LeBron James Deserves Chance to Tackle Gridiron Dreams in the NFL
Miami Heat superstar LeBron James has always been described as a linebacker on the basketball court.
Imagine if he was actually a linebacker in the NFL.
On Tuesday, James asked ESPN's John Clayton via Twitter what the deadline was for teams signing free agents.
Of course, this tweet blew up throughout the Twittosphere, inciting grandiose visions of what kind of damage James could do with a full head of steam going in for the tackle.
Tweeted Alex Kennedy of HOOPSWORLD:
One of the reasons James is so dominant in the NBA is because he has the fluidity of a point guard, but the strength of a power forward. He's actually received a lot of criticism for not driving the lane enough or not developing a post move that could be deadly matched up against his smaller opponents.
On pure athleticism alone, James would be a hard linebacker to block or run away from. He has the speed, vision, strength and fluidity to actually be a pretty good linebacker...that is, if he spent years playing the game.
There have been crazier things NBA players have done in their spare time than try out for an NFL team. Heck, athletes in general have been known to go a little overboard. New England Patriots receiver Chad Ochocinco thought it would be a good idea to ride a bull in the offseason.
If James did decide to try out for an NFL team, I'm pretty sure the NBA would have some restrictions on that. I'm also pretty sure Pat Riley wouldn't appreciate it, either.
But the reality of the matter is that professional athletes get antsy when they are away from the game too long. We already saw a slew of arrests when the NFL was in lockout mode, as well as a slew of questionable tweets.
This may be one of the few times James has the time to give the NFL a gander. Not that he would be a success (I still have nightmares of Michael Jordan trying to play baseball), but it would be great to see what James would look like on a football field.
If this tweet blows up enough, we can start #FreeLeBronJames hashtags.
