Looking Back At Derek Jeter’s Greatest Moments

This Derek Jeter guy has been pretty good.

Lets start from the beginning in 1996 (no its not actually the beginning but it’s the official beginning of the legacy of Derek Sanderson Jeter)…

 

It was October 9^th 1996 when the legend of “Captain Clutch” began. Jeter came up to bat in the 8^th inning with the Yankees down 4-3 to the Baltimore Orioles in the ALCS when he drove an opposite field shot off of Armando Benitez over the right field wall to tie the score at 4 that led to a 5-4 victory in 11 innings.

 

(yeah I know Jeffrey Maier interfered but a homer is a homer. Eat that O’s fans.)

 

It led to the first World Series in his MLB career as the Yankees disposed of the Atlanta Braves 3 weeks later.

 

1998: after Jeter asserted himself as one of the league’s premier shortstops with a .324 average, 19 homeruns and 84 RBI, Jeter leads the Yankees to their second title in a 4 game sweep of the San Diego Padres where he batted .353.

 

1999: Jeter led the league in hits and was second in average and runs and also drove in a career high 102. He batted no less than .350 in any playoff series as he led the Yankees to their third title in four years by beating the Atlanta Braves once again.

 

2000: after another stellar season (.339/15/73) Jeter hit .409 with 2 homeruns in the World Series to lead the Yankees past the New York Mets in five games and earn World Series MVP honors. He also won All-Star game MVP honors as well.

 

Jeter's first clutch moment came with a big assist.

2001: no the Yankees didn’t win the World Series that year, but two plays added to his legacy and defined him as a player.

 

Game 3 of the 2001 ALDS: Terrance Long smacked a double into right field that was surely going to score Jeremy Giambi and lead the A’s to a sweep of the Yankees who had just lost two games at Yankee Stadium. Shane Spencer threw a terrible ball into the infield that missed every Yankee on the field and was headed for the A’s dugout.

 

All of a sudden out of nowhere Derek Jeter swoops in, scoops the ball up, tosses it to Jorge Posada who then tags out Giambi and the Yankees win the game and then the series.

 

(My buddy Scully said something funny about that play. He said that the thing people forget about that play is that Jeter was terribly out of position. If he had played in his natural spot then he doesn’t make that play. This is true. Jeter had no business being anywhere near that ball… but he was, and no one is complaining about it at all especially me.)

 

Game 4 of the 2001 World Series (or the Byung-Hyun Kim nightmare series): you couldn’t set this up any more perfect than it was. 9/11, the world watching as the Yankees lifted the city on its back and tried to win another title to uplift the entire city. The clock strikes 12 and for the first time in baseball history there was baseball in November. Derek Jeter has a 3-2 count and drills an opposite field homerun and beats the Diamondbacks to draw the series even at two and gains the nickname “Mr. November.”

 

(Side Note: I’m over the 2004 blowup against Boston, I got past Randy Johnson’s failures, the loss to Florida in 2003, and the fact that we couldn’t beat the Angels for 350 years.

 

Mr. November.

However, I will never, ever get over losing that series to the D’Backs. We had them reeling with the debacle that was BH Kim. The drop back was perfect, the world was finally cheering for the Yankees, we were supposed to win and bring a title home for the city to celebrate and drown out the horror that was 9/11.

 

Even after we lost 15-2 in game 6 I was sure that we would win game 7 especially after Alphonso Soriano drove a Curt Schilling fastball over the wall and gave us a 2-1 with Mariano Rivera coming in. Then all I can remember was a Luis Gonzalez bloop, Bob Brenly jumping up and down with his palms wide open and then 8 years of steroids, Carl Pavano and the follies of A-Rod.

 

Even after the 2009 title the one that got away in 2001 still stings.)

 

2003: Jeter is named the 11^th Captain in team history. This is after he dislocated his shoulder trying to stretch out a triple in a game on opening day. He doesn’t know the meaning of taking it easy. Maybe someone should explain that to Hanley Ramirez.

 

2004: you knew our fans were harsh… but we booed Derek Jeter in the midst of a 0-32 slump… come on buddy. This is the Captain, Captain Clutch, the man behind the flip, “Mr. November” and all of those monikers that made us gush over him for years and years… and we boo him because he has a slump?

