Lebron in the All Star game and the Pro Bowl? maybe....

I have no idea what your last point meant. Are you referencing the present tense that I used? 
To the person that asked. LeBron James is significantly taller/bigger than Calvin Johnson. Yes, it really makes no sense.
 
Originally Posted by Buc Em

Originally Posted by 5am6oody72

Serious question, where the hell are you guys getting Lebron running a 4.4 40 from? Bleacher Report articles or something?
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He ran a 4.5 when he was a sophomore in high school so I guess it's just an educated guess.
Is that a high school 4.5 or an event verified 4.5 though? If you look at the Rivals database they list a ton of guys who run 4.4's and 4.5's then somehow when they get to the NFL combine they're all of a sudden 4.6's and 4.7's. HS and college 40 times are almost never legit. Everybody on here routinely rags on me for VT's 40 times being deflated; e.g. Deangelo Hall running a 4.18
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I would bet good money Lebron doesn't run a 4.4 @ 6'8 260, you might convince me he could crack the 4.4's if he dropped 20-25 lbs. I would love to see him officially timed though. People brought up Calvin Johnson but he is 3 inches shorter and a lot more fluid and slightly less muscle bound than Lebron is. Megatron is every bit the physical freak in football that Lebron is in basketball; nobody has ever had his speed, leaping ability, and fluidity at his size as a WR. He ran a 4.35 in the 40 and 10.23 100 m. His STANDING vertical at the combine was 43 inches (Lebron is 6'8, or 80" tall. The highest we've ever seen him get is his head about even with the rim or slightly over (that near alley oop against the Blazers). Taking into account his shoes that gives him about a 40 inch max vertical). Johnson is probably about the biggest you could get at the WR position while still retaining such a skillset. 6'8 is just overkill; it's the same reason there are no other sprinters as tall as Bolt. Height becomes a detriment after a certain point as it's really hard to get good turnover when you are that big. Even looking at MJ when he played baseball, if you watched him run the bases or in the field he had long strides with slow turnover and looked somewhat awkward away from the bball court. 

Lebron is a great athlete, especially for his size, but he is still stiff and not good at lateral movement/change of direction compared to guys in the NFL. People mistake his speed in the open floor and driving ability for elite quickness and change of direction. Lebron is not good at beating his man off the dribble with quickness or changing direction and driving the lane compared to the elite guards in the league (and rightfully so because they are much smaller). Why do you think he almost always has to come off of a screen before he drives the lane?  For that reason I don't think he could be a WR but could probably make it work at TE if he had a long enough time to practice/train for it. I think if he had gone with football he would have been much better @ DE than anything else. As Ska has been trying to point out though, measurables aren't always enough to cover for lack of football acumen. On VT for example, WR Marcus Davis is 6'4, 230, and runs a 4.5 40 (VT timed him in the 4.3's but I will go ahead and tack on because I know it's not legit) with a 44 inch vertical. He'd be the first guy you pick off the bus, but he just isn't that good at football. Even though he's been playing WR for a few years now and is one of the best athletes we've ever had, he just doesn't have good ball skills/instincts, lacks fluid hips and isn't quick in and out of his breaks. David Wilson is probably the second best athlete we've ever had besides Vick, but his vision and patience as a runner just isn't there and unless that improves I doubt you'll see him do @%+@ in the NFL as a running back. Vernon Gholston was an athletic freak coming out of OSU, but just wasn't good at football. 

No matter how athletic Lebron is, he wouldn't just be able to walk into an NFL game and all of a sudden dominate at a given position. He would need considerable time to practice the finer points of the game before he could be reliable/serviceable. He can be 6'8 260 and have great straightline speed but if he doesn't have the ability to run good routes, block reliably, and know how to find soft spots in the zone it won't do him much good. A much less athletic guy like Jason Witten who excels at those things due to having played the position for many years is gonna trump an inexperienced Lebron every time. Lebron being 4 inches taller than most TE's doesn't really matter in a majority of the situations he'd be in on the football field. How many times a game does a TE catch a pass that requires him to high point the football and/or catch a ball solely due to their size advantage over the defender? Not that many. What's Wes Lyons doing nowadays? Not much
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Obviously there are a few instances where having a guy you can throw a jump ball to is beneficial, but that's not enough to assume he'd be a pro bowl player. It's pretty much the equivalent of assuming James White would be an All-Star just because he can jump high, run fast, and do great dunks. If the TE/WR position only amounted to a glorified game of "500" (just throwing a ball up for grabs) then sure Lebron would be a good bet, but the rest of his athletic abilities don't translate to automatic success like people think IMO. Even if he was an all state WR in HS it's not impossible for him to have outgrown the position. 

I think guards like Derrick Rose or Russell Westbrook have athletic ability that translates much better to the NFL. 6'3, 200 and more likely to have the speed and lateral quickness needed for that position. Also don't sleep on how good Iverson would have been. Lots of people who know VA HS football put AI up there with or ahead of Vick and Ronald Curry as the best HS football players they've ever seen. 
 
Originally Posted by 5am6oody72

Originally Posted by Buc Em

Originally Posted by 5am6oody72

Serious question, where the hell are you guys getting Lebron running a 4.4 40 from? Bleacher Report articles or something?
laugh.gif

He ran a 4.5 when he was a sophomore in high school so I guess it's just an educated guess.
Is that a high school 4.5 or an event verified 4.5 though? If you look at the Rivals database they list a ton of guys who run 4.4's and 4.5's then somehow when they get to the NFL combine they're all of a sudden 4.6's and 4.7's. HS and college 40 times are almost never legit. Everybody on here routinely rags on me for VT's 40 times being deflated; e.g. Deangelo Hall running a 4.18
laugh.gif
 
I would bet good money Lebron doesn't run a 4.4 @ 6'8 260, you might convince me he could crack the 4.4's if he dropped 20-25 lbs. I would love to see him officially timed though. People brought up Calvin Johnson but he is 3 inches shorter and a lot more fluid and slightly less muscle bound than Lebron is. Megatron is every bit the physical freak in football that Lebron is in basketball; nobody has ever had his speed, leaping ability, and fluidity at his size as a WR. He ran a 4.35 in the 40 and 10.23 100 m. His STANDING vertical at the combine was 43 inches (Lebron is 6'8, or 80" tall. The highest we've ever seen him get is his head about even with the rim or slightly over (that near alley oop against the Blazers). Taking into account his shoes that gives him about a 40 inch max vertical). Johnson is probably about the biggest you could get at the WR position while still retaining such a skillset. 6'8 is just overkill; it's the same reason there are no other sprinters as tall as Bolt. Height becomes a detriment after a certain point as it's really hard to get good turnover when you are that big. Even looking at MJ when he played baseball, if you watched him run the bases or in the field he had long strides with slow turnover and looked somewhat awkward away from the bball court. 

