Greg Paulus - What does he do now?

[scheyeronfire]

Hey Everyone,

After a semi-successful turn at quarterbacking at Syracuse, what does GP3 do now? He seems to be good at everything and great at nothing. What do you guys think?

scheyeronfire

[OZZIE4DUKE]

I think Greg will get a shot at an NFL training camp as either a late round draft choice or as a free agent. Seriously.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Hey Everyone,

After a semi-successful turn at quarterbacking at Syracuse, what does GP3 do now? He seems to be good at everything and great at nothing. What do you guys think?

scheyeronfire
I think I hate that comment. You have no idea how he might do off the field (either field). Graduated Duke, Grad school Syracuse, he has a bright future. What you were you great at when you were his age? (And like Ozzie says, he probably ain't done yet in athletics.)

[uh_no]

I think I hate that comment. You have no idea how he might do off the field (either field). Graduated Duke, Grad school Syracuse, he has a bright future. What you were you great at when you were his age? (And like Ozzie says, he probably ain't done yet in athletics.)

Wow

way to take things way out of context...the point was he is not a 'great' basketball player, and he is not a great football player, but he is good at both. Just because the OP wasn't great at them doesn't mean he can't say this about GP. If you feel differently, would you care to present an argument that paulus was 'great' at either sport? not to mention people who are great at their sport usually end up playing it professionally.....

[superdave]

Paulus was neither a great qb nor pg on the college level.

I'd expect him to be given a few tryouts for NFL teams. Teams tend to carry 3 qbs plus a scout qb and he'll stick somewhere.

[Tappan Zee Devil]

He is an extremely smart guy with a Duke degree.

He will be fine - in or out of organized sports.
This thread is somewhat - ahh what's a good word - demeaning, patronizing- at least inappropriate

[Indoor66]

He is an extremely smart guy with a Duke degree.

He will be fine - in or out of organized sports.
This thread is somewhat - ahh what's a good word - demeaning, patronizing- at least inappropriate

I think demeaning is the proper word to describe this thread. It is not deserved by Greg or any Duke player. :mad:

[CDu]

He is an extremely smart guy with a Duke degree.

He will be fine - in or out of organized sports.
This thread is somewhat - ahh what's a good word - demeaning, patronizing- at least inappropriate

I think it's only demeaning/patronizing/inappropriate if you want to read it that way. The other way to look at it is as a legitimate question given his varied skill set. Does he try to play pro basketball in Europe? Does he try out for an NFL team or some other level of football? Does he go into coaching? And if he goes into coaching, does he choose basketball or football? Or, does he get away from athletics altogether?

I think it's a legitimately interesting question as to what Paulus does next. And I agree that he'll be just fine. I don't know the intentions of the original poster (whether they were intended to be inquisitive or negative), but this can easily be discussed without it being inappropriate. It's only inappropriate if people are oversensitive about it or if people choose to rip into Paulus.

[cascadedevil]

Rumor has it Greg has been spending time with Tim Wakefield and is learning how to throw the knuckleball.

[mgtr]

How many of us could play four years of college hoops at a top program, starting all but one year, and then play one year of QB at another college? I would say Greg is very, very good at both, but not great at either. I think he may play pro football for a few years (in a non-starting role), and then end up as a college basketball assistant coach.
I am not trying to be negative about GP, as I was one of his greatest fans, just realistic about what he can do at the next level. And, considering how everything worked out for Duke, delighted that the Coach replace Greg for last year. That allowed Jon to get a running start on this year.

[jimmymax]

It's easy enough to understand the question without jumping all over the original poster for using an unfortunate phrase -- of course lots of DBR threads subsist on this.
If my kid were to end up as a starter on the Duke basketball team and follow that up with a season as the Syracuse QB I would tell everyone how great my kid is and there would be no doubt that I was correct!
I also agree that the above, combined with a Duke degree and whatever graduate work he did at Syracuse, would mean the world is his oyster, or however that expression goes...

[ricks68]

Greg set a number of passing records for NY football and was the Gatorade high school athlete of the year. He chose basketball over football because he enjoyed playing it more. He then went back to football for a year after playing point guard for Duke University. He went back to his hometown (?) of Syracuse NY and took a dead, losing program and won some games for them with no previous experience with the team and not having played football for 4 years. He had absolutely horrible receivers (I saw a few games on TV and Greg hit these guys right on the money time and time again, yet they dropped the passes time and time again.), yet set a passing record at Syracuse also. And you say this is not a really good football player?:p

It appears to me, it's not his lack of QB ability, but his years of college experience that is lacking. He's good, really good at the QB position. In my opinion, if they would just hang in there with him for a while and he keeps at it, he could definitely stick on an NFL team.

ricks

[bhop22]

I would like to see him get into coaching at some point. He is a good leader and would seem to be a natural on the sidelines.

