From Whom Much is Given, Much is Required

The full verse, from The American Standard Version of the Bible, Luke 12:48, reads "And to whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required: and to whom they commit much, of him will they ask the more." What this means is that if you have a lot, God expects you to give a lot back, and if someone gives you a lot, as a payment, not as a gift, then they have a right to expect a lot in return. This is not a religious dissertation, but with the National Football League Draft having just concluded, there are a lot of young men who now fit into the category of soon to be given much, which means that the givers will be expecting biog things from them in return.

University of Oklahoma Quarterback Sam Bradford was selected by the St. Louis Rams with the top pick in the draft. There is every likelihood that Bradford will be given every opportunity to win the starting QB job with the Rams, which means that they will be expecting immediate dividends from their investment, as Bradford will be paid more money than any selection from this year´s draft. University of Texas QB Colt McCoy was not selected until the middle of the third round of the draft, which means that much less will be immediately expected from McCoy that will be from Bradford. The biggest mystery of the draft, among football "experts", is the first round drafting by the Denver Broncos of University of Florida Quarterback Tim Tebow.

Tebow´s abilities as a "true" quarterback have been questioned by everyone who feels that they know something about football, but the drafting of Tebow by the Broncos seemed even more odd, as they had just made deals in the offseason to acquire two young quarterbacks who expected to be competing for the starting position; former Chicago Bears starter Kyle Orton and former Cleveland Browns starter Brady Quinn. Drafting Tebow, especially in the first round means that he is guaranteed a certain, albeit yet to be determined, amount of money and the Broncos will be expecting some sort of return on their investment.

Perhaps the most intriguing turn of events during draft weekend was the trade by the Oakland Raiders that allowed them to obtain QB Jason Campbell from the Washington Redskins. Combined with the acquisition of former Baltimore Ravens starting QB Kyle Boller and the effectiveness as a starter of current Raider QB Bruce Gradkowski, these moves would seem to signal the end of the road as a Raider QB for former first overall draft pick JaMarcus Russell. Russell was taken at the top of the 2007 NFL Draft, paid an extraordinary amount of money, with some $30 million of it being guaranteed, and has thus far failed to live up to the expectations that come with such a lofty position and salary.

The sad part of the JaMarcus Russell saga is the fact that I appeared at times as if he was indifferent to his plight. Sometimes, he would blame others for his failure and other times he would seem as if there was something else that he would rather be doing. Russell is a very talented athlete, but there have been many very talented athletes who were not able to succeed in the National Football League.

"And to whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required: and to whom they commit much, of him will they ask the more." With Russell, much has been given, but very little has been given in return, and since the Oakland Raiders have committed much to Russell, they have the right to ask a lot from him, just as the Rams have the right to ask a lot from Bradford, and the Broncos have the right to ask a lot from Tebow, even though there are two other capable quarterbacks seemingly ahead of him.

Many of the young men who were selected during the 2010 NFL Draft, particularly the later round picks, will not have very much expected of them and any production will be welcomed by their new employers. However, for those who were selected at the top of the draft, and will sign the big money deals, they should remember that their teams are expecting, not just good performances, but performances befitting of the faith, trust, and money that they have invested in them. Occasionally, there will be investments that will not pan out, but, just as in the case of JaMarcus Russell, these new NFL players will be given every chance to sink or swim, and one swimming ceases to be an option, they will be cast aside for someone who is willing, able, or both, to give the teams what they expected from their former employees.