APIt’s after 2:00 a.m. ET. I can’t sleep. If you’re reading this before 5:00 a.m. ET, there’s a chance you can’t sleep, either.
Here’s a story that should help both of us.
Former Heisman winner Eric Crouch, who tried out along with 170-plus others for the UFL’s Omaha Nighthawks in April, is one of 70 players participating in a minicamp this week.
“I don’t think I’ll ever get football 100 percent out of my system,” Crouch said Wednesday, per the Associated Press (via NFL.com). “I don’t think that will ever happen. Maybe it will. I know I’m going to be a little bit rusty and I’ll be a little bit behind. I feel I can go in and help the team win.”
Crouch, the former Nebraska quarterback who won the 2001 Heisman, was a third-round pick of the Rams in 2002. The Rams tried to switch him to receiver, and he called it quits before ever playing in a regular-season game.
“Since leaving Nebraska,” Crouch said, “it’s been a less-than-stellar professional career, hopping from team to team, league to league, having injuries and uncertainty.”
He’s currently competing with D.J. Shockley and Jeremiah Masoli. After seven practices in four days, Crouch hopes to learn whether he truly wants to play — and whether the Nighthawks want him.
Still awake? If not, you’re welcome.
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Burnin’ the midnight oil huh, mike?
Thanks for the undisputed best NFL ‘blog’. Keep up the good work.
I’m an insomniac.
Great to see Crouch back. Loved watching him
LOL, did you lick all the icing off the top of the cake or you having a mid life crisis? Or both.
Can’t sleep ?Pumped about the Bruins Mike?
Hey Mike, why are you losing sleep thinking about Eric Crouch? Most of us have long forgot about him as a relative football player. I imagine you have to get in your quotas, but writing about Crouch, lol!
Worst Heisman trophy winner ever.
Wah, Wah, Wah. I was supposed to be a quarterback! Wah, wah, wah. Fine! I won’t play your stupid game at all!
This is why the Heisman Trophy is a joke. In the last 20 years or so the Heisman winning QBs have been busts in the league with Carson Palmer the only one being slightly above average.
Year Player Position
1989 Andre Ware QB
1990 Ty Detmer QB
1992 Gino Torretta QB
1993 Charlie Ward QB
1996 Danny Wuerffel QB
2000 Chris Weinke QB
2001 Eric Crouch QB
2002 Carson Palmer QB
2003 Jason White QB
2004 Matt Leinart QB
2006 Troy Smith QB
2007 Tim Tebow QB
2008 Sam Bradford QB
2010 Cam Newton QB
@granadafan,
The Heisman is to recognize the best college player. That correlation has nothing to do with their ability to play the pro-game. Different speed, different rules, different expectations. Everyone’s situation was different, so it’s not fair to lump all those guys into one category of being terrible pros.
In college, Torretta, Wuerffel, White, Detmer and Leinart were system guys. Whoever did the collegiate recruiting did a good job. For those who went into the pros, they went to different offensive systems and couldn’t replicate the success.
Ware should’ve sat for a year or two instead of being thrust into the starting role too soon. His confidence was killed before it could bloom.
Weinke was an old man playing with teens and early 20 somethings– thats like being a 20+ year old playing with a bunch of middle schoolers. Playing with guys his own age, he looked out of place…like a zebra at a rodeo.
Crouch should’ve gotten a chance to play QB in the NFL. That’s the Rams fault – he told them he only wanted to play QB before they drafted him, but would be willing to be a slash (a-la-Kordell Stewart). The Rams just loved his speed and tried to convert him to a WR full-time. They should’ve at least let him fail as a QB first or not drafted him at all.
Charlie Ward, we’ll never know since he chose basketball; he was a helluva college QB.
Palmer, good pro QB on a perennially bad team.
Smith – he’s had his moments as a pro. Definitely the best pro-QB that Ohio state has put out in recent years…just a shame that he got sick and cost himself a chance to be the starter in Baltimore. He wasn’t exactly consistent in SF, but he showed talent. Given the right environment he probably could be serviceable.
The last three we don’t yet have a dispositive answer, but it looks like Bradford is going to be a good one.