Lebron is a great athlete, especially for his size, but he is still stiff and not good at lateral movement/change of direction compared to guys in the NFL. People mistake his speed in the open floor and driving ability for elite quickness and change of direction. Lebron is not good at beating his man off the dribble with quickness or changing direction and driving the lane compared to the elite guards in the league (and rightfully so because they are much smaller). Why do you think he almost always has to come off of a screen before he drives the lane?  For that reason I don't think he could be a WR but could probably make it work at TE if he had a long enough time to practice/train for it. I think if he had gone with football he would have been much better @ DE than anything else. As Ska has been trying to point out though, measurables aren't always enough to cover for lack of football acumen. On VT for example, WR Marcus Davis is 6'4, 230, and runs a 4.5 40 (VT timed him in the 4.3's but I will go ahead and tack on because I know it's not legit) with a 44 inch vertical. He'd be the first guy you pick off the bus, but he just isn't that good at football. Even though he's been playing WR for a few years now and is one of the best athletes we've ever had, he just doesn't have good ball skills/instincts, lacks fluid hips and isn't quick in and out of his breaks. David Wilson is probably the second best athlete we've ever had besides Vick, but his vision and patience as a runner just isn't there and unless that improves I doubt you'll see him do @%+@ in the NFL as a running back. Vernon Gholston was an athletic freak coming out of OSU, but just wasn't good at football. 

No matter how athletic Lebron is, he wouldn't just be able to walk into an NFL game and all of a sudden dominate at a given position. He would need considerable time to practice the finer points of the game before he could be reliable/serviceable. He can be 6'8 260 and have great straightline speed but if he doesn't have the ability to run good routes, block reliably, and know how to find soft spots in the zone it won't do him much good. A much less athletic guy like Jason Witten who excels at those things due to having played the position for many years is gonna trump an inexperienced Lebron every time. Lebron being 4 inches taller than most TE's doesn't really matter in a majority of the situations he'd be in on the football field. How many times a game does a TE catch a pass that requires him to high point the football and/or catch a ball solely due to their size advantage over the defender? Not that many. What's Wes Lyons doing nowadays? Not much
laugh.gif
Obviously there are a few instances where having a guy you can throw a jump ball to is beneficial, but that's not enough to assume he'd be a pro bowl player. It's pretty much the equivalent of assuming James White would be an All-Star just because he can jump high, run fast, and do great dunks. If the TE/WR position only amounted to a glorified game of "500" (just throwing a ball up for grabs) then sure Lebron would be a good bet, but the rest of his athletic abilities don't translate to automatic success like people think IMO. Even if he was an all state WR in HS it's not impossible for him to have outgrown the position. 

I think guards like Derrick Rose or Russell Westbrook have athletic ability that translates much better to the NFL. 6'3, 200 and more likely to have the speed and lateral quickness needed for that position. Also don't sleep on how good Iverson would have been. Lots of people who know VA HS football put AI up there with or ahead of Vick and Ronald Curry as the best HS football players they've ever seen. 
Awesome, please explain how Antonio Gates is one of the best TEs ever.
LeBron can't beat his man 1on1 because he can't dribble, not because he's not fast/fluid. Let's be real. Running routes is a lot different than dribbling a basketball. 

You do bring up good points though...but just know that Calvin Johnson is transcendent due to the way he combines his skill/size...he undoubtedly has the skill over LeBron at this point, but he does not have any measurable over LeBron. He just doesn't. 

And again, if we're comparing Calvin Johnson (one of the best WRs to do it) versus LeBron, then I'm sure we're on to something.

Let's make it easier by just comparing LeBron to Gates. But again, everyone's ducking that.
 
[color= rgb(255, 0, 0)]5am[/color], you've always seemed like a levelheaded guy and you make some good points, but at the same time - not really.
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Like [color= rgb(255, 0, 0)]GUNNA[/color], half the stuff you're saying/comparing is only supporting Bron's chances and you don't even realize it.

Did you even read a thing I said in this post or did you just come in here responding to the topic?  Serious question.
Also don't sleep on how good Iverson would have been. Lots of people who know VA HS football put AI up there with or ahead of Vick and Ronald Curry as the best HS football players they've ever seen.
Son.

Listen to this point.

Ronald Curry?  I know he was the goods and then some at one point, but his career has been sub-par to say the least.

That's the best VA has to offer?  In the history of the state?

Lot of people who know OH HS football say LeBron was the most dominant sophomore they've ever seen.

He keeps playing and he's got a realistic chance to be the most dominant football player OH's ever seen (just like hoops).  Think about that for a second.

In fact, if Bron played out his entire career, there's a VERY good chance he would have been the #1 recruit in the country in both sports.

james.jpg


This is the body he had the last time he played football.
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  He was getting comparisons to Jerry Rice from guys enshrined in Canton (not on NT) w/ a body looking like that.

Somebody man up and and take a stab at refuting the following points (I've only made them 5 times over
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) instead of tap dancing all throughout this thread:
81909AntonioGatesbball.jpg
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These fellas made it look easy.  They'd be average to below average athletes in the NBA and Bron is arguably the greatest athlete we've ever seen play basketball in the history of the sport.

And you want to dismiss him even CONTRIBUTING w/ the quickness?