 

Still cant believe this.

That’s another great thing about Jeter, he understood the fans frustrations. He didn’t mock them or bash them or run down his accomplishments, he went out there and worked it out. He knew Yankees fan expected and demanded a lot and instead of getting mad he fought through it… and did this…

 

Jeter tracks down a pop fly in the top of the 12^th inning in a game in May against the Red Sox… he makes the catch but his moment sends him crashing into the crowd leaving him with a bloody face. It was a game in May people… and it doesn’t matter, the legend continues.

 

2006: have I ever mentioned how ticked off I am that he didn’t win the AL MVP award that year? Led the AL in average and runs, had 214 hits, hit .381 with runners in scoring position… and finished second to Justin Morneau. Morneau had a nice year but didn’t finish in the top 5 of any statistical category except RBI where he finished second. He wasn’t as consistent as Jeter was for that entire season and still won MVP.

 

(did I mention that in the voting there were three Minnesota Twins in the top 6 of ? How can a guy win MVP when people think there are 3 guys that were MVP on the same team? Also I still want to pimp slap Joe Cowley for voting him 6^th in the MVP ballot because “you could plug another guy in that lineup and that guy would still have his numbers.”

 

Precisely… just like the Twins did last year when Michael Cuddyer batted in Morneau’s spot and had a monster year… idiot.)

 

2009: Jeter hits in the leadoff spot for the first time in his career and bats .334, leads the AL with a .406 on-base percentage  and is second in the majors with 212 hits. He also became the Yankees all-time hits leader with 2722 passing Lou Gehrig and leads the Yankees to their 27^th title and garners the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the year.

 

(This was the year when it hit me that Derek Jeter was slowly becoming the greatest Yankee of all-time. He was approaching the hit record, games played record, stolen bases record and there was a chance that he could be the only Yankee in the history of the franchise to collect 3000 hits…chew on that for a second.

 

World Series champion for the 4th time.

Not Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, not any of them had 3000 hits all with the Yankees… Jeter would be the only one.

 

By the end of this year Jeter will have played more games in Pinstripes than any other man in history. By the end of his career he may score more runs, have more doubles and total bases too.

 

That’s why the contract talks this offseason were so important and disheartening to Jeter. The Yankees knew how much he means to the organization, what his place in history is and where he stands in the fans eyes. He needed to finish his career here and if it took a few extra dollars then so be it. When it kept dragging on and sports talk radio and the ESPN talking heads put in their two cents about Jeter’s worth it became a question as to whether or not an aging shortstop coming off of his worst season in 2010 was worth $17 million per season.

 

Note, you didn’t hear the same talk about Jayson Werth receiving $126 million for two good seasons in Philadelphia but I digress.

 

Who cares that he will never bat .330 again, or be as good of a defender or any of that. Jeter personified the Yankees in each of his previous 16 years and he deserved what ever he wanted. If he would’ve gotten his 3000^th hit as a Kansas City Royal it wouldn’t have meant squat.

 

Jeter is a Yankee. He is the greatest Yankee of my time and possibly ever. Isn’t that worth $17 million a year?)

 

2010: Jeter wins his 4^th gold glove. Everyone whines and complains about zone efficiency, range, blah blah blah… sorry had to put that in for the haters.

 

2011: bottom of the third inning on a 3-2 count Derek Jeter takes a David Price slider and crushes it over the wall for his third homerun of the season and his 3000^th hit. As he rounded the bases I thought back to every great moment I’ve witnessed from him and smiled from ear to ear.

 

Jeter is probably my favorite athlete of all-time. He is the man’s man whether he’s hustle out a slow grounder, jumping off of his back foot to through a cross body dart to first base, diving in the stands for a foul ball, or picking up Jessica Biel, Jessica Alba or any other babe that he’s had in his dating circle.

 

Mr. 3000.

Throughout his career he’s been bashed in books for his defense, ridiculed by Gary Sheffield for not being black enough, and through it all he’s come through for the Yankees and their fans over and over again.

 

He’s been the quintessential leader, one of the game’s best winners, and has provided me with too many memories for me to even count. Today was more than just another day in the eyes of baseball insiders and announcers and television stations.

