I can't wait until December 10. I think Everson's going to have a big day. I don't think Kalil has the passion or fire necessary to get the most out of his talent. He seems like a whiney, privileged, spoiled child not used to hearing no. He needs to grow up.
Don't know if it's totally applicable in Kalil's case, but Mike mentioned McKinney and his laziness and it sparked a thought.
Coming out of "the U", McKinney never gave up a sack in college, was the Outland Trophy winner, finished 8th in the Heisman voting, and was CNN Sports "Player of the Year"...and won a national championship to boot.
Kalil was the Morris Trophy winner (Pac 12 conference Best O lineman), never gave up a sack his junior year and was projected as the best OL in the 2012 draft.
In both cases, these guys had the world on a string. Both could be argued as being the best at their positions the year they were drafted. In Matt's case, with the family pedigree he had, his USC history and record, and 5 years of NFL service, just what level of "excellence" was he not being coached to? It's one thing if he was one of several linemen that had to compete for a starting job and feeling he wasn't given the opportunity due to favoritism, injury, playing time, etc., but this guy...like McKinney...we're given a starting job at the most important position on the O line. A position, that barring injury, was theirs for a decade. And in both cases, it was their lack of desire, laziness, hubris...whatever...that determined their fate. He most certainly was not "left on an island" to fend for himself and in fact was given notice for his mediocre play his second and third years with the Vikes.
Matt, if you want to find "excellence", I suggest start by taking a good hard, honest look at the jackass staring back at you in the mirror.
Quote: @JimmyinSD said:
@ MaroonBells said:
@ greediron said:
@ MaroonBells said:
@ NorthernCalVike said:
@ purplefaithful said:
I miss Tice...
Damn good O-line coach - they love him Out here in Oakland - he gets a lot of respect from the players/fans/media
I miss Tice, too. He was able to turn around the careers of both Stringer and Loadholt, both of whom looked destined for the scrap heap early on. He seemed to convince players how good they really were, and could eventually be if they worked hard enough, despite their failings. It didn't work all the time (Withrow), but it worked with Birk, Stringer, Loadholt, etc. A player like TJ Clemmings could use a coach like Tice.
He was a good O-line guy. Withrow was way too small IIRC. Don't remember Stringer or Load being destined for the scrap heap, but he certainly turned them into studs at their position.
They were not as bad as Clemmings but both struggled early on. Don't tell me you don't remember all the message board posts complaining about Leadfoot, or any number of other pejoratives describing his stiffness. Stringer wasn't as bad, but he certainly didn't live up to his 1st-round billing until about his 5th season.
which is something that we should all keep in mind when it comes to these kids. College is doing less and less to help prepare these kids for the Pro game and they seem to be coming into the pros younger and younger every year. ( how long before they say screw college and just start bringing the kids in from HS?) anyway, I would bet that many of these kids we are throwing away at 23 and 24 years old really could be salvaged into great linemen if teams were to look at some sort of way to keep them in a training program away from football until they are fully developed. I dont know to many people that peak in strength and overall athleticism at 23 or 24 years old, not to mention all the other mental stuff that needs time to come along.
With college offenses running spread systems, these linemen just don't have to hold their blocks very long, and so their talent, or lack of it, is disguised to a large degree.
It's that, plus the fact that offensive linemen, who are not really "athletes" to begin with are just not keeping up with the rate at which the athletes on the other side of the ball are progressing physically. Offensive linemen are bigger and stronger than they've ever been but they've been passed up by physical freaks like Danielle Hunter and Aaron Donald and Von Miller, all of whom run faster than most NFL safeties. When you recognize a physical freak in high school or college, you immediately put him on defense. I think that's why most NFL OL's struggle in pass pro.
Quote: @MaroonBells said:
@ NorthernCalVike said:
@ purplefaithful said:
I miss Tice...
Damn good O-line coach - they love him Out here in Oakland - he gets a lot of respect from the players/fans/media
I miss Tice, too. He was able to turn around the careers of both Stringer and Loadholt, both of whom looked destined for the scrap heap early on. He seemed to convince players how good they really were, and could eventually be if they worked hard enough, despite their failings. It didn't work all the time (Withrow), but it worked with Birk, Stringer, Loadholt, etc. A player like TJ Clemmings could use a coach like Tice.
Are we talking about Mike Tice who was o-line coach until 2001 and then head coach until 2005, and Phil Loadholt who was drafted in 2009?
I'm not sure how Tice had much of an effect on Loadholts career. Or am I confused?
Maybe the coaches didn't demand excellence from him, because they knew it wasn't possible....
Quote: @NoGoingBack said:
@ MaroonBells said:
@ NorthernCalVike said:
@ purplefaithful said:
I miss Tice...
Damn good O-line coach - they love him Out here in Oakland - he gets a lot of respect from the players/fans/media
I miss Tice, too. He was able to turn around the careers of both Stringer and Loadholt, both of whom looked destined for the scrap heap early on. He seemed to convince players how good they really were, and could eventually be if they worked hard enough, despite their failings. It didn't work all the time (Withrow), but it worked with Birk, Stringer, Loadholt, etc. A player like TJ Clemmings could use a coach like Tice.
Are we talking about Mike Tice who was o-line coach until 2001 and then head coach until 2005, and Phil Loadholt who was drafted in 2009?
I'm not sure how Tice had much of an effect on Loadholts career. Or am I confused?
I guess you're right. Tried to fit Loadholt into the Stringer story. Thought Tice was around longer than he was. Man, time flies...
Quote: @Mike Olson said:
I would definitely agree with the comment @JimmyinSD made about college not having these kids prepared for NFL.
We have brought this up a few times on THOR'S HAMMER, and I believe that plain and simple, colleges don't care about the NFL, they care about the money they get from all the Bowl Games, and the coaches need to win at the college level to keep their lush paying jobs, so they don't care about the pros either
Quote: @"Viking Bob" said:
@ Mike Olson said:
I would definitely agree with the comment @ JimmyinSD made about college not having these kids prepared for NFL.
We have brought this up a few times on THOR'S HAMMER, and I believe that plain and simple, colleges don't care about the NFL, they care about the money they get from all the Bowl Games, and the coaches need to win at the college level to keep their lush paying jobs, so they don't care about the pros either
and honestly... they shouldnt care about the pros... but they should care about their kids and if they are recruiting as a stepping stone to the pros then they should be preparing those kids for their next step just as a professor should be making sure their students arent morons with an expensive piece of paper.
Quote: @Vanguard83 said:
I don't play golf like shit....it's the clubs
Kalil would say no one ever told him he was supposed to try to get the ball in the hole.
Quote: @JimmyinSD said:
@"Viking Bob" said:
@ Mike Olson said:
I would definitely agree with the comment @ JimmyinSD made about college not having these kids prepared for NFL.
We have brought this up a few times on THOR'S HAMMER, and I believe that plain and simple, colleges don't care about the NFL, they care about the money they get from all the Bowl Games, and the coaches need to win at the college level to keep their lush paying jobs, so they don't care about the pros either
and honestly... they shouldnt care about the pros... but they should care about their kids and if they are recruiting as a stepping stone to the pros then they should be preparing those kids for their next step just as a professor should be making sure their students arent morons with an expensive piece of paper.
I hate to say it, but that is becoming society as a whole now, every kid is coddled, whether it be at college or at home, kids today all feel entitled and don't pay attention, and if God forbid you yell at them to try and get them in line, you end up in the HR Office, including college football coaches as well
|
