Sundino Has a New Friend in Phoenix

I guess we can chalk this one up as another professional athlete that Scabbies can brag about being friends with. The funny thing is, Scabbies actually does know him. We all do.

Flight of the Phoenix
McCareins family expands in NFL, Jay joins Cardinals
By Brad Engel
STAFF WRITER-Naperville Sun

Name: Jay McCareins
Position: Cornerback
Height: 5-11
Weight: 196
College: Princeton
High school: Naperville North
Career highlights
• Led the country with nine interceptions and made the 2005 Associated Press, Sports Network and Walter Camp All-American teams
• Scored four touchdowns in 2005 — on two interceptions, one kickoff return and a missed field goal
• Recorded 18 interceptions in four years with the Tigers

When Jay McCareins learned he was going to become a free agent with the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday night, he was driving a pair of wide receivers from his home in Naperville back to Midway Airport.
McCareins, his older brother Justin of the New York Jets and former Princeton teammate Clinton Wu had left his draft-day party for the airport when agent Cliff Brady delivered the good news. McCareins will report to Arizona on Thursday for a mini camp that takes place Friday through Sunday.
"I'm overjoyed," said McCareins on Monday, once again at the airport as he planned to board a plane back to college. "It was just a rough day overall. It's an up-and-down emotional thing, because I was getting continuous phone calls all day (Sunday). It (stinks) because you're like, 'I hope, I hope, I hope this could be the phone call,' and then it's not."
McCareins left the decision between Carolina and Arizona in good hands with Brady, because he knows the teams best. Brady, player-agent to Justin through contracts with the Tennessee Titans and Jets, now has Jay in camp with an up-and-coming team that did not draft any cornerbacks or safeties.
The Cardinals would not comment on signing McCareins, because it's not yet official on their end. McCareins was expecting to receive and sign the necessary paperwork Monday but told The Sun how it shook out anyway.
"Arizona called and they were saying, 'We're not drafting any secondary players but you would be one of our top free agents coming in, in the secondary. We have a young team, obviously, no one's proven themselves to be stars so whoever can play is gonna play,'" McCareins said.
"So I feel like it's a great opportunity."
McCareins led the nation with nine interceptions and made three Division I-AA All-American teams in 2005. He's a corner with big-play ability on special teams also. As a senior, he not only returned two interceptions for touchdowns but also returned a kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown and a missed field goal 100 yards for another one.
Brady said Pittsburgh became the third finalist for McCareins' services, but the Steelers wanted McCareins to come into camp as a safety and compete with a safety they drafted in the second round. Brady nearly agreed to terms with the Panthers, but they drafted a corner in Round 2 and were looking more for a nickel back and return specialist.
"His competition is gonna be two other free-agent defensive backs after the draft and then some guys who made the team last year as free agents," Brady said. "So you gotta like the fact that they keep some undrafted free agents on the team. The money was fairly equal, and Arizona was even kind enough to throw in a couple more grand and sweeten the pot."
New Orleans and Philadelphia also called on draft day, as did Chicago — which Brady thought liked McCareins the most — but the Bears took themselves out of the picture in a hurry by drafting defensive backs with their first two picks overall. (The Cardinals will host the Bears on Monday, Oct. 16).
While earnestly wanting to get selected during the first seven rounds this weekend, McCareins said whether drafted or not, he still has to enter training camp ready to perform in order to make the team.
"Obviously, I can't be upset I didn't get drafted," McCareins said. "My mom and dad didn't raise me to deal with what could have happened, but more with what I am doing."