Talent pools?

[cgallery]

All the discussion of Vick (specifically whether he'd be back) got me to wondering about our talent pools.

We're a country of nearly 300 million. It seems odd that we'd worry about whether a single player would ever play again.

I can't believe the NFL couldn't find someone his equal or better (at least talent wise) in pretty short order.

The cynic in me thinks it has more to do with controversy and ratings. That is, better to have him come back and play and stir the pot. More people tune in for the games. No such thing as bad advertising?

I guess the same could be said for Lindsey Lohan, Britney Spears, and Mel Gibson.

They'll all get second changes. Not because they're that good. Just for the $$$ the controversy generates.

Standing just off stage is probably much better talent that will never get a shot.

Probably too much left to the luck of the draw.

[Ed62]

No such thing as bad advertising?

It certainly would generate interest, but IMHO, it would be bad publicity for them. That could cost them dearly.

Ed

[ironhat]

Isn't it a shame that living in the rarified atmosphere of being a celebrity tends to starve ones brain of oxygen? So often we see great talent become 'above it all' in so may ways, leading to tragic means if not tragic ends.

[stormdog74]

Standing just off stage is probably much better talent that will never get a shot.

Probably too much left to the luck of the draw.

That is probably true of most popular actors/singers/etc., but I don't think it holds with athletes. There is just too much competition for that.

[cgallery]

That is probably true of most popular actors/singers/etc., but I don't think it holds with athletes. There is just too much competition for that.

Maybe. But the differences between athletes is much more subjective than actors/singers/etc. Too much depends on team play to be able to make any sort of objective analysis possible.

Brett Favre may be a great QB. But he would probably have been overlooked at the high school sports level unless he had at least a couple teammates that could get open and hold onto the ball.

[LCHIEN]

some stories don't even end up as well as Vicks:
in 2001 the Houston Rockets traded three 1st round draft picks to get a talented and promising Forward named Eddie Griffin in his first year at Seton Hall.
Too young, too much, too soon; he had alcohol problems and on one ocassion was picked up by police for shooting at his girfriend at his expensive home in Houston, while drunk.
He was let go by the Rockets and did brief stints with NJ nets and Minn Timberwolves in 2004 punctuated by visits to substance abuse clinics.

Last Friday a SUV colided with a moving train in Houston, they said the car ran past barriers and flashing lights, exploded, caught fire and the driver was burned beyond recognition. THis Tuesday they finally announced it was Eddie Griffin, from dental records. Such a sad ending to a promising career, where did it go wrong? Surely the seeds of failure were planted before he ever went to college and got drafted.

[cgallery]

...Last Friday a SUV colided with a moving train in Houston...

That is an AWFUL story.

But, did you ever notice that a significant percentage of your postings include "collided with a [moving/stopped] train in [city in TX]?"

I'm surprised I didn't earlier read "my hot water heater developed a leak after coming to a stop on train tracks in TX."

[JoeyGee]

Yes, there is another QB like Michael Vick waiting to take over--his brother Markus...oh wait. Never mind.