There was a lot more hype around Clowney than the other kids coming out in this class. If you wanna see a hype machine, just look at whatever running back Georgia lands each year. The kid is supposed to be the next Walker. Some are great, get into a bit of trouble and wash out. A few actually stick around. However, for that 18 month segment, you'd think Jesus is running the football. Clowney's talent can't be ignored. My issue is that when I saw him go up against a big time future NFL LT, the kid put his ass on skates. A SINGLE missed OL call led to that highlite reel play we've all seen so often (and it was an incredible play), but as I've said since that day.. that's one play. One play cuts it in college, not the NFL. We'll see. He should be a good one if his heart is in it.
You know how I feel that the NFL has gravitated more to the practice and combine fields of late when it comes to judging talent vs. actual on field in-game performance. Clowney supposedly rocked the combines correct? Made himself out to be a freak of a specimen. So he gets the benefit of getting big bucks and adulation for what it is he could get done on Sunday..... vs. anything he has actually done. We'll see if it translates.
The big question is what is the player's goal? Does he want to be the best football player he can be or is his ultimate goal to sign a multi-million dollar contract. The Lions drafted an OL from Wisc. named Aaron Gibson. Gibson had apparently injured his shoulder late in the season and didn't undergo any surgical intervention which might have effected his draft position. After signing a big contract, he shows up at Lion's camp and ends up missing the year because of his injury. This top ten pick never amounted to anything with the Lions, was traded and was shortly out of the NFL. I think Jamarcus Russell was the same type of individual. When it looked to me that Clowney was looking more to the draft than playing football this past season, it makes me wonder what he'll be like after he gets that big payday.
Here are some excerpts from a draft-related article by Eric Hansen in the South Bend Tribune, in which he talks generally about the 2015 draft and specifically about ND's potential draft prospects: Here is the link to the entire article: http://www.southbendtribune.com/spo...cle_7dffd35e-da27-11e3-8213-0017a43b2370.html
Wouldn't it be something iif Gunnar Kiel was drafted next year without ever having played a down in college? He is rated higher than Golson. The writer said that Golson needs to re-establish himself on the field in college. That's true but Kiel would need a tour guide to find the field. What a joke.
Well...... have you ever seen Kiel work out? I hear the kid can both throw and jump through tires so amazingly that he makes Rex Ryan salivate profusely and then cause Rexy to want to start some foot rubbin..... :lol:
You seem to forget one thing. Rex Ryan was the only coach that would give Tebow a sniff at all. If not for him, he would have been out of football a year earlier.
I think at the time Tebow signed with the Jets he had some other options open but made the mistake of his career signing on with Rex..... who never once gave the kid a true chance to lead the team..... not even in that one game near the end of a miserable losing season with Sanchez injured when he started the third stringer at Qb instead of Tebow in another miserable offensive afternoon for the Jets. Tebow would have been much better off signing with no one instead of damaging his rep in that fiasco with Rex and the Jets.
Tebow and Vince Young should join forces in the QB who have been black balled inspite of being winning playoff games and making Pro Bowls. ...well Vince has been to the Pro Bowl, Tim hasn't but still you get my point. Jeff Fisher made it so nobody will give Vince a chance not a real chance at least.
Tebow's NFL numbers compare very favorably with Vince Young's NFL numbers..... prorated to the number of games played. One big difference was Tebow's unusual amount of 4th quarter comebacks and gamewinning drives and I saw one article detailing Tebow's significantly increased second half production vs. his first half. In other words.... when the game was on the line and it was crunch time is when Tebow excelled. Those things you can't measure on the practice field in July. I remember back in the early 80s the Detroit Tigers had a hitter named Steve Kemp who would knock the cover off the ball in an 8 run runaway Tiger victory.... padding his stats...... but when the game was on the line he was taking called strike three. Contrast that to Kirk Gibson who came along and propelled the Tigers to a World Series victory with his heart, hustle and athleticism. I'll take one Kirk Gibson over 3 Steve Kemps any day of the week.
" ______'s famously low time of 5.28 at the 2000 combine. ____, a two-time Super Bowl MVP, ran the slowest 40 of any quarterback in NFL history and was repeatedly passed over in the draft before _____ selected him in the sixth round with the 199th overall pick." Now there's a guy who was given a chance to lead a team to a Super Bowl and make the most of his opportunities in spite of abject failure at the all too important combines.