 

For us it was just another day in the amazing life of Derek Sanderson Jeter who has made the fans of New York happy as can be from the first time he took the field on May 29^th 1995. The best thing that we have three more years of great memories left.

 

And if any of them are like a 5 hit day with a game-winning hit on the same day as your 3000^th hit, then all of those $60 million dollars will be worth it.

What Could’ve Been For Yao Ming

Yao Ming retired today after 9 injury plagued seasons.

When Yao Ming retired this afternoon after 9 injury-plagued seasons in the NBA I couldn’t help but think of what could have been.

 

When he arrived on the scene Yao was an instant hit. On the court he was a mammoth specimen with unlimited potential. At 7’6” and 280 pounds Yao was one of the biggest men to ever play the game of basketball and also one of the most skilled men at his position.

 

He wasn’t as big in terms of girth like Shaquille O’ Neal nor was he as nimble as the man the roamed the paint in Houston before him in Hakeem Olajuwon. But Yao had the moves to out maneuver some of the best big men in the NBA and the smarts to guide him through each game.

 

In his early bouts against Shaq it was a tale of two centers. One who was an immovable object in the paint that intimidated his opponents with his large mass and unbelievable power, the other which even at age 21 was cunning enough to force his opponents into foul trouble and break them down with his prowess and ever evolving game. Yao got the better of Shaq in the win column during those as he was able to overcome those slights in power and speed and guide the Rockets to victory via his wit.

 

That was Yao, he was a new breed of center. In an age where the center was supposed to be a relic he was on the verge of making it the most ballyhooed position in the league again and start a revolution of the position.

 

He was skilled on the block as well as the outside. Yao could hit 16-foot jumpers just as easily as he could back Michael Olawakandi down in the paint for layups. He was an exceptional passer who could find shooters with ease and made life for defenders hard whether they were guarding him or watching the perimeter.

 

In the paint on defense he was becoming an emerging shot blocker who altered shots with his large frame and made life hell for driving guards as well as big men who were trying to score over him.

More than basketball however, Yao was changing the game with presence off of the court.

 

In his nine years Yao made the All-Star team 8 times thanks to a large fan base from his home land of China that rule routinely made him one of the top two vote getters. His impact helped the league grow exponentially in China as it now regularly sends reporters to the NBA’s main events. Since Yao’s arrival, China now regularly hosts numerous NBA players in the offseason such as Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant to hold camps in the country and help raise interest of the game.

 

Yao Ming gave us glimpses of what couldve been versus Shaq.

Yao had a documentary about his arrival in the league, and a string of commercials that introduced him to the American population and showed off his funny side. He was truly the league’s first true international star and was on his way to being one of the brightest stars that the game has ever seen.

 

Then came the injuries.

 

After his first three seasons where he only missed 2 games, Yao missed 25+ games in each of his final 6 seasons including all of the 2009-2010 campaign. Whether it was his big toe or a forever broken left foot Yao couldn’t stay on the court. It prevented from having as dominant of a career that was foreseen by so many people from scouts to fellow players.

 

In 2006-2007 Yao was averaging a career high 25 PPG and looked like a surefire MVP candidate before his foot began to give him problems. After the injury he could never reach the potential that was seen in that season and in glimpses in the next few years. His lower body robbed him of what could have been a stellar NBA career and robbed the fans of a superstar that could’ve shined as bright as Michael Jordan, Julius Erving and the other big names before him.

 

Yao Ming was an exceptional player. He was an All-Star, one of the best centers of his class, and was a cultural force that transcended the Eastern and Western Hemisphere.

 

Unfortunately thanks to injuries we never truly got to see what Yao was made of. He could’ve been an all-NBA selection, a finals champion, league MVP and a possible hall of famer. We saw shades of it when he played Shaq and Dwight Howard and other excellent big men down in the paint. We could’ve been watching one of the best players of our era.

 

But we will never know.

The Return Of Random Thoughts

Wait a minute... we're still over .500? High five!

You know what we haven’t done in a while? A random thoughts blog.

Just things I’ve thought about that maybe you have as well in the last few weeks of watching sports.

With so much going on as far as sports since March Madness I think it’s time to do some rehashing.

So without further ado… HERE WE GO!