[4decadedukie]

All of the appropriate laudatory comments, in this thread, re Greg fail to mention another MAJOR plus for his future. His work ethic, leadership, attitude, values and tenacity are superb. Combine that with his Duke and Syracuse degrees, his strong athletic background, and his obvious person-ability and he will be just fine -- regardless of the career(s) he opts to pursue.

[SupaDave]

I think Greg ends up with the Packers. They've shown continued interest and have a need for a QB with quick feet for their scout team.

[scheyeronfire]

It's unfortunate that my original post was construed as demeaning or negative by some people. I obviously did not mean it that way.

As a Duke fan I thoroughly enjoyed Greg's 4 years as our point guard, and after graduation I rooted for him to succeed as the Syracuse QB.

What I meant by "good not great" is that he is not a professional-level player in either sport, but obviously to start D-1 athletics he is a very talented young man.

Here is my question: With so many options (Duke degree, D-1 caliber PG and QB), what do you guys think should be his next step?

Apologies again to the over-sensitive.

[scheyeronfire]

And you say this is not a really good football player?:p
ricks

I never said he wasn't good, but I define great as NFL-level talent. I love Greg, but no one is going to say that right now he is a legit prospect to start at the pro level. Not saying he never will, but right now he won't

[Mudge]

All of the appropriate laudatory comments, in this thread, re Greg fail to mention another MAJOR plus for his future. His work ethic, leadership, attitude, values and tenacity are superb. Combine that with his Duke and Syracuse degrees, his strong athletic background, and his obvious person-ability and he will be just fine -- regardless of the career(s) he opts to pursue.

I think this comment best gets at the likely long-term future (and likely success) of Paulus-- by all accounts I have ever seen, he is apparently one of the nicest, most generous, and most team-oriented players to ever come through Duke... While I would not be surprised if he manages to achieve at least a short-term stint in the NFL, he is likely to be a tremendous success in any off-field (non-sports related) endeavor he pursues-- for example, he would probably be a phenomenal salesman, selling anything you'd care to name.

However, when you consider the fact that he is a natural born leader, and has stated his long-term interest in being a coach, I would say that Paulus has as good of a chance as anyone who has ever come through the Duke program of eventually succeeding Coach K-- I don't think that's likely if he goes on to play professional football or basketball for any length of time, but if he goes almost immediately into coaching, he is likely to be just the right age (early 30's) and just the right pedigree to be considered in the succession mix at Duke, when that inevitable day finally comes.

[cspan37421]

just a thought, but who is to say that he's peaked as a QB yet? He only has 1 year of QB since high school, and that with a 4 year hiatus, yet he did respectably well. How much better can he get? I don't know, but I wouldn't bet that he's peaked. Not by a longshot.

Basketball wise, maybe he has peaked. Hard to tell. Langdon didn't tear it up in the NBA, but went on to star internationally. Anything could happen. So you could say Greg's a good, but not GREAT, QB, but I would respond, "maybe not yet"

[HaveFunExpectToWin]

Last time I saw him he was in the press row along the side in Buffalo for the Cornell - UK game. Not sure what duties he was performing there (scouting for K? Radio? ESPN?)

[SupaDave]

Last time I saw him he was in the press row along the side in Buffalo for the Cornell - UK game. Not sure what duties he was performing there (scouting for K? Radio? ESPN?)

Saw your screen name and it seemed like a perfect thing for Greg to do next...

-Have Fun and Expect to Win...

[Huh?]

http://www.nesn.com/2010/03/choosing-basketball-over-football-likely-cost-greg-paulus-a-shot-in-nfl.html

Maybe he has a shot.....

[greybeard]

However, when you consider the fact that he is a natural born leader.

I"m not sure what you mean by this. Is it that you thought that Paulus did an especially great job leading the offense for any of the four Duke team he played on? Or, is that you thought that Paulus did an especially great job leading the defense on any of those teams? Or is it that Paulus got more out of any single player on any of those teams that their talent seemed to show, that someone on the margins was brought more into the flow of the game? If the latter, I'm wondering who that could be in your mind--Zoubek, Thomas, McClure, Marty, Elliot, Taylor; which one?