Lebron is not a explosive coming out of stops and starts. He's not a good change of direction guy.
Then what does that make Antonio Gates?
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I would post Antonio Gates Kent State highlights in here, but I can't even find them on YouTube.  Not a single video clip.  You would laugh at the way this man moved on a basketball court in comparison to LeBron.  And he was playing in the Mid Atlantic Conference, not the Olympics.
Lebron is a guy who doesn't shake and blow by players who CAN'T use their hands, now yall want him to blow by guys who are gonna stab him in the chest every snap. OKay.
And Antonio Gates, an undersized PF couldn't blow by wings that played in the MAC.  Seems like a good point now, right?  This is filled with such ignorance it's astounding.
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Originally Posted by N ll K 3

[color= rgb(255, 0, 0)]5am[/color], you've always seemed like a levelheaded guy and you make some good points, but at the same time - not really.
laugh.gif


Like [color= rgb(255, 0, 0)]GUNNA[/color], half the stuff you're saying/comparing is only supporting Bron's chances and you don't even realize it.

Did you even read a thing I said in this post or did you just come in here responding to the topic?  Serious question.
Also don't sleep on how good Iverson would have been. Lots of people who know VA HS football put AI up there with or ahead of Vick and Ronald Curry as the best HS football players they've ever seen.
Son.

Listen to this point.

Ronald Curry?  I know he was the goods and then some at one point, but his career has been sub-par to say the least.

That's the best VA has to offer?  In the history of the state?

Lot of people who know OH HS football say LeBron was the most dominant sophomore they've ever seen.

He keeps playing and he's got a realistic chance to be the most dominant football player OH's ever seen (just like hoops).  Think about that for a second.

In fact, if Bron played out his entire career, there's a VERY good chance he would have been the #1 recruit in the country in both sports.

james.jpg


This is the body he had the last time he played football.
30t6p3b.gif
laugh.gif
  He was getting comparisons to Jerry Rice from guys enshrined in Canton (not on NT) w/ a body looking like that.

Somebody man up and and take a stab at refuting the following points (I've only made them 5 times over
30t6p3b.gif
) instead of tap dancing all throughout this thread:
81909AntonioGatesbball.jpg
2993270293_e46a8e1c5c.jpg


These fellas made it look easy.  They'd be average to below average athletes in the NBA and Bron is arguably the greatest athlete we've ever seen play basketball in the history of the sport.

And you want to dismiss him even CONTRIBUTING w/ the quickness?

Lebron is not a explosive coming out of stops and starts. He's not a good change of direction guy.
Then what does that make Antonio Gates?
laugh.gif


I would post Antonio Gates Kent State highlights in here, but I can't even find them on YouTube.  Not a single video clip.  You would laugh at the way this man moved on a basketball court in comparison to LeBron.  And he was playing in the Mid Atlantic Conference, not the Olympics.
Lebron is a guy who doesn't shake and blow by players who CAN'T use their hands, now yall want him to blow by guys who are gonna stab him in the chest every snap. OKay.
And Antonio Gates, an undersized PF couldn't blow by wings that played in the MAC.  Seems like a good point now, right?  This is filled with such ignorance it's astounding.
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Logic to the rescue. 

"Can't get out of cuts, doesn't have quickness, doesn't have mental stability, doesn't have any NBA rings, entourage is too big, jumper is broke, etc, etc." ignores fact that Antonio Gates is a 1st ballot HOF-er. 
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"Just lets me know, if he can come out of college basketball and be a Pro bowl tight end... anybody can do it..." 
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Obviously Jai wasn't able to back that up but goes to show you what people think about the TE position in the NFL
 
I had a long @#! post typed up but NT white screened me and I don't feet like typing it all over. So at this point, I'm just gonna say that theres a reason why Gates, TG and Jimmy Graham are all successful and dozens of other players who try to make that leap fall on their face. Lot of y'all are underestimating the football talent (no to be confused w/ skill) that these guys have. There are more Marcus Monk's, Ramses Barden's, Julius Thomas's, Fendi Onobums than there are JG, TG and AG.
 
Originally Posted by So Slickening

I'll defend Ska here, because I feel like I'm the only one who sees what he's saying.

In reference to the TOPIC'S TITLE.

LeBron's freak athleticism alone would not get him in the Pro Bowl. He'd have to know the things only years of playing the game could teach.
I agree 100%. I'm with Ska here... IF he really wanted to play and wasn't just trying to grab attention I believe he would be o.k. He would make a roster, but like Mike it won't be because he has the skills, it will more than likely be because his presence will put butts in the seats for whatever team he signs with. I don't believe he would be a pro-bowler or even survive a season. You can't just plug an athlete into another sport that isn't his primary field of expertise and expect him to succeed on a "PROBOWL" type level. Why are there only two athletes that come to mind that have some success doing that? Because they were freaks, and once a generation type athletes. I might be missing something.. Yes Lebron is big and fast, but I think the only thing that separates him athletically from the majority of the employees of the NFL is his height.  I still am not convinced that Lebron would welcome NFL type contact.  I am also confused with what kind of criteria you guys are using to determine that Lebron is the best athlete in the NBA. Blake is 2 inches taller than Lebron and can jump just as high, seems pretty strong and may actually have a better first step. Someone said that Lebron has D. Rose type speed, I disagree with that also. Seems to me that the only foundation supporters of Lebron's ability to make the Pro Bowl have, is his athleticism. It's funny that I'm watching the Jets right now while I am typing this.There is a good example right in front of me. As a San Diego Charger season ticket holder and fan I have had the "pleasure" of seeing a freaky athlete, Antonio Cromartie play corner his entire career. 4.2 40 speed, freaky strong, and he has the ability that reminds me of Deion Sanders. But with all that athleticism he's not even the best corner on his team. Athleticism doesn't get you everything.

  
 
As for the Antonio Gates references running throughout this thread.. You can't look at him now and ask why can't Lebron be better. He has had significant injuries that have made him slower
and not as active as he was before. Antonio is basically done as an NFL player. You'll see.. He's little more than a decoy. The Chargers allowed him to let his body attempt to heal his injuries rather than have surgery and be 100% for the first time in about 4 years. So to say Lebron could do the things that have made Antonio and Tony Gonzales Hall of Fame worthy at this point of Lebron's career isn't feasible.
 
