Tweets from LeBron James create stir about him playing in NFL

CLEVELAND - Perhaps the only way that LeBron James could win back his former Cleveland fans is if he decided try his hand at football, join the Cleveland Browns and lead the franchise to Super Bowl glory.

Well, even that might not be enough.

But with LeBron out of commission because of the ongoing NBA lockout, NFL fans across the country have floated the idea of LeBron joining the league. The Miami Heat star added fuel to that talk on Tuesday when he sent a tweet to ESPN reporter John Clayton inquiring about the deadline for NFL teams to sign free agents.

Clayton responded to LeBron that free agents can sign until the last team is eliminated, and LeBron then continued the banter with Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, saying that the NFL rookie minimum is more than he’s making now because of the NBA lockout.

LeBron also tweeted to Carroll that he considers himself a “TD maker for sure.”

In reality, the tweets are just LeBron having a little fun, but they come a week after LeBron suited up for football practice at his old stomping grounds Akron St. Vincent St. Mary, where he was an all-state wide receiver before focusing only on basketball.

And with the NBA season in jeopardy because of the lockout, the idea of LeBron to the NFL seems just a little more (but still incredibly unlikely) likely.

This isn’t the first time that LeBron’s potential as an NFL player has been discussed.

LeBron floated the idea himself in a 2008 State Farm commercial where he dreamed about suiting up for the Cleveland Browns and leading them to a Super Bowl title.

Plus, the success of former basketball player Antonio Gates lends support to the idea that some hoops stars can make the transition to the NFL based on sheer size and athleticism.

At 6-foot-9, 280 pounds, LeBron at tight end would certainly create a mismatch problem for defensive backs, many of whom barely top 6-feet-tall.

The NFL, however, is a little bit more than jump ball passes on the goal line, and the chances that LeBron would jeopardize his hall-of-fame NBA career to pass the time during the lockout is nearly crazy.

But, hey, we can dream.