Rob Gronkowski running after the catch was one of the best parts of the Mike Stoops era. Tucson Citizen photo

Mike Stoops was the football coach of the Arizona Wildcats for 7 1/2 seasons, during which time he brought in some of the program’s all-time brightest stars.

Cornerback Antoine Cason won the 2007 Jim Thorpe Award as the nation’s top defensive back and was a late first-round pick in 2008.

Wide receiver Mike Thomas is the Pac-12 career leader in receptions.

Tight end Rob Gronkowski was a beast — albeit, all too briefly at Arizona — before quickly becoming a star with the New England Patriots.

Senior quarterback Nick Foles is on pace to rewrite several school season and career passing records in the next six week.

There definitely were some high notes, but in putting together an All-Stoops team, a couple of issues emerge — the dearth of standouts on the offensive line and a lack of explosive playmakers at linebacker.

Here is a look at the best who played for Stoops — the All-Stoops team:

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Rob Gronkowski celebrates his 10th touchdown of his rookie season, which came against Miami on Jan. 2. Photo by Stew Milne-US PRESSWIRE

Updates with the Vikings waiving OL Conan Amituanai, and the Lions waiving RB Mike Bell and S Michael Johnson on Monday. The Bengals, according to a report, reached an injury settlement with DT Lolomana Mikele before releasing him.

As of Monday night there were 19 former Arizona Wildcats football players on NFL rosters; teams have to cut to 80 by Tuesday and then to 53 by Sept. 3.

Several ex-Cats won’t survive those cuts but could end up on practice squads or hook on with other teams.

Since camps began, seven former Arizona players have been waived — rookie free agent OL Conan Amituanai (Minnesota), rookie free agent receiver Travis Cobb (Chicago), rookie free agent DT Lolomana Mikaele (Cincinnati), running back Chris Henry (Seattle), running back Mike Bell (Lions), defensive back Michael Johnson (Lions) and veteran tight end Brandon Manumaleuna, who failed his physical in Chicago.

Here is a breakdown of who is still standing, for now:

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Brooks Reed can't show the Texans his on-field moves until the lockout is over. Photo by Mark Evans, TucsonCitizen.com

Former Arizona Wildcats defensive end Brooks Reed says he “kind of feels like a hamster.”

We assume that has to do with the whole thing of running in a wheel and never getting anywhere.

Reed, a second-round pick of the Houston Texans as an outside linebacker, is still in Tucson. He’s not getting anywhere. The NFL lockout prevents him from having contact with the coaches, prevents him from getting the playbook, prevents him from working out at the team’s facilities.

So, he’s working out in Tucson, doing the best he can to get ready, until the NFL labor situation is resolved.

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Ricky Elmore (left) and Brooks Reed have been three-year mainstays at defensive end.
Photo by Chris Morrison-US PRESSWIRE

Arizona Wildcats coach Mike Stoops was selling the future in his early days in Tucson, and recruits were listening.

His 2006 group was the highest rated among his seven recruiting classes — ranked 18th nationally by Rivals.com and 19th by Scout.com. That doesn’t always translate to success on the field, but, in this case, it did.

That 2006 class — “they’re the cornerstones,” Stoops said — makes its final stand Wednesday night in the Alamo Bowl against Oklahoma State.

With a foundation that includes Colin Baxter, Brooks Reed and Ricky Elmore — plus departed standouts Earl Mitchell, Devin Ross, Nate Ness and Cam Nelson — that 2006 class helped Stoops turn around the program.

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Former Arizona linebacker Spencer Larsen is now a full-time fullback for the Denver Broncos/Photo by Ron Chenoy-US PRESSWIRE

NFL teams have been holding minicamps and other offseason training activities, so let’s take a look at where former Arizona Wildcats stand as everyone gears up for the start of training camp in late July:

Mike Bell, RB, Philadelphia
Earned a Super Ring with New Orleans last season — leading the Saints in carries during the regular season (172 for 654 yards) — before signing a one-year free-agent deal with the Eagles worth $1.7 million. He is expected to back up second-year pro LeSean McCoy and be a more powerful change of pace.