N || K 3, 

Ronald Curry serves as an example of a guy who was one of the best ever in the state in HS (including guys like Vick, Harivn, Iverson, Lawrence Taylor) and hasn't done anything in the NFL...just sayin
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There are a ton of guys who were top 5 recruits in the nation and aren't in the NFL now, and that's with them playing football in college for four years. That's not to say Lebron isn't a rare athlete compared to those guys, but merely to point out that athletic dominance at the HS or even college level won't always translate. In the game I'm watching now, Reggie Bush damn near won two Heismans and looked like a surefire star in the NFL, and he's a backup running back on a winless team. Having a guy take 10 years away from the game and dedicate it to practicing and training his body for another sport, plus having him grow to a size that rarely exists in the NFL for his position, makes it even less likely he'd be able to come in and instantly succeed (the article that OP posted said he'd instantly be one of the best TE's in the league. I''m not saying you all agree with that, but some seem to think it would be that easy). If Lebron had stuck with football it would be a lot more likely that he'd have panned out, but as it is now that didn't happen. Additionally it's a lot easier for guys who are tall, fast and strong, to beast in HS against smaller, slower, weaker players than it is in the NFL. Guys get by on strength, size, and athletic ability and never refine their technique or learn the finer points because they don't have to. Since you've indicated that Lebron was compared to Rice in HS I'll assume he had good technique and ran great routes at the time, so that's working in his favor. However, his HS build/frame was probably much better suited for WR than his current build. 
I did read most of what was posted in here. Perhaps my post came across as if I thought Lebron had no chance to succeed in the NFL; that's not what I'm arguing. I'm arguing that for him to go from the NBA, with his current build (6'8 260), would take him awhile to pickup all the little things that are important to success in the NFL and train his body for NFL activity vs. what he's been doing in the NBA. Additionally while he is a freak athlete and was a dominant receiver in HS, it IS possible to outgrow a position and in Lebron's case he outgrew WR. Nowhere in my post did I say he couldn't be a TE. In fact I said he couldn't be a WR for the agility/change of direction reasons, and said that's why he could probably make it work at TE if given enough time. How is that really going against what you said? I don't think I'm crazy for thinking Lebron is too big for WR and would need time to adjust to the TE spot.

As far as Gates and Jimmy Graham go, Graham had a whole year of college football to learn and get acclimated to the position and while he showed flashes he had growing pains as well (at least from the games I watched). Gates had played football all through HS and was supposed to play for Saban at MSU so he was highly touted too. He had a decent rookie year but didn't break out til his second year, so it still took him some time to acclimate himself even only being away from the game for 4 years. Also most TE's are built more solidly in their lower body than a typical NBA player, though Bron is ahead of the curve there and could build that up given the time. 
In summation, while Lebron is a freak athlete and might have been a good NFL player if he had chosen football, he wouldn't be able to just sign with the Browns right now and go out and start beasting and make the Pro Bowl like some people think. His attributes don't translate so well as to guarantee him instant success and there would be a learning curve. IMO he outgrew the WR position and would be a lot better suited to TE or DE, but would still need time to learn the position and the finer points of the game. There's a lot more that goes into being an NFL player than just catching the ball and a lot of that isn't second nature to somebody who hasn't played the game in 10 years. And you can't guarantee he'd pick it up as quickly as guys like Gates and Graham just because he's a better athlete. Would it be automatic for him to adjust his alignment when a WR motions across the formation? Would he know how to execute a seal block so his RB doesn't get tackled for a loss? Would he even be able to slow down an elite pass rusher like Freeney or Ware? Can he block downfield? He needs to be able to reliably do all of that and a lot more before he can be an every down player who isn't a liability to his team. There's no guarantee he'd pick those things up quickly and IMO it's foolish to think he would be anything more than a situational player until he had time to drill all of that into him. Look at how little of a factor Chad Johnson has been with the Pats because of issues like this, and he has been one of the top receivers in the league for years; all he did was switch teams/systems (I know he is getting older but athleticism is not the reason he's not contributing right now). And people are saying Lebron, a guy who hasn't even played football on any level for 10 years, and has NEVER played TE in college or the NFL, could come in and be one of the best players in the league at his position almost instantly or with just one training camp? 
 
I agree w/ [color= rgb(255, 0, 0)]Ska[/color]'s premise 100%, besides the fact that we're talking about LeBron James.

The dumbest comment in here was asking what other NBA'ers could successfully make the switch.  Nah, it doesn't work like that.
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I never attempted to make playing football look easy...far from it.  Just the fact that it's the easiest to pick up for great athletes, especially compared to baseball.

Dudes keep questioning Bron's football skills like what I'm trying to tell y'all is BS.  Stop it.  I'm just trying to show you the light.

I've been saving this piece and didn't want to have to have to bust it out, but the BS'n in here about his football skills when you've never seen him play is getting entirely too old.

I'll let this speak for itself:
[h1]LBJ and NFL: A fantasy based in reality[/h1]

By Tim Graham
ESPN.com
Archive

Editor's note: This story was originally posted May, 31, 2009. What NBA team will LeBron James sign with? Watch him announce his decision Thursday at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Mark Murphy hasn't merely witnessed the finest receivers of his generation. He has experienced them.

Murphy's 11-year career at strong safety was good enough to get him into the Green Bay Packers' Hall of Fame. He has covered, tackled and occasionally been scorched by legends.

On the subject of greatness, he knows what he's talking about.

"I've been around a lot of great receivers," Murphy said. "I tell people that I rate my top receivers -- coaching, playing or watching -- as James Lofton, Jerry Rice, Steve Largent and LeBron James."

nfl_lebron_400.jpg

Bob DeMay/Akron Beacon JournalJames played football for two seasons at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, scoring 27 touchdowns and attracting the attention of Ohio State and Notre Dame.

Murphy wasn't delivering a joke or some abstract concept. He meant James, the NBA superduperstar, simply was that spectacular on a football field. Murphy saw it as the defensive coordinator at James' alma mater, St. Vincent-St. Mary High in Akron, Ohio.

"People laugh at me, but it's true," Murphy said of placing James in the same class as three Pro Football Hall of Famers. "The kid had everything you could want.

"I felt like that was one kid that could have gone from high school to the NFL and played."

Makes you wonder, doesn't it; what might have happened had James chosen football over basketball?

Domination on Friday night doesn't mean much when a colossus is leaping over pimple-faced twerps, but James has proven he can compete against world-class competition. It's not silly to think he could have made it in the NFL, too.

