How does one actually rebuild an NFL football team? How does it get broke in the first place? Lets first look at the players. First of all, playing football at the NFL level is something of a miracle in and of itself. Here's how one gets there. Is it luck? No. It is pure raw talent, personal drive, and skill. Not just regular skill....out of this world kind of skill. And no pun intended on Andrew Luck...perhaps he will enjoy his career in Indy.
Most often, future NFL players start pretty young in little league football, but their destiny is usually pretty apparent. There's always that "one kid" that was simply off the charts.
Fast forward to High School, that one kid usually also stands out, and may even be a starter on a varsity squad for all four years. Then, if he survives girls, work, peer pressure, and trouble, and gets decent grades, he is off to college. For a quick example of the kind of skill I am referring to...search Arlen Harris on youtube and check out his high school (and college) plays....wow!!!
The college transition is very complex, and very overwhelming. Can a great kid on a bad school team get looked at? Maybe....but the better the school, the better the odds. So, just getting into a Stanford, Mizzou, or Michigan takes a little luck, and mom and dad's decision on where the kid grows up and plays also is a major factor...i.e. Jeremy Maclin (Kirkwood...Mizzou...Eagles).
So, if a kid gets the right look from a scout, he is off to college. But wait, once he is there, he is no longer a standout. He may have been the best in Jonesville, MO...but, now on the college team, he is just one of 50 young men that were also the best somewhere. Now, he has four years of college ball...which usually means one year as a red shirt (not playing), one year as a backup, and maybe a year or two as a starter. Only the best of the best start as a Freshman...and that is very rare.
Fast forward to year three or four in college, and that very rare player we just mentioned sprouts to the top of the list on somebody's scouting report. There are hundreds of college football programs, and there are players in every single one that is the best on both sides of the ball. That leaves thousands of graduating seniors, and eligible juniors, that make themselves available for the NFL draft. And on that long list, are the best, of the best, of the best....and then there are hundreds of those!
So, with that said....if someone makes it to the NFL as a paid football player....they've earned it, and they have the talent and skill to be there. Are there better players than others...absolutely. Just look at Cam Newton and Tim Tebow; a couple freshman QB's with a great start. Comparitively, Gabbert, out of Mizzou, not so hot of a start. But, put Gabbert at Denver or Carolina, and things may have been different.
So....in my world...the only role the players have in the rebuilding of an NFL team is to listen to their coaches. Oh, did I mention coaches???!!!
Here is where "the system" is broken. Only in the NFL can you underperform, and still have a job. The good old boy network is in full force. Take Don Shula for example...the best coach ever at Miami. Don holds the record as the only NFL coach to lead his team in a totally undefeated season. However, behold (in my freaky wizard voice), his kid Dave Shula also holds a record! Dave Shula is the first NFL coach to reach 50 losses the fastest...he is now a manager at the Shula Steakhouse chain. But why was Dave Shula a coach in the first place???!!! Oh yeah, his dad got him the job. Well, maybe not directly, but you do the math. Regardless, good for him...but what about the players and other coaches under him that suffered...geeeze...what a mess. I wonder how many "I told ya so's" floated around the Bengals front office when he got the can after 69 games. He had a 19 and 53 record.
That is where an owner has to step in and run his organization! There is a shuffling around the NFL that takes place every year. Spagnuolo already has a job lined up as a Defensive Coordinator, and there is talk about who to bring to St Louis to replace him. Names have surfaced of coaches with a winning record...and names have surfaced with coaches who have a losing record....which makes no sense.
The only way to rebuild this Rams team, is to get the right person in the GM position with a Bill Belichick / Bill Parcells mentality, and build a coaching staff from that. That person has been absent from the Rams front office. Sure, somebody did the hiring and firing, but there was nobody out front as the noisemaker. Too much "rah rah" and not enough "come to Jesus".
So, the Rams need that headstrong leadership, and once that is achieved, the rebuilding can begin. I have several names in my hat that I would like to draw....but hey, that would just turn me into another pundit : )
In the meantime...stay tuned as we follow the events as they unfold this week....until then, perhaps I will send Stan Kroenke a copy of Heartbreak Ridge. That way he can ponder the management style of Gunny Highway....that's what I'm talkin about!
No comments:
Post a Comment