Lance Briggs, LB, Chicago
The five-time Pro Bowl pick will be going for his seventh consecutive 100-tackle season as he welcomes back Brian Urlacher to the Bears’ linebacker corps this season. He’s a popular teammate and popular in the Windy City … hey, how else do you get chosen to be a judge at Chicago’s version of Playboy’s 50th Anniversary Party.

Eben Britton, OT, Jacksonville
A 2009 second-round pick, Britton started 15 games at right tackle last season and looks to be a fixture on the Jags’ offensive line, along with fellow second-year pro Eugene Monroe at left tackle.

Copeland Bryan, DE, Detroit
He was signed by the Lions last year after being cut from Buffalo at the end of training camp. He played in five games for Detroit, starting one, making five tackles, including one sack.

Antoine Cason, CB, San Diego
The Chargers traded Antonio Cromartie, so they expect Cason, who has been a nickel back, to take over as a starting cornerback. Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune blogged recently that Cason “is having an excellent offseason. He is always on the ball, is blanketing receivers, knows what he’s doing. Of course, he hasn’t been going against Vincent Jackson or Malcom Floyd (until recently) or even Legedu Naanee.” For sure, check out this great story from Acee in April, talking about how Cason spent several weeks training in Tucson with a UA assistant track coach.

Lionel Dotson, DE, Miami
Was on the Dolphins’ roster all of last season, but was mostly inactive on game days, appearing in two games. The 2008 seventh-round pick again will be fighting for a roster spot in training camp.

Nick Folk, PK, New York Jets
Folk was super in his first two seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, making 46 of 53 field goal attempts and earning Pro Bowl honors as a rookie in 2007. But he had hip surgery after the 2008 season, struggling to regain his form. The Cowboys cut him in December, and then Folk signed with the Jets in February.

Chris Gronkowski, FB, Dallas
He is versatile as a blocker and pass-catcher, willing to do the blue-collar work. Coach Wade Phillips told DallasCowboys.com, “We’ll see when we get the pads on, but he looks good so far.”

Rob Gronkowski, TE, Patriots
The second-round rookie is helping to remake the position in New England, which also drafted Florida’s Aaron Hernandez in the fourth round. While Hernandez is considered more of a pure pass-catcher, Gronkowski has all-around tight end skills and, according to Patriots.com, made the play of the day at a recent full-squad scrimmage on a pass from Tom Brady.

Chris Henry, RB, Houston
He was the 50th overall pick in the 2007, drafted by Tennessee because of his excellent workout at the scouting combine rather than his production on the field. Henry got little use in his first two years, and the Titans released him early last season. He landed with the Houston Texans, but did not have a carry. He’s competing for a roster spot this summer.

Chris Jennings, RB, Cleveland
Jennings has been a nice success story, walking-on to Arizona as a junior college transfer and becoming productive in the running and passing games. Undrafted, he was playing in the Canadian Football League last season when the Browns called, and Jennings was able to stick with the team, rushing 63 times for 220 yards. He’ll be facing a roster crunch at running back in training camp.

Michael Johnson, FS, N.Y. Giants
He won a Super Bowl ring with the Giants in the 2007 season and became a starter in 2008, but neither he nor the team’s secondary was stellar in 2009. Considering the Giants signed ex-Cardinals safety Antrel Rolle to a five-year, $37 million contract, have youngster Kenny Phillips and veteran Deon Grant, and used a third-round pick on LSU safety Chad Jones … Johnson’s days in New York might be numbered.

Spencer Larsen, FB, Denver
The former All-Pac-10 linebacker was a two-way player for his first two seasons in Denver, famously starting at fullback and at linebacker as a rookie. Now, he will be exclusively an offensive player … and you can be sure he’ll do it with a great attitude. “Football is football,” he told reporters earlier this month. “A lot of it is the same techniques. Linebackers have a different personality but to me it is all football. By doing this, I can still be a special teams member and it is something I care about.”

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Former Arizona defensive tackle Earl Mitchell, who has significant upside because he has been playing the position only two years, was drafted in the third round by his hometown Houston Texans.

