Mr. Irrelevant Punches Ticket to NFL
Tae Crowder has made the New York Giants’ 53-player roster. (Courtesy of the New York Giants)
Mr. Irrelevant 2020, University of Georgia linebacker Tae Crowder, is making himself relevant in the NFL.
While Irrelevant Week festivities were postponed this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, Crowder, the 255th and dead-last selection in the NFL draft, made the New York Giants’ 53-player roster.
The 6-foot-3, 245-pound Crowder’s NFL debut came Monday against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The 2019 Irrelevant Week honoree, tight end Caleb Wilson (UCLA), did not make the Arizona Cardinals’ roster after training camp last year and was re-signed to the practice squad. LSU wide receiver Trey Quinn, Mr. Irrelevant two years ago, made Washington’s roster in 2018, but suffered a high-ankle injury in the first game of the season and was placed on injured reserve. Quinn returned and caught nine passes for 75 yards and one touchdown in his rookie year.
Crowder was barely a three-star running back coming out of Harris County High in Hamilton, Ga. Originally committed to Georgia Southern, Crowder changed his commitment to UGA two days before national signing day when he got a call from former Georgia Coach Mark Richt.
A year later, after spending the 2015 campaign at running back and redshirting, Crowder made a position switch to inside linebacker.
Battling through Georgia’s depth chart, Crowder played one game in 2016, but became a key contributor in 2017 and ’18. In 2019, Crowder was an important component in the Bulldogs’ dominant defense, recording 29 solo tackles, four pass deflections, one fumble recovery and one touchdown.
He started all 14 games and finished second on the team with 62 total tackles. Crowder was a semifinalist for the Dick Butkus Award, given to the nation’s top linebacker.
“I’m an aggressive player, a disciplined player, a hard-working player and I like to make plays for the team,” Crowder said during a conference call after the draft. “I can play Sam (strong-side linebacker), I can play Will (weak side) and Mike (middle). I’m pretty good in coverage. I love to fit the run and I love to cover backs, too.”
Two of the most celebrated Mr. Irrelevant selections are Marty Moore (1994) and Ryan Succop (2009).
A linebacker out of Kentucky, Moore played eight seasons for the New England Patriots and Cleveland Browns. On Moore’s NFL résumé is having played in Super Bowl XXXI for New England, when Green Bay defeated the Patriots, 35-21, behind quarterback Brett Favre.
Irrelevant Week Founder and emcee/entertainer Paul Salata had a lot of fun with Succop (pronounced “suck up”) during Irrelevant Week 11 years ago. But Succop has enjoyed the last laugh and an All-Pro kicking career with the Tennessee Titans. Succop’s advise for Mr. Irrelevant honorees?
“I always tell the guys if you can laugh at yourself, which is important, you will have a great week,” Succop said. “I was a kicker with the last name Succop, so they had a lot of ammunition on me. If I can make it through, then you can, too.”
Salata, a former NFL player and Hollywood actor, started Irrelevant Week for the purpose of “doing something nice for someone for no reason.” Compared to today, in which 255 players are selected, there were nearly twice as many players drafted when Irrelevant Week began in 1976. It was rare for the last pick to make the team.
Irrelevant Week has donated more than $1 million to Orange County charities.
Originally written by Richard Dunn, a longtime sportswriter, writes the Dunn Deal column regularly for The Orange County Register’s weekly, The Coastal Current North.
The article can be found on www.ocregister.com