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CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) – When do you give up on your dreams?
That’s a personal decision for each one of us.
What young boy didn’t at least at some point in their childhood dream of being an astronaut? What young girl didn’t fancy herself a ballerina? Yet most of us have never gone into orbit or danced Swan Lake. Our childhood whimsies gave way to more practical goals.
I’m thinking today of Packers third-string quarterback Clayton Tune.
Let’s stipulate for a moment that he is an exceptional football player. Anyone who gets a paycheck as an athlete is elite at what they do. There are baseball players who toiled in the minor leagues for years and never make a big-league roster. I assure you that they have skills to hit, throw and catch that you and I don’t. As for Clayton the quarterback, there are only 32 starting NFL QBs. Another 40 or 50 or so guys are back-ups or practice squad players. And they’re the chosen ones… who earn a paycheck out of all the college football quarterbacks who are doing something else.
Clayton Tune got two emergency starts in the NFL. One was last Sunday for the Packers. His teams scored only 3 points in those two games.
Last week Clayton was protected by an offensive line where 4 of the 5 starters were also back-ups or practice squad guys. He completed only 6 passes and was sacked 4 times.
He was cut by the Packers on Tuesday. Interest from other NFL teams will be minimal.
He’s 26 – old for a rookie. He has a college degree in finance. Perhaps he could find a spot in the XFL or the arena football league. Or, perhaps, he’s taken his football career as far as it can go. That’s a difficult and person decision. I wanted to be an astronaut once.
Chris Conley
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