This looks like another good fit for an ex-Wildcat, just like it was earlier Friday for his former UA teammate, Rob Gronkowski, who was selected by the New England Patriots.

ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said Mitchell has the ability and opportunity to help right away as the third defensive tackle in the Texans’ rotation. Mitchell, who began last season as a late-round prospect, impressed so much that he ended up going with the 81st overall selection.

“This is a kid who will bring it,” Kiper said.

Can’t argue with that.

Mitchell, who attended Houston’s North Shore High School, was underutilized in his first two years at Arizona as a fullback/H-back/tight end, but then coaches, needing help at defensive tackle, made a career-defining move for Mitchell. He bulked up and started the past two years on the defensive line, relying on his quickness and athleticism.

He played well enough in just two years on defense that I picked him to my Arizona All-Decade team.

During last season, I talked to NFLDraftScout.com analyst Rob Rang, who said Mitchell’s inexperience at the position was actually a plus because it “makes you feel like this guy has some untapped potential.”

Mike Stoops has led Arizona to back-to-back 8-5 records.

Last impressions matter, which is why expectations are again rather modest for the Arizona football team, which begins spring practice Friday.

The last time we saw the Cats on the field it was as if they weren’t on the field at all. With that 33-0 stink bomb against Nebraska, the perception of Mike Stoops‘ program went from “program on the rise” to “who are they again?”

That Holiday Bowl loss — combined with the departures of both coordinators, and tight end Rob Gronkowski‘s decision to enter the NFL Draft — has given anybody making preseason predictions reason to be bearish on the Wildcats, who were 8-5 last season.

ESPN.com’s Ted Miller picks Arizona seventh in his spring power rankings. He writes:

The Wildcats must replace 12 starters and two coordinators. That’s a lot of turnover. On the plus side, quarterback Nick Foles has a lot of skill around him and defensive ends Ricky Elmore and Brooks Reed could be the best pass rushing combo in the Pac-10.

CollegeFootballNews.com has Arizona eighth in the league in its pre-preseason rankings, although the writing staff was fairly optimistic in its writeup:

While the Holiday Bowl dress down gave Arizona a sobering measuring stick, the program has to like where it’s headed. Back-to-back postseason invites have done wonders for its psyche and its ability to recruit throughout the West. There’ll be losses on both sides of the ball, but nothing so devastating that the ‘Cats can’t keep rolling under head coach Mike Stoops. Another season with QB Nick Foles will help the offense, as will the return to health of RB Nic Grigsby. He’s too valuable to be in and out of the lineup, as he was throughout 2009.

I think both of those predictions are too low. But at this early stage, it’s not easy to pick among a muddled Pac-10 middle. Much like last season.

I spoke Thursday with the Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta, who writes the Pac-10 report for Lindy’s College Football Annuals, picking the preseason all-conference teams and predicting the order of finish. His early thought on Arizona: Fourth or fifth.

As the Senior Editor of Lindy’s, I get to overrule whatever Condotta submits, but that sounds like an appropriate Arizona prediction to me.

UA FOOTBALL NOTES
Construction has begun on Arizona’s practice field, which is being extended to Sixth Street and will include areas of artificial turf. UA will have practice at the stadium and at Salpointe High School during the spring. … Former UA All-American and Jim Thorpe Award winner Antoine Cason was in attendance for Thursday night’s Arizona-UCLA basketball game. … Ex-UA cornerback Devin Ross had the second-best vertical jump among cornerbacks who worked out at the NFL combine. He had a jump of 40 inches. He ran about a 4.6 40-yard dash. … Defensive tackle Earl Mitchell helped himself with his combine workout. He was considered a “riser” by SI.com, which wrote: “Mitchell looked amazingly athletic for a defensive tackle who weighed in at 296. He was fast in the 40, twice breaking 4.75 seconds on stop watches, then practiced to that speed during drills.”

Nebraska has Ndamukong Suh, the Associated Press Player of the Year as a defensive tackle. The Cornhuskers have the enduring Blackshirts nickname for their defense.