See, I get that Paulus showed like a leader when he took the floor, he acted like it. I really do not know that he was particularly good at it. In fact, I think that he was a better ball player than he was a leader, since my definition of a leader is one who brings the marginal guys more close, makes them more integral, gets greater contributions from, and/or congels the group that is on the floor. Frankly, I don't think that that was Paulus's forte, although as I say he carried himself well, and with dignity and definitely put himself at the helm. Great competitor, no doubt.

The "natural born leader" business, give me Jon Scheyer, who I thought certainly congeled the guys who were on the court with him and brought them in a constructive direction, on both ends of the court, in all four years. Sorry, I did not see Paulus do that.

[SupaDave]

GREEN BAY ENTERS DRAFT WITH EIGHT SELECTIONS
- Next weekend, the Green Bay Packers will welcome another rookie class to their roster through the NFL Draft, held April 22-24 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

- Armed with seven of their own selections - plus a fifth-round choice as a compensatory selection - the Packers will have plenty of opportunities to add more talent and depth to their roster. All picks are eligible to be traded except for the compensatory selection.

[SupaDave]

http://www.nesn.com/2010/03/choosing-basketball-over-football-likely-cost-greg-paulus-a-shot-in-nfl.html

Maybe he has a shot.....

Syracuse held its pro day and all eyes were on quarterback Greg Paulus. Not that the 12 NFL scouts in attendance had much choice.

The former Duke basketball standout, who transferred to Syracuse last year in order to use his final year of eligibility playing football, was one of only three players to work out for teams, and he looked smooth running.

Paulus, who measured 6-foot-1½ and weighed 210 pounds, ran consecutive 4.89-second 40-yard dashes. That would have placed him just outside the top 10 among quarterbacks at the combine.

His other measurements included a 28 1/2 -inch vertical leap, and 8-foot-7 broad jump, a 4.23-second shuttle run, and a 7.14-second cone drill.

[alteran]

Wow

way to take things way out of context...the point was he is not a 'great' basketball player, and he is not a great football player, but he is good at both.

True, but let's be clear that the delivery came off a little crass. He WAS great at both. The worst you can say is he didn't turn out to be the star we wanted.

Take a look at his career page:

http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=186183

Bottom line-- those aren't Jason Williams numbers, but those are damn fine numbers. The dude is not chopped liver. The vast majority of division one bball players and ACC players are looking up at those stats. The VAST majority.

Let's not forget that, especially here.

I don't think the OP meant offense, but I can certainly see why it was taken. Say what you want about Greg not being the second coming of... whomever, he had a fine career, did everything his coach wanted -- including losing his starting slot-- without complaint. And he left it all on the court for Duke.

I agree that someone will take a gamble on that. Particularly since his "only good" performance for the 'Cuse was after a four-year organized football layoff.

[formerdukeathlete]

Greg had a pretty darn good year, all things considered, though after the first game, folks, coaches, particularly Big Ten coaches including Joe Paterno were predicting an even better year than what transpired. Greg shared a lot of pt with their no. 2 qb, and the offense he could utilize was cut back after the WVU game. Last game of the season Greg put on a show, with 300 yards passing, no interceptions, against a much better team.

A number of NFL teams have taken a close look at him, with two Syracuse pro days, over 20 different teams. Greg's draft prospects, perhaps it is better to say NFL prospects, have seemed to improve of late. He is still running 4.8s in the 40, not quite the high 4.6s in high school, but he is throwing the ball well, and has measured 6.1-5, which puts him in the height ballpark on the lower end.

I believe I mentioned first that Greg would play D-1 Football. I think Greg makes an NFL roster. Let me get out there and predict that Greg starts for a team, eventually.

[scheyeronfire]

True, but let's be clear that the delivery came off a little crass. He WAS great at both. The worst you can say is he didn't turn out to be the star we wanted.

Take a look at his career page:

http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=186183

Bottom line-- those aren't Jason Williams numbers, but those are damn fine numbers. The dude is not chopped liver. The vast majority of division one bball players and ACC players are looking up at those stats. The VAST majority.

Let's not forget that, especially here.

I don't think the OP meant offense, but I can certainly see why it was taken. Say what you want about Greg not being the second coming of... whomever, he had a fine career, did everything his coach wanted -- including losing his starting slot-- without complaint. And he left it all on the court for Duke.

I agree that someone will take a gamble on that. Particularly since his "only good" performance for the 'Cuse was after a four-year organized football layoff.