He's a 6-foot-8, 250-pound freak of stature. He would tower above NFL defensive backs and other receivers. Plus, he owns a 44-inch vertical leap, which would rank among the top 10 recorded at the NFL scouting combine.

Actually, it's not too late for James to change his mind. He's 24 years old. New York Jets rookie running back Shonn Greene left the University of Iowa a season early yet will turn 24 in August.

For fun, let's stop to consider what might happen if James decided he wanted to give football a whirl.

"I would tell him I think he needs to lay down on the couch and have some warm milk and listen to some soft music," Miami Dolphins football operations boss Bill Parcells said. "Football's not something he needs to do. If he asked my advice, I'd tell him to keep playing basketball because he's doing OK.

[h4]AFC East blog[/h4]
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ESPN.com has the Patriots, Jets, Dolphins and Bills covered in the AFC East division blog.

• Blog network: NFL Nation

"But I wouldn't put anything past this guy because it looks like he's tremendously exceptional at what he does."

Predecessors indicate basketball skills -- stamina, explosiveness, range, ability to change direction in a blink -- translate to the gridiron.

In discussing the merits of James as a football player, an obvious barometer is San Diego Chargers tight end Antonio Gates, a Pro Bowler the past five seasons. Gates originally signed with Michigan State to play both sports, but eventually transferred and played just basketball at Eastern Michigan and Kent State.

"I think LeBron could come in and do better than Antonio Gates," New England Patriots receiver Randy Moss said. "LeBron James is the athlete that comes around every so often.

"He's at a point in his career where the things that he does are something we haven't seen before. … It's just very rare for athletes to be able to do the things that he does to entertain and wow us night in and night out."

Some of the more notable examples who played college football and basketball prior to the NFL include Atlanta Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez, Carolina Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers and former Oakland Raiders tight end Rickey Dudley.

The Jets last month signed Cleveland State power forward J'Nathan Bullock to play tight end, even though he hadn't worn a helmet since high school.

"From my perspective, the best athletes in the world play in the NBA," University of Akron football coach J.D. Brookhart said. "Look at what Gates did. He was a pretty good basketball player athletically, but LeBron's world class."

[h4]Two-Sport Stars[/h4]
Here are some NFL players who also excelled at basketball:

Terry Baker
The 1962 Heisman winner for Oregon State led the Beavers to 1963 Final Four as a third-team All-American point guard. Drafted first overall in the 1963 NFL draft.

Sam Clancy Sr.
Spent 10 years in NFL but played only basketball at the University of Pittsburgh, where he became the school's No. 8 all-time scorer.

Rickey Dudley
Started as basketball player at Ohio State, averaging 13.3 ppg, before switching to tight end and becoming Raiders' No. 1 pick in 1996.

Antonio Gates
Averaged 20.6 points and 7.7 rebounds as a senior at Kent State.

Bud Grant
Remembered as four-time Super Bowl-losing coach of the Vikings, but played in the NFL and NBA.

Cornell Green
A basketball star at Utah State, became five-time Pro Bowl DB with Cowboys in '60s and '70s.

Tony Gonzalez
Averaged 6.8 points and 4.5 rebounds as a reserve on Cal's 1997 Sweet 16 team.

Pete Metzelaars
Before 16-year NFL career as tight end, led Wabash College to 1982 Division III championship in basketball, averaging 24.2 ppg.

Preston Pearson
Running back played in five Super Bowls with Cowboys and Steelers, but played only hoops at Illinois.

Julius Peppers
The Bears' defensive end was a two-year reserve at North Carolina, averaging 5.7 ppg.

Marcus Pollard
Longtime tight end with 40 career TD catches did not play football at Bradley, where he averaged 7.3 ppg as two-year starter.

Also, Donovan McNabb, Terrell Owens, Antwaan Randle El and Brad Johnson played some basketball in college.

Brookhart is known as one of the country's best receivers coaches. His previous gig was at the University of Pittsburgh, where he worked with Larry Fitzgerald and Antonio Bryant. One of his first roster decisions at Akron was switching another future NFLer, Domenik Hixon, from safety to receiver.

"It's not very hard to tell at all how good of a football player LeBron would be," Brookhart said. "Had he pursued it, I think he'd be an All-Pro receiver.

"With that body and skills that he has, I think even if he wasn't a 4.4 or 4.5 speed guy -- and I'm not so certain he wouldn't be that -- he would pose absolutely unwinnable matchups out there."

Patriots defensive coordinator Dean Pees has been aware of James' football skills for years and knows plenty about Gates.

Pees recruited Gates to play linebacker at Michigan State and was head coach at Kent State when Gates was there. Kent is 17 miles from St. Vincent-St. Mary.

"You look at it and you'd have to say, having seen Tony Gonzalez and seen Antonio Gates, that the guy definitely could have played," Pees said of James. "He was a phenomenal athlete. If he wanted to play football, he certainly could've."

A switch to the gridiron, however, would be no slam dunk.

There would be questions about his open-field speed.

"A lot of those basketball players, they can't run," Parcells said. "They don't have legitimate speed. This kid's pretty amazing, though."

There would be questions about his ability to withstand violent collisions.

"How bad is a 5-10, 180-pound corner going to hurt that body?" Brookhart asked.

Without ever having held a stopwatch on him, Pees guessed James would not possess receiver wheels. That, combined with James' body type, would make him a tight end who'd be considerably more vulnerable to contact than a wideout.

"The biggest thing he wouldn't be ready for is somebody hitting him," Pees said. "I know they play physical in the NBA, so put [former Patriots outside linebacker] Adalius Thomas up in his face all day and have a defensive back maybe behind him that has some size too, that can go up with him.

"You could never put a little guy on him. They'd just lob the ball, and nobody could defend him. You'd have to hit him at the line. I would think you'd want a big guy that could hit him at the line and see how much he could take."

Jets vice president of college scouting Joey Clinkscales, a former NFL receiver, agreed with Pees that James probably would make a better tight end than a wideout.

But Clinkscales wasn't nearly as concerned about James' ability to withstand football's physical demands.

