Could LeBron James compete in the NFL?

[ehh]

Re: Could LeBron James compete in the NFL?

As far as I'm aware, in recent history (last 30 or so years), there have been two players who were actually capable of playing two sports professionally, Bo and Deion. That's it.

Brian Jordan as well.

[ChampN252]

Re: Could LeBron James compete in the NFL?

And yet Bo Jackson was probably more athletic than any of them and he played football. Averaged 5.4 yards per carry in the NFL and went to an AL All-Star game. Jordan didn't make it out of the minor leagues.

I don't think that was a sport he couldn't excel in

[ChampN252]

Re: Could LeBron James compete in the NFL?

Linking to bleacherreport should really equal an automatic ban.

I'm sure Chauncey Billups, despite never playing football, would be an NFL quarterback.

That hurt man...the bannage

[CPT]

Re: Could LeBron James compete in the NFL?

Kinda silly, but :Ballers that could play football

beyond.....far beyond "silly"

***tomorrow - the top 10 cartoon characters who could have played in the NFL had they not opted for to be in cartoons instead***

[CPT]

Re: Could LeBron James compete in the NFL?

There are plenty of football players that tried other sports and failed..boxing specifically.

...and who is to say that these guys are playing hoops because they realized that they couldnt cut it on the gridiron long ago?

Hypothetical I know...but the whole thread is hypothetical.

re: boxing crossover attempts - do not forget about Kendall Gill a few years back.

[bgeno]

Re: Could LeBron James compete in the NFL?

We had this same thread a while back... http://www.operationsports.com/forum...s-serious.html ... so I'll just post the same thing I did there...

Honestly, if someone had the time to groom him and train him, I think he could be a TERROR as a defensive end. He's so big and he's fast and agile and has those long limbs. If he bulked up a little bit (he's already got a decent amount of muscle on him) and went in to a 4-3 scheme, he would be tough to deal with. Most OT's have long arms so they can get to the pass rusher's body first, but no one would be able to get to LeBron's body first because he's so tall. And he'd probably swat 2 or 3 passes per game.

Same thing I said. Could you imagine if he spent 3 or 4 years in college learning DE and building up his body? A 6-8 defensive end with THAT kind of athleticism? Crazy.

I just couldn't see him being a WR... and maybe that's because we just don't see many WR's over 6-5... but I don't see him as being agile enough to shake some of these little corners who have such great speed in a ten-yard box. And, given his frame, his 40 speed is probably no faster than 4.55 (pure guestimation there), so he wouldn't have a huge advantage in that aspect over most corners and safeties.

Where he would be valuable as a TE/WR would be near the end zone. Who could beat him a jump ball? It would be ridiculous.

[CPT]

Re: Could LeBron James compete in the NFL?

funny. what is he supposed to say? it would be a great way to bring (at least interesting) attention to his team - and/or a great way to get him to shut up about "being able to help."

[SouthernBrick]

Re: Could LeBron James compete in the NFL?

I'm not knocking you, but I hate to do this. I think basketball players are better athletes than football players. One of the most dominate players is Moss. I'm talking young Moss. You guys think he could ball with Lebron at the same age? Michael Jordan played basketball/baseball. Gates/Gonazales/Charlie Sanders (taking it back) played football/basketball. Roy Jones Jr. even played pro or semi-pro ball. TO is a great baller. There are plenty of football players that tried other sports and failed..boxing specifically.

Kinda silly, but :Ballers that could play football

I think CPT and Cebby just said it for me.

Edit: Not knockin' you or nothin' lol.

[wwharton]

Re: Could LeBron James compete in the NFL?

Brian Jordan as well.

You beat me to it... had to give the hometown boy some love. Jordan wasn't bad in either sport, though not Bo or Deion.

The question really is IF Lebron focused on football after HS, could he play in the NFL. My guess is yes, he would be good enough to play. But NO he likely wouldn't be dominant and nowhere near what he is in the NBA. But getting a team to sign you is a major accomplishment and I think he would've been able to do that if he was just another guy that was good in HS and worked his way up through college to be an NFL player.

At this point, if he got signed it'd only be bc of name alone and would be basically a circus. I don't think he'd last very long.

