WVU's Where Are They Now? The 7/23/2011 Calm Before The Storm Edition

Welcome back for another edition of "WVU's Where Are They Now?"- the weekly column that is your one-spot-stop to catch up on news that your former Mountaineers have made during the previous week. I scour the Internet for news, blurbs, and other tidbits about what former Mountaineers are up to in life outside of Morgantown.

Last week was a very slow week regarding former Mountaineers in the news. Adam Jones was in the news again for the second consecutive week. Anthony Becht talked about his future and also earned the Former Player Tweet of the Week, and I have the final edition of the Marc Bulger It-May-Or-Not-Be-News of the week. I'll explain why below. 

While this week was a slow week, the end of the NFL Lockout should end this week which will allow teams to open up camp and allow free-agents to sign with teams. There should be a flurry of activity in the professional Mountaineer world over the coming weeks. 

With that being said, here now is the former player news from this past week.

Anthony Becht- Becht held his fifth annual football camp in Clarksburg this past week and took the time to talk about his future. Becht was out of football last season and has worked towards the next professional phase of his life over past few months. He attended an NFL bootcamp to educate former players on how to be a broadcaster where he learned from professionals who work for ESPN, Fox, and CBS. Becht also hosted a show on ESPN 1040AM in Tampa Bay during last season. However, he hasn't shut the door on playing another season if the situation was right. 

"I'm keeping the window open of trying to play another year," Becht told Scott Grayson of WVIllustrated. "Obiously I know it is a long shot. I'm not leaning on that. I would like to squeeze out another year if I can. I love playing the game."

Adam Jones- Jones faced arraignment this past week in Cincinnati court stemming from his arrest on July 10 where he was charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. Jones did not appear before the judge, and wrote in his plea of 'not guilty.' If Jones is eventually found guilty of the charges, he could be in even deeper trouble. If guilty, then Jones will be in violation of his probation stemming from the Las Vegas nightclub shooting in 2007.

The Marc Bulger It-May-Or-Not-Be-News Item of the Week

This part of my weekly column, for me, has been one of my favorites to write. I'm sad to say that by the time the next edition of this column is published, there may be actual Marc Bulger news to report as the NFL Lockout should have ended by then and free-agency will have begun. With the Lockout going on during every edition of this column since it's inception, no team has been able to officially say anything about Bulger or any other free-agent. They haven't been allowed to speak to him or even say that they're interested. That has not, however, stopped the talking heads and other journalists from speculating ad-naseum about where Bulger may potentially land. I realize that the media had to have something to discuss during the lockout to fill air-time or column space. What this means is, through all that's been said about Bulger, very little of it means anything. Hence, the title of this subheading. So here's one last bit of info about Bulger before he actually decides upon his future: one of the most likely landing places for Bulger was the Arizona Cardinals. In fact, the rumor was that before the NFL Draft, the Cardinals and Bulger had an 'understanding' that when the Lockout was lifted, Bulger was going to sign with the Cards. To the contrary, Mike Jurecki of XTRA 910 in Phoenix said on the air on Monday that he has a source that says that Bulger does not want to play for the Cardinals after all. Bulger has said all along that he would prefer to play somewhere near St. Louis where his wife is a doctor. Some have said that Bulger wants to go somewhere where he has a legit chance to start such as Miami, Tennessee, Arizona, or Minnesota. Others have claimed that Bulger may wish to remain in Baltimore and back up Joe Flacco for a second year. Hopefully we'll find out this week where Bulger lands once and for all. 

Former Player Tweet of the Week

As I mentioned above, Anthony Becht was out of football last season. One of the new regulations of the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement will be that veterans will have protection against being cut to save teams for being penalized for being over the salary cap. He tells us what he thinks of this new provision.

This is the interactive part of the column. I don't see every Tweet from every former Mountaineer, so if you see a Tweet from a former Mountaineer that you think is worthy of the Tweet of the Week, send it to me @WVUPros. It can be anything funny, inspirational, or newsworthy. If I use your suggestion, I'll be sure to mention you in that column!

I will be on vacation during the latter part of next week, therefore, there will be no 7/30 edition of this column. If the Lockout ends and free-agency begins next week, look for a special edition of this column sometime during the week detailing where free-agents end up or any players that get traded, i.e.- Steve Slaton, if I'm near a computer.