I feel bad for Ted Ginn, Jr.

Holy cow. Recruited as a defenseman, then a #3 SR, then a #1 WR. Fastest feet in the Big Ten.

Set the conference record for punt return TDs. Would have set the record for kickoff TDs, had it not been for several controversial calls on some of his kickoff return TDs.

On most occasions… opposing teams kicked toward the sidelines so that he wouldn’t return the ball. And he still beat the Big Ten record.

And those are just his return skills. As a WR… well, the best defenses in CFB (Texas, Fla, Michigan) found it necessary to double him, and even then he managed to come in second in the Big Ten for receiving TDs.

He returns. He runs great routes. He covers. He’s even played QB, with a TD pass (or run) each time he’s taken the snap. The best all-around player and CFB athlete in Big Ten history.

He ran the opening kickoff for a TD in the national championship game, on the nation’s biggest stage. You all saw it.

After college, he works out for the scouts and takes the boot off of his broken foot to run a 4.35!!

So when Cam Cameron takes him in the first round, the bandwagon Dolphin fans boo?!?

To make matters worse, ESPN fans the flames by repeatedly denouncing the pick on ESPNRadio as the worst in the draft?

Here’s the reality, folks: No matter what ND fans, or folks that bow at the altar of Charlie Weis, or SportsCenter groupies think, the people that know about football know that Quinn is a very risky proposition. He’s either the next Peyton Manning or the next Tim Couch. Most NFL teams are getting gunshy about making those types of gambles.

Late last week it became clear that Brady’s people knew he was slipping. Quinn went into “PR mode,” and started showing up with perfectly coiffed hair anywhere there was a camera present. That usually doesn’t happen to players that are going high. Something about Quinn spooked half of the NFL, and his people were in damage control mode all week.

So the Dolphins decide to play the odds, and select the player that has the best odds of impacting the team in a positive manner. They invested in the mutual funds of Ginn, while avoiding the craps tables of Quinn. Who could blame them?

Ginn will be a good NFL player. Will.

Quinn might be a good NFL QB. Might.

The Dolphins did nothing wrong. Even if Quinn turns into the next incarnation of Unitas, Miami will have done nothing wrong. IMO, he wouldn’t have fit into Miami’s scheme that well anyway.

Don’t get me wrong about Quinn: we at MotSaG have been rough on him at times, but we’re all from C-bus, and have been following him since high school here. We’re pleased that he’s coming home to Ohio to be a professional. It will be exciting to see if he can put that mediocre college career at ND behind him.

But back to feeling sorry for Ginn. It’s so sad that so many folks have let ESPN fool them into thinking that he was a bad choice. He’ll never win those fans over. He’ll be booed every time he takes the field, and that’s terrible.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: ESPN is doing to sports what MTV did to music.

Miami: Here’s what you’re getting.

(And keep in mind this video only covers his sophomore and first game or two of his junior year.) My favorite part of this clip is around the 4:00 mark (the OSU/IU clip), when Ginn – from a complete stop – slices through and blows by a pack of galloping defenders for the TD. That’s your speed, folks.

Thanks for the memories, Ted(dy). So long, fella.