You hate a opposing player in college football deeply. This player cost you a big game, just dominates your college football team every year, you just hate their team, or you just plain hate them. Everyone that watches football can think of someone that fits this criteria. So draft day comes along, your team is on the clock, and who do they pick? You guessed it!! Or your team just signed a free agent who helped knock you out of the playoffs last year and he is now your starter for the next 4 years. So what happens when that player is now on your roster. Do you forgive them and accept that they will now help your team or do you still hold deep resentment and hope that they don't do well. I've pondered this question for years. I have usually been able forgive after enough time has gone by. But some people may not feel that way due to being more loyal to college football than professional. I have always been a Saints fan first and LSU fan second so it might be easier for me. But what about the hardcore college football faithful that thinks professional football is watered down and will always hold college football to a higher standard? 

My best example (and most recent) for this is Mark Ingram. Mark Ingram scared me at Alabama. He not only made LSU's defense look bad but he helped Alabama wrestle the SEC dominance from LSU en route to a National title and a Heisman trophy. Draft day comes along and as hard as it was for me to admit it, I wanted Ingram. I knew what damage he could do and it was exactly what we needed. Now this might be easy to some, but it is hard for me to hate a player for so long and then all of the sudden embrace them. I had to swallow my LSU pride and think about what is best for the black and gold. When the Saints picked Cameron Jordan I was actually very disappointed because I was already thinking about what number Ingram would wear. Once they traded back in and got him I wasn't even thinking about his college days. Even more so after seeing him on stage and seeing what kind of person he was. All was forgiven and he would now instill fear in the rest of the NFC South just like he had in the SEC.

This kind of situation is an ongoing process for me and I'm dealing with it. Not only with the Saints but seeing LSU players on opposing teams. It's like seeing an old girlfriend with an new guy. You start  thinking about all the good times together and now they have moved on.(It helps that you will be able to crack her new guys head open on an upcoming Sunday, though)  My LSU pride still tries to dig its way out sometimes whether I'm screaming for Jonathan Vilma to knock Joseph Addai's head off or for Sedrick Ellis to sit on Matt Flynn when he becomes a starting quarterback. But hey, what can you do? It all seems like a cruel joke to make me go crazy.

via media.nola.com