They have a defense that ranks second nationally, allowing 11.23 points per game. They have a defense that gave up just 202 yards to Texas in the Big 12 championship game.

Earl Mitchell (making tackle) and Ricky Elmore (No. 44) have been big parts of a stout Arizona defensive line/Wildcat Sports Report photo

They have another defensive tackle, Jared Crick, who was All-Big 12 as a sophomore and had five sacks against Baylor this season. They have two more players who were first-team all-conference — cornerback Prince Amukamara and strong safety Larry Asante.

And what will Arizona’s defense counter with in the Holiday Bowl on Wednesday?

Although the bar wasn’t set high, this is UA’s best defensive line in at least a decade.

Defensive end Ricky Elmore finished the regular season with a Pac-10-best 10.5 sacks. Brooks Reed has been a factor since coming back from a mid-season injury. Defensive tackle Earl Mitchell is a possible mid-round NFL draft pick. Horton has been solid.

Arizona’s 34 sacks are the most since the 2001 season.

The Wildcats have been a self-described bunch of no-names all season — no first-team All-Pac-10 players on this unit — but that chip on their shoulder has served them well.

No need to brush it off now.

“Ndamukong Suh, he’s a crazy player,” said Arizona senior defensive tackle Donald Horton.

“He definitely plays hard and does his thing. But I feel that we have done, as a unit, just as much. At times, we can really dominate. There were times in the middle of the season when we got lackadaisical and fell off a bit, but I think we hit our stride the last couple of games and really tried to turn on the heat.”

Arizona will be trying to turn on the heat against a lukewarm Nebraska offense that grew increasingly conservative during the season, content to let its defense do the heavy lifting (and trying to avoid another eight-turnover disaster like the one in a 9-7 home loss to Iowa State).

After that, the Cornhuskers didn’t attempt more than 21 passes in any of their other six games. They scrapped the spread offense for a run-oriented attack, led by running back Roy Helu Jr. (1,139 rushing yards, 10 touchdowns).

Nebraska topped 300 total yards only twice in nine Big 12 games.

The team’s biggest playmaker is receiver Niles Paul, who has 36 receptions for 673 yards and is dangerous in the return game. Nebraska is expected use junior Zac Lee and true freshman Cody Green at quarterback.

“They’re not a complicated team offensively,” Horton said. “They don’t have a lot of shifts, and there aren’t a lot of adjustments we have to make. We just play our defense and be comfortable in it.”

The Wildcats don’t want to get too comfortable. Nebraska figures to be persistent with the run, pounding away, hoping to spring something big on the ground or play-action to Paul.

“They are very physical up front,” said UA defensive end Brooks Reed.

“They do a lot of traditional stuff. But if you can’t stop it, you can’t stop it. And they’re going to keep doing it until you can.”

It will be up to the no-names to stop it, to make a name in a game in which Suh is the undisputed star. He is the probable No. 1 pick in the 2010 NFL Draft … and when is the last time Arizona faced a defender this good?

Penn State linebacker LaVar Arrington in 1999? Washington defensive tackle Steve Emtman in the early 1990s?

Horton said his father has had words of advice when it comes to Suh.

“He said, ‘All the attention is going to be on him, but you’re going to be at the stage, too. Make a name for yourselves, too, as a defensive front,’” Horton said.

“In my heart, I’ve been using that as a challenge.”

Related links from TucsonCitizen.com’s Sports Network:
AG’s Wildcat Report: UA’s Horton hoping a dream comes true in Holiday Bowl

Wild About AZ Cats: UA’s offense more of a challenge for Pelini this time around

AG’s Wildcat Report: Wildcats ready to shed the blue helmets for Holiday Bowl

AG’s Wildcat Report: Holiday Bowl flashback: What the Nebraska ‘N’ really stood for

Wildcat Sports Report: Cats close to completing recruiting class

UASports.net: Breaking down the Holiday Bowl inside and out

Arizona ended the decade with its best defensive line since the late 1990s, but this was one of the major problem areas for the team this decade. The Arizona Wildcats were the only Pac-10 team this decade to not have a first-team all-league defensive lineman.

