Ask the expert: Jerry Angelo

by Gary Shelton on July 15, 2016 · 0 comments

in general

Jerry Angelo is a former personnel director for the Bucs and former general manager of the Bears. Each week, Angelo answers your questions regarding the NFL. Send your questions to GarySheltonsports@gmail.com with "ask the expert'' in the subject line. The most interesting question will be selected.

Friday, 6 a.m.

Urban Meyer of Ohio State has suggested an underclassmen combine for the NFL where athletes can perform without losing eligibility. Would that work from the league’s perspective?

It’s a great idea, and I think if the colleges push it, the league would be fine with it.

It’s similar to what the NBA does with underclassmen. They petition and have a window where they can back out and go back to school. Common sense says that if an

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underclassman wants to come out early, he should know how he is going to be viewed, meaning he should know his test results in advance i.e. 40 time, combine drills, Wonderlic test, etc. Now he has the needed information to make a wise decision.

I don’t understand why the league and the colleges haven’t gotten together to agree on such a plan, For one reason, it’s in the best interest of the student athlete. I can’t tell you how many players come out thinking they are going to run a 4.4 and find the pro scouts timing them in the 4.6’s.

If they knew that in advance, they wouldn’t have opted to come out early. The player loses on both fronts. He doesn’t get drafted or drafted late and/or loses out by not finishing his degree. One potential problem would be every underclassmen would petition to come out and attend this type of combine, because there would be no risk on their part. So, the league would have to come up with a way to limit the number of players who could attend such a combine. Maybe the player would have to be a two-year starter. Something that would separate him from just being a football player on scholarship.

Hall of Fame receiver Michael Irvin said it was J.J. Watt’s fault the Texans haven’t done better in the post-season. Can a non-quarterback have that kind of impact?

Warren Sapp did when I was with the Bucs. He elevated the play of the team to a championship level. So did Lawrence Taylor, Reggie White, Michael Strahan and this year’s Super Bowl MVP, Von Miller.

All these defensive stars were the catalyst for their teams reaching and winning the Super Bowl. So Irvin makes a pretty good point. The only thing I would say in defense of Watt, the guys I mentioned had very good quarterbacks. The Texans have no one at the position that you would classify as "decent" by NFL standards.

That’s why they made a bold move in free agency with the signing of Brock Osweiler, who had little to show on his resume to merit the money Texans shelled out.

Ricky Williams said he may have been drug-tested 500 times and that he left football to smoke weed. How much of his career did Williams waste?

You know, he had a pretty good career, given all his circumstances. Most people lose out because they make a dumb mistake.

In Williams' case, he was fully aware of the consequence and chose to do it his way. Nothing wrong with that except for the fact he let a lot of people down who were depending on him. Could he have had a great career? Possibly, because he was very talented, but to have a great career one's priorities must be in order. His weren’t and he has no one to blame, but himself.

Overrated-underrated

Jake Matthews: Rated right, as in vanilla.

Emmanuel Sanders: Underrated. Sneaky fast, dependable and competitive.

Richie Incognito: Overrated. A bully with minimal talent.

Andrew Luck: Overrated. Tons of talent, but has to take his team to the next level.

Cameron Jordan: Rated right

Muhammad Wilkerson: Underrated. A real force inside and can dominate.

Wes Welker said he’d return “in the right situation.” If you were his doctor, would you block the field with your body?

Absolutely, he’s thinking with his heart and not his head. Unfortunately, he still appears to be a little foggy upstairs.

Obviously, a player’s wife doesn’t work of the team. But if you ran a team and had a wife like Miko Grimes, who speaks her mind on Twitter, how would you handle it?

Simple. You have a meeting with both of them and lay it out. If they both don’t agree and see the potential damage she does with her outbursts, then you move on. No player is worth it; if they or any one in their family create any kind of disunity to the team.

Chemistry is critical for any team to be successful. When someone does anything to disrupt that chemistry, they’re gone. Ask Miami; if they would have wanted him back at any price.

Cleveland’s Isaiah Crowell posted a photo of a policeman having his throat slashed. The Cleveland police aren’t hearing an apology. What can be done to save Crowell’s career?

The question you have to ask is this: Is he worth saving? If he doesn’t see his error in judgment, Cleveland has a problem in defining what character is.  I’m not saying all of their players are problems, but the handful who are seem to be nightmares. When they continue to hang onto to these bad apples, it sends a terrible message to their fans and the great city of Cleveland. They need to take a long hard look at the type of player they tolerate or condone representing their franchise. Thank God for the Cavs and the Indians.

Speaking of Cleveland, it’s the Browns’ turn as we decide the team’s best player ever. Is it...

A Jim Brown
B. Lou Groza
C. Ozzie Newsome
D. Otto Graham
E. Marion Motley.

It couldn’t be any easier for me, a longtime Browns fan, Jim Brown. Outside of Lebron, he has no peer in Cleveland.

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