Police blotters are riddled with the names of athletes, and it's not always a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Many of these wounds are self-inflicted with poor choices.
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Former Oklahoma quarterback Nate Hybl has often made good decisions. Unfortunately, he's been in the right place at the wrong time.
Hybl had two quality workouts with the Atlanta Falcons a couple of years ago, but nothing ever came of it. The Falcons already were set at quarterback with Dog Whisperer dropout Michael Vick and backup Matt Schaub.
The Falcons have since had a fallout at the position.
Schaub was dealt to the Houston Texans.
Vick copped a deal in federal court and is out of the league until further notice.
Backup D.J. Shockley is on injured reserve with a bum knee, which has catapulted underachieving Joey Harrington into the starting role, with vagabond Chris Redman as a backup.
No telling where Hybl might stand on the Atlanta depth chart had he shown up for those workouts this year.
"This would have been a good time to be a ‘body' in camp, because I would have had a heck of a chance,” Hybl said.
Right place at the wrong time.
After drawing paychecks from the Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars, Hybl retired from football and is now sales manager of a private business, a high-tech venture that earlier this week secured a $1.3 million project for a 25,000-square-foot home.
"Our business has a lot of sub-disciplines, but the principle is you walk in, push a button and a lot of things happen,” Hybl explained.
Hybl and former OU women's basketball player Stephanie Simon were married in Oklahoma City last April and now call Atlanta home.
While Stephanie is turning heads as a hot-shot new lawyer, Nate handles his business with a maturity beyond his 28 years — much like he did while leading the Sooners, despite armchair quarterbacks criticizing him with great fervor.
Hybl is no stranger to Georgia. He was raised there and excelled as one of the nation's top prep quarterbacks while playing for his father in Hazlehurst about 180 miles southeast of Atlanta.
More than a few friends have prodded Hybl to seek employment with the Falcons, given the current circumstances.
"I've had people around town say, ‘Why don't you go work out for them?' ” Hybl said Wednesday. "Most of them have no clue to what degree a professional athlete commits himself to a sport. You can't sit in the office, sip coffee, then jump out there and fit in. It is the elite of the elite.
"I could probably go out there and walk, talk and look like those quarterbacks for the first hour of practice. Then it would take its toll and my arm would fall off.”
Previous examples of Hybl being in the right place at the wrong time:
Right place: University of Georgia in 1998.
Wrong time: After a stint in minor-league baseball, Quincy Carter returned to become the Bulldogs' unquestioned starter.
Right place: Transferred to Oklahoma before 1999 season.
Wrong time: After a redshirt season, Hybl backed up Josh Heupel, who led the Sooners to the national championship. After becoming a starter, a battered and bruised Hybl served as a backup to eventual Heisman Trophy winner Jason White, but Hybl departed as Rose Bowl MVP.
Right place: Cleveland Browns in 2002-04.
Wrong time: The Browns made Tim Couch the top pick in the 1999 draft, selecting him way too soon and guaranteeing way too much money.
"I'm proud of what I accomplished,” Hybl said. "I could have done more, but I certainly could have done a lot less, too. There are several quarterbacks I feel I'm better than who have fallen into some situations that allowed them to play.”
On Tuesday, NFL teams trimmed their training camp rosters from 85 players to 75. On Saturday, they will trim to their 53-man rosters. On Sunday, they'll select eight members for their practice squad.
Hybl is well-versed in this ritual.
"I endured it four times,” Hybl said. "Sometimes I didn't endure. Sometimes I was a victim. It's brutal for so many reasons. It affects your family, your housing, your future.”
Come Saturday, the names of several former in-state players could be found on the NFL waiver wire.
"Sometimes you're a victim of circumstance,” Hybl said. "Sometimes you're a victim of politics. Sometimes you're a victim of business strategy. It's scary, and it's exciting.”
Hybl also faced the business decisions of Sooners coach Bob Stoops and former OU offensive coordinator Chuck Long.
"There were a lot of times when I walked up the stairs into coach Stoops' office or coach Long's office and was told some big news about my future as a Sooner,” Hybl said. "Equally, I've walked down the hallway to NFL management, which is a scary thought because it is a business and a lot more hangs in the balance. At that point, it's not about pride and school spirit and the weight of a state being on your shoulders.
"It's a lot more personal.”
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I agree with Daniel on this type of article & it's place. I disagree on his view of Hybl as just "average." Remember, a healthy Hybl, without all the weapons White had to work with the next two years, led OU to 12-2 record, #5 ranking, Big XII Champs, BCS Bowl winner, Rose Bowl MVP, and 24TD - 8Int season. He was a very good D-1 QB. Heupel & White were great D-1 QBs, & Thompson was a good D-1 QB.
Nate Hybl was an average Division I QB. This article is a feel good story about a former OU player. Who,like many in his position, took some undeserved critism. Personally, I liked the article, wouldn't want one everyday, but in small doses these "warm n' fuzzies" have a place, on the bench, but on the roster.
Umm Tim, I wasn't talking about an average. Reread it. I said they scored atleast 26 in EVERY SINGLE GAME. Jason White didn't do that either year. Neither did Heupel, Bomar or Thompson. Btw, if Nate doesn't chip his colar bone, Jason White doesn't become the starter in 2001. People forget how well Hybl played in 2002 & that he was playing hurt in 2001 from the KSU game on. Btw, Nate's toughness took OU to that 38-37 victory over KSU in 2001.
Umm Jeff are you forgetting Jason White's 1st and 2nd Senior years... I believe the scoring those 2 years exceeds any avg while Hybl was the starter. Hybl's a great guy, and talented He just seemed a bit indecisive at times. He wouldn't have gotten a single start after the Texas game his Junior year, if Jason Whites knee injuries hadn't happened.
How bout "Right place, right time, right girl" as a title for this article? His path led him to his wife here in Oklahoma. I personally know the Simon family and he got a great one in Stephanie!
Facts? Here are the facts: In 2002, with Hybl at QB, OU never scored fewer than 26 points in any game. No other OU QB has done remotely that well. All the others guided offenses that sputtered at points in a season. Not Nate Hybl. With more consistent defensive play, that team challenges for the MNC. Nate was a heck of a lot better than most ever give him credit for.
I'm not critical of him. I'm critical of the paper for still haveing stories about him. I said he was a good person, not good enough quarterback. The facts hurt, and I never said I could do better.
yeah and im sure you two guys can complete a 15yd out right? get off his back, he was a good QB on a great team. he was name Rose Bowl ( "the grand daddy of them all"). the only roses u guys have ever sniffed was the ones you bought on Valentines Day. Hybl was a lot better QB than some Super Bowl winners, not notably rex grossman and trent dilfer. im sure if he was on that tampa or chicago team they still would have one, heck, he might even have made more plays than those guys. how about we stop being critical of him and thank him for his time here. after all, he is an alum of our beloved OU!
Instead of "right place, wrong time" this article should have been titled "good person, not good enough quarterback, but I played on a good OU team so I'm still getting articles written about me in the Daily OU".
Here we go with wonderful Hybl talk again. If only he could have been with the Falcons now that they have lost three QB's and he might have made their roster as a 3rd string QB if no more than 3 QB's were brought in. Look at the numbers before and after Hybl. He was a mediocre QB. I'm sure a fine human being, which is more important, but stop telling me he was a good QB. I know he made it further that Heupel & White in the NFL. I believe that was because of a bad elbow and two bad knees, not because he was better.
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