Is Zach Greinke really worth it? I mean he is 7-3 but he’s got a 5.66 ERA.

Anybody else think Kenny Williams is lying about the Adam Dunn deal?

Josh Harrelson a year ago was buried on the bench at Kentucky with Enes Kanter coming in. A year later he was a key component in the Wildcats Final Four run and will get minutes off of the bench for the Knicks. Life.

Hopefully the Sedin Twins take boxing lessons this summer.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, please gain 20 pounds.

Even though she is six foot five how many of us would hit on Jan Vesely’s girlfriend?

Federer couldn’t beat Nadal, Nadal can’t beat Djokovic… So who’s he going to have a problem with?

Why is it that Joe Girardi is the only person who thinks Derek Jeter should lead off?

David Ortiz couldn’t hit anything for the last two years now all of a sudden he’s hitting .301 with 17 home runs and 49 RBI… hmmmm….

Lebron James dunking on a kid doesn’t help his image.

(honestly at this point LeBron could cure cancer and we’d still hate him. And yes I’m serious about that statement.)

Mario Chalmers is now my new least favorite athlete in the world.

Did any team in the NBA Draft really help itself?

Sabine Lisicki also plays tennis. We'll talk about that later.

Nicklas Lidstrom came back for his 20th season. Can we engrave his name on the Norris Trophy in 2012 already?

Lets face it, Dany Heatley will never be “the guy.”

Neither will Andy Murray.

Anybody else happy that Brian Cashman corrected Alex Rodriguez by saying that Robinson Cano is better that Jose Reyes?

Can I call Austin Rivers “Baby Doc?”

Did Jose Bautista really just score the most votes in All-Star voting history?

How awesome was it that Virginia won the lacrosse title?

(think about this for a second. In the last two years lacrosse’s two most controversial teams fought back from media hell to win a title. Last years Duke team won after three years of dealing with the ugly aftermath of a stripper rape allegation and this year Virginia won after one of it’s own murdered women’s lacrosse player Yeardley Love.

The image of the Cavs men’s team was brutally tarnished and the turmoil around both mens and women’s teams was enough make anyone not want to put on pads and a helmet and sprint out onto the field again. However, Virginia fought through it’s adversity and came out a winner. Their win over Maryland in the Memorial Day title game cast a fantastic light on the team an buried whatever demons were left from the 2011 season.

Very commendable indeed.)

Are the Pirates really a game and a half out of first place?

Who the hell is Mike Morse?

Brian Wilson needs to shave that beard… Now!

Is Jim Riggleman; a, a gangster, b, salty or c, out of his bleeping mind?

Iman Shumpert… And yes I’m still stuck on that pick.

How funny would it be if the Winnipeg Jets won the southeast division this year?

(Winnipeg is six hours north of Minneapolis.)

It’s July… NFL step on it.

(I’m serious. The New York Giants tick me off, Eli Manning makes bad throws, I’ll see 85 Coughlin faces and understand each of them… AND IF I MISS ONE FREAKING GAME I WILL HUNT ROGER GOODELL AND DEMAURICE SMITH DOWN!!!)

By the way, if the MLB locks out in November then there is a real possibility that Hockey may be the only game in town come 2012….

New theory behind the Flyers trades; maybe Paul Holmgren used Jeff Carter and Mike Richards just to get the Winter Classic in Philly and then dumped them afterwards… Nope, trade still makes no sense.

I know Brett Favre is retired, but I’m still uncertain.

Quick, 3 things about Luke Picknell. Ready and… GO!

Is Maryland football a better job than Connecticut football? Randy Edsall are you listening?

Seattle Sounders FC draws more fans than the Mariners…

Anybody else think Cam Newton will bomb?

I still have no caption for this.

No seriously are the Pirates really only a game and a half out of first place?

(why is this not a huge story? The Pirates haven’t had a winning season in almost 20 years. That’s back to the Barry Bonds and Bobby Bonilla days.

Ever since then they have traded every and I mean every good player that they’ve had and have been in a never ending rebuild mode. Now here there are with Andrew McCutcheon as a dark horse MVP candidate, an All-Star in Joel Hanrahan and the Brewers, Reds and Cards all looking back in disbelief.