I guess people don't know what "good" means. Like you said, he didn't turn out to be a star, which I take to mean he didn't turn out to be great. You also said he had a "fine career" which I take to mean "good". I never called him average, mediocre etc. I said he was good at everything but great at nothing. There is nothing demeaning/crass about that.

This is another topic: What do you consider "great"? I cannot look at at GP3's numbers and say "Now that is a great career." I think he has exemplary attitude, work ethic, and on-court demeanor, but do you consider him a truly great basketball player?

Great by Duke standards means someone who has his jersey retired or who was seriously considered for that honor (read Dunleavy, Boozer, Scheyer, Singler (hopefully this can happen next year)).

[78Devil]

I understood the OP's post perfectly, and did not find it insulting. He is exhibitng the natural curiosity of all of us -- with Greg try to pursue football where he (might) be signed as a role player, and perhaps 3rd option at best. Does he try to get into the coaching/scouting/business end of basketball and, if so, where does he start? Or does he go into the business world in some capacity.

The bottom line is that his path has been unusual, which makes it hard to guess his priorities and next steps.

[sagegrouse]

By all accounts, Greg is intelligent, personable, well-educated (natch), and team oriented. He is a big muscular individual by any standards except the NBA and NFL. Most of us would die to have all of those attributes (not to mention being a few decades younger :) ). And BTW he appears to be getting a masters degree in communications from the Newhouse School at Syracuse. Sounds like a pretty good career foundation to me. Oh, and did I mention that he was a 3rd team Academic All-American?

Closer to the point at hand, he was good enough to play major college basketball at point guard and football at QB -- the latter, despite a four-year football layoff.

Hey, guys! Aren't we all jealous of Paulus?

So the question posed by OP is as follows:


scheyeronfire: "After a semi-successful turn at quarterbacking at Syracuse, what does GP3 do now? He seems to be good at everything and great at nothing. What do you guys think?"

Well, it seems to me that either Greg plays QB in the NFL, if he can make a roster, looks to play overseas in basketball (not a good option), or heads out on a normal career path and runs rings around the rest of us.

sagegrouse

[greybeard]

The Cornell basketball coach took the head Columbia coach and the chief assistant Penn coach with him to BC. There is a joke in here somewhere, "How many Ivy League coaches does it take . . . . " but why rag on my own er pedigre.

I'd have to think that Paulus would be a terrific get on the staff of any those schools, in particular at Cornell, since its wheelhouse for recruitment is in Paulus' and I think that the guy was born to coach. His breadth of experience, toughness, knowledge base, exposure to the highest levels of coaching, organization, and challenges, for a rebuilding Cornell which graduated almost its entire team, boy could we use the guy on the Hill.

[NovaScotian]

I"m not sure what you mean by this. Is it that you thought that Paulus did an especially great job leading the offense for any of the four Duke team he played on? Or, is that you thought that Paulus did an especially great job leading the defense on any of those teams? Or is it that Paulus got more out of any single player on any of those teams that their talent seemed to show, that someone on the margins was brought more into the flow of the game? If the latter, I'm wondering who that could be in your mind--Zoubek, Thomas, McClure, Marty, Elliot, Taylor; which one?

See, I get that Paulus showed like a leader when he took the floor, he acted like it. I really do not know that he was particularly good at it. In fact, I think that he was a better ball player than he was a leader, since my definition of a leader is one who brings the marginal guys more close, makes them more integral, gets greater contributions from, and/or congels the group that is on the floor. Frankly, I don't think that that was Paulus's forte, although as I say he carried himself well, and with dignity and definitely put himself at the helm. Great competitor, no doubt.


i'm totally with you, gb. greg was a leader in the sense that he was willing to give everything he had in order to win, but that's pretty much as far as it went. i'm interested to see if he gets picked up by an nfl team, and how seriously he pursues it if he's stuck at the bottom of the depth chart.

did anything come of his being a manager/graduate assistant for boeheim once the football season ended? should the nfl not pan out, that could be a good jumping point for him to enter coaching.

[allenmurray]

my definition of a leader is one who brings the marginal guys more close, makes them more integral, gets greater contributions from, and/or congels the group that is on the floor. Frankly, I don't think that that was Paulus's forte,


I think that the guy was born to coach.


These two things seem contradictory to me. I've never known a great coach who wasn't a leader, the very thing you say Greg is not. If you are correct about his lack of leadership then he won't make a good coach. If he makes a good coach, as you say he was born to do, I think you are incorrect about his leadership.

