What Happens In High School Stays In High School

I’ve never liked Duke. Even before I went to UVa and the Blue Devils became a sworn rival in the ACC, they always annoyed me. Of course, when you think of Duke you think of their basketball team: the whitest team in the land that just scurries around like a bunch of naked mole rats and destroys you from the perimeter. And for three out of the last four years at least, the other thing that came to mind when thinking about Duke basketball was their fearless leader at the point: Gregory Russell Paulus.

Paulus and Goliath

As I’m sure you all know by now, Paulus was a former Gatorade high school football player of the year at Christian Brothers Academy in upstate New York, where he was a four-time all-state player, set six state passing records and was a starter in the U.S. Army All-American game. Christian Brothers was 42-3 during Paulus’ time there, and he had 11,763 career passing yards and 152 touchdown passes in 45 games. But obviously Greg was a basketball star as well and he decided to go that route instead.

The move makes sense from a lot of angles.

Paulus Takes Some Time To Talk To Dickie V During Pre Game Warm Ups

Basketball is a safer sport, especially for someone as fragile looking as Paulus (check him out on the right with Dickie V) and it seemed to be what he was more passionate about. Not to mention he had the opportunity to play ball at Cameron Indoor, which produces a top 5 or at least top ten team every year. His other options included Syracuse, Georgetown, Florida and the recently crowned NCAA champion UNC Tar Heels. Not too shabby. He had a football scholarship from Notre Dame, which has a lot of tradition but ironically not much Irish luck on the grid iron in recent years. He also had an offer from Miami, which features a downward spiraling program despite its impressive list of alumni.

On the flip side, the move also looks foolish on some levels since it’s much easier to pursue an NFL career than an NBA career. But when Paulus was recently interviewed he said he had no regrets and “wouldn’t change a thing.”

… Alright, Greg. Is that why you are trying to get into the NFL now? Because you don’t regret your decision? Because you’re not secretly bitter about being benched as a senior after dedicating your life to Duke Basketball and never winning the ultimate prize? From what I hear he was very mature about the situation and just did what he could to contribute. But let’s face it, the fact that he was benched was probably slowly eating away at him from the inside.

Don’t get me wrong, if I was a former Gatorade high school football player of the year and I still had a year of NCAA eligibility left I would absolutely try to get on a football squad. But will anything come of this? Probably not.

When I found out that the Green Bay Packers were giving Greg Paulus a tryout and it was confirmed that they were watching him throw passes I said to myself “What the hell are they thinking?”. Let’s skip the obvious flaw in this mastermind idea for a second and look at the big picture. This is a team that closed the door on a future hall of famer in Brett Favre who holds virtually every record in the book and was throwing touchdowns right around the same time little Greg was learning to use a big boy toilet. Does that not bother anyone else?

Paulus would get OBLITERATED on the football field if he joined now, no matter what level he played at. The sheer size difference between him and the oncoming freight train defensive end or linebacker would look something like this:

That Kid's Right Arm Looks Detached From The Rest Of His Body

He would win the punt, pass & kick tournament for the 13 year old age group he would be mistakenly enrolled in. That’s about it. I mean was Ted Thompson sitting in his office saying “Hmm well the Bears just got this Cutler fella so I’m gonna really pull out the big guns here and show them we have a new franchise quarterback of our own!”?  I love Green Bay for the history and its fans but this just makes no sense. Even if Paulus was being looked at as a receiver or defensive back, there are tons of players who actually played those positions in college and don’t make the practice squad on NFL teams. I feel like I’m watching a bad reality show.

Even his last football coach, Christian Brothers coach Joe Casamento, doubts him by saying “to play at the NFL level [Greg] might have to add 30 pounds”. Casamento also noted that “[Greg] could always throw it accurately and he’s a smart winner and a leader, but where now is the arm strength?” It’s like those old Wendy’s ads that said “Where’s The Beef?” except in this particular instance they are inquiring about the arm strength.

Greg must have realized that Green Bay was taking a puff of the funny stuff when they brought him in so he stepped back down to the college level and somehow got an interview with Rich Rodriguez in Ann Arbor. Now I know Michigan’s program has been down in the dumps a bit since the Appalachian State loss but I didn’t think it was this bad. I wouldn’t be surprised if schools with less sterling football programs took a chance with Paulus but when powerhouses like the Wolverines or NFL teams like the Pack bring someone like Paulus in I think it makes them look desperate.

Speaking of teams with less sterling football programs, Duke’s football coach David Cutliffe decided that after Paulus had already been to Green Bay and Ann Arbor, now might be a good time to offer him a tryout for the Blue Devils squad. Seriously? This is something the boneheaded Cutliffe should have done before those other two teams! And on top of that he came out today and said that “[Greg is] a quarterback at heart, but there was no way he [is] going to be able to compete and play quarterback for us”. That’s right, Cutliffe is only letting Paulus try out as an inside receiver… because that makes sense. The kid has thrown passes for an NFL team tryout and you won’t let him throw some for your poor excuse for a team that has gone 8-40 with two conference wins over the past 5 years? You have a chance to add a spark to your team who has no notable alumni in the past twenty years and you dismiss it at first glance? Can someone remind me why this guy has this job?

As much as I’d like to see Paulus follow the path of Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer and become only the 2nd Gatorade National High School Football Player of the Year who did not play football at the collegiate level and instead went pro in another sport, I don’t see that happening. So Greg, wherever you are, if you’re reading this, remember that what happens in high school stays in high school.