Catching up with Shane Bannon

Among the former and current Yale players in attendance as Bobby Abare, Drew Baldwin, Geoff Dunham, Jordan Haynes, Pat Moran, Jake Stoller, Alex Thomas and Patrick Witt worked out for NFL scouts was somebody who knows the drill pretty well.

A year ago Shane Bannon was barely showing up on any NFL draft sites but a strong showing at Yale's pro day followed by impressive showings in individual workouts resulted in Bannon being drafted in the seventh round by the Kansas City Chiefs. I haven't had the chance to speak to Bannon since he was drafted so I spent a few minutes with him to talk about his experiences last season and also to have him talk about the process of attempting to catch the eye of NFL teams.

"It was fast," Bannon said. "It was the quickest six weeks of my life. I worked out at pro day, starting talking to teams and working out for teams and it just kind of snowballed from there. I think I was in the right place at the right time and the stars aligned and I couldn't be more grateful that the Chiefs drafted me. It was a great month for sure."

Bannon was thrilled to see his former teammates taking their best shot at the NFL.

"I thought they did great," Bannon said. "They came out and gave it their best shot so hopefully somebody saw something they liked and they'll get a couple phone calls. If not, that doesn't take away from anything they have done. I commend them for giving it a shot."

So what advice would Bannon give to the former Yale players hoping to get invited to NFL training camps.
"There is so much you can control," Bannon said. "If you get a workout or interview, just go out and be you and do what you know you can do. You can't let that stuff get to you because there is too much going on, sit back relax and enjoy it."

Bannon spent time on the Chiefs' practice squad and after the season signed a two-year contract with Kansas City.

"We'll see what happens in camp," Bannon said. "I have to make the team and I look forward to getting out there and competing for sure. It's a little different because you are not training to do a pro day any more, you are not doing specific benching and running 40s but I trying to get back in shape and get ready for OTAs and practice and hopefully the stars will align again."

Haynes named first team All-Ivy

Senior linebacker Jordan Haynes was Yale's lone representative on the All-Ivy League first team.

Haynes, the team captain, led Yale with 81 tackles while sharing for the team lead with five tackles for losses and two fumble recoveries.

Chris Smith, who was honored as a receiver and returnman, offensive guard Gabe Fernandez, running back Alex Thomas, defensive tackle Jake Stoller, linebacker Will McHale, cornerback Drew Baldwin and return specialist were second-team selections.

Quarterback Patrick Witt and receiver Deon Randall were honorable mention selections.

Princeton running back Chuck Dibilio was named the league's rookie of the year while Penn offensive tackle Greg Van Roten and linebacker Erik Rask, Dartmouth running back Nick Schwieger and Harvard defensive tackle Josue Ortiz and defensive back Matthew Hanson were unanimous All-Ivy selections.

Earthquake, what earthquake?

While the New Haven Open tennis tournament was brought to a halt by an earthquake shortly before 2 p.m., the Yale football team was across the street at the same time about the start its practice and felt nothing.



"I didn't feel it," said Yale senior cornerback Drew Baldwin. "It's pretty crazy, I didn't know we had an earthquake."



It wasn't until visitors at Yale's afternoon practice broke the news that the players and coaches realized that the area was impacted by the earthquake.



"(Former Yale star) Bob Blanchard came to practice and he said did you guys feel the earthquake," Yale coach Tom Williams said. "I said 'what earthquake?' It has been on the news that the epicenter is in Richmond, Virginia and they felt the vibrations as far as Connecticut.



"We heard the sirens going off (at the tennis tournament). We are oblivous out here, business as usual. We heard the sirens but nothing. We had the music going. Soon after that somebody else from the administration called and said to make sure we have our kids call home because the parents were calling to see if everything was OK."



As for practice, Yale was in full pads and had a strong showing. In the time I was over there, the most noteworthy play was a big hit by junior linebacker Will McHale on freshman running back Kahlil Keys.



Speaking of the freshmen, I asked Williams which of the first-year players have caught his eye. Keys, linebacker Will Vaughan, cornerbacks L.J. Hunt and Nick LaTesta, receiver Tyler Hutchison and offensive linemen Ben Carbery and William Chism were the freshmen opening eyes in the first week of practice.



There was a scout from the New York Jets at practice who spoke with senior quarterback Patrick Witt. A representative from the Giants is scheduled to be at practice on Wednesday with a New England Patriots scout also expected to make it to a Yale practice soon. While Witt is drawing plenty of attention, he is not the only Yale senior on the radar of NFL teams. Defensive linemen Pat Moran, Jake Stoller and Reed Spiller along with linebacker Jordan Haynes and safety Geoff Dunham are other players the NFL people are inquiring about.



Yale headed out to the Milford Lanes tonight for a team bowling event. If Caroline Wozniacki gets to the semifinals of the New Haven Open, the Yale team is planning to be in attendance at her match continuing the three-year mutual admiration society between Wozniacki and the Bulldogs.