A thought before getting to the Super Play of the Year (yes, YEAR)...
You've seen. We've seen it. Everyone has seen it. Over and over.
On New Year's Day, with Michigan leading by one, 22-21, against South Carolina in the Outback Bowl in Tampa, Fla., Jadeveon Clowney, the Gamecocks' freakishly gifted defensive end, knifed through two comically over matched offensive lineman and macerated Wolverine running back Vincent Smith eight yards behind the line scrimmage. Smith's helmet pitched violently into the air like it had been shot out of a cannon, and the ball fell hopelessly to the ground, where Clowney, in one motion, palmed it for South Carolina recovery. Though Michigan continued to lead on the scoreboard, you could feel the game, which had over eight minutes left, was for all intents and purposes over.
It was a stunning display of physical talent.
Some people were put on this earth to do certain things: Adele to sing, Steven Spielberg to make films and Steve Jobs to design electronics. Jadeveon Clowney is here to play football. He's clearly the best player in the college game, and with apologies to Johnny Manziel and Manti T'eo, who finished one-two in this year's Heisman balloting, it's not really that close.
Still, at 19, Clowney is precluded from submitting his name to this year's draft due to a stringent, NFL-mandated rule that bars those under the age of 21 or not three years out of high school from entering the league. It's the NFL's paternal way of controlling Clowney, in effect saying that they alone know what's best for him, not him or his family, and, thus, are best suited to decide when he's physically and mentally prepared to play professional football.
It's a particularly absurd edict, especially in Clowney's case, primarily because anyone with two good eyes can see that he is ready physically, and according to his coach, Steve Spurrier, was perhaps prepared coming out of high school. Also, it is equally clear that half the current crop of NFL players will never be ready mentally speaking -- as the recent cases of Josh Brent and Jovan Belcher clearly show -- so ostensibly keeping anyone out of the league based on that criteria is decidedly specious.
The bottom line, though, is that while many professional athletes have out sized earning power, it lasts for only a very short period of time, with few NFL careers continuing past five years. Stars in the league, of course, have longer tenures, but given football's inherent violence and ongoing risk for serious injury, this league rule keeps these already truncated earning windows unnecessarily and artificially short.
With all this in mind, Clowney needs to sit out next season. He is far too valuable of a commodity to risk millions by playing for nothing at South Carolina, where he would be one chop block away from seeing his draft stock plummet. All he has do is pop in the tape of his teammate Marcus Lattimore, the remarkably talented junior running back whose knee essentially exploded earlier this season in a game against Tennessee. Lattimore, like Clowney next season, was forced to come back to school this year because of his age, though he no doubt would have been a high draft pick last April.
It's an extraordinary suggestion. But it shouldn't be. And until the NFL begins to allow young players into the league without regard to the byzantine set of standards they have established, it should be the default option for those in Clowney's class.
SUPER PLAY OF THE YEAR!!!!
Notre Dame +10.
It's vanishing fast, with books up and down The Strip getting pounded with very large wagers on the Irish. We actually think Notre Dame will win the game straight up but can't recommend the money line, which has lost value, as books begin to protect themselves from an Irish victory.
No comments:
Post a Comment