Athletes vs. Instinctive (less athletic) Football Players
Posted: Tue Nov 30, 2004 10:38 pmAn interesting post from the Rutgers Football Message Board that is relevant to SMU Football recruiting strategies:
“A Positive Change in Course for RU Recruiting†(posted on 11/30/04 by GSGS on the Rutgers Football (Rivals) FREE message board)
"Having listened to his post season press conference, and reading between the lines in what was said there and other statements that GS (Greg Schiano) has made recently, I think that we are going to see a positive change in course for RU recruiting. Note that this won't be the positive change that many fans are clamoring to see, which is simply have all the NJ studs flock to RU, but rather something a little more subtle that will put the program in very good stead for the future.
Each year since Schiano has been here, around the sprinkling of stud recruits and some middling prospects, we have recruited some kids who are more athletes than accomplished football players. Many have been heralded as "finds" by us fans, especially when we learn of their physical prowess, supposed 40 times, etc. While some of these "athletes" do develop into football players, quite a few haven't, and can run their 4.4's but can't tackle or diagnose a play. Not everybody is an instinctive football player, nor do they have a passion for the game. In fact, just consider the fact that the NFL waiver wire is littered with "athletes" who are much bigger and faster than Gary Brackett. BC (Boston College) LB Ray Henderson is one of the slower LBs in the Big East
, and couldn't win a sprint against many of our LBs if he was spotted 10 yards; however, his speed is seldom an issue, as he's always in the right spot to make a tackle and doesn't miss many.
With the experience of having recruited the likes of Ron Girault, and seeing many under recruited players flourish at schools like UConn, I sense that GS is going to make identifying and recruiting such players a much greater priority. While superior athletes who are not football players can be career killers for coaches, kids who are good enough athletes but are 100% football players have just the opposite effect ... they not only lead to victories, but make their coaches look like geniuses.
Don't get me wrong, the best recruits are players like Brian Leonard, Jeremy Zuttah, and Brian Roche, who all appear to be the complete package. Only a fool would pass on players like that. However, programs like RU at this stage are just not going to land a dozen recruits like that a year. Success will be gained or lost by the others who fill out the roster, and whether they are "players".
The New England Patriots won the Super Bowl with a roster bereft of superstars. Tom Brady? - a good QB who flourishes within the system at NE. Louisville has built an excellent program without a lot of name recruits (even with QB Bhohm they finished in the bottom half of C-USA recruiting last year), and UConn is on its way. I think that GS has now seen the light, and to the extent (which may be large this year) we don't get the 100% studs like Zuttah, expect more Ron Giraults and less track stars who can't or don't want to be football players. Just like the positive trend that is visibly underway with Gary Waters (basketball) program, GS will be recruiting players that both he and RU fans will be proud to call our own, and the program will be built on the back of overachievers."
“A Positive Change in Course for RU Recruiting†(posted on 11/30/04 by GSGS on the Rutgers Football (Rivals) FREE message board)
"Having listened to his post season press conference, and reading between the lines in what was said there and other statements that GS (Greg Schiano) has made recently, I think that we are going to see a positive change in course for RU recruiting. Note that this won't be the positive change that many fans are clamoring to see, which is simply have all the NJ studs flock to RU, but rather something a little more subtle that will put the program in very good stead for the future.
Each year since Schiano has been here, around the sprinkling of stud recruits and some middling prospects, we have recruited some kids who are more athletes than accomplished football players. Many have been heralded as "finds" by us fans, especially when we learn of their physical prowess, supposed 40 times, etc. While some of these "athletes" do develop into football players, quite a few haven't, and can run their 4.4's but can't tackle or diagnose a play. Not everybody is an instinctive football player, nor do they have a passion for the game. In fact, just consider the fact that the NFL waiver wire is littered with "athletes" who are much bigger and faster than Gary Brackett. BC (Boston College) LB Ray Henderson is one of the slower LBs in the Big East
, and couldn't win a sprint against many of our LBs if he was spotted 10 yards; however, his speed is seldom an issue, as he's always in the right spot to make a tackle and doesn't miss many.
With the experience of having recruited the likes of Ron Girault, and seeing many under recruited players flourish at schools like UConn, I sense that GS is going to make identifying and recruiting such players a much greater priority. While superior athletes who are not football players can be career killers for coaches, kids who are good enough athletes but are 100% football players have just the opposite effect ... they not only lead to victories, but make their coaches look like geniuses.
Don't get me wrong, the best recruits are players like Brian Leonard, Jeremy Zuttah, and Brian Roche, who all appear to be the complete package. Only a fool would pass on players like that. However, programs like RU at this stage are just not going to land a dozen recruits like that a year. Success will be gained or lost by the others who fill out the roster, and whether they are "players".
The New England Patriots won the Super Bowl with a roster bereft of superstars. Tom Brady? - a good QB who flourishes within the system at NE. Louisville has built an excellent program without a lot of name recruits (even with QB Bhohm they finished in the bottom half of C-USA recruiting last year), and UConn is on its way. I think that GS has now seen the light, and to the extent (which may be large this year) we don't get the 100% studs like Zuttah, expect more Ron Giraults and less track stars who can't or don't want to be football players. Just like the positive trend that is visibly underway with Gary Waters (basketball) program, GS will be recruiting players that both he and RU fans will be proud to call our own, and the program will be built on the back of overachievers."