Football is a rough game. You get hit, chopped down to the ground, sometimes punched, or even thrown to the ground. Most players have to spend a lot time in ice baths to help the body recover. As a fan of this great sport, I marvel out how these athletes deal with the rigors of their beloved game.
These athletes have a competitive vibe in them that makes them perform at the highest level of college football and the NFL. They have to look their opponent in the eye and tell them "you will not beat me today." or "my will is going to beat down your will today.". They go a hundred miles an hour during the game to make tackles, block other players, run by them, make a long pass, or any number of things that occur during a game. Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention that they have to make adjustments to what is going on DURING the game. They take that information and try to make their play on the field that much better. There is not a lot of time for being tranquil or nice during a game.
However, that is not to say that you have to be a jerk to be able to be an effective football player. I have seen plenty of solid, All-American, All-Pro football players lace up their pads and cleats and become the best football players on the planet. Walter Payton, Jerry Rice, Joe Montana, or Drew Brees are just some of the players whom I would call nice and were able to "flip the switch" into competitive football players in college or in the pros. This brings me to a player that is being called to nice to be an NFL quarterback. Marcus Mariotta of the Oregon Ducks.
I know NFL teams do a lot of background checking on their potential employees. They want the best athletes, the smartest athletes, the athlete that stays off the 5pm newscast. I recently heard a conversation on a nationally shown sports talk show and they were talking about how some NFL scouts were saying the Marcus Mariotta might be to nice to