Terrell steps up yet again

The last time senior quarterback Jeff Terrell stood on a field with current St. Louis Rams backup quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, the Harvard signal-caller was leading the Crimson to a 39-14 deconstruction of the Tigers on Oct. 22, 2004. Terrell, a sophomore far down on the depth chart, looked on from the sidelines as Fitzpatrick threw for 172 yards and a score en route to winning the Bushnell Cup.

"I remember sitting there on the sidelines thinking, 'This guy's good, he's quite a player,' " Terrell said. "That was my goal, although it was pretty far-fetched: doing what Ryan could do with Harvard, winning the title and the award and going to the NFL."

This fall, Terrell led Princeton to the Ivy League title and won the Bushnell Cup. And yesterday, he completed the final part of his goal. After interest from the several NFL teams — including his hometown Cleveland Browns — the quarterback signed a rookie free agent contract with the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs' manager of media relations, Patrick Herb, confirmed the signing today but would not comment further.

Less than two years after that game Terrell watched from the sidelines, Harvard and Princeton were set to face off once again at Princeton Stadium on Oct. 21, 2006. Halfback Clifton Dawson, who ran roughshod over the Tigers as a freshman, was once again the Crimson's main offensive weapon. For Princeton, however, much had changed. The forgotten sophomore had matured into the star senior: Terrell was now the team's unquestioned leader on offense and the best quarterback in the Ivy League, a development he credits to hard work and his faith.

"I turned my career around a little bit," Terrell said. "I went to a Christian athletes camp. The improvement was more mental and spiritual [than physical]."

Terrell, who has always been a hard worker, traced his improvement to renewed confidence that had been absent during his early years on the bench.

"I had to get my confidence back," Terrell said. "I just started having fun again, playing the game I've loved for so many years."

Terrell certainly looked like he was having fun and playing confidently against the Tigers' bitter Boston rivals. Princeton, led by Terrell's 223 passing yards and three touchdowns, pulled off a fourth-quarter comeback to overcome then-undefeated Harvard, 31-28. The victory, along with Yale's defeat of Penn, put Princeton on a collision course with the Bulldogs.

Terrell performed even better against Yale on Nov. 11, 2006, throwing for an astounding 445 yards and three scores — the last a 57-yard bomb to senior wideout Brian Brigham that proved crucial to the Tigers' come-from-behind win.

Princeton would finish the year at 9-1 and share the Ivy League crown with the Bulldogs.

Terrell's senior year proved to be both a team and an individual success. He finished the 2006 season with 2,445 passing yards and 17 touchdowns after logging 1,721 yards and 10 touchdowns as a junior. Terrell's two-year record as a starter was an outstanding 16-4.

At the season's conclusion, Terrell immediately began preparing for the next level. Working with varsity strength coach Jason Gallucci, Terrell lifted, ran and threw nearly every day beginning in December until his team workouts in the spring. He also worked out with junior wideout Brendan Circle and senior cornerback J.J. Artis to maintain the touch on his throws and improve his accuracy. Yesterday, all that hard work paid off.

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Terrell will attend minicamp with the Chiefs this summer, hoping to break onto the 52-man roster come fall, which would give him a two-year deal with a signing bonus. The Chiefs have an established veteran quarterback in Trent Green, but the team has been trying to trade Green in the off-season. Green played in only eight games last year and threw for seven touchdowns.

On offense, the team features a host of weapons, highlighted by Pro Bowl halfback Larry Johnson and tight end Tony Gonzalez. The situation, in many ways, is ideal for Terrell when compared to the Browns.

"I was thinking, 'Oh, [the Browns] just drafted Brady Quinn, how good of a situation would that be?' [Kansas City's] a good situation because I'll have a chance to compete for that number-three spot," Terrell said.

In just two short years, Terrell has risen from competing for the third spot on Princeton's depth chart to the third spot on the Kansas City Chiefs. It's quite a leap, and Terrell has enjoyed his ascent.

"I rode the bench for two years, didn't play at all. That's what makes this so sweet."