"The only reservation I think you'd have is the constant day-to-day beatings that he would take," Clinkscales said. "You don't know about the blocking ability, but athletically he could flex out. And the physical nature of the player, he's just such a naturally big and muscular guy.

"He would have a chance to be as good as anybody playing right now."

There also would be questions about whether a pop-culture icon who generates about $40 million a year would be committed enough to accept an enormous pay cut.

Clubs would be more willing to take a chance on an unproven-yet-intriguing specimen if he didn't command a huge financial commitment. Gates wasn't drafted. The Chargers' risk was trifling.

"You're willing to take a chance on those guys because there's no cost factor involved," Pees said. "There's no risk. If it doesn't work out, fine. If it does work out, it's a big-time story. How would you draw up a contract for LeBron James?

"You can't throw starting tight end money at a guy that has never played and might not work out. At the same time, it's LeBron James. That'd be a really tough one."

The temptation might be too much for some clubs.

[+] Enlarge
Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesJames' size and 44-inch vertical leap would give him a huge advantage over NFL defensive backs.

James' raw potential and star power make him attractive to personnel men and marketers alike. Teams would be afraid that James would sign with a division rival.

"Can you pass on a guy that potentially can be a difference-maker at his position?" Clinkscales asked. "You wouldn't know that from day one, but some of the athletic skills will make you say 'Wow.' You don't know for sure, but you have a pretty good idea.

"I think there would be a bit of a bidding war."

The fanciful notion of James testing the NFL is significantly less ridiculous than his idol, Michael Jordan, trying to play baseball. At least with James, tangible football evidence exists.

James was a good enough receiver at St. Vincent-St. Mary that it's believed he could have commanded a football scholarship to the program of his choice after his sophomore season. He was being monitored by Ohio State and Notre Dame.

He played only two full seasons of varsity football, but he made his mark. His first varsity start came as a freshman in the state playoffs. He caught nine passes, a school record.

James' name still is scattered throughout the St. Vincent-St. Mary football record book.

He grabbed 42 passes for 752 yards and 11 touchdowns as a 6-6 sophomore, but his budding basketball fame soon curbed the excitement of football recruiters.

"About three games into his sophomore year, we knew he was done, that he would never go to college," said James' high school basketball coach, Keith Dambrot, now the head coach at Akron. "When you know you're not going to college and you're a surefire pro, then you've got to start making business decisions."

While his football teammates were going through preseason drills and scrimmages the summer before his junior year, James was in Chicago for a private workout with Jordan, Antoine Walker, Jerry Stackhouse and Penny Hardaway.

James was torn about playing football again. He loved the sport, but he didn't want to jeopardize his incandescent future.

"It was a sacrifice because he'll tell you he liked Friday night football better than anything," Dambrot said. "He liked basketball practice better than football practice, but he loved Friday night football."

James was on the sideline for St. Vincent-St. Mary's season opener, an upset victory over Akron Garfield. Watching in street clothes was like torture. The next night, 22-year-old singer Aaliyah died in a plane crash.

Those two moments sent James into a deep introspection about his future. He discussed the situation with his mother, Gloria, who didn't want him to play football. They came to the realization bright futures don't come with guarantees.

He made up his mind that weekend to wear cleats again.

"I'm just 16, and you're only in high school once," James told the Akron Beacon Journal.

Murphy recalled a particular moment from James' junior year that illustrated his passion for football. James made a one-handed grab for a 7-yard touchdown against Villa Angela-St. Joseph in the waning moments of the first half. James absorbed a hit on the play and broke the index finger on his left hand.

"He was pretty shook up at halftime," Murphy said. "He was thinking about basketball and what this was going to do. Once the trainers got him calmed down, we said 'Look, LeBron. You don't even have to play in the second half. Or we can use you as a decoy and we'll throw to the other guys if you want.'"

As the team filed out of the locker room, James turned to the coaches, three of whom had played in the NFL -- head coach Jay Brophy, assistant Frank Stams and Murphy.

"I'm no decoy," James told them.

"The guy loves to compete," Murphy said. "He loves to play. He loves football."

nfl_lebron_576.jpg
State Farm In a commercial, James daydreamed about playing in the NFL; the notion is significantly less ridiculous than his idol, Michael Jordan, trying to play baseball.

James finished his junior season with 57 receptions for 1,160 yards and 16 touchdowns, propelling St. Vincent-St. Mary to the state semifinals. James also played prevent safety and often quarterbacked the scout team. Murphy said James could throw a football 70 yards.

"The physical tools were overwhelming," Scouts Inc. analyst Matt Williamson said. Williamson was a recruiter for Pitt and followed Brookhart to Akron as football operations director before joining the Cleveland Browns' scouting department. "He really stood out. He made you think 'Wow.' But you don't get too enamored because you know he's the best basketball player in the world."

Pees took a similar approach with James. It was foolish to waste precious recruiting time on an emerging basketball enterprise.

"If he went to Akron, their football program would have been top 20," said St. Vincent-St. Mary grad Chip Hilling, who saw almost all of James' games. Hilling played linebacker at Indiana University for head coaches Lee Corso, Sam Wyche and Bill Mallory. "He really was an incredible football player.

"With LeBron's athleticism, I could see him as a tight end, H-back, receiver. LeBron could wreak havoc as an outside linebacker, edge pass rusher. He's a freak."

NFL media guides, of course, are loaded with bios of special-teamers, journeymen and practice-squad players who were all-everythings in high school. And they benefited from college training.

[+] Enlarge
State FarmSome experts chuckled at the idea of James giving football a shot, but none discounted the possibility he would make it work.

Even so, James might be able to pull off the basketball-to-football transformation.

If he wanted to enter the NFL, he wouldn't have to declare for the draft. He'd be free to sign with any team.

"It wouldn't surprise me at all if, after one phone call, he didn't have six or seven suitors after him," Clinkscales said.

Parcells, Pees and Williamson were hesitant to project greatness. Each of them chuckled at the idea of James giving football a shot, but none discounted the possibility he would make it work.

"He has size and athletic ability, so I'm certain you'd investigate things that he could do," Parcells said. "That would take a little thought."

Brookhart, though, estimated it would take less than three years to complete the conversion from all-world hoospter to all-world receiver.