[HCheek37]

If I'm correct here, I believe several mentions of Greg interning with Jeff Goodman of FoxSports. I'm definitely not 100% on this but I've heard from a couple people and saw Greg at the final four dressed up in a suit coming up from press row to celebrate with some of the current player families.

[gep]

did anything come of his being a manager/graduate assistant for boeheim once the football season ended? should the nfl not pan out, that could be a good jumping point for him to enter coaching.

I'd also like to ask about this... I didn't hear much of anything of Greg on Coach Boeheim's coaching staff this year... :rolleyes:

[formerdukeathlete]

i'm totally with you, gb. greg was a leader in the sense that he was willing to give everything he had in order to win, but that's pretty much as far as it went. i'm interested to see if he gets picked up by an nfl team, and how seriously he pursues it if he's stuck at the bottom of the depth chart.

did anything come of his being a manager/graduate assistant for boeheim once the football season ended? should the nfl not pan out, that could be a good jumping point for him to enter coaching.

Boeheim commented before the start of the last football season that Greg would be welcome on the Syracuse staff, that "it would be entirely up to him". One might infer that Greg decided continuing with football was possible or promising and rather than spend time as a grad assistant on Coach Boeheim's staff that he would spend his spare time in grad school continuing to work out for Football.

Greg is on the record as saying that the NFL, coaching or broadcasting would be great career endeavors. They may complement on another. Were Greg to end up coaching college basketball, that he played football can only help, particularly when recruiting a dual sports star. Even before the start of last season, Greg was credited with helping Syracuse land a highly regarded QB prospect, http://blog.syracuse.com/orangefootball/2009/07/colorado_qb_reportedly_makes_c.html , a QB who would have been a nice addition for Duke, Jonny Miller who said of his time at Syracuse, "Everything about it ... the players ... I met Greg Paulus and got to watch a little film with him. Everything I did was incredible." Greg's time in the highly regarded SI Newhouse School of Public Communications, of course, will help in a broadcasting career, and time in that endeavor can only help in the PR aspects of coaching, particularly with all the national media attention at an elite program, such as Duke. Wonder whether he is a natural born leader - dont.....was elected a team captain at Syracuse after a couple of weeks of practice.

Also, dont give up on Greg eventually coming back to Duke as a b-ball coach. Duke Football could benefit in recruiting dual sports stars. If he does go into college coaching, my prediction is that he will be an excellent recruiter as a general matter.

At this point for Greg Paulus, as they say, "its all good."

[YourLandlord]

If he does go into college coaching, my prediction is that he will be an excellent recruiter as a general matter.

Knowing Greg a little bit, I'd have to completely agree with this. He's got that confident yet empathetic personality that is so endearing.

[greybeard]

These two things seem contradictory to me. I've never known a great coach who wasn't a leader, the very thing you say Greg is not. If you are correct about his lack of leadership then he won't make a good coach. If he makes a good coach, as you say he was born to do, I think you are incorrect about his leadership.

Just my impression, but I think that things got in the way of Paulus' leadership abilities when he functioned as a player for Duke, and that would have been his strivings as a player that included being the man-with-the-ball-who-made-the-decisions when on the court. There were in turn things that got in the way of that roll, some out of his control like injuries, that made struggling to be all that on the court something that impedded his ability to lead. This is just my impression.

That's why I asked the questions I did. Was it that people saw his total commitment to being the man-with-the-ball type leader, the effort he put into it, that lead to the conclusion that "he was a natural born leader," or were there results of the sort I mentioned or other results that people saw that lead to their conclusion.

I think that Paulus has no hesitation in stepping up to the helm, and knows way more than enough about the tangibles and intangibles and Xs and Os and what not to have a shot at being a really good coach. Until that manifests, it is just a guess.

I do not think that he functioned on the court at Duke in a way that jumped out at me as saying "this guy is a leader," only that he wanted to be that, especially on offense and with the ball. Wanting it and having played for some great leaders and in a terrific program with great competition and having to overcome much in the way of injury, I'd think he'd be terrific as an assistant coming out of the blocks at my alma matar, Cornell--might even rise to the top real quick and be the best coach they've ever had.

[greybeard]

By the way, the coach is the guy who CONTROLS PLAYING TIME. I don't think that it takes a naturally born or even good leader to get people to hear you real good when you have that kind of power. I think that there are many very successful coaches on all levels of sport that rely on the power-of-playing-time to WIN, and that THAT is all that counts to way, way too many people, so-called fans of the teams, pundits, and of course "the heads."

Call me old fashioned, Bobby Knight's grabbing a guy by the throat might get "the kid" to finally listen to Knight's rants; but is that being a "naturally born leader," if so, in the words of the great bard, "what else can you show me."