USC had a first-team all-league defensive lineman 11 times this decade. Oregon State was next with seven. The Wildcats haven’t had such a player since Joe Salave’a in 1997.

TucsonCitizen.com’s picks for Arizona football’s all-decade team on offense.

What the Cats have had this decade are two of the best at their position in the entire league — linebacker Lance Briggs (first-team all-conference in 2000, 2001 and 2002) and cornerback Antoine Cason (winner of the Jim Thorpe Award in 2007). Take your pick: One of these guys is your Arizona Defensive Player of the Decade.

Not to influence your selection, but Cason was chosen to SI.com’s All-Decade team in college football.

Note that one of the most prominent UA alums — New York Giants mega-millionaire linebacker Antonio Pierce — is absent. First of all, he played at UA for only one season of the decade (2000) when he had an honorable mention all-league season (77 tackles, 10 for loss). Good, not great.

Defensive end Joe Tafoya also played only year this decade, and it was nearly good enough to make the list. He was second-team All-Pac-10 in 2000, making 18 tackles for loss, which is a season high for Arizona this decade. (In general, I preferred an all-decade candidate who had a longer resume for the time frame.)

The defensive line is where there could be the most debate, mostly because there are few standouts. Others considered were Tafoya, Marcus Smith, Young Thompson, Yaniv Barnett, Louis Holmes (well, not really) and Ricky Elmore, whose 10.5-sack regular-season is fresh in everybody’s mind.

Here are our choices for UA’s All-Decade team for defense:

DE — Copeland Bryan (2002-05)
A very nice walk-on find for Arizona, Bryan developed into an NFL-caliber player by the time he left, coming up with 7.5 sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss as a senior. Finished with 14 career sacks.

DT — Lionel Dotson (2004-07)
“L Train” started 20 games in his first three seasons — a solid, if unspectacular performer in the middle of the line. He then played his way into an NFL prospect as a senior after a season with 50 tackles, including nine for loss and 6.5 sacks. That earned him second-team All-Pac-10 honors.

DT — Earl Mitchell (2006-2009)
Spent his first two seasons as an underused fullback/H-back/tight end before making the switch to defense. Big Earl had 40 tackles, including 1.5 sacks, in his first season at the position before earning second-team all-conference honors in 2009, making 12.5 tackles for loss with 6.5 sacks — big numbers for an interior lineman.

DE — Brooks Reed (2007-09)
Why Reed and not Elmore? Fair question. Reed missed about five games this season with an ankle injury, during which time Mike Stoops repeatedly referred to Reed as the team’s best pass rusher and kind of the glue of the line. Always a high-energy player, Reed ended up with two sacks and five tackles for loss, coming off a sophomore season in which he had eight sacks and made honorable-mention all-league.

Lance Briggs tackles ASU quarterback Andrew Walter in 2001/Tucson Citizen photo

LB — Lance Briggs (1999-2002)
Briggs nearly de-committed to USC on Signing Day 1999, but the Sacramento kid once described as the next Tedy Bruschi became one of the great Wildcat defenders. After playing running back as a true freshman in 1999, Briggs requested a move back to linebacker, where he posted 113 tackles as a sophomore, earning the first of three consecutive all-conference honors … which really says it all. He led the team in tackles (93 and 98) in each of the next two seasons before going on to a successful and lucrative career with the Chicago Bears.

LB — Spencer Larsen (2002, 2005-07)
Well-liked, well-spoken and a coach’s dream, the hard-working Larsen was the team’s defensive newcomer of the year in 2002 and then left for a two-year church mission. He overcame a knee injury upon his return in spring 2005, managing to pick up where he left off. Larsen had 131 tackles as a senior in an All-Pac-10 season, and his 312 career tackles are the most for a UA player this decade (and 15th-best all-time).

LB — Ronnie Palmer (2005-08)
More steady than flashy, Palmer started 41 games in his UA career. The middle linebacker led the team in tackles (85) and tackles for loss (11) in 2008, giving him career marks of 275 stops, including 21 for loss.

