Ivy League Magic – The Catapano Prophecies
Every year for me there is a long shot player on our team that I just have a feeling about. A player that to most fans would be an after thought. For the most part, I’ve been burned. A few years ago that player for me was Brad Cottam and he actually started his career off well. He had the hands and the size that had me convinced that we had finally found Tony Gonzalez’s replacement. For awhile, it seemed as if my prophecy would be fulfilled and all would have to bask in the glory that is Jeff Grasser. I was wrong. Cottam’s career was derailed by a spine injury from which he would never recover and to this day, we have yet to find our tight end of the future. However, something tells me this time it will be different.
This year, the player that gives me that oh so familiar feeling is Mike Catapano. I hadn’t heard of Catapano before the draft. After the draft was completed and I was researching all of our picks, I was surprised to come to the conclusion that my very favorite pick was the very last pick. It’s rather uncommon these days for an Ivy League player to make the leap to the NFL. It’s even more uncommon for said player to stick on a team and produce, but if you’ve watched Mike Catapano’s college tape, it’s no surprise that a team was able to find room for him. He has a swim move that would make Michael Phelps jealous. Lucky for us, the team that was willing to take that chance was our Kansas City Chiefs.
Catapano’s stats so far this year don’t appear to be very impressive. He has two tackles and one sack, although personally I think he should have one and a half but he wasn’t credited for an assist in Jacksonville. These stats don’t jump off the page but you have to keep in mind that he’s not a starter. He only gets a handful of snaps per game and he’s made the most of all of them. He’s had hurries, he’s had one sack, and he’s had two tackles. Maybe he’s a slow starter. Maybe he’s a late bloomer. Call it what you want. I’m hanging my hat on this kid. I believe he will continue to develop and maybe not this year, maybe not next year, but soon, I believe he will be a dominant starter.
I could back up this proclamation with stats and tape but as I said previously, this is a gut feeling call. I’ve been wrong before and I’ll be wrong again but I can never be right if I keep these things to myself. Besides, who doesn’t like to be right?
Do you agree? Do you think I’m crazy? Let me know in the comments section below and when next year rolls around, don’t forget to either remind me of my terrible prognostication or carry me through the streets on your shoulders for my incredible borderline psychic abilities. I prefer the latter.