Outlaws give Denton look at quarterback

Victoria Sun

Friday, Feb. 16, 2001 | 11:02 a.m.

When Jon Denton returned home from dinner Wednesday night, he received the message he had been hoping for.

A representative of the Las Vegas Outlaws had called to ask Denton if he would be interested in watching Thursday's practice then completing a few passing drills.

"Of course I was happy they called," the former UNLV quarterback said on Thursday. "Any way they need me to help, I will.

"Obviously I don't expect to come in and take charge right away."

On Saturday afternoon when the Outlaws (2-0) host the Los Angeles Xtreme (1-1) someone will have to.

The Outlaws lost starting quarterback Ryan Clement for a minimum of one week when he separated his shoulder after being hit last Sunday by Memphis Maniax defensive end Shante Carter.

Clement moved into the starting role for Chuck Clements, who injured his shoulder during training camp. Clements, the first player chosen by the Outlaws in the draft, underwent arthroscopic surgery today and will miss the rest of the season.

As it stands now, Mike Cawley will start at quarterback for the Outlaws. Cawley has seen limited action, completing 3-of-13 attempts on the season for 51 yards while backup Jim Ballard has been waiting for his opportunity to play.

Before the draft Denton worked out for the Outlaws four times. Denton finished the 1996 season as a redshirt freshman and broke 10 NCAA freshman offensive records and still holds numerous school records including single-game pass completions with 33 against San Jose State in 1996, single-season pass completions with 277 and total yards in a season, 3,629.

While it seemed he would have been a likely pick for the Outlaws, the team opted to go with Clements and Clement.

While Denton believes the decision may have had something to do with the fact that he was kicked off the Rebels squad for breaking an undisclosed team rule in 1997, Outlaws director of player personnel Don Gregory said it was nothing personal.

"It was just experience," Gregory said. "He had some pretty good workouts and some workouts were just OK.

"We went with the other two guys. They had been playing in and out of the NFL and they had that experience. If you look around our team, 100 percent of them have been in the NFL from one to 14 years. That is the way we wanted to build our team."

Denton, who has been working at the Las Vegas Business Press, holds no grudges.

"I did hope to get drafted by the Outlaws, but you know, things don't always work out in your favor," Denton said. "But I'm here."

Presently, he has been focused on taking care of his 10-month-old daughter, Olivia.

While he admitted the indiscretions that led to his transferring to Eastern Kentucky -- where he played a season before turning pro -- were his fault, he stressed that the incidents happened years ago and he has matured.

"I was 18, 19 years old," Denton said. "I made some mistakes.

"That's it. I'm still paying for them, probably always will be, but I've just got to be a better person.

"I'm just out here to find my place. That's it. Football is my No. 1 love, it just hasn't panned out the way I wanted it to."

The last time Denton played in a live game was three years ago at Eastern Kentucky and it may be a while before he suits up for the Outlaws.

Gregory and the coaching staff brought Denton in just for an evaluation to see if he is ready to be a backup if needed. If Clement heals faster than expected, Denton won't be added to the roster.

"Even if nothing happens now, there's still down the road," Gregory said. "He's local and we want to have a better feel for him.

"Whether it's this year, next year or whatever, we want to give him an opportunity. And if he is what he used to be, at least we'll have a feel for him so if we run into this (injury) situation again, we can get him."