Michigan Week continued – Rich Rod = ??
November 18, 2009Sandy Alomar Jr. is Glad to be Back with Indians
November 18, 2009
If it there was ever a testament as to how bad the 2009 Cleveland Browns season is going, we may have uncovered it today. In the thick of a 1-8 season, Browns head coach Eric Mangini and Brady Quinn would welcome LeBron James to play for their Cleveland franchise.
When asked about James by the Associated Press, Eric Mangini said, “I think he should come on down.”
Reportedly calling James a “freak athletically,” Mangini thinks James’ skill set could translate to a wide receiver, tight end or outside linebacker. Ironically, the Browns could use additions at all three positions. A relatviely recent Wall Street Journal study listed James as the second greatest all-around athlete in the world. There is no denying that Mangini would not mind having that type of specimen on his team.
A recent ESPN report detailed the high school football career of James, saying that his 6’8″, 250 pound frame would be perfect for an NFL tight end. It was met with some skepticism from those within the game, as Bill Parcells questioned whether or not James’ current skill set would translate to anything more than a red zone target.
When polling players, the jury remains out on the potential for James to play at the NFL level.
“Tell him to suit up and let us know, we’ll get him working,” said quarterback Brady Quinn. “Obviously he’s an incredibly talented athlete. If he wants to try to play a little bit now, we’d be more than willing to pick him up.”
But on the flip side, Pro Bowl defensive lineman Shaun Rogers errs on the side of caution in terms of expectations at the pro football level. “I have mixed emotions about that. A great athlete? Yes. A football player? No.”
Rogers, however, did ease his statements when asked if James would be able to play NFL football after a year of training. What position would Rogers like to see James play? Tight end.
“Yeah, he might make a heckuva tight end,” Rogers said. “I’d like to see him out there running down the seam.”
When asked personally, James was confident in his abilities – per usual.
“If I put all my time and commitment into it, if I dedicated myself to the game of football, I could be really good.” He did acknowledge that football shape is different than that of basketball and that it would be quite the toll on his body. Considering that many would prefer James not play as much international ball to focus on the NBA season, the basketball-football pair would likely not be too popular for those invested in James’ health.
Naturally, the Browns struggles coupled with James’ athleticism and recent commercial spots featuring him in a Browns jersey will continue to resonate with fans of the Orange and Brown. While this is all merely a pipe dream for Browns fans, it speaks volumes as to how athletic James is. As well as how bad the skill players are on the Browns.
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Browns would give LeBron a shot [Associated Press]
LeBron thinks he could star in NFL [AP via ESPN]
16 Comments
he would be perfect for the “end-of-game 16-point lateral” play
Don’t break the Porsche to fix the Chevette.
Pretty sure Mangini should worry about reality and not fantastical dreams.
Please…… God…… No
Maybe he could line up like K2 on kick off coverage too
“Maybe he could line up like K2 on kick off coverage too”
That was hands team for an onside kick, but I agree…
Come on down LeBron, we’ve got a staph infection….errr, jersey…. with your name on it.
If it’s what it takes to keep him in Cleveland past this year, I’m all for it.
What if he leaves the Cavs to play for the Knicks but stays with the Browns? What would you do then? 🙂
Be happy as hell we have some talent on the Browns.
The media had to come up with some story now that Lebron has declined to talk about free agency. He did nothing to provoke this story outside truthfully answering a question asked to him by a reporter. Literally, the man cannot think out loud without being discected and publicized.
On to the next one…
Wow, this would be amazing to say the last. Imagine him, with some training, as a wideout or tight end. No one could cover him because of his size. Maybe after he gets the NBA Title this year he can help the browns win one
Quinn is really starting to piss me off. He needs to start focusing on playing QB and throwing to WR, because if LBJ came here he wouldn’t get the ball anyways (hes not coming, hypothetical of course). He needs to start working on his accuracy. The PD is reporting that Cribbs said it was Quinn’s call to lateral the last play. If thats not throwing a guy under the bus I dont know what is. I have no confidence that Quinn will get the browns another win this season as QB. If that happens, then I expect Quinn to be sent packing by March.
bobby-your track record isn’t exactly steriling, so I’d discount the above in regards to your knowledge and judgement of Quinn. Observe.
[…] more amazing, it’s not just fans talking about it, but Browns players and coaches are addressing the issue as well. (Our friends at Waiting For Next Year also noted just […]
Isis, that’s a puzzler. You think bobby’s track record doesn’t exactly sterile? Assuming you meant his track record doesn’t sterilize, that’s probably a good thing, right? Not that you’ll read this or respond.
Lebron will never go to nfl, he’s got it made already in nba, why throw that away?