"He'd be dang successful pretty quick, by the midpoint of his first season," Brookhart said. "But between Year 2 or 3 is when you would see him rise to another level."

That's considered the timetable for a young receiver to make the mental adjustment from college to the NFL. They need to learn the system until it's in their subconscious, and they can identify defenses and recognize coverages.

"There's a lot of post-snap adjustments you have to be able to make," Brookhart said. "Those take repetition, repetition, repetition and a lot of different looks to the point the game actually slows down. You're not thinking."

Murphy is in agreement based on what he witnessed with eyes that have glimpsed the best.

If Murphy ranks James fourth behind only Lofton, Rice and Largent, then he's ranking James ahead of former teammates Sterling Sharpe and John Jefferson, NFC contemporaries such as Art Monk, Henry Ellard and Anthony Carter and so many others he has competed against.

"I went against Lofton every day in practice," Murphy said. "I saw all the things that he did. I saw his abilities and his running and his burst and his catching ability. It was the same thing to see the plays that Jerry Rice made and what he brought to the game.

"I was coaching LeBron in high school and I'm seeing him make plays that made me say 'Lofton did that. Rice did that.'

"He's scary. He really was a scary player."

Like I said, people who know football know what's up and I was just trying to show the light.

But we got guys ignorant to his skills in here saying he wouldn't even contribute.

The hate must be strong.

Good Bless You.
 
Originally Posted by 23ska909red02

Serious question (like I said, I follow football less than I do other sports, so... serious question): thos sprinters, athletes of other sports that NFL teams try out, who are some names that have traveled that path, making an NFL team, and been average? How many ended up being excellent?

No, guys like Deion and Bo don't count; they were dual sport athletes. They never stopped playing either sport. I'm talking about what you just said, guys who are doing something else, an NFL team gives them a look, and they end up being excellent, or even average.

What are some names that fit that bill?

It means nothing that NFL teams gives more non-NFLers a look than other sports do if there isn't a significant 'collective roster' of players who have done that, because it's also worth mentioning that an NFL team has, BY FAR, the biggest rosters of the teams of other sports. Lots of positions to fill, so looking every-damn-where only makes sense.

But if all that looking isn't producing a significant amount of average-to-excellent NFLers, than there's still no reason for me to believe LeBron would do it.

Intiricate knowledge of the game; if I have it, being less athletic than you, and you don't have it, I'm winning whatever we're playing. Period. 100 out of 100 times. And there are literally THOUSANDS of examples proving that.
Your whole argument is based on knowledge of the sport and intricacies of the game yet you admit you don't know much about the sport. Not attacking you or anything but it's hard to take it seriously when you can't name the intricacies your arguing for.

No one is saying Lebron would be a monster run-blocking tight end or he would do all the little things necessary for his team to win. The argument is you throw Lebron out there in the red zone and tell him to run a fade, no one would be able to stop him. When the play is that simple, it's all athleticism. If the QB puts the ball in the right spot, there's no amount of experience in the world that's going to help a 5'11 200 lbs CB stop a 6'8 250 lbs WR from catching that ball.

You're comparing football (a sport that relies primarily on athleticism) to other sports your familiar with. Yeah, there are tips and tricks in football that experience provides and as a whole, the game is very complex. But when you strip it down to one person's job - it really isn't that complicated especially when you simplify it further by giving him less responsibility (ex. Lebron wouldn't be blocking, he'd only be out there in the red zone). Lebron is big enough, strong enough and fast enough to make all that experience completely irrelevant. Look at those catches in the red zone where the QB just lobs it up and its 1 v 1 - sure the CB can body the receiver up but it's basically a battle of height, vert, and strength - 3 areas where Lebron is elite at. He wouldn't be a Rudy story, I don't know how you even got that from the other comments.
 
Originally Posted by mgrand15

Originally Posted by 23ska909red02

Serious question (like I said, I follow football less than I do other sports, so... serious question): thos sprinters, athletes of other sports that NFL teams try out, who are some names that have traveled that path, making an NFL team, and been average? How many ended up being excellent?

No, guys like Deion and Bo don't count; they were dual sport athletes. They never stopped playing either sport. I'm talking about what you just said, guys who are doing something else, an NFL team gives them a look, and they end up being excellent, or even average.

What are some names that fit that bill?

It means nothing that NFL teams gives more non-NFLers a look than other sports do if there isn't a significant 'collective roster' of players who have done that, because it's also worth mentioning that an NFL team has, BY FAR, the biggest rosters of the teams of other sports. Lots of positions to fill, so looking every-damn-where only makes sense.

But if all that looking isn't producing a significant amount of average-to-excellent NFLers, than there's still no reason for me to believe LeBron would do it.

Intiricate knowledge of the game; if I have it, being less athletic than you, and you don't have it, I'm winning whatever we're playing. Period. 100 out of 100 times. And there are literally THOUSANDS of examples proving that.
Your whole argument is based on knowledge of the sport and intricacies of the game yet you admit you don't know much about the sport. Not attacking you or anything but it's hard to take it seriously when you can't name the intricacies your arguing for.

No one is saying Lebron would be a monster run-blocking tight end or he would do all the little things necessary for his team to win. The argument is you throw Lebron out there in the red zone and tell him to run a fade, no one would be able to stop him. When the play is that simple, it's all athleticism. If the QB puts the ball in the right spot, there's no amount of experience in the world that's going to help a 5'11 200 lbs CB stop a 6'8 250 lbs WR from catching that ball.

You're comparing football (a sport that relies primarily on athleticism) to other sports your familiar with. Yeah, there are tips and tricks in football that experience provides and as a whole, the game is very complex. But when you strip it down to one person's job - it really isn't that complicated especially when you simplify it further by giving him less responsibility (ex. Lebron wouldn't be blocking, he'd only be out there in the red zone). Lebron is big enough, strong enough and fast enough to make all that experience completely irrelevant. Look at those catches in the red zone where the QB just lobs it up and its 1 v 1 - sure the CB can body the receiver up but it's basically a battle of height, vert, and strength - 3 areas where Lebron is elite at. He wouldn't be a Rudy story, I don't know how you even got that from the other comments.
pimp.gif
 
Originally Posted by fraij da 5 11

he can clear an nba court in about 5 strides at full speed.


roll.gif


no wait..

