Seeing what happened to Shann Schillinger and Marc Mariani in last week’s NFL draft reminded me a bit of what happened to Blaine McElmurry back in 1997.

The two-time All-American safety went off the charts when NFL scouts came through Missoula to test Grizzly players before the draft that year. Running indoors, McElmurry blazed through a quick 40-yard dash time and then amazed everyone with his vertical leap and standing long jump.

Already with a reputation as a savage hitter, and with more-than-adequate size, McElmurry got a decent shot and probably would have had a long NFL career had he not been plagued by injuries. Even though he’s been highly successful as a home builder in the Missoula area, you can tell he’ll always wonder what might have been had he been able to stay healthy.

Now Schillinger and Mariani, along with free agent signees Steven Pfahler and Levi Horn, will get their shots.

Schillinger and Mariani in particular made big enough impressions during testing by scouts following the 2009 season to improve their standing enough to be drafted.

All four are getting chances with teams that are at least somewhat familiar with what Griz football can produce.

Schillinger will join ex-Griz Kroy Biermann with the Atlanta Falcons. Mariani and Pfahler will give it a shot with the Tennessee Titans, coached by ex-Griz Brandon Fisher’s father, Jeff, who has another former Griz, Tim Hauck, on his coaching staff. Horn was signed by the Chicago Bears, who also have given former Griz players chances in the past.

If heart and effort mean anything, all four of these guys will make it tough for teams to let them go.

Good luck, guys!

- Bill Schwanke

I’m still amazed how many questions I’m getting about new Griz football coach Robin Pflugrad, mainly in the form of, “How do you think new coach will do?”

But I guess I shouldn’t be.

After all, Grizzly football is everyone’s baby. Every time there’s a coaching change at the top, people are afraid their baby will be thrown out with the bath water.

Picking a new head coach is not an exact science. Guys develop a resume, moving from job to job, learning from other coaches as they go, trying – if that’s what they really want – to position themselves to someday be the top dog.

Makes you wonder if they’re sane.

What they tend to be is competitive to the nth degree. They relish the pressure and the excitement that comes with running their own program, no matter what the level.

What’s weird about the current situation is that it somewhat resembles what went on with Griz basketball when Wayne Tinkle took over from Larry Krystkowiak.

Those inside the programs know Krystkowiak was a major taskmaster who could be hard on his players. Bobby Hauck was much the same. But they both got results, even though the players might not have loved them. All players need to do is love to play and be willing to go to the mat to get the job done.

The same questions have been asked about Tinkle: “Is he tough enough?”

Even those who didn’t appreciate Hauck’s personality on and off the field are wondering if Pflugrad is “tough enough” or “hard-nosed enough” to carry on what Hauck did on the field.

All I can say about Robin Pflugrad is that he’s the kind of man I would want coaching my son. He may not approach players and others the same way Hauck did, but that doesn’t mean he can’t produce the wished-for results. There are a lot of ways to approach coaching that work.

Being a “players’ coach” doesn’t mean you’re soft on discipline or won’t drive players to compete at the highest level and do the work necessary to succeed. In simple terms, it just means you’re probably more approachable, by players, the media and others.

Pflugrad and his assistants have a tough challenge ahead of them. Hauck left a remarkable legacy of success. It would only take two or three losses in a given season to have some turn on you or call you a failure.

But Pflugrad’s been around. He’s seen it all. He’s heard it all. He will be trying harder than anyone to make sure the winning legacy of Grizzly football continues. But he’ll do it his way, not someone else’s way. And the only expectations he needs to meet are his own.

People can’t, and shouldn’t, expect any more or less than that.

- Bill Schwanke