The duel athlete comparisons don't make much sense. Great athletes aren't necessarily great at all sports just bc their athletic. That thought alone is an insult to how much time these men have put into perfecting their craft over the years. The only ones that have been successful are also guys that continued to work on both sports as they came up. What's amazing is that they were athletic enough to put the time in to perfect two sports and excel at both, not that they're athletic enough to crossover. There are great athletes in all sports but they need to practice too. I think MJ is a much better example than Bo or Deion. NOBODY questions MJ's athletic ability, work ethic or competitive spirit... and without all those years of practice he was a single A player. And probably wouldn't have been that without the name.

[Jukeman]

Re: Could LeBron James compete in the NFL?

You beat me to it... had to give the hometown boy some love. Jordan wasn't bad in either sport, though not Bo or Deion.

The question really is IF Lebron focused on football after HS, could he play in the NFL. My guess is yes, he would be good enough to play. But NO he likely wouldn't be dominant and nowhere near what he is in the NBA. But getting a team to sign you is a major accomplishment and I think he would've been able to do that if he was just another guy that was good in HS and worked his way up through college to be an NFL player.

At this point, if he got signed it'd only be bc of name alone and would be basically a circus. I don't think he'd last very long.

The duel athlete comparisons don't make much sense. Great athletes aren't necessarily great at all sports just bc their athletic. That thought alone is an insult to how much time these men have put into perfecting their craft over the years. The only ones that have been successful are also guys that continued to work on both sports as they came up. What's amazing is that they were athletic enough to put the time in to perfect two sports and excel at both, not that they're athletic enough to crossover. There are great athletes in all sports but they need to practice too. I think MJ is a much better example than Bo or Deion. NOBODY questions MJ's athletic ability, work ethic or competitive spirit... and without all those years of practice he was a single A player. And probably wouldn't have been that without the name.

I dont think MJ is a good comparison, I bet Tiger Woods couldnt hit a base ball sitting right in front of him on a tee ball..

[CPT]

Re: Could LeBron James compete in the NFL?

I dont think MJ is a good comparison, I bet Tiger Woods couldnt hit a base ball sitting right in front of him on a tee ball..

I bet he could....I think the golf ball is also on a tee at some point. But I get what you are saying.

Simply being an elite athlete does not mean that crossover is possible. If it were there would be more than Brian Jordan, Deion, and Bo's names being tossed around.

[ODogg]

Re: Could LeBron James compete in the NFL?

A sport in which a 60 year old fat dude can compete with the best of the best is not a sport which champions athleticism. Tiger Woods, and golfers in general, have immense talent but not immense athleticism. Huge difference.

[KG]

Re: Could LeBron James compete in the NFL?

If we're talking about would he be able to compete in the NFL had he never stopped playing football, I'd say yes. That's assuming he's still turns into the elite level he is right now.

If we're talking about right now, I'd say he'd get a shot at a camp based off his name but the learning curve would be ridiculously steep. If he dedicated himself to solely football I'd think he make a team based off the success of Gonzo & Gates. I know the differences (they were fball first & then hoops) but his level of athleticism would intrigue some GMs.

[wwharton]

Re: Could LeBron James compete in the NFL?

I dont think MJ is a good comparison, I bet Tiger Woods couldnt hit a base ball sitting right in front of him on a tee ball..

I bet he could....I think the golf ball is also on a tee at some point. But I get what you are saying.

Simply being an elite athlete does not mean that crossover is possible. If it were there would be more than Brian Jordan, Deion, and Bo's names being tossed around.

That's why I think MJ was a good example... unless I'm missing your point, Jukeman. I was saying that MJ may have had a shot at pro baseball if he decided to only play baseball from HS on, and we saw the results of the best athlete in the world trying to just pick up where he left off. Very different sports but I think Lebron would have similar struggles if he tried to go to the NFL right now.

[lonewolf371]

Re: Could LeBron James compete in the NFL?

A sport in which a 60 year old fat dude can compete with the best of the best is not a sport which champions athleticism. Tiger Woods, and golfers in general, have immense talent but not immense athleticism. Huge difference.

Eh, depends on the course. Sure, you have Augusta right now where anyone can hit well below par, but the guys that don't have great game really get exposed when the tour moves on to other courses. This is evidenced by Tiger's horrific performances since Augusta, which have exposed that he's a little off right now.

In other news, have you seen Tiger's biceps? He's probably bigger than some baseball players; I have no doubt he could slug it. Probably hasn't spent enough years doing it to get a hit off a major league pitcher, but he could knock it out of the park.

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/thetoydepartment/TigerWoods.jpg