Derby is a Tight End

I think this is where I am supposed to say something about wanting to play for a coach who tries to win football games, or a coach who knows how to win, or how Bielema is such an outstanding family man who means everything he says.
 
tm3308 said:
See the thing is, Samardzija was/is actually a good pitcher and basically got to choose which sport to go pro in. Derby was a terrible quarterback.
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He wasn't Mark Pryor coming out of college... He wasn't a no doubt a bout it getting huge money contract right away kind of guy. He worked his way through the minors and even when he got to the bigs he wasn't what he is now even. There were plenty of surprised people that he picked baseball over football. He was going to be a 1st round pick in football.

He really didn't play enough to know how good or bad he was. We assume he was bad because he didn't win the starting job? OK I guess to each their own way of measuring good and terrible.. I don't think Beathard is terrible and time will tell if he plays...
 
Hawkfnntn said:
He wasn't Mark Pryor coming out of college... He wasn't a no doubt a bout it getting huge money contract right away kind of guy. He worked his way through the minors and even when he got to the bigs he wasn't what he is now even. There were plenty of surprised people that he picked baseball over football. He was going to be a 1st round pick in football.

He really didn't play enough to know how good or bad he was. We assume he was bad because he didn't win the starting job? OK I guess to each their own way of measuring good and terrible.. I don't think Beathard is terrible and time will tell if he plays...
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Regardless, Samardzija was a pretty solid prospect in baseball (fifth round pick in 40-round draft). Pretty much nobody but Derby ever saw him playing QB at the D-1 level. How many schools even recruited him as a QB, besides an Iowa program that was really only throwing him a bone. I saw him play in high school and never bought the idea of him playing QB. He was a great athlete, but he wasn't a good passer at even the high school level.

I have a tough time believing he looked much better in practices than he did when he did get to play QB after he transferred.
 
doclee said:
Brett B. moved Derby to tight end for the Razorbacks. It sounds like Derby is very pleased with the move; he played a lot in a recent scrimmage and caught 3 or 4 passes. He dropped a deep ball that would have gone for a TD; the coaches said the drop was a very rare event for Derby and are not concerned. Unusual move for a senior, but it sounds like they expect him to get a lot of playing time right away. He is 6'5" and 256 lbs. Big boy!

If you want to read the article, you will have to get a copy of today's Baxter County Arkansas Reporter, which is delivered by mule across Baxter County and down into parts of Izzard County (which is still dry, BTW).

I has been in the mid to high seventies most of the past two weeks here...so it ain't all bad.
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hey Doc send some of that warm weather our way over here is Georgia. Mother Nature is playing a mean joke with high winds and temperatures in the 40's. It's expected to get down near freezing tonight.
 
tm3308 said:
Regardless, Samardzija was a pretty solid prospect in baseball (fifth round pick in 40-round draft). Pretty much nobody but Derby ever saw him playing QB at the D-1 level. How many schools even recruited him as a QB, besides an Iowa program that was really only throwing him a bone. I saw him play in high school and never bought the idea of him playing QB. He was a great athlete, but he wasn't a good passer at even the high school level.

I have a tough time believing he looked much better in practices than he did when he did get to play QB after he transferred.
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Well by no means am I going to argue that it's the perfect analogy... Few rarely are. I can't remember what all schools Derby had offers from but it was alot and I bet most would have let him come as a QB initially then "ask" him to switch depending on how that went. If Derby would have been even close to what Rudock was passing wise his size and athleticism would have made him an intriguing player. I think Rudock beat him out in the class room and video room as much as if not more so then the practice field. When they were behind Vandenberg they weren't getting many reps in practice... And we all know how reluctant Ferentz is at pulling qbs for any reason so once Derby saw that writing on the wall he wanted to see if he could do it somewhere else. Derby had a good enough year at Coffeyville to get offered to play QB at Arkansas and I believe another school or two were wanting him as a QB too even at that time... Tebow wasn't a great college passer either but big athletic qbs will get a look and are better fits in certain programs. Food for thought here with the group Nathan Chandler had would Derby have been able to had success?....
 
When he left I said that only an idiot thinks he could be a great qb. He's an elite athlete but not a qb. I said that he's making a huge mistake by trying to be something that he's not. A few db's disagreed and said that Ferentz is stupid for not taking advantage of an athletic qb. To all those idiots, you are wrong, I am right. Go F yourself in the A. You're wrong, I'm right. The end.
 
gohawkz said:
When he left I said that only an idiot thinks he could be a great qb. He's an elite athlete but not a qb. I said that he's making a huge mistake by trying to be something that he's not. A few db's disagreed and said that Ferentz is stupid for not taking advantage of an athletic qb. To all those idiots, you are wrong, I am right. Go F yourself in the A. You're wrong, I'm right. The end.
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dude, why are you being so cryptic? just come out and say what you mean.
 
Why is it that so many of us admit to being young and dumb and we try to teach young people but in the history of mankind every person seems to think they are the exception to this.
 
