UNLV alum makes roster

Adam Candee

Monday, Jan. 24, 2005 | 9:37 a.m.

A former NFL first-round pick couldn't make it, but a one-time UNLV standout did.

The Las Vegas Gladiators moved down before Sunday's deadline to the league roster limit of 24 players, cutting former New England cornerback Chris Canty and journeyman quarterback Craig Whelihan in addition to seven other players.

Four more players made it to the middle ground, as head coach Ron James picked up ex-UNLV wide receiver Troy Mason as one of the players on the practice squad.

The weekend also marked the end of the Gladiators' training camp and the beginning of their game week preparation for this Sunday's season opener against Los Angeles at the Thomas & Mack Center.

James reiterated Sunday night what he had said at the beginning of training camp -- players he cut will likely find their way onto other Arena Football League rosters. Among that group is Canty, a first-round pick of the Patriots in 1997 who played four years in the NFL before attempting a comeback with the Gladiators.

James said Canty's lack of AFL experience hurt him in the final evaluation.

"It's just hard because there's so much competition at that position with guys who've played in the league before," James said.

Whelihan, who has spent time in the NFL and AFL, bested ex-Rebel Jason Thomas out of mini-camp. Against incumbent backup Rod Robinson, though, Whelihan did not make enough of an impression to make the team.

"We wanted to make sure we were upgrading in our backup positions all around," James said. "And that included the backup quarterback job."

The remaining cuts were not surprising, with most of last year's holdovers getting preference over newcomers who were not touted free agents. James brought in some talented players for camp with the hope of making some connections that could benefit Las Vegas in case of injuries.

"You have a 24-man roster and you can't really hide many players or develop many players," James said.

One player James does hope to develop is Mason, who came to camp on an invitation earned through minicamp. That spot came through an open tryout where Mason impressed coaches, but he exceeded expectations in training camp.

"Troy was a surprise," James said.

James wanted to find a spot for Mason on the active roster, but with the rookie stuck behind Marcus Nash at offensive specialist, there was no place to put him.