If they make the playoffs they are the story if the year hands down.)

Sabine Lisicki… Mmmmmm.

Will Tiger Woods fade into oblivion?

Even though Roger Federer has “lost it” he’s still the third best tennis player in the world.

And lastly… Dirk, a $90,000 bottle of champagne and pictures with Birdman and Lil’ Wayne… In LeBron and D-Wade’s backyard.

Cough on that Miami.

Change The All-Star Format

C.C. Sabathia's 11 wins are staying home during the midsummer classic.

For years we’ve all said that the All-Star system is flawed. We’ve said that it needs fine tuning so that the right guys make the team instead of favorites or veterans that aren’t worthy of the honor.

Well for the first time in my life I actually agree with the critics, the All-Star system needs to be fixed and fixed now.

However, not in the way that you think.

You see the criticism from the powers that be are that the All-Star game is a popularity contest and that the fans make the wrong decisions sometimes… um, the All-Star Game is for the fans so of course it’s a popularity contest.

As fans we want to see a combination of the best players in the game as well as our favorites play in our game. Does Derek Jeter deserve to be an All-Star? Probably not from a numbers standpoint, but his image and mark on the game have made him a fan favorite so of course he should be there.

Is José Bautista the game’s best player? No, but the fans love him hence the reason why he was the number one vote getter.

Is Josh Hamilton an All-Star even though he missed half of the season? No, but fans remember the home run derby from years ago so of course they want to see him in the game and as often as possible.

It’s the fans game, let them vote for whoever they want to play the game and enjoy the action. Here’s my problem with the process of selecting the All-Stars; the league rule stating that there has to be an All-Star from each team (if that is a little league, everyone’s a happy camper rule then I don’t know what is), the fact that players and managers select the rest of the team outside of the starting 9, and the fact that they pick the pitchers, not the fans.

McCutchen was snubbed even though he has the Pirates thinking playoffs for the first time in years.

So let me get this straight, fans can pick every starter instead of the starting pitcher, or any pitcher for that matter and players pick the rest of the team based on their personal opinions (which is sometimes delegated by picking favorites themselves. Granted that’s what the fans do… BUT THEY’RE THE FANS!)? C’mon Son!

When I look at this All-Star team and the reserves and pitchers for each team It’s beyond silly.

Jose Valverde? A closer with a 3.09 ERA and 19 walks?

Howie Kendrick with 8 home runs and 26 RBI?

Matt Wieters at .261 with 7 home runs?

David Price at 8-6 with a 3.43 ERA?

Tim Lincecum at 6-6? Chipper Jones at .257?

So the players felt that Hunter Pence was a better option on last place Houston than Andrew McCutcheon who is leading a resurgence of baseball in Pittsburgh with the Pirates being only 3 games out of first at the beginning of Sunday.

So Michael Young, a powerless DH, was a better option than Jhonny Peralta who has belted more home runs has a higher slugging percentage and plays every day?

Ryan Vogelsong has had a better “Full Year” than Ian Kennedy (who by the way plays for Arizona, where the All-Star game is.)?

And the biggest one, Felix Hernandez at 8-7 with a 3.35 ERA, Price, Royals reliever Aaron Chow (who honestly has had a great year and relievers that aren’t closers need more pub in this game in my opinion) and C.J. Wilson all are having better years that AL wins leader C.C. Sabathia who is also 6^th in strikeouts, 3^rd in innings pitched and has been arguably the best pitcher in the AL in the last month not named Justin Verlander?

Yes, I am a Yankees fan so the Sabathia snub hurt more than any of the others. However, anyone… AND I MEAN ANYONE that has watched C.C. understands how important he is to the Yankees and knows his place among baseball’s elite pitchers.

He has only one start this year where he hasn’t gone into the seventh inning, one start with less than 100 pitches, a soon to be sub 3 ERA and a WHIP that borders the 1.1-1.2 range. In other words to the naked eye or on the stat sheet C.C. delivers.

He is one of baseball’s top 5 pitchers and the only pitcher in the league right now that has a chance to eclipse the 300 win plateau (if he doesn’t breakdown from his weight). Every time he goes on the mound he is a sure thing, and he’s not on the All-Star team?