In my opinion, bullying, not leadership, is the predominant characteristic of success in the coaching business. Those who are great leaders are a tremendous gift to those who play for them, those who root for those who play for them, and those who support the entire endeavor of fielding a team and having them perform in the theater of the arena. And, that, in my book, makes you all some very, very, very lucky people.

I would include myself in that group except, like some here, I did not go to Duke and would not have chosen to be a Duke fan were it not for the extraordinary leadership and other qualities I saw/see in K. That does not make me lucky; just perceptive and smart. wink/wink

[flyingdutchdevil]

wow. allenmurray's post really got to you...

[Reddevil]

Hopefully, he replaces Doug Gottlieb!:p

[greybeard]

wow. allenmurray's post really got to you...

Always do. Actually, I had a strong take on Paulus qua leader at Duke throughout--thought he showed best as a leader his first year and went downhill each year thereafter.

I also think that coaching as a profession is remarkably unprofessional, no more so than on the high school and ever increasing in power and importance, club, AAU level. It would be funny, if it wasn't so sad. This has been a main issue of MINE for years.

The Movie/Documentary, When Harvard Beat Yale, to me says it all. The Harvard coach puts in a junior quarterback who had not played a meaningful down all year as a second half substitute for the starter. The guy brings Harvard back from a huge deficite against a vastly superior opponent and throws two TDs and two two-point conversions in the last minute 45.

A moment after the movie was over, I asked myself, "How Does This Happen?" The this I was referring to was how did a guy with this talent not play a meaningful down his entire career before that moment? The question, to me, was rhetorical, because I know that it happens all the time on all levels, especially on winning teams, and EVERYBODY ASSUMES THAT THE GUYS WHO ARE PLAYING ARE BETTER THAN THOSE WHO AIN'T WHEN THAT AIN'T NECESSARILY SO AND OFTEN, VERY, VERY OFTEN IS NOT, AGAIN, ESPECIALLY AT LOWER LEVELS.

Now, some of these coaches actually know that the kids that they don't play really can but decide sometimes for what them and perhaps others are justifiable reasons nevertheless not to play them. For example, a coach might decide that a team coheres better playing 5 maybe 6 guys and specializes and the guy who sits is more a generalist. Or maybe the coach thinks speed is the sine quo non for playing and would have benched a young Larry Bird if he had him as a 12 year old.

Others, regrettably, do not understand the games that they coach, and don't know how to create learning environments and understand and value that young people have pliant minds and can improve what they do physically in a flash if given an appropriate structure for learning, which oh so is not repetative skill drills but that is another theme.

In all of this, of course, especially if a team is "successful" in terms of wins and losses, whatever a coach decides is self-validating. I would repeat that but it is so unfortunate, especially when we are talking about kids from like 10-15, as to need no repetition, at least one would hope.

See, coaches of such kids do not win games, they do not lose games, and they sure as heck do not play games. Nor do they "teach" anybody how to shot a basketball, hit a baseball, run or jump better, etc--they can provide some useful meta information and provide interesting, varied, nonjudgmental learning environments but such skills and others can only be learned, not taught. But, coaches as a group are sure that they do all these things, and however they perceive their players' falling short is an unfortunate quality that the player and his family have brought to the table.

Once we get to college level, and the possibility of a guy getting paid a couple of hundred grand to coach an Ivy League team and live in a place like Ithaca, who could give a damn, except that I just spent an evening with a fraternity brother of mine who played freshman ball at Cornell and I just learned had wanted to play on the Varsity, and spoke to the Varsity coach about it, his sophomore and junior years but the coach said "no" even though there were open spaces and my fraternity brother was and remains among the most constructive guys to be around you can ever imagine--was the first COF for the Doris Duke Trust, btw. But, if some guy wants to be an idiot running a basketball program at a place like Cornell, who cares?

For those who can coach and earn millions, well, even the Calliparis of the world get to rock and roll, and, while I love to root against them, again who really cares.

[alteran]

I guess people don't know what "good" means. Like you said, he didn't turn out to be a star, which I take to mean he didn't turn out to be great.

One could make the same argument about your usage of "great." According to the dictionary, good and great are (interestingly) entirely synonymous with respect to performance.

To be clear (and as I said), I got your meaning. I also thought I had been clear that I thought no offense was intended-- but "great at nothing" is hard to read in a way that is not denigrating of a great career, and I thought that's what annoyed the poster I was supporting.

