Which One Would You Rather Have?

Just a quick apology: I should have seen the signs....anytime a game is supposed to be a sure-fire classic just as the Caps/Penguins game was going to be....well, it's not. Such are the perils of trying to predict the slippery, unctuous world of sports. But there are two more NHL Game 7's tonight. At least ONE of those games has to good right? Ugh.

Now for today's post.....

Did you ever have to answer the riddle about two doors and two guards? You're in a room with two doors each with a guard. One door leads to death, the other leads to riches. One guard always lies, the other always tells the truth. You can only ask one question. Blah Blah Blah.

Let's say there are two football players, both unproven. One was a talented player in high school, but chose to play a different sport at the next level. The other was a first round draft pick talent who screwed his own life up and fell out of football. Both men want to play football again despite having not played the sport in years. Which one would you want?

Greg Paulus has decided to play football at Syracuse University. He's had success doing it in high school when he set New York state passing records and led is Syracuse high school to an undefeated record. Instead of playing football, he decided to follow in the long line of little annoying white point guards at Duke.

Now after four average years of NCAA basketball, Paulus has decided to return to his home town of Syracuse and compete to quarterback the Orange. He has one year of eligibility left due to a special waiver he can get.

Wendell Bryant was the 12th pick of the NFL draft in 2002 because of his dominant play at Wisconsin. When he signed his big contract with the Arizona Cardinals, Bryant spent more time smoking, drinking, and popping ecstasy pills than he did playing football. He gained weight and failed drug test after drug test. When he was finally suspended by the NFL for a year in 2005 for his drug abuse, Bryant left football for good.

Now Bryant is clean and sober, has lost 30 pounds (down to a "rail thin" 295 pounds), and is ready to make an NFL comeback for any team that is willing to sign him.

So which guy would you put your money on to succeed?

Greg Paulus

Positives:
Paulus comes from an athletic family and is obviously in athletic shape after playing point guard at Duke for four years. He's known as a hard worker and anyone who's met him say that he's a genuinely good guy who could only help the locker room situation of a football team. He played quarterback throughout high school, so he's not learning a new position. Plus, he's from Syracuse, so he doesn't have to spend time acclimating himself to a new setting and he will have family support.

Negatives:
The guy has been a 180 pound point guard for the past four years. He looks like a twig and might break in half if hit by a blitzing linebacker. While flopping to the floor as though you've been shot gets you a foul call as a Dookie, in football they call that a sack. He only has one year of eligibility to learn a college offense so coaches may want to go with a younger guy who can get experience playing for several years. The Syracuse line doesn't exactly protect a quarterback very well. Paulus went to Duke for basketball and is therefore hated by most college sports fans throughout the country.

Wendell Bryant

Positives:
The guy was a beast at Wisconsin. He was good enough to be a top pick in the draft, so he probably won't struggle physically in the NFL. While he was a disaster mentally, he seems to be focused now and is more thankful for his chance to play instead of taking it for granted. He can recognize other problem guys on a team and help prevent them from going down the same self-destructive path he traveled.

Negatives:
The guy was an idiot in the NFL. Seriously, he failed three drug tests before leaving football. Three. Nowhere in there did he decide to himself "hmmmm, maybe if I stop doing these drugs, I'll stop failing these tests." He's a full blown addict who could fall off the wagon at any point and the pressure of the NFL isn't exactly a safe haven for drug users. He wasn't a good player during his three year career. That could be because of the drugs, or it just could be that he sucks. He's 29 years old, so a team would only get maybe three seasons out of him before he started on a decline in talent.

So which football player do you pick?

Do you pick the smart kid who was great four years ago in high school, but only has one season to be in football shape physically and mentally?

Or do you pick the NFL washout who has decided to get his life in order three years later and make a comeback?

Or do you just sit in the room and play with your twitter account? "I just drink two glasses of water and now I have to pee." Thanks for the update.