Thanks to MLB's rule that every team gets an All-Star, Matt Wieters is one.

The worst is still this notion that every team needs an All-Star. The Twins are cool, but come on Michael Cuddyer over Paul Konerko? Wieters over Brennan Boesch? Heath Bell over Mike Morse? Those guys are having decent years (not Wieters, uh-uh, sorry) but there are other guys that are deserving of those spots due to their performance on the field not just because their team needs a star.

My advice is let the fans do all of the voting, pitchers included. Let them pick the starters, relievers and bench guys and if a player drops out due to injury or another reason then let the league pick the replacements.

And get rid of this stupid every team gets an All-Star rule (for that matter stop letting this game decide who gets home field advantage in the World Series, highly unnecessary.)

This is the fans game and whoever they want to see we should let them see. It’s worked for this long with the starters so why not go the extra mile and let them pick the whole damn team?

Because after today it’s clear the players or managers aren’t too good at it.

Kvitova’s Win Makes Her The One To Watch

Welcome to the big time Petra.

So… what do we make of the Wimbledon women’s final? Did Petra Kvitova put a fierce beat down on Maria Sharapova and introduce herself to the world as the new face in women’s tennis?

 

Or did Sharapova just blow it?

 

A little from column A, and a little from column B.

 

Kvitova was a force on the court this afternoon. The 21 year-old lefty from the Czech Republic looked like a seasoned veteran on the court as she dominated Sharapova with a flurry from start to finish.

 

She broke Sharapova’s serve five times and hit almost double the winners as Sharapova.  More than anything what was most impressive about Kvitova was her poise and resilience on the court.

 

Even with a skittish serve (Sharapova broke her three times… but we’ll get to her serve in a moment) Kvitova never let it affect her play. She came back and hit winner after winner and ran Sharapova around the court at times.

 

She overpowered Sharapova by turning defense into offense on the return end and by getting her first serve in at a more frequent rate than Sharapova. She seemed in complete control no matter the instance and limited her mistakes.

 

It was reminiscent of a performance from a young 17 year-old Russian who took down the world’s number one player Serena Williams in an impressive straight sets match and took the tennis world by storm.

 

The player of whom I speak is Maria Sharapova.

 

Sharapova's still got work to do to get back to the top.

After that 2004 performance Sharapova shot to stardom and became the fresh face in women’s tennis. Seven years later we might be seeing history repeat itself as this could be the start of something very special for Kvitova and finally women’s tennis could have a player to hang their hat on and carry the sport into the future.

 

Speaking of Sharapova…

 

As much as I love Maria and what she’s brought to the game as far as on the court and with her image I’m starting to get a same old story feel when it comes to her.

 

That same story is her up and down serve that has kept her in hot water and is costing her win after win. She had shoulder surgery almost three years ago that cost her appearances at the 08 U.S. Open and 09 Australian Open. Ever since she has returned her serve has killed her game.

 

In the last ten tournaments she’s only made it past the 4^th round three times (granted in the last two tournaments she’s made it to the Semi-finals and the Finals) and for the most part its been due to her lackluster serve.

 

Take today for example; she was broken 5 times out of nine by Kvitova, that was due to a first serve that she only won 58% of the time, which led to winning 27% of her second serve, which led to 6 double faults… now apply that to the last 2 ½ years and you see what her main issue is.

 

Sharapova has brought herself back to the top 5 thanks in part to her aggressive style of play and taking advantage of one of the weakest women’s fields in years. However, her serve and her unwillingness to pull back from that aggressive style in key moments is what is preventing her from climbing back to number 1 and from winning more majors than she should be winning.

 

With U.S. Open up next Sharapova should take the next few tournaments to work on her serve and figure out how to pull back on her play so we wont be sitting here again in August and going “here we go again.”

 

However, this is Petra Kvitova’s time to shine. Kvitova’s historic win comes at a time when women’s tennis needs a front runner and with her cool demeanor and style of play she might turn out to be the next in line to carry the torch.

 

As the holder of the main crown in the sport of tennis this might be the beginning of bigger things to come.

 

 

Why The Dallas Cowboys Should Snatch Up Terrelle Pryor

Terrelle Pryor might make a good NFL QB after all.