Antoine Cason returns an interception for a touchdown aganist Cal in 2006/Tucson Citizen photo

CB — Antoine Cason (2004-07)
He was the face of the Wildcats for a couple of seasons — photogenic, good with a quote and bringing a confident air to his battles with the league’s best receivers. Highlights include a 39-yard fourth-quarter interception return for a touchdown that fueled a 24-20 upset of No. 8 Cal in 2006, and scoring twice — on an interception return and a punt return — in a 34-24 upset of No. 2 Oregon in 2007. That latter game — on Thursday night on ESPN — propelled Cason to the Jim Thorpe Award, given to the nation’s top defensive back. His 15 career interceptions are fourth in UA history.

CB — Michael Jolivette (2000-03)
He’s the UA career leader in passes broken up (44), despite missing most of his junior season because of injury. He also was able to corral his fair share of passes, coming up with 12 career interceptions. Current UA sophomore Trevin Wade might end up being a better player, but had only one season as a starter this decade.

S — Darrell Brooks (2002-05)
His leadership and on-field play helped guide the Wildcats through some tough times. A four-year starter, Brooks made 295 tackles and four interceptions, earning second-team all-league honors as a junior and first-team recognition as a senior.

S — Michael Johnson (2005-06)
The junior college transfer was a key recruit for coach Mike Stoops, and he gets the nod here on the strength of his second-team All-Pac-10 season in 2006. Johnson had 107 tackles in two seasons, with five interceptions, and his physical style of play has served him well with the NFL’s New York Giants.

AP — Syndric Steptoe (2003-06)
Finished with 3,931 all-purpose yards, ninth in school history. He had 131 career catches for 1,584 yards; he scored twice on punt returns and returned 80 kicks for an average of nearly 22 yards.

P — Danny Baugher (2002-05)
A starter for nearly all of four seasons, Baugher has the highest season-average in school history — 47.5 yards on 37 attempts in 2005, when his season ended in the seventh game because of an ACL injury. He was leading the nation in punting at the time. His 225 punts are a school record.

Some of the most interesting comments from Arizona coach Mike Stoops and a couple of players after the 24-16 loss to Cal (courtesy of the Cal sports information office, and you can read the full comments here):

MIKE STOOPS

General comments:
“It was another tough loss. Tough to lose a game, but when you look at the bigger picture, I thought Cal made it very difficult for us all night defensively. We never really consistently moved the football. They seemed to have a good beat on everything we did offensively. Defensively we made enough plays to hang around and give ourselves a chance.”

On the late play involving QB Nick Foles catching the ball and making an illegal forward pass:
“The ball ricochets. It was just a mistake. It’s a natural reaction. I don’t think we’ve ever had that situation happen with Nick. He knows the rules, but I don’t think he’s ever had that situation happen to him.”

On whether his team played tight tonight:
“I didn’t think so. I thought we played OK. Defensively they just made it hard. They were dropping a lot of players (into coverage), and we still couldn’t run it. Their front guys just never made it comfortable for us running the ball.”

On Cal’s defense:
“Statistically they hadn’t played well, but I knew they had quality players. It’s kind of weird that they were giving up yards, because they’re very athletic, and they were awfully good tonight.”

DEFENSIVE TACKLE EARL MITCHELL

On the game:
“We didn’t play together. We didn’t play to our capabilities. We just need to put this behind us as fast as we can and move on. We know that we could have played better. We’re going to have to come out and prove that we can the next time we play.”

WIDE RECEIVER DELASHAUN DEAN

On Cal’s defensive pressure and the struggles on offense:
“They weren’t really doing anything defensively to throw off our rhythm. We were just killing ourselves with stupid plays, dropped balls and blown [blocking] on offense. We just have to come back in on Monday and clean everything up and get ready for Oregon.

“We definitely came out flat. It took us awhile to find our rhythm. It was kind of hard for us all night to find it. It happens though. You aren’t going to come out every night and score fifty points. We have to come out here and keep focused and pushing.”

Click for video highlights from Versus.