Colonials’ McCown Has Eager Student In Perrilloux [The Hartford Courant, Conn.]

Sept. 12--BERLIN -- -- The questions are incessant and bounce from one subject to another, from reading a defense to raising a family.

Josh McCown is the teacher, and Ryan Perrilloux is the student. The Hartford Colonials quarterbacks stand with each other on the field at practice and room together at a local hotel.

McCown, 31, has seven NFL seasons on his resume. Perrilloux, 23, is a rookie out of tiny Jacksonville State in Alabama.

"He wears me out [with questions]," McCown said Friday. "That's a good thing ... but he wears me out."

The mentorship is by design. Colonials coach Chris Palmer loves Perrilloux's raw talent and has compared him to Tony Romo, but he needs guidance.

Enter McCown. When McCown signed with the Colonials, Palmer talked to him about giving back to the game by tutoring young players. The coach had Perrilloux and McCown room together because he envisioned a mentor-student relationship.

The Colonials open their inaugural season in Hartford Saturday, and the quarterbacks may be the most interesting element of the team -- a veteran with NFL pedigree and a rising talent with a potential NFL future.

"Josh is a pro," Palmer said. "He's been through it all. Ryan can benefit from just being around Josh, watching him go about his business. That's what this league is about."

Indeed, the UFL is packed with players with various backgrounds looking for an opportunity. Perrilloux is the epitome of a player seeking redemption.

Five years ago, Perrilloux was one of the top high school recruits in the country when he left his high school in Louisiana. He was a freshman redshirt at Louisiana State before backing up JaMarcus Russell in 2006.

But his life and career soon went off track. He was identified in January 2007 as a person of interest in a federal counterfeiting investigation, although he was never charged. Five months later, he was suspended by LSU coach Les Miles when he received a summons for attempting to enter a casino with a false identification.

There were more problems over the next year -- involvement in a nightclub fight and a suspension for violating team rules. By May 2008, he was kicked off the team and soon transferred to Jacksonville State.

At Jacksonville State, Perrilloux was trouble-free off the field and effective on the field. In 2009, he was Ohio Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Year after passing for 2,350 yards and 23 touchdowns.

But he was undrafted, partly because of his time at LSU. So he's in Hartford on a quest to restore his reputation, one day at a time.

"I can only control what I can control from here on out," Perrilloux said. "I had things happen to me in the past that I'm not proud of, but I can't live in the past. I've got to keep working. I'm excited with where I'm at. I have no regrets. ... The thing about it is, people perceive me from things that I've done when I was 18, 19 years old. A real young guy [with] all the hype coming out of high school, my head kind of blew up a little bit. I'm 23 years old now with a family and I'm just trying to move on with my life."

Perrilloux has a longtime girlfriend and a 2-year-old daughter in Louisiana, motivation to build a stable career and stay clear of trouble. When Perrilloux failed to earn an offer after a minicamp audition with the Vikings, the Colonials had an offer: Palmer will help him develop his game, as long as he stays out of trouble and displays some maturity.

"He's been great for us," Palmer said. "He works hard and asks a lot of questions. Ryan is 23 and he's still maturing, but we haven't had a bit of trouble."

McCown has talked to Perrilloux about the transgressions, and he's impressed with that the rookie has said.

"He made some bad choices," McCown said. "He doesn't make a lot of excuses for it. It's, 'I made some bad choices. I'm moving on.' And so, that's very admirable and in itself shows a certain level of maturity. I can appreciate that about him. ... From the perception from the outside of who the kid is, not at all. That's not who the kid is."

McCown, who is married with four children, is a role model for Perrilloux. He was a third-round draft pick in 2002 and has built a commendable NFL career, earning the reputation as a dependable player and solid citizen.

It's the life Perrilloux is striving for.

"Josh is a really good guy," Perrilloux said. "He's a family guy, just like myself; a Christian, just like myself. We have a lot to talk about. He's helping me, not with just on the field things, but just living life, just getting ready for life."

When Palmer recently screamed at Perrilloux in practice, the rookie spent the evening peppering McCown with questions about dealing with various coaching styles. When Perrilloux makes an error during a drill, McCown will offer a critique and the two will discuss the issue long after leaving the field.

McCown will be back in the NFL, perhaps as soon as the UFL season ends. Perrilloux is being watched by a few NFL teams, although he could use multiple UFL seasons to hone his skills.

Without the UFL, Perrilloux would be a fringe player searching for a job. Instead, he's learning lessons on and off the field.

"We talk about putting yourself in situations, surrounding yourself with people that are going to help you get to where you want to go," McCown said. "If you're surrounding yourself with people that don't necessarily care about your future and/or don't care about the consequences and choices that you're making, then you've increased your chances of making a bad decision. ... He's a good kid; he really is."

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