'Nuff said. Next play. :)

I agree that your underlying question is intriguing. As I said, there's a lot on Greg's resume that warrants taking a gamble on him, particularly since late NFL draft picks are pretty much complete gambles anyway. I think somebody is going to look at him and take a chance.

With Greg's attitude and work ethic, I like his chances to make something of the opportunity.

[formerdukeathlete]

more buzz on Paulus and the draft:

http://fifthdown.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/20/a-few-draft-sleepers-who-could-jolt-the-n-f-l/

"Why He Has Promise: Bill Walsh appreciated quarterbacks with good feet. Like Joe Namath, Joe Montana, Jake Plummer and Jeff Garcia, Greg Paulus is light and quick on his feet. He moves very well in traffic, executes ball fakes with as much refinement as any prospect in this draft, and his anticipation on intermediate and deep routes is very good. Considering that productive point guards and quarterbacks apply these three skills in similar ways, it explains why Paulus fared reasonably well after a five-year layoff from competitive football.

Bottom Line: Although his stats aren’t good, Paulus did set a Syracuse record with a 67.7 percent completion rate. And 13 of his 14 interceptions came in the first five games, including 5 picks in one game. This indicates that Paulus is a quick learner. After adding 20 pounds to his frame to prepare for pro football, Paulus claims to have more velocity on his passes, which is plausible. Although Paulus was at times frenetic in the pocket, stared down receivers and attempted too many high-risk passes, his pocket maneuverability, savvy ball movement, anticipation and timing are difficult skills to teach. While Tim Tebow is learning how to acquire these skills, Paulus already showed them after a five-year vacation. It is why I believe the Packers must have told Paulus at his workout that the two-time captain of the Blue Devils basketball team has a brighter future in football."

In the final 7 games Paulus had one interception. Quick (very) learner. mobility.

you may be right. Late buzz. might equate to a late round pick.

[davekay1971]

more buzz on Paulus and the draft:

http://fifthdown.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/20/a-few-draft-sleepers-who-could-jolt-the-n-f-l/

"Why He Has Promise: Bill Walsh appreciated quarterbacks with good feet. Like Joe Namath, Joe Montana, Jake Plummer and Jeff Garcia, Greg Paulus is light and quick on his feet. He moves very well in traffic, executes ball fakes with as much refinement as any prospect in this draft, and his anticipation on intermediate and deep routes is very good. Considering that productive point guards and quarterbacks apply these three skills in similar ways, it explains why Paulus fared reasonably well after a five-year layoff from competitive football.

Bottom Line: Although his stats aren’t good, Paulus did set a Syracuse record with a 67.7 percent completion rate. And 13 of his 14 interceptions came in the first five games, including 5 picks in one game. This indicates that Paulus is a quick learner. After adding 20 pounds to his frame to prepare for pro football, Paulus claims to have more velocity on his passes, which is plausible. Although Paulus was at times frenetic in the pocket, stared down receivers and attempted too many high-risk passes, his pocket maneuverability, savvy ball movement, anticipation and timing are difficult skills to teach. While Tim Tebow is learning how to acquire these skills, Paulus already showed them after a five-year vacation. It is why I believe the Packers must have told Paulus at his workout that the two-time captain of the Blue Devils basketball team has a brighter future in football."

In the final 7 games Paulus had one interception. Quick (very) learner. mobility.

you may be right. Late buzz. might equate to a late round pick.

Thanks for that link! Great for Greg. Reading between the lines a little bit...it sounds like Greg has the tools and the brain to be an NFL quarterback. The rest is practice and learning. Subjective (and biased) analysis on my part...but I would love for the Carolina Panthers to use a late round pick to draft Greg as a backup for Matt Moore.

[CDu]

Bottom Line: Although his stats aren’t good, Paulus did set a Syracuse record with a 67.7 percent completion rate. And 13 of his 14 interceptions came in the first five games, including 5 picks in one game. This indicates that Paulus is a quick learner. After adding 20 pounds to his frame to prepare for pro football, Paulus claims to have more velocity on his passes, which is plausible. Although Paulus was at times frenetic in the pocket, stared down receivers and attempted too many high-risk passes, his pocket maneuverability, savvy ball movement, anticipation and timing are difficult skills to teach. While Tim Tebow is learning how to acquire these skills, Paulus already showed them after a five-year vacation. It is why I believe the Packers must have told Paulus at his workout that the two-time captain of the Blue Devils basketball team has a brighter future in football."

