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See Jane Style:
By Marla Ridenour
Beacon Journal staff writer
POSTED: 07:36 p.m. EST, Nov 18, 2009
BEREA: Last season, Cavaliers star LeBron James played out his football fantasies in an insurance commercial that had him clad in a No. 23 Browns jersey.
Members of the struggling Browns are now willing to make that a reality.
''I think he should come on down,'' Browns coach Eric Mangini said Wednesday.
''I know he's pretty busy right now, but if he wants to give it a shot . . . the guy's gifted, gifted athletically, he's competitive, he's tough. I'm sure whatever he applied himself to, he'd probably be good in baseball, or soccer or or swimming. The guy's a freak athletically.''
After watching the Browns fall 16-0 to the Baltimore Ravens on Monday Night Football, James suggested he could help the struggling franchise.
''If I put all my time and commitment into it, if I dedicated myself to the game of football, I could be really good,'' James told reporters before facing the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday. ''No matter what team I was on.''
James played wide receiver at St. Vincent-St. Mary before deciding to concentrate on basketball before his senior year. He acknowledged that the two sports take different types of conditioning.
''I'd be in football shape during football season, then I'd go to basketball and feel like I was out of shape,'' James said. ''And another thing you have to get used to is getting hit again.''
But if James decided he wanted to become the next Antonio Gates, Browns quarterback Brady Quinn would embrace him.
''That'd be great. Tell him to suit up and let us know; we'll get him working,'' Quinn said. ''Obviously he's an incredibly talented athlete. If he wants to try to play a little bit now, we'd be more than willing to pick him up.''
Quinn said he could imagine throwing a few lob passes to James, and not just in the Browns' touchdown-starved end zone.
''Anywhere else on the field,'' Quinn said.
The only skeptic about James' football prowess of those polled in the Browns' locker room Wednesday was Pro Bowl nose tackle Shaun Rogers, a devoted NBA fan.
''I heard that comment. I have mixed emotions about that,'' Rogers said. ''A great athlete, yes. A football player, no.
''Yeah LeBron, I said it. I'll get at you.''
Asked why he felt that way, Rogers said: ''It's a punishing game. I just don't think you can step off the basketball court after not going through this year in and year out and just play football. From that standpoint, I just don't think it's possible. You have to weather and condition your body to take this punishment.''
But what if James had a year to train?
''He might make a heckuva tight end,'' Rogers said. ''I'd like to see him out there running down the seam.''
Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com. Read her Browns blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/browns/. Follow the Browns on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/ABJ_Browns.
BEREA: Last season, Cavaliers star LeBron James played out his football fantasies in an insurance commercial that had him clad in a No. 23 Browns jersey.
Members of the struggling Browns are now willing to make that a reality.
''I think he should come on down,'' Browns coach Eric Mangini said Wednesday.
''I know he's pretty busy right now, but if he wants to give it a shot . . . the guy's gifted, gifted athletically, he's competitive, he's tough. I'm sure whatever he applied himself to, he'd probably be good in baseball, or soccer or or swimming. The guy's a freak athletically.''
After watching the Browns fall 16-0 to the Baltimore Ravens on Monday Night Football, James suggested he could help the struggling franchise.
''If I put all my time and commitment into it, if I dedicated myself to the game of football, I could be really good,'' James told reporters before facing the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday. ''No matter what team I was on.''
James played wide receiver at St. Vincent-St. Mary before deciding to concentrate on basketball before his senior year. He acknowledged that the two sports take different types of conditioning.
''I'd be in football shape during football season, then I'd go to basketball and feel like I was out of shape,'' James said. ''And another thing you have to get used to is getting hit again.''
But if James decided he wanted to become the next Antonio Gates, Browns quarterback Brady Quinn would embrace him.
''That'd be great. Tell him to suit up and let us know; we'll get him working,'' Quinn said. ''Obviously he's an incredibly talented athlete. If he wants to try to play a little bit now, we'd be more than willing to pick him up.''
Quinn said he could imagine throwing a few lob passes to James, and not just in the Browns' touchdown-starved end zone.
''Anywhere else on the field,'' Quinn said.
The only skeptic about James' football prowess of those polled in the Browns' locker room Wednesday was Pro Bowl nose tackle Shaun Rogers, a devoted NBA fan.
''I heard that comment. I have mixed emotions about that,'' Rogers said. ''A great athlete, yes. A football player, no.
''Yeah LeBron, I said it. I'll get at you.''
Asked why he felt that way, Rogers said: ''It's a punishing game. I just don't think you can step off the basketball court after not going through this year in and year out and just play football. From that standpoint, I just don't think it's possible. You have to weather and condition your body to take this punishment.''
But what if James had a year to train?
''He might make a heckuva tight end,'' Rogers said. ''I'd like to see him out there running down the seam.''
Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com. Read her Browns blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/browns/. Follow the Browns on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/ABJ_Browns.
Comments
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Wheaton, IL
Posted 08:01 PM, 11/18/2009
LBJ would PROBABLY be a good football player.
Jim Tressel would PROBABLY be a good NFL coach.
But they both ARE great in their current roles.
Akron, Oh
Posted 08:22 PM, 11/18/2009
Can he bring Shaq with him?
Posted 08:54 PM, 11/18/2009
Shaq = Offensive lineman.
everywhere, oh
Posted 05:40 PM, 11/20/2009
ANYTHING FOR SLOW LERNER TO SELL TICKETS