You all know my feelings about Terrelle Pryor, you know how I feel about him in connection with the scandal at my alma mater Ohio State University, and you also know that I don’t think that right now he is a viable NFL QB and that he will flop as soon as he hits the field…

Ok let’s go back to that last part…

In watching Pryor on the field at Ohio State you saw a tremendous athlete who was great at escaping defenders and making plays with his feet. His arm was another story as Pryor was up and down throwing the ball in an offense that was more predicated on the run. Not only was his arm a concern but his footwork as his mechanics was as well. In my eyes he was basically a work in progress that needs more fine tuning.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago when Pryor left the school and began private workouts with NFL receivers like Chad Ochocinco. Ocho announced that after catching passes from Pryor that Pryor was “the best quarterback that he’s caught passes from in years.” That can be viewed in three ways; one, a slight towards Carson Palmer (which honestly is well-deserved), two, he said it because he and Pryor are clients of Drew Rosenhaus (which I wouldn’t doubt) and three, he actually meant it.

Now knowing Ocho and Rosenhaus for that matter, none of us took it too seriously nor should we have taken it seriously, until we actually saw the tape. After watching the tape Pryor looked extremely comfortable in his release, throwing motion and accuracy. His footwork looked like it had improved dramatically and he was on point with every throw. He looked like a different guy than the one that I had seen at “The Shoe” for the last three years. Of course this was with no defenders in his face or Darrelle Revis blanketing his receivers, but it looks like Pryor has been improving as a pro football quarterback.

Ocho thinks Pryor is a pretty good passer.

Now, is he ready to play in the league? Hell no. I still think that he needs to learn an actual playbook, know when to improve and when not to, and understand the game more by watching from the sidelines. But I have changed my tune in the sense that I now think that he could be an NFL quarterback. The question remains as to who should pick Pryor and keep him on the bench for a year or two and let him learn how to be a professional…

The answer… The Dallas Cowboys.

You probably just read that and went “what the hell?”

Yes I know that this is the same team that employs Dez Bryant, Mike Jenkins and Roy Williams who are spoiled malcontents and the Cowboys have a recent history of being a playpen more than a NFL team.

However, new coach Jason Garrett is a lot tougher on his players than Wade Phillips or any coach before him. Garrett knows how to push his guys’ buttons and get the most out of them. Just look at what happened with that team after Phillips was fired and Garrett took over. They were a much tougher team with a little bit more discipline. Garrett is the kind of coach that Pryor needs to get his head straight in and out of the huddle.

And also there are veterans like Jason Witten, Terrance Newman and DeMarcus Ware who can show him how to properly conduct himself and be more professional than he was at Ohio State.

Now the football answer to the Pryor query. Let’s say that the Cowboys do take Pryor in the Supplemental Draft this month. You sit him behind Tony Romo for two years and let him watch the game and learn the playbook while he gets some reps in with Miles Austin, Witten and Williams and gets acclimated to a pro style offense. He learns the ins and outs by sitting on the bench and eventually he can understand the proper to go about things and will be ready to go in 2013.

(So what about Romo you ask? What about him? I’m sorry to say but Romo is not leading the Cowboys back to the promise land as long as he is under center. He is too unpredictable, too inconsistent, and not the most accurate QB in the league.

With Romo back under center whenever the NFL starts back up I think that the Cowboys are still the third best team in the division behind the Eagles and Giants.

To be honest, if Romo doesn’t show more consistency and leadership in the next two seasons it’s highly possible that Romo could be gone. Hence the need for Pryor.)

Garrett could be the guy to turn Pryor into an NFL starter.

It would be the best situation for each side because Pryor gets great teaching, and the Cowboys get their QB for the future, who honestly could be better than any QB taken in the NFL Draft.

That’s a far cry from how I felt about Pryor a few weeks ago.

Am I overreacting to a few pieces of footage that I saw? Maybe. Do I think he could’ve been a little more boastful in front of Jon Gruden during that ESPN session? Yes I do.

However I think that with the proper team Terrelle Pryor can become a very successful NFL QB and right now he is taking the proper steps to making that happen.

To me The Dallas Cowboys are the team that should step up and take a chance on developing Pryor and making him their QB of the future.

Of course I have been wrong before.