NFL - Are You Ready For Some Football?! - 08/09 Season

[Jaguar]

He could have made it to the NFL pretty easily if he had played in high school and college.

He couldn't manage it now, though. Speed is well and good, but as Mike Tyson says, "everyone has a plan until he gets hit." Bolt would get clobbered any time a defender got his hands on him.

[snoopy369]

Even punt/kick returns is a significantly complex issue where speed is nice but agility and mindset is more important. Hester isn't the fastest man in the NFL; he's just the best at noticing when and where to make cuts, and also aggressive enough to take chances that work out often enough to be worth the chance.

Bolt would just end up outrunning his coverage most of the time, and getting knocked out by the opposing team's coverage unit.

And don't even think about RB or WR... those are both very complex to learn (as Hester is proof) and require years of study. If you just put a guy in and have him run as fast as he can each time, it's not very hard to cover him, especially when you consider that the QB's arm is also important.

[-Jrabbit]

Bob Hayes is proof that a track star can convert to being a Hall of Fame WR. And with Bolt's height (6'5"), he wouldn't have to get deep to make a catch. He is strong, but quite light by NFL standards (about 170 lb.), so his ability to take a hit would indeed be a huge question mark.

Tp me, the biggest question is: Why would he want to do this? World record Gold Medal track athletes have enormous income opportunities today -- something that simply wasn't true back in the days of the amateur Olympics of Hayes' era.

[Jaguar]

He's without question the best in the world at sprinting. The NFL puts everyone in significant danger of injury every year. There's no way he'd risk being the best in the world at one thing in order to maybe succeed at something else.

But if he had wanted to, he certainly could have bulked up from 190 to 205, giving him the same build as Randy Moss, and been a damn good football player. It's just silly to expect him to do that now.

[snoopy369]

Why indeed; but Bob Hayes also played in a different era in talent. I don't think one person is proof of anything... and like I said, if you do, Devin Hester and Dante Hall and other speedy returners are examples of why pure speed isn't enough... Hester could turn into a quality WR, who knows, but he wasn't a quality COLLEGE WR, so i'm not sure why it's expected he will be in the Pros...

[ramseya]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3552159

Ex-New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan and his former team have begun talks about a possible return in the wake of Osi Umenyiora's season-ending knee injury, the New York Daily News reported Monday, citing an unnamed source.

A team official called and talked to Strahan, 36, who retired in the offseason after helping lead the Giants to a Super Bowl championship, a source close to the seven-time Pro Bowler told the paper.

[snoopy369]

My guess is he doesn't come back, and this is just the NYDN trying to sell papers. But... who knows.

[-Jrabbit]

They are reporting that Strahan has opened the bidding at $8million.

He'd be a fool to come back. He went out on top, a rich man with decent health and a cushy studio gig (Fox). And you know he's not in football shape.

Why would he risk his health? He's gotta know they (NFL owners in general) have no *actual* loyalty to their players. He owes the Gints nothing. Strahan should count himself lucky that he escaped in relatively good health after a HOF career, and walk away smiling -- like he did last winter.

[Spaced Cowboy]

Seriously, one more big bag of cash to play one more year, I'm pretty sure that he would do it.

[rah]

Yep, take it as a signing bonus then figure out the smallest injury you can get that will keep you from playing.

[-Jrabbit]

Strahan turns down offer

Jay Glazer, of FOXSports.com, reports retired DE Michael Strahan has decided to turn down the New York Giants' offer to play this season. "This has been one of the toughest nights of my life. But after long deliberation and throwing around a million scenarios in my head for the past day, I think it's just best if I stay retired. I have gone back and forth on this because as a player you'll always want to play, you'll never lose that urge to be out there. But I could only do this if I could commit 100 percent, physically, mentally, emotionally and I can't do that. I've tried to convince myself and my body to give it one more year, but in the end I just don't think I could turn it on like I need to again," Strahan said.

Possibly the smartest ex-jock out there.

[Grandpa Troll]

Originally posted by -Jrabbit

Possibly the smartest ex-jock out there.

Q F T

[SlowwHand]

Let's not get carried away.

[ColdWizard]

And on the side of stupidity...

Pro Bowl linebacker Shawne Merriman will forgo knee surgery and play this season for the San Diego Chargers despite the fact he has two torn ligaments in his left knee.

"I'm going to play," Merriman texted The San Diego Union-Tribune. "I'll deal with it when it's time to get surgery."

Merriman said Saturday that he has been told by doctors that he could suffer a possible career-ending injury if he attempts to play without having surgery.

Merriman said he has tears in both the posterior cruciate and lateral collateral ligaments. He said doctors agree that he needs surgery to repair the damage.

The Chargers open the regular season Sept. 7 against the Carolina Panthers.

Merriman has made the Pro Bowl in each of his three NFL seasons. He has 39½ sacks in that span, more than any other NFL player.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

He'll deal with it when he needs surgery... which the doctors tell him is now

[snoopy369]

Sigh... I'd laugh more if it weren't so sad. Apparently his four opinions all saying "HAVE THE F***ING SURGERY NOW" wasn't enough...