WhiteOUt

This past week, with the NFL draft occupying most of my attention, I was so focused on all the Trojans being drafted, or the picks of the Dallas Cowboys, that I didn't even notice one man who was left OUt of the whole thing: former Sooner QB Jason White. White, a two-time title game loser was one of 16 Sooners who entered the draft, but he was not one of the 11 actually drafted.

Okay, maybe teams just weren't willing to gamble a draft pick on a prove choke-artist (and Sooner fans, don't disagree with me because if you're still in denial about the past TWO seasons' title games, you clearly can't be helped). Look at White's college stats, they are fantastic. But the stats don't show the two biggest collapses a player could have. As if that wasn't bad enough, what about the K-State game. Also a big-time choke-show!

Even USC backup QB Matt Cassel - who never started a game in his collegiate career - was drafted by the NFL Champs, the Patriots in the seventh round. Clearly, Cassel was seen as a better choice than White. I don't remember seeing Cassel choking in the Orange Bowl. Are you listening Jason?

Granted, I was pretty surprised to see White go undrafted, but not as surprised as I was to see that NFL teams were more impressed with career backups like Cassel (which is what he'll be doing for Tom Brady, so it's a perfect fit).

And don't get me wrong. It's not like I'm trying to rip on Cassel. Hell, he made it to the big show without ever taking a starting snap while at USC.

Isn't it amazing what three lousy loses will do to a guy? Just three loses of Jason White's collegiate career may have cost him a shot at the NFL. I'm sure someone will pick him up as an undrafted rookie, and - who knows - he may even go on to have a decent NFL career. But for those three loses, White is left with a lifetime of wondering "what if...?"