NFL - Would some team let an old grizzled vet un-retire, suit up, & take one snap?

[Marley23]

@brickbacon

Yes, I think it would be. Particularly if that player is also a decent blocker. Let’s say you get three situations a game where such a player could be used. Getting even one extra TD every game or two makes him far more productive than many on a NFL team.

It’s one thing to assume a tall guy is going to be able to catch a pass with a smaller cornerback on him and another to assume he’s going to be able to block defensive lineman or linebackers. Height is a trait and blocking is a skill. I’m not sure that adding one good blocker is going to score you that many extra touchdowns.

[brickbacon]

@Marley23

It’s one thing to assume a tall guy is going to be able to catch a pass with a smaller cornerback on him and another to assume he’s going to be able to block defensive lineman or linebackers. Height is a trait and blocking is a skill. I’m not sure that adding one good blocker is going to score you that many extra touchdowns.

I guess it’s a assumption, but it’s not really much of a stretch. These guys are elite athletes in a sport where having good hands to necessary. Either way, I was just pointing out that treating a Shaq-sized professional athlete could theoretically be useful as more than a redzone threat. I wouldn’t be surprised if Tyson Chandler could block as well as most TEs, while also being able to out-jump every person who might cover him by a great deal. The point was just that a guy like that could be useful in many areas.

But in general, for all those saying this is not a practical idea, look no further than Antonio Gates. He was a guy who, because he was not good enough to play in the NBA, tried out for NFL teams. He never played college football, yet was a good enough athlete, and in great enough shape due to basketball, that he had the skills to be wildly successful as an NFL athlete. Either way, the success of super tall receivers (eg. Megatron, Moss) and huge TEs (Gates, Gonzalez, Gronkowski, Graham) is gonna lead NFL scouts to more and more basketball gyms in the future. I doubt it will be long before some 6’10" marginal center in the NBA, or some agile power forward, is trying out for an NFL team.

[Oakminster]

@Stink Fish Pot

I’ve often wondered why a team wouldn’t hire a Shaq to be a goal line specialist. He has decent hands, he’s big enough not to get hurt, and who could cover him? He’s outjumping anyone, he’s out-muscling everyone… first down at the one, just throw up a jump ball and I’m guessing he comes down with it every time.

Why not do this?

The Saints have done something similar. Jimmy Graham mostly played basketball in college, only played one year of football. Think he’s about 6’8", maybe 280 or so. He’s having a great year at TE in only his second year in the league. He is not just a goal line specialist, though…he’s a regular starter.

[kenobi_65]

@Oakminster

The Saints have done something similar. Jimmy Graham mostly played basketball in college, only played one year of football. Think he’s about 6’8", maybe 280 or so. He’s having a great year at TE in only his second year in the league. He is not just a goal line specialist, though…he’s a regular starter.

He’s the latest in a series of college basketball players who have become good tight ends in the NFL, following in the footsteps of Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates (Gates is probably a more relevant example, as I don’t think he played football at all in college).