Hawkfnntn said:
He wasn't Mark Pryor coming out of college... He wasn't a no doubt a bout it getting huge money contract right away kind of guy. He worked his way through the minors and even when he got to the bigs he wasn't what he is now even. There were plenty of surprised people that he picked baseball over football. He was going to be a 1st round pick in football.

He really didn't play enough to know how good or bad he was. We assume he was bad because he didn't win the starting job? OK I guess to each their own way of measuring good and terrible.. I don't think Beathard is terrible and time will tell if he plays...
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Samardzija signed a 5 year, $7.25 million deal with the Cubs prior to his senior year at ND. I'd say that's pretty life changing money and it was all guaranteed. Most NFL money is not guaranteed, the chance for career ending injury is much higher and the average career is about 3.5 years. He'll be able to play 15 years in baseball and make a ton more money than he ever would have in football. Not to mention if he had failed at baseball, he still could have given football a run. Wonder if Bo Jackson ever wishes he would have just stuck with baseball?
 
Bluesman said:
Samardzija signed a 5 year, $7.25 million deal with the Cubs prior to his senior year at ND. I'd say that's pretty life changing money and it was all guaranteed. Most NFL money is not guaranteed, the chance for career ending injury is much higher and the average career is about 3.5 years. He'll be able to play 15 years in baseball and make a ton more money than he ever would have in football. Not to mention if he had failed at baseball, he still could have given football a run. Wonder if Bo Jackson ever wishes he would have just stuck with baseball?
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And theres no doubt the money and it being guaranteed having alot to do with his decision making too. In Bos day I don't remember if the money was as different between the sports for a superstar like him. But he was a guy who played both cause he LOVED both. I think Bama didn't want him to play baseball and Auburn was more then fine with it and that was a big part of what lead him there. I'm sure he's been asked what if he'd have picked either one or the other I can't say I've heard his answer. I'm sure it's a politically correct one we'd all expect. But he certainly marched to his own drum and did what he wanted to.
 
He really loved his time in Des Moines, I think he bought a loft downtown and can't wait to come back.
 
He could be an NFL linebacker right now making money but instead he's a 3rd string redshirt senior tight end on a team that didn't win a conference game last year.

no-ragrets.jpg
 
Hawkfnntn said:
And theres no doubt the money and it being guaranteed having alot to do with his decision making too. In Bos day I don't remember if the money was as different between the sports for a superstar like him. But he was a guy who played both cause he LOVED both. I think Bama didn't want him to play baseball and Auburn was more then fine with it and that was a big part of what lead him there. I'm sure he's been asked what if he'd have picked either one or the other I can't say I've heard his answer. I'm sure it's a politically correct one we'd all expect. But he certainly marched to his own drum and did what he wanted to.
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Thing with Bo was that he injured his hip playing football and that injury basically ruined his baseball career too. Ran with a limp after that and was never the same athlete. If he had just stuck with baseball, he probably could have been cashing huge checks for 15 years.
 
Hawkfnntn said:
It's easy for any of us to sit here and say see and I told you so but it's not our life either. Because one is good at something or probably would be doesn't mean they have as must interest in it as they do something else. Look at Jeff Smardzija... It just so happened things worked out for him as a pitcher. I'm sure alot of people wanted him to play football instead. Now I don't know if he loves baseball more then football anymore then I know if Derby loved playing QB more then any other position but he went with that and it's worked out pretty well for him. In some cases like in Derbys it hasn't. Maybe he will for a lack of a better word "regret" trying to play Qb for as long as he did and transfer away from Iowa or maybe he'll look at it that he took a swing at what he loved and it just didn't work out. He clearly loved the idea of playing QB more then he did wearing he tiger hawk playing another position. I doubt I'd feel that way in his shoes but since I never was or will be in his shoes I won't begrudge him for it.
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It is tough for fans to accept that the players on their team or the recruits their team is after don't want to do things in the exact way that would be best for their team. These student-athletes are not students to us, and they are almost not even athletes to us. They are really pawns in the game we all play of wanting our team to be the best it can be.

In many cases we don't care about them. We don't care if they are happy playing one position if our team wants them to play another. We don't care if they stay at our school if we recruit a guy over them that is better. But then we whine when a guy wants to leave our program when it looks like he might not get any real playing time until he is a senior, and there are no guarantees that he would play then.

But he is an idiot or a quitter in the minds of so many for leaving to go someplace to try to get more playing time. I am amazed that people will post that when they do these things they are foolish and they will regret doing so. It is like you can read their mind. Some people talk like it is a lack of character because they made a commitment and now they are leaving. Those fans act like they never left one job for another on their own decision to get something better. It would be a good life lesson if they stayed. It is ALWAYS A MISTAKE when they leave. And why would ANYONE want to leave the school that we all love?

And by the way, scholarships are renewed yearly.

I'm just saying...
 
If things work out for him at TE - that's great. He can look back and be satisfied. He took his shot at QB and still had time to learn a position for the NFL. Sounds like things still have a chance to work out really well for him. I don't begrudge him.
 
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