Saturday, July 19, 2008

Multiple Choice, football edition

Here's a game I like to play with my other football-lovin' friends from time to time.

If you could be one major-college quarterback, which one would you choose to be? The skill level of the QB and (to be honest, the actual person holding the position) is mostly irrelevant - it's really about which spot holds the most allure for washed-up athletes like ourselves.

Shall we?

A. Tim Tebow of Florida.
B. Todd Boeckman of Ohio State.
C. Mark Sanchez of USC.
D. Colt McCoy of Texas.
E. Whoever starts for LSU.
F. Whoever starts for Miami.

My answer: Sanchez.

Here's why: I actually went out to Los Angeles last August to work on a story about John David Booty, who was heading into his senior season as USC's starting quarterback and was simply a good ol' Shreveport boy.

I had been to L.A. several times before and found myself immediately drawn to the West Coast. The weather, the beaches, the, uh, surroundings. Other than traffic and a ridiculous cost of living, I couldn't figure out what not to like.

So I spent parts of three days talking with J.D., his teammates, Pete Carroll and other media types; watching the Trojans' NFL-style practices; and generally hanging out on the USC campus. Consider me a convert.

Booty and I had a brief chat on my last night in town, sitting outside of Heritage Hall on a 75-degree August evening as some guy played a piccolo nearby. Booty was so grateful, so happy, that the headline to my eventual story was titled "Living a Dream."

Here's an excerpt from that feature: "Prodded into sharing one of the bizarre invitations extended to him since the Rose Bowl, Booty nonchalantly mentions a recent get-together with "Punk'd" star Ashton Kutcher at the home of Academy Award-winning actor Jon Voight. Booty and his friends played a game of catch with Kutcher and talked a little about Shreveport, where Kutcher filmed a movie last year."

And Booty seems to be a decently strait-laced guy. I can only imagine the sorts of stories Matt Leinart could tell about his L.A. days.

In closing, I could make a case for almost any of these QB jobs. Miami definitely sounds fun. I know Austin well, so I know the potential benefits there. Florida certainly has its plus side, not to mention Tebow is a returning Heisman winner.

No choice is wrong. But I'm going with USC - Make it count, Mark. You're No. 1.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Todd Boeckman? I think we all would prefer to be Terrell Pryor in that equation. It does seem Sanchez has already had his fair share of fun in SoCal already, no?

blackink said...

Good point, Steve. Hell, Pryor might have had more fun on his recruiting visit than Boeckman has had in four years on campus.

I only included Ohio State because I figured all the schools couldn't be below the Mason-Dixon line.

I intentionally left off Notre Dame, btw. No sane person should pick South Bend over places like South Beach, Gainesville, or Austin, given a legitimate choice.

Zen said...

If Tebow wasn't a missionary I'd choose his situation first. Mark Sanchez has too much pressure to be comfortable in his situation at USC. Miami would be my choice, South Beach, The U, South Beach, no Hollywood detraction of my celebrity, SOUTH BEACH.