Mark Sanchez is going to… have to play a game first.
The NFL Draft is an event like no other, for sure. Having covered it two years back – the infamous Ted Ginn, Jr. and Brady Quinn draft – was a thrill in itself as it’s a mini-reunion for the football-loving nation after just a mere eleven weeks without a game. Yet, it’s a maddening event because while us fans and media types should know better than to throw labels and make projections based on quick and visceral reactions, it’s what we tend to do best.
So because he’s a good ol’ SoCal boy with good looks and charisma, he’s suddenly going to become the next Joe Namath.
Can the guy get a copy of the playbook before we anoint him as the next anything?
The first impression is a lasting one; even it’s unflattering and may not be reflective of an athlete’s career and/or persona from then on (see, Eli Manning). Yet, while on one end, Sanchez is already a Pro Football Hall of Famer based on joining the Jets, any player who has ever admitted to smoking a little weed or didn’t exactly ‘wow’ folks during press and scouting interviews has a questionable character.
What we’ve heard about Percy Harvin (Minnesota Vikings by way of Florida), B.J. Raji (Green Bay via Boston College), Michael Crabtree (SF 49ers from Texas Tech) and others should signify that these red flags just might define their careers. Right?
The beauty about sports is that no matter how much we try to fit athletes in certain molds, they have an opportunity to break them though their performances. More often than not because there are so few people who are capable of joining the professional ranks, there are a lot of ‘high character guys’ and All-American Boys that fall though the cracks because of a lack of talent, focus, desire or willingness to deal with the politics of sports. Yet, not every jerk gets rewarded on sheer skill alone.
No matter what background stories follow these kids – let us remember that while they are the world’s newest and most visible millionaires (or hundred thousandaires), these are still young men figuring how life really works – we can’t stick to these rushed judgments for as long as they are on a NFL roster.
Say What?!?!: It's been too nice of a weekend to stay shackled indoors, yet, being that this is was the lone weekend in the calendar in which every major sport had it shine, it was hard to not want to discuss the happenings throughout the sports world. However, what has been sitting on a Word document since late last night is a hopeful review of the just-released documentary, Tyson. If you have seen the ads (the few there have been) and read the reviews on various outlets, you may have heard that there is a tremendous positive buzz around the film.
As crazy as it may seem, Tyson is absolutely worth the (insert amount) price of admission. More tomorrow.
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