I thought they would have had a better career...

Trent Richardson ... was considered a good character guy and a weight room warrior at Alabama. It's almost as if he quit working out the minute the ink dried on his first NFL contract.

 

NFL quarterbacks...I don't even bother reading stories about "the next great NFL QB" since so few even get to journeyman/game manager level.

 

Much of his earlier stuff is awesome, mainly American History X, Rounders, Fight Club, Keeping the Faith, and 25th Hour. I even liked Death to Smoochy.

But I thought he really fell off a cliff after that. I liked The Illusionist and Birdman, but that's about it. I guess the Hulk remake was fine for what it was, too.

 

Also coaches. Hard to believe, for example, that Eric Mangini reached the playoffs in his first year as a head coach and was known as "Mangenius."

 

Chip Kelly

 

Wasn't he also the lawyer in "Larry Flynt"?

 

J.C. Watts falls in this category too. As a college football star, African-American Republican and staunch conservative, he seemed to be a rising star, then he retired from Congress and hasn't been heard from nationally since.

 

Anthony Kim

Adrien Brody

 

For athletes, Gregg Jefferies really comes to mind first. As a child of the late 1980s, the hype was huge as he came through the Mets minor league system. Then he had that amazing debut in 1988 sending kids across America searching for his rookie card.

And then, he never really delivered. He was a good player, but never came close to the hype and potential that was predicted.

 

I have to amend this. I, personally, did not think he would have a better career.
Based on the hype surrounding his entre into the NFL, it seemed as if many people expected him to have a better career.

 

This isn't exactly the same thing, but I would've loved to see how big Brandon Lee could've been, had he lived.

 

I thought he would be a top-tier NFL running back.