Sports Agent Corner: Gary Glick on Marlon Lucky, the policy of the Army, and the BCS

The Sports Agent Corner will be a bi-weekly feature here at Dallas Sports Fans featuring Dallas-based sports agent Gary Glick, who is the President and Founder of Synergy Sports Inc., and, at least this year, a profoundly sad Texas A&M fan. Gary Glick has worked recently with former Big 12 standouts Maurice Purify, Marcellus Rivers, and Dwayne Blakely.

We started the Sports Agent Corner over at Midwest Sports Fans, but now that DSF is up and running, it makes a lot more sense being here.

Dallas Sports Fans: Are you a proponent of the BCS or in favor of a playoff?

Gary Glick: Hell yes to a playoff.

This year more than any I recall seems to support a playoff. It’s a shame that part of the ranking system seems to be based on the timing of a team’s loss. There are some very good “1-loss” teams this year that will get no chance to play for a Championship including USC and the University of Texas (as an Aggie I cant believe I am saying that).

It might be different if EVERY other level of college football did not have a working playoff system. It also seems to make financial sense if you look at the success of the NCAA basketball playoffs (March Madness).

DSF: How has the new coaching staff at Nebraska, led by Bo Pellini, affected Marlon Lucky this season?

Gary Glick: The first thing to say is that Coach Pelini has made huge strides in his first season taking Nebraska to a Bowl game. From an outsider’s perspective, it didn’t seem that Marlon Lucky was utilized as well as his talents would have warranted. Marlon is a quick, tough RB with great hands out of the backfield. He definitely has NFL talent. I know it is tough for a good RB to alternate or to “ride the pine” because most say they have to get into a groove and actually get better as the game goes on and the defenses weaken.

On the other hand, at the end of the season, Marlon Lucky had an injury which may have contributed to the lack of playing time.

DSF: Do you think Texas Tech head coach Mike Leach made a good decision to stay at Texas Tech?

Gary Glick: From a personal standpoint, he is a coach I love to hate. He also gives some of the best interviews of any coach in the nation, so if he left he would be missed.

He is a hero in Lubbock and with the right contract, he may be satisfied to stay and try to make Tech into a National Champion; although recruiting in Washington would seem less competitive than competing for recruits against UT, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, etc…

DSF: What are your thoughts on the return of Pacman Jones to the Cowboys?

Gary Glick: I was against him going to the Cowboys in the first place and I was even more against his return. I remember the Cowboys as America’s Team and although not perfect, they had kind of a clean image. In any sport, but especially with the Cowboys, I hate to see the “win at all costs” mentality. As I have said in the past, I believe everyone deserves a second chance but Pacman has had 13 brushes with the law in the short time he has been in the NFL including the latest incident which got him suspended…AGAIN. If a team owner has to hire guards (babysitters) to make sure a player doesn’t get into trouble, that would seem to indicate a problem.

The Cowboys have a core of really good, clean players on defense. I have listened to them on various sports talk shows and they seem to be REAL people that stay out of trouble. I was hesitant about the decision the Cowboys made to sign Tank Johnson but he really seems to have turned it around. Pacman on the other hand has been given enough chances.

DSF: What are your thoughts on the army’s policy concerning players being forced to serve and not play upon graduation?

Gary Glick: First, I am a big proponent of the Army as my cousin in Alabama, Brent Williford, has served two tours in Iraq. Clearly, the players who are in the Army know the policies of the Army before they sign. It is a requirement to give a certain period of time as a commitment to the Army for paying for school, etc. All of that is understood and as long as the policy is consistent, there is no problem.

With that being said, as you know, I represent Owen Tolson, the Punter for Army who was sensational and invited to the NFL Combine. During the time we were working with Owen Tolson, we were informed by the Army that for these players, their “Army commitments” could be served during the off-season by serving as Army recruiters.

With this information, Owen trained every day, was successful in a College Senior All Star game, and was made offers by the Giants and the Lions and seemed to be headed for success. Likewise, Caleb Campbell, a Safety for Army, was signed by the Detroit Lions.

Apparently, during all of this, the Army changed the policy or interpreted it differently and required both players to serve out their two year commitments, thereby giving up any hopes of the NFL for at least 2 years.

Personally, I was outraged because these two young players had worked their butts off based on the Army’s representations they would be allowed to play. It seems like the fair thing to do was to “Grandfather” these players in and allow them to play and to serve the Army in the capacity they were told they’d be allowed to. The Army could then enforce the policy from 2008 forward.

What do you think?

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(If you would like to view past Sports Agent Corner posts with Gary Glick, hop on over to the Sports Agent Corner page at Midwest Sports Fans. Eventually we’ll get all of those posts over here.)