In the final 7 games Paulus had one interception. Quick (very) learner. mobility.

you may be right. Late buzz. might equate to a late round pick.

I'm pretty sure the author didn't do his homework very well. Paulus had 5 INTs in the last 7 games, and 10 in the first 5.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/player/profile?playerId=480614

And part of his reduction in INTs was a result of a reduction in playing time. He threw 125 passes in his final 7 games (18 per game), compared with 160 in his first 5 (32 per game). His INT rate was 1 every 25 passes in his last seven games, and one every 16 passes in his first 5 games (thanks largely to one really bad game). That's better, but not a shockingly great improvement (especially when you consider that he had that one awful game in the first 5 games). In fact, his INT rate in the first four games (one every 28.5 passes) was better than his INT rate in the last 7 games (one every 25 passes).

You could say he was a quick learner in terms of getting prepared for the season, but I wouldn't necessarily say he was a quick learner during the season. His results were similarly inconsistent throughout the season (some really good results, some really bad results). That's not unexpected, of course, considering he had 4 years away from the game.

[SupaDave]

I'm pretty sure the author didn't do his homework very well. Paulus had 5 INTs in the last 7 games, and 10 in the first 5.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/player/profile?playerId=480614

And part of his reduction in INTs was a result of a reduction in playing time. He threw 125 passes in his final 7 games (18 per game), compared with 160 in his first 5 (32 per game). His INT rate was 1 every 25 passes in his last seven games, and one every 16 passes in his first 5 games (thanks largely to one really bad game). That's better, but not a shockingly great improvement (especially when you consider that he had that one awful game in the first 5 games). In fact, his INT rate in the first four games (one every 28.5 passes) was better than his INT rate in the last 7 games (one every 25 passes).

You could say he was a quick learner in terms of getting prepared for the season, but I wouldn't necessarily say he was a quick learner during the season. His results were similarly inconsistent throughout the season (some really good results, some really bad results). That's not unexpected, of course, considering he had 4 years away from the game.

But as FDA would also point out - his WRs were god awful. He only had one that he truly relied on and that dude got hurt. Plus, he did a lot of good for Syracuse football - a program that I rarely saw on the tube after McNabb left...

[formerdukeathlete]

I'm pretty sure the author didn't do his homework very well. Paulus had 5 INTs in the last 7 games, and 10 in the first 5.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/player/profile?playerId=480614

And part of his reduction in INTs was a result of a reduction in playing time. He threw 125 passes in his final 7 games (18 per game), compared with 160 in his first 5 (32 per game). His INT rate was 1 every 25 passes in his last seven games, and one every 16 passes in his first 5 games (thanks largely to one really bad game). That's better, but not a shockingly great improvement (especially when you consider that he had that one awful game in the first 5 games). In fact, his INT rate in the first four games (one every 28.5 passes) was better than his INT rate in the last 7 games (one every 25 passes).

You could say he was a quick learner in terms of getting prepared for the season, but I wouldn't necessarily say he was a quick learner during the season. His results were similarly inconsistent throughout the season (some really good results, some really bad results). That's not unexpected, of course, considering he had 4 years away from the game.

I think referring to the stats, the inconsistency, also belies that Paulus was brilliant at times, notwithstanding the tough love Marrone put him through - benching Greg in the second half of the WVU game, limiting the playbook thereafter, running the second stringer in the stallion, which shot the team in the foot perhaps in the close loss to Louisville. As SupaDave points out, receiving corps were an issue - a number of the interceptions were dropped balls. While the author of the NYT blog may have missed the stat on interceptions, he did get it right in the sense of the dearth of interceptions late in the season. Greg had zero interceptions in the win over Rutgers, and zero against UConn while throwing for 300 yards, the last two games of the season - that is marked improvement. What Greg lacked was velocity on his passes at times. His "risky" throws based on quick reads get less risky if the ball can get there more quickly.

[CDu]

But as FDA would also point out - his WRs were god awful. He only had one that he truly relied on and that dude got hurt. Plus, he did a lot of good for Syracuse football - a program that I rarely saw on the tube after McNabb left...

I wasn't making any major comments/critiques on what Paulus did this year. My point was merely to clarify the facts on his season, and noting the variability of the results throughout the season (i.e., purely factual stuff, no subjective stuff). I agree that had Paulus only had one INT in the last 7 games, that'd show remarkable in-game learning (even given the reduction in PT). But that's not really supported by the facts in this case.

That doesn't mean that what Paulus was able to accomplish this year wasn't really impressive. And I certainly wasn't writing to suggest that it wasn't really impressive.