94ft / 5 strides = 18.8ft per stride

18.8 x 3 = 56.4............

i was hoping to say he'd be the triple jump world record holder aswel but its actually 60ft
alien.gif
..................

Jonathan Edwards
pimp.gif
 
mgrand15:
23ska909red02:
I follow football less than I do other sports
Your whole argument is based on knowledge of the sport and intricacies of the game yet you admit you don't know much about the sport.
No it's not.

My argument is based on knowledge of sports in general and the undeniable fact that every sport has it's intricacies, whether I know them or not.

Suffice it to say NONE of you know the intricacies of rugby.

Go through the thread and replace the word 'football' with 'rugby', and I wouldn't have to edit any of my replies, because I'd be saying the exact same thing if you guys were trying to argue so passionately and blindly that LeBron would BEAST in rugby.
 
Originally Posted by 23ska909red02

mgrand15:
23ska909red02:
I follow football less than I do other sports
Your whole argument is based on knowledge of the sport and intricacies of the game yet you admit you don't know much about the sport.
No it's not.

My argument is based on knowledge of sports in general and the undeniable fact that every sport has it's intricacies, whether I know them or not.

Suffice it to say NONE of you know the intricacies of rugby.

Go through the thread and replace the word 'football' with 'rugby', and I wouldn't have to edit any of my replies, because I'd be saying the exact same thing if you guys were trying to argue so passionately and blindly that LeBron would BEAST in rugby.
Football is not = to rugby though. 
 
Foot ball is a sport, though.

So is rugby.

NO SPORT IS RELIANT JUST ON ATHLETICISM!

None.

Not ONE.

What sport relies the MOST on athleticism? Apparently, many in here think that it's football.

Alright.

Now what sport relies 100% on athleticism, and NOTHING ELSE?

There isn't one. As long as that's the case, then I'll say that NO ATHLETE (regardless ofthe name) will jump into ANY sport (WHATEVER the sport), and just take over.
 
Originally Posted by 23ska909red02

Foot ball is a sport, though.

So is rugby.

NO SPORT IS RELIANT JUST ON ATHLETICISM!

None.

Not ONE.

What sport relies the MOST on athleticism? Apparently, many in here think that it's football.

Alright.

Now what sport relies 100% on athleticism, and NOTHING ELSE?

There isn't one. As long as that's the case, then I'll say that NO ATHLETE (regardless ofthe name) will jump into ANY sport (WHATEVER the sport), and just take over.

No one has argued that he would succeed purely on athleticism. He obviously has skill (check H.S. stats). 
Sure, there's only been a few cases of people doing well in 2 separate sports but how many athletes/human beings have we ever seen like LeBron? 

You're discounting him based on generally accepted truths (even by myself and NIKE), but this is LeBron we're talking about. He succeeds in basketball mostly due to his athleticism (he's obviously not the most skilled player) which leads me to think he has been able to harness many of his athletic/God given gifts. I do not see any reason why he couldn't do the same thing in football, I just can't. 

His high school pedigree (find me other WRs making All State in their sophomore year) leads me to further believe that he does, in fact, possess football-related talent.

Another thing to point out: You may want to discount his football achievements in H.S. since he was so much bigger than the competition but LeBron, at this point in his life, would be the tallest player in the NFL (save for Gaither, an O-lineman), arguably have the highest vertical leap, and would be the biggest WR bar-none.

Sure, football is tough. Gunna seemingly had a nice career, we all watch it on Sundays....but this is LeBron we're talking about; the most physically impressive athlete the NBA has ever seen. 

Re: Ramses Barden - I've seen him play live (in college) but sorry, the comparison is just not the same. Ramses only has a 33 inch vert. LeBron's jumping and hitting a point that's at least a foot higher.

Ska - I know you kind of reneged on the MJ w/ a bat comparison but I don't think you're cutting LeBron enough slack. 

Revis, Cro, Assante trying to get to this point:



I just don't see it
 
Originally Posted by 23ska909red02

mgrand15:
23ska909red02:
I follow football less than I do other sports
Your whole argument is based on knowledge of the sport and intricacies of the game yet you admit you don't know much about the sport.
No it's not.

My argument is based on knowledge of sports in general and the undeniable fact that every sport has it's intricacies, whether I know them or not.

Suffice it to say NONE of you know the intricacies of rugby.

Go through the thread and replace the word 'football' with 'rugby', and I wouldn't have to edit any of my replies, because I'd be saying the exact same thing if you guys were trying to argue so passionately and blindly that LeBron would BEAST in rugby.

Yea... but there was an article posted where a couple guys that do know the intricacies of football better than anyone in this thread have vouched for Lebron. so.....can this thread please die now?
 
^ Any way you dice it we are speaking of a hypothetical situation. So it doesn't matter if you know football or don't, none of us know. So to assume someone's opinion on a hypothetical situation is more valid than someone else's is just funny.
 
I guess it won't die
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it's not exactly hypothetical when you have a guy who knows firsthand saying at the same age against the same competition he's on the same level as Jerry Rice. we're not talking about a guy who has never played the game..

put it this way...say there's a kid who grows up playing football, never plays any other sport. the guy's a freak. 4.2 40, 46'' vert, decent or better footwork etc. you're telling me he wouldn't be any good in the 100m because he doesn't know the "intricacies" of track? he can dominate in football but he can't run in a straight line for 10 seconds? his football skills don't translate to track whatsoever?

that's the situation. basketball probably requires the greatest combination of coordination, athleticism, strength, timing, rhythm and on and on of any sport that I can think of. Lebron is not some clumsy, uncoordinated oaf who succeeds at basketball because he's more athletic than everybody else. for some reason that is the popular opinion. he is a little bit stiff, I'll give you that but tell me you don't watch him play and forget that he's 6'8. look at him play and look at anyone else his size play. he's not as graceful as a Kobe or Rose but he's very fluid for his size. look at a WR get off the line of scrimmage....the footwork is the exact same as a crossover but without the burden of dribbling.

this is basically Lebron vs a cornerback in zone coverage. the fact that he falls hurts my point but more often than not I'm gonna bet that he keeps his balance. that doesn't translate to football? 
 
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