterback Charlie Batch. Appearing in 5 games, Case passed for 503 yards, 1 touchdown, and 4 interceptions. His best game came on November 30th in a game against the Minnesota Vikings. Even though the Lions lost 24-17, Case filled in for an injured Batch and put up 230 yards on 23-33 passing with a touchdown and an interception.
Case was notorious in Detroit for perhaps indirectly causing a chain reaction of events that led to the Matt Millen era as Detroit's general manager. During the last game of the season against the Chicago Bears, Case again was filling in for an injured Charlie Batch. With Detroit losing 13-10 at the start of the 4th quarter, Case scampered 13 yards for a touchdown and the Lions went up 17-13. However, Case then threw an interception that was returned 61 yards for a touchdown by R.W. McQuarters, and the Bears went up 20-17, before a Jason Hanson Lions field goal tied the game at 20-20. With possession of the ball and moving into field goal range late in the game, Case threw a pass that was dropped by wide receiver Herman Moore on a crucial third down, forcing the Lions to punt. Chicago was only able to drive to the Lions 37-yard line with 2 seconds remaining on the clock, and on the cusp of field goal range. However, that proved to be close enough as rookie kicker Paul Edinger kicked a 54 yard field goal, giving the Bears an impropable road win. The Lions suffered the loss and their season was over with a 9-7 record. The Detroit media and fans roundly placed blame on Case and Moore, whether it was just or not. Had the Lions won the game, the team would have earned a playoff berth for the second season in a row. As a result, owner William Clay Ford immediately reshuffled the front office, resulting in the hiring of general manager and president Matt Millen, the firing of head coach Gary Moeller, and the departure of Herman Moore, Jeff Hartings, and Case.
[edit] Arena League
Having been released by Detroit and seemingly out of the NFL, Case subsequently moved to the Arena Football League. In 2003, he was signed by Tampa Bay Storm, playing in two games and completing 4 of 7 passes for 35 yards and 2 TDs.
As of 2006, Case was the backup to Mark Grieb with the San Jose SaberCats in the AFL American Conference, Western Division.
