"The best offensive line prospect ever"

[gomezcat]

Oh dear....

http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1068312/index.htm

 

[Patsmaniac]

I thought Eugene Chung was the best Oline prospect ever!!!!!!!

I remember that issue on SI when it came out.

 

[JoePats]

I thought this was going to be a Dr Z comment about Jake Long or Brandon Albert.

 

[dryheat44]

I thought Eugene Chung was the best Oline prospect ever!!!!!!!

I remember that issue on SI when it came out.

Me too. I bought the hype. Possibly the biggest bust ever.

 

[IndyKen]

The Packers, when he came to camp, discovered his first step to the outside when pass blocking was too slow- speedy DE's got right by him.

 

[VJCPatriot]

Are you trying to imply that Jake Long will turn out like Tony Mandarich... or what could possibly be the point of digging up this old article now?

 

[gomezcat]

Are you trying to imply that Jake Long will turn out like Tony Mandarich... or what could possibly be the point of digging up this old article now?

"The point" is that it was on SI's website and it is a salutory lesson in not always believing the hype. Every year, we get a "can't miss prospect" and, plenty of times, that person misses by a long way.

 

[gomezcat]

Me too. I bought the hype. Possibly the biggest bust ever.

I remember a Football magazine which we had in the UK at the time called Touchdown. They talked about him and the stats that the SI article aludes to. I can't remember if Touchdown suggested that the guy might be too good to be true, but Mandarich has stuck with me ever since. When I see the hype surrounding Gholston, Chris or Jake Long, alarm bells start ringing. Of course, they could all turn out to be all pros and HOFs. So could the guy picked at #199.

 

[Water Boy]

Its interesting how often offensive linemen are labeled "can't miss" or "safest pick" in the draft. IMO the most hyped O-linemen since Mandrich was Robert Gallery. Even BB was in love with Gallery, but unlike Mandrich, Gallery was a mauler on the field in college. Its befuddling why he's been such a bust in the Pros so far.

 

[PATRIOT64]

Me too. I bought the hype. Possibly the biggest bust ever.

Maybe the biggest bust as an OL but overall Ryan Leaf sticks out to me as the biggest bust in NFL draft history

 

[Zeke_Mowatt]

Maybe the biggest bust as an OL but overall Ryan Leaf sticks out to me as the biggest bust in NFL draft history

Mirer? Kijana Carter? I'm sure there are lots more that are comparable to Leaf or Mandarich as over-hyped busts go. How about Marinovich? Tim Couch has to rank pretty high up there, and Cade McNown has to be close even though he was drafted a bit later...what about Klingler?

 

[VJCPatriot]

Does Brendan Albert = Tony Mandaraich? This guy was barely mentioned as a 2nd round pick, and now he's suddenly shot up the charts to a possible top 10 pick? Why all the hype, and is it justified?

 

[State]

Tony Mandarich was a freak who was more dominant than Jake Long was at rival Michigan. He used to abuse people. Jake Long buried and pancaked people: Mandarich did it, too, but 15 yards downfield. He could take a defensive linemen and take him for a ride to the sidelines.

Big difference: one of 'em was roiding to beat the band. So if the juice could have been legitimately taken by Mandarich, he could presumably been able to continue dominating.

My favorite memory of him off the field--he played in the 1988 Rose Bowl against another stellar OT, USC tackle Pat Harlow that we took in '91 (Michigan State won)--was threatening to fight Mike Tyson on the David Letterman Show for $20 million.

The guy was a gridiron g-d to those of us who watched him, though it was very likely enhanced by illegal steroids. Fast, explosive at 6'6" 330...come on, guys, who WOULDN'T have bought into this big bust?

 

[otis p. driftwood]

Tony Mandarich was a freak who was more dominant than Jake Long was at rival Michigan. He used to abuse people. Jake Long buried and pancaked people: Mandarich did it, too, but 15 yards downfield. He could take a defensive linemen and take him for a ride to the sidelines.

Big difference: one of 'em was roiding to beat the band. So if the juice could have been legitimately taken by Mandarich, he could presumably been able to continue dominating.

My favorite memory of him off the field--he played in the 1988 Rose Bowl against another stellar OT, USC tackle Pat Harlow that we took in '91 (Michigan State won)--was threatening to fight Mike Tyson on the David Letterman Show for $20 million.

The guy was a gridiron g-d to those of us who watched him, though it was very likely enhanced by illegal steroids. Fast, explosive at 6'6" 330...come on, guys, who WOULDN'T have bought into this big bust?

Didn't he pass 4-5 drug tests during his college career?

And didn't he get some weird beaver parasite disease from drinking bad water while hunting? He never really recovered from that.

He and his wife have opened up a photography biz

http://www.mandarichphotography.com/index.html