Anthony Morelli

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Anthony Morelli

Anthony Morelli (left) during his tenure at Penn State.
Arizona Cardinals — No. 12
Quarterback
Date of birth: June 21, 1985 (1985-06-21) (age 22)
Place of birth: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Height: 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) Weight: 200 lb (91 kg)
National Football League debut
No regular season or postseason appearances
Career history
College: Penn State
Undrafted in 2008
 Teams:
Career highlights and awards

Anthony Michael Morelli (born June 21, 1985 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is a professional American football quarterback, currently a rookie with the Arizona Cardinals of the NFL. Morelli played collegiately for Penn State. At Penn Hills Senior High School in suburban Pittsburgh, he was rated the No. 2 quarterback in the country and was named to the USA Today Top 25 Supreme Team, among others.

Contents

[edit] NFL

Morelli was signed by the Cardinals as an undrafted free agent immediately following the 2008 NFL Draft.[1]

[edit] College

Morelli originally committed to the University of Pittsburgh in August 2003,[2] but de-committed due to Pitt's existing situation with Tyler Palko, along with the recent move of Miami, Virginia Tech, and Boston College out of the Big East, and chose Penn State instead.

Morelli's junior year at Penn State got off to a good start: He threw a 42-yard touchdown on his first pass as the Nittany Lion's starting quarterback in a 34-16 win over the University of Akron. However, he has struggled since, particularly in a 28-6 loss to rival Ohio State. With the Lions down 14-6, Morelli threw two late interceptions that Ohio State returned for touchdowns, effectively ending any hopes of a comeback and making the game look a lot more lopsided than it was. Morelli finished the game with only 106 yards passing. As a result of this performance, Morelli's play has become a polarizing issue amongst Nittany Lion fans. Some fans want to bring in backup Daryll Clark, a redshirt freshman whose style of play resembles that of Morelli's predecessor and former Heisman hopeful, Michael Robinson. Other fans have come to Morelli's defense, pointing out the amount of playing time typically required to develop good quarterbacks. By season's end, Morelli had thrown for 2,424 yards, 11 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. He took over third place on Penn State's season passing yardage list, trailing only Kerry Collins (1994) and Tony Sacca (1991). Despite his relatively decent statistics, Morelli expressed frustration over the conservative nature of Penn State's play calling in a November 2006 interview with the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.[3] After struggling all season, Morelli was able to redeem himself during the 2007 Outback Bowl against Tennessee, leading the Nittany Lions to an upset victory.

Morelli's senior season began with a dominant victory over rival Notre Dame but quickly lost momentum with ineffectual campaigns at Michigan and at Illinois highlighted by his tendency to turn the ball over in critical situations. Morelli struggled against Ohio State and was unable to rally Penn State to victory over Big Ten rival Michigan State in the closing minutes of the game. Overall, Morelli leaves Penn State with his name in the record books as the only quarterback in Penn State history to pass for more than 2,000 yards in two seasons.[4]

[edit] Controversy

Morelli revealed that he has not spoken with high school coach Neil Gordon since his final game in 2003. He accused Gordon and his staff of sabotaging his college recruitment, spreading rumors about his intelligence and his ability to read defenses.[5]

Morelli told the assembled media for the 2007 Outback Bowl that he'd received numerous death threats during the 2006 season.[6]

[edit] Trivia

As a 10-year-old, Morelli won the National Football League's 1995 Punt, Pass, and Kick competition, throwing a 50-yard pass in front of his hometown crowd at Pittsburgh's Three Rivers Stadium.[7]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Cardinals, Morelli agrees to terms. KFFL (2008-04-27). Retrieved on 2008-04-28.
  2. ^ www.post-gazette.com/sports/pitt/20030821recruit0821p3.asp.
  3. ^ www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/college/pennstate/s_480002.html.
  4. ^ Ross Jr., Sam. Media remains critical of Penn State's Morelli. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved on 2007-12-24.
  5. ^ www.post-gazette.com/pg/06349/746378-143.stm.
  6. ^ sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/football/ncaa/12/15/morelli.deaththreats.ap/index.html.
  7. ^ www.gopsusports.com/Football/people/Player.cfm?rosterid=2595.

[edit] External link


Preceded by
Michael Robinson		 Penn State Starting Quarterback
2006-present		 Succeeded by
incumbent


v • d • e
Penn State Starting Quarterbacks
Elwood Petchel • Owen Dougherty • Vince O'Bara • Bob Szajna • Tony Rados • Don Bailey • Bobby Hoffman • Milt Plum • Al Jacks • Richie Lucas • Galen Hall • Pete Liske • Gary Wydman • Jack White • Tom Sherman • Chuck Burkhart • Mike Cooper • John Hufnagel • Tom Shuman • John Andress • Chuck Fusina • Dayle Tate • Todd Blackledge • Doug Strang • John Shaffer • Matt Knizner • Tom Bill • Tony Sacca • John Sacca • Kerry Collins • Wally Richardson • Mike McQueary • Kevin Thompson • Rashard Casey • Matt Seneca • Zack Mills • Michael Robinson • Anthony Morelli
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