Inside The Twitterbag: Clean Bill Of Health Hypothetical (Syracuse Football)

Hypothetical scenario: if you could give any single athlete a clean bill of health for their career. Who do you choose and why? (Syracuse Football)

On this week’s roundtable we break down a discussion that started with our Senior Content/Entertainment Director at FanSided Michael Dunlap. He posed this question to the masses:

"“If you could give any single athlete a clean bill of health for their career. Who do you choose and why?”"

Here are the rules:

• It doesn’t have to be Syracuse related.
• Any sport is fair game.
• Have a convincing argument.

Paul A. Esden Jr.- Site Expert

Follow: @BoyGreen25

I’ll get things kicked off here. There have been so many players across a variety of sports who didn’t get to live out their full careers in their profession. While it’s tempting to pick fresh Pro Football Hall of Famer Terrell Davis. I won’t because despite only playing seven seasons, he still reached the highest honor in his sport.

So the player I want to pick is someone who won’t ever end up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but had the potential too. Excuse my fandom here of the New York Jets, but there’s a clear guy that fits this bill and that’s Chad Pennington.

Pennington played 11 seasons in the pros and finished with the highest completion percentage in NFL history. Since Drew Brees has taken over that ranking, but it’s worth mentioning. Pennington was never able to fully live up to his status as the first quarterback taken in the 2000 NFL Draft.

That’s because of his chronic shoulder issues which limited his arm strength. His best season came in 2002 with a 22:6, touchdown interception ratio. That’s conveniently the last time the Jets won the AFC East crown. It’s been a while and this guy is one of the classiest and nicest guys around. If anyone deserves this magical clean bill of health, it’s Pennington.

Josh Peelman- Contributor

Follow: @jnpmessenger

Personally, people may think I’m silly here because I’m going to choose a recent Syracuse player, but I would go back and give Terrel Hunt a clean bill.

He looked like a shining star in his time at Syracuse, but was constantly sidelined by injury. He

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could have been so much more, I truly believe that! He was getting better each year he played and probably had a future in the National Football League, but he never got the chance to really show that or develop his talent.

Also, had he been healthy, Syracuse Football may have been a different and better team than it is now. Hunt had the potential to be a star in college football and that could have led to wins. Wins lead to bowl games. In addition, going bowling consistently can lead to a changed culture and possibly better recruiting.

Hence the team we have now could have been better than it’s been over the last decade-plus. I believe the Orange would be a middle of the pack ACC team rather than an ACC bottom dweller. I truly believe that had Hunt stayed healthy, then Syracuse would have been bound for success and bowl games and hence better recruiting results. It’s hard to believe a player can have that much impact on a program, but in Syracuse’s case I think it’s true. The Orange need someone to shine through to lead them to a better future and provide hope. Players like Hunt could have done that, but injuries kept him from doing so.

Here’s what the fans had to say:

Zachary Weisleder- Contributor

Follow: @ZachWeisleder

Well I’ve got two names to throw into the ring. David Wright was voted into the All-Star game in seven out of eight years spanning from 2006-2013. Wright has won the Gold Glove Award and Silver Slugger Award twice.

Rightfully so, he became the fourth captain in New York Mets history, and earned the nickname many address him by today: “Captain America”. Lingering issues have resulted in Wright playing just 96 games in 2014, 2015, and 2016 combined. It is inevitable that he will be in the hall when all is said and done, but as an admirer of the game, it hurts to see such a valuable player suffer setback after setback.

While in a different sport, I’d have to go Derrick Rose. Following a remarkable 2011 MVP season, Derrick Rose’ career fell apart in 2012 when he tore his ACL during a game against Philadelphia in the playoffs. After missing the entirety of the 2012-2013 season, Rose tore his meniscus 10 games into the 2013-14 season, and his season was over before it started.

In the following season, Rose needed surgery in his knee after playing 51 regular season games, and although he was able to play well in the playoffs, he was quickly traded to the New York Knicks. After an encouraging stint with the Knicks, Rose has recently signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Due to injuries, Rose was never able to live up to his superstar potential, and you hate to see that.

Next: Syracuse Basketball: Top 30 Players in School History

Paul A. Esden Sr.- Contributor

My pick would have to be Troy Aikman, former quarterback for America’s team, the Dallas Cowboys. I would’ve loved to see what path his career would have taken without the concussions. He receives very little credit for being the general of the Cowboys dynasty of the 90’s. Seeing what impact he could have had with a different set of receivers and being able to play concussion free would be amazing, would the he have been able to extend the dynasty into the 2000s or would it have impacted his entry into the Pro Football Hall of Fame? I would have loved to find out.