It can't be easy being Greg Paulus

I spent four years watching Greg Paulus fall down on the basketball court.

It's called a flop .

There was at least one every game.

So you can imagine my surprise when I saw Paulus refuse to flop (or even get tackled) on Syracuse's opening possession of Saturday's overtime, and it was that decision to scramble and scramble and finally throw the ball into coverage that ultimately ruined his debut as a Syracuse football player after four seasons as a Duke basketball player. Had Paulus simply taken a sack, Syracuse would've kicked a field goal and probably gone to a second overtime. As it was, Paulus tossed an interception, at which point Minnesota took the ball, kicked a field goal and escaped the Carrier Dome with a 23-20 victory.

Honestly, it was tough to watch.

No college player has been ridiculed more in recent years than Paulus -- partly because he played at Duke, mostly because he always seemed to get dunked on . People just love to laugh at him. And so thousands (if not millions) of sports fans who wouldn't otherwise care about a Minnesota-Syracuse game paid special attention to this Minnesota-Syracuse game, and through four quarters Paulus gave them nothing to mock. In fact, he was quite impressive -- completing 19 of 31 passes for 167 yards and a touchdown. But the way it ended is all anybody will remember, and that's too bad because it would've been nice for Paulus to earn praise for leading his hometown school to a win over a Big Ten program.

Instead, he threw the pick that lost the game.

And now I'm making flop jokes.

And don't you feel kind of badly for the guy?

Actually Gary I feel badly for you. Greg Paulus has more class in his little finger than you can claim in your entire body. This article is a sophmoric attempt to belittle somone who has the athleticism and ability to be out on the Duke court or inside the Syracuse Dome, what have you ever done that could compare..... I thought not. Grow up, get a life and maybe someday you can actually become a journalist and be maligned like Bud Poliquin in the Syracuse Post Standard also.

It can't be easy being Greg Paulus

Sure, I feel badly for Greg Paulus. His desire to be a great teammate, his desire to win, his desire to lead his team to where they want to go, along with his work ethic and his ability make him a fascinating personality. It's natural for many to want him to do well. It's like watching success unfold before your eyes. If my kid plays with the heart of Greg Paulus, I'll smile all day long.

Sure, I feel bad for Gary Parrish. His desire to be, well, an internet sports blogger, his desire to be more poignant that the average beer drinking middle class American, and his preference for tearing down instead of building up make him a frogettable personality. It would be strangely unique to find someone that cared to emulate him. It's like watching reality TV. If my kid ever rests on his bloggable negative opinions to seek success, I'll cringe all day long. (But I'd still love him anyway.)

The difference being that I feel bad for Greg Paulus because I can see it hurts him to let his teammates down and I know that he'll put it on his shoulders, stand up and come right back. I feel bad for Gary Parrish because I can see that while he has no teammates to care about, he won't take responsibility for his less than journalistic approach and unfortunately, like a cockroach, he also will come right back.

It can't be easy being Greg Paulus

Paulus has asked for every bit of ridicule he got. And now he's asking for more. It's not just a coincidence or accident that he is mocked. Never has there been a player who so often played the victim (charges, groin kicks, etc) only to find out by the beauty of replay that there was no contact at all or that he in got the first lick or that his reaction was grossly exaggerated. People like that just aren't liked.

By the way, my recollection is that he's lucky he didn't get picked very early in the game. There were a couple of passes that were in and out of Minnesota defender's hands.

Justlovetalent Reputation: 83 Level: All-Star Since: May 14, 2008	Posted on: September 5, 2009 5:39 pm Score: 90 It can't be easy being Greg Paulus Gary, this entry was wholly unnecessary. I mean, come on. The kid played a good game and almost led a terrible team past a decent Big10 opponent. If you actually felt bad for him, you wouldn't have written this demeaning article. It was his first NCAA football game EVER. Give it a rest Gary. [ Reply to Comment ]
big_red01027 Reputation: 98 Level: Superstar Since: Feb 19, 2007	Posted on: September 5, 2009 5:42 pm Score: 68 It can't be easy being Greg Paulus And don't you feel kind of badly for the guy?No. [ Reply to Comment ]
NumberCruncher Reputation: 80 Level: All-Star Since: Sep 27, 2006	Posted on: September 5, 2009 6:04 pm Score: 120 It can't be easy being Greg Paulus Actually Gary I feel badly for you. Greg Paulus has more class in his little finger than you can claim in your entire body. This article is a sophmoric attempt to belittle somone who has the athleticism and ability to be out on the Duke court or inside the Syracuse Dome, what have you ever done that could compare..... I thought not. Grow up, get a life and maybe someday you can actually become a journalist and be maligned like Bud Poliquin in the Syracuse Post Standard also. [ Reply to Comment ]
districtfan Reputation: 85 Level: All-Star Since: Sep 4, 2006	Posted on: September 5, 2009 6:12 pm Score: 17 It can't be easy being Greg Paulus Seconded [ Reply to Comment ]
coachdonovan Reputation: 10 Level: Amateur Since: Feb 17, 2009	Posted on: September 5, 2009 8:25 pm Score: 43 It can't be easy being Greg Paulus i saw the headline and thought for a moment that GP was going to defend Paulus. but then i watched those two youtube clips. brilliant. well played, sir. [ Reply to Comment ]
uoffloyalist Reputation: 49 Level: Rookie Since: Jan 24, 2008	Posted on: September 5, 2009 9:31 pm Score: 6 It can't be easy being Greg Paulus well put. Unnecessary article! [ Reply to Comment ]
Fishstick Reputation: 99 Level: Superstar Since: Mar 9, 2007	Posted on: September 6, 2009 2:39 am Score: 97 It can't be easy being Greg Paulus I don't feel sorry for him, I feel sorry for Syracuse fans. I wasn't at Syracuse's training camp, but I just can't imagine that a guy that hadn't even played football for 4 years could possibly be your best chance for success. [ Reply to Comment ]
kbuddkev Reputation: 99 Level: Superstar Since: Aug 22, 2006	Posted on: September 6, 2009 8:57 am Score: 123 It can't be easy being Greg Paulus Sure, I feel badly for Greg Paulus. His desire to be a great teammate, his desire to win, his desire to lead his team to where they want to go, along with his work ethic and his ability make him a fascinating personality. It's natural for many to want him to do well. It's like watching success unfold before your eyes. If my kid plays with the heart of Greg Paulus, I'll smile all day long. Sure, I feel bad for Gary Parrish. His desire to be, well, an internet sports blogger, his desire to be more poignant that the average beer drinking middle class American, and his preference for tearing down instead of building up make him a frogettable personality. It would be strangely unique to find someone that cared to emulate him. It's like watching reality TV. If my kid ever rests on his bloggable negative opinions to seek success, I'll cringe all day long. (But I'd still love him anyway.) The difference being that I feel bad for Greg Paulus because I can see it hurts him to let his teammates down and I know that he'll put it on his shoulders, stand up and come right back. I feel bad for Gary Parrish because I can see that while he has no teammates to care about, he won't take responsibility for his less than journalistic approach and unfortunately, like a cockroach, he also will come right back. [ Reply to Comment ]
firepacker Reputation: 80 Level: All-Star Since: Mar 23, 2008	Posted on: September 6, 2009 12:12 pm Score: 106 It can't be easy being Greg Paulus Paulus has asked for every bit of ridicule he got. And now he's asking for more. It's not just a coincidence or accident that he is mocked. Never has there been a player who so often played the victim (charges, groin kicks, etc) only to find out by the beauty of replay that there was no contact at all or that he in got the first lick or that his reaction was grossly exaggerated. People like that just aren't liked. By the way, my recollection is that he's lucky he didn't get picked very early in the game. There were a couple of passes that were in and out of Minnesota defender's hands. [ Reply to Comment ]
Yankeebball Reputation: 88 Level: All-Star Since: Jun 19, 2007	Posted on: September 6, 2009 3:29 pm Score: 38 It can't be easy being Greg Paulus Gary, I guess you were trying to be funny with this article. Wow, what a miss. [ Reply to Comment ]

Gary Parrish

Parrish: The Thoughts