Airese Currie's head was down, his purpose defeated and heart broken.

The former Clemson speedster says he can roll out of bed and run a 40-yard dash in the 4.3-second range, and Tuesday on the field at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium he backed that statement up by blazing back-to-back 4.38 times. But, that wasn't good enough to get the scouts from the Kansas City Chiefs, New Orleans Saints and Chicago Bears who were in attendance at South Carolina State's Pro Day to give him a serious look.

Currie said he made the trip to Orangeburg because he heard there would be a quarterback in attendance -- S.C. State's Cleveland McCoy -- and he wanted to show off his route running and pass catching ability. He didn't get a chance. The Bears' scout, Chicago drafted him in the fifth round of the 2005 NFL Draft, was in attendance, and when Currie tried to get some attention things didn't go his way.

"He said they knew I could run, they knew I could run routes and they knew I could catch," he said. "The one question is my health."

That's a good question considering Currie's first year with the Bears was marred by a series of hamstring injuries and his second by a broken left foot. When he came off injured reserve from the latter in May of 2007 Chicago let him go.

"Truthfully, originally it was frustrating," Currie said. "My first two years with the Bears, I knew I could play, they knew I could play...that's why they kept me around so long. It's just that I had some bad luck injuries. The analogy I use is like being in the blocks in your ready stance, ready to go...but you just can't go. I'm there, ready to fulfill my dream, and I just can't play. I played against the best in practice, proved myself, but the injury hindered me."

Currie said he was just getting fully healed when Chicago released him nearly a year ago. Three weeks later he worked out for the Buffallo Bills, and the next day he flew to Denver to work out for the Broncos.

"With the Bills, I had a great workout," he said. "But, they just wanted someone taller.

"I went out to Denver and worked out," Currie continued. "I ran a 4.34 and a 4.35 and caught every ball. They decided not to make a move because they had Rod Smith and Brandon Stokley coming back off injury, but then I got a call from them the next day and they wanted to sign me."

The offer from the Broncos never materialized because Currie's X-rays showed a line -- a small fracture -- in his foot. That was the last time a team worked Currie out.

"Two workouts...and no team has taken a chance and brought me in for a private workout," he said.

"It's real humbling," he added. "I've always been a humble person, but this has humbled me even more. At times it is humiliating to me. I doubt sometimes which I know I shouldn't do, but just walking around I can see myself catching balls and running routes."

Currie said he has dictations from Doctors and paper work to prove he is completely healthy, and he said there have been inquiries from the Carolina Panthers, Seattle Seahawks, Atlanta Falcons, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars and the Bills.

"I'm pretty confident I am going to be in a camp," he said. "I just don't know who will give me the chance. I know it will be somebody -- they might not know it yet -- but it's going to be somebody.

"I just have to be patient," he continued. "That's all I can do right now. Today was a perfect example. My soul purpose of coming down here was to have a quarterback who could throw me the ball, and I didn't even get a chance to run routes again. All I can do is be patient and hopefully a team will give me a shot."

T&D Sports Editor Brian Linder can be reached via e-mail at blinder@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5553. Check out his blog, Welcome to Linderland, at www.thetandd.com.

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