Can a mobile quarterback be successful in the NFL? And when I say success, I'm referring to winning championships. Some would argue that there are valid reasons behind the thinking that a mobile quarterback (or if u really want to keep it real a black QB) who's been trained to emphasize his running abilities more so than his ability to throw the ball are limited in the professional game. In college that same quarterback can dominate a game with his Feet and Arm and garnish much deserved praise. But what the collegiate offers in terms of preparation is decisively different than the pros. Plays develop a lot slower on the field in college and of course the talent level isn't proportionally spread out from game to game like it is in the NFL. The coaching on the college level needs to be adjusted so a QB who enters the National Football League from college has the understanding that he can indeed use his feet to make plays but it must be under the structure of 'pocket patience' and going thru his WR reads and if need be roll out of pocket and run when thats all he has left in terms of options. Often the mistake has been to Run at the first notion that his receivers aren't open but to be successful, and more importantly injury free, a professional QB has to rely on the definition of the position which means THROW the ball and let the RB run the ball. There has been plenty of QB's that were strong runners, Randall Cunningham-Kordell Stewart-Micheal Vick, with many accomplishments but when it came to masteing the finer nuances of quarterbacking and taking that last step needed to be a long term successful qb and ultimately earning that Lombardi Trophy, they didn't succeed. There were other reasons for these qb's not making it all the way but the overriding fact, and any fan of those teams will contest to it, they never developed a strong sense of reading defenses and throwing down the field.

We have mentioned quite exhaustingly the mishaps of qb's like Vick and Kordell but we failed to mention qb's that started off 'runners' first but adjusted their game and be very effective....Steve Young--Jeff Garcia--Doug Williams. Hopefully at some point gifted QB's that enter the NFL will be given game tape of these quarterbacks and shown how scary and effective they can be if they can master what they do and then take it to another level...maybe soon we'll see it, can Vince Young be the next level running style qb who emphasizes throwing first? We'll see, my money is on that 5th grader in southern Florida who's playing Pop Warner on Saturday afternoons!!! 

Is it me or does Jacksonville's QB David Garrard strength and weaknesses as a quarterback remind you of former NFL QB Kordell Stewart?

I found it interesting that the controversy surrounding radio jock Don Imus's racially charged comments toward the Rutgers Women's Basketball team last April received more coverage than the entire NCAA Women's Tournament that the Rutgers women were apart of.  By the way the women's tournament was fantastic, it gets better every year, the Tennessee Vols beat Rutgers to capture the National Championship. Now don't get me wrong I'm not making light of the of Don Imus situation because it was a very serious one and hopefully with him getting fired over it will make other radio personalities check their arrogance and ignorance at the door before they hit the airwaves. But I can't get over the fact that in the year 2007 women's sports overall continues to hit the back pages of most sports section around the nation.

Now with Basketball being the most popular of all women's sports and still growing, softball is a close second; you would think the exposure and appreciation from journalist would be more. This needs to change immediately because women basketball players play a better overall game than their male counterparts. They are better fundamentally and their 'on the field' discipline is so respected that if you were recommending a team to a young person wanting to learn more about how to play basketball you would be better served to point them in the direction of a women's college game or the WNBA.  Let's give it up to the ladies who aren't as athletic as the men but make up for it with great court awareness and intelligence not to mention an overall passion for the game which seems to be missing all together from men sports today

I've never been one to stand in the way of a man and his money but when it comes to Collegiate Men's Basketball players leaving school early to enter the annual June NBA Draft, I have to do what other intelligent people won't do and say "NO". For the last 10 years I've seemingly been the lone soldier with the opinion that college freshman and sophomores along with players straight out of High School aren't prepared mentally or physically to take on the rigors of the National Basketball Association. Now for every Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Magic Johnson there's thousands upon thousands of wannabe's who's professional basketball dreams never materialized and they eventually gave up playing all together or took the minor league route and played ball internationally (there's nothing wrong with playing ball overseas, good money can be had, but after a while it takes a toll on the players body and family life and eventually most Americans return home after only a few years to start another career--often in the world of sports entrepreneurialism). Of course you have your 'extreme high hope' players who came into the NBA, in recent years, with a whirlwind of marketing and notoriety to only crash and burn as their rookie contracts and signing bonuses dried up; names like Darius Miles--Sebastian Telfair and Leon Smith, to name a few, might ring a bell.

Now I do have to give props to the NBA for installing the new 'freshman college Age rule', that started this season ('06-'07), that states all high school basketball players looking to enter into the pro draft must be at least year removed from their high school graduation. That should derail a few guys from making that fatal leap into the NBA prematurely but I still ask the question; is just 1 year of college enough to say I'm prepared for a long 82 game pro season? Without family to help the young man schedule his daily activities, take care of his home duties, balance his checkbook, etc it can prove to be very hazardous for a 18 or 19 year old rookie; even with family members around there's no guarantee that player will make a successful transition.

If a college basketball player feels he's ready to enter the NBA draft after completing 3 full years then I endorse that decision. Usually by the end of their third year a player has a sense of where he'll get picked in the draft and most importantly he knows from an on court skill point of view if he measures up to the pro game and a NBA scout, along with his college coach, will help him in that assessment. At the least he would return for his 4th and final year of college ball eligibility if necessary. And as far as I'm concerned there's nothing wrong with taking advantage of the full college experience, that's the whole point, being a college student along with a college athlete is nothing short of being a 'Mythic God' around campus, you would be crazy not to like that a little bit. College is the only life experience where to truly understand it and enjoy it you have to be in the moment and of right age, 18 to 22. Of course people move on in life and go back to college at all different ages but it's never the same after you move past those fantabolous years of late teens to early 20's.

By the time you reach this portion of the blog the obvious statement your saying to yourself and would more than likely present to me if I was in front of you right now is this: "Cordell they have to get the money while they can, you can hurt yourself in college and never get the chance"! And to that I say my obvious: "You can hurt yourself in the NBA too, and then what, NBA money doesn't last forever". College players as well as professionals can get insurance policies taken out on their bodies, just in case a permanent injury happens while playing, so that money argument is a weak one in my opinion. There are a lot of NBA players who made a lot of money while playing but after leaving the NBA fell on hard times-didn't manage their money efficiently-and are now doing just enough to make 'the ends meet'....ever heard of a guy named  Daryl Dawkins? If you don't believe the 'risk' factor look no further than current player Shaun Livingston of the Los Angeles Clippers, on February 26th during a routine fast break against the Charlotte Bobcats, Shaun went up for a lay-up and came down awkwardly on his left knee tearing all 3 major ligaments (acl/pcl/mcl) while also suffering a dislocation of the tibia. His chances of returning to the court and being any where near effective as before are very slim and this is for a guy who's only been in the league 2 years and never played collegiate ball. Hard pill to swallow for Shaun and players like him who have no college education to fall back on and now their agent is discussing retirement at the tender age of 21.

So as the only voice to speak out against popular opinion I say to all high school basketball prospects thinking of the fame and riches of the NBA, go to college first and do the fun-silly-stupid things your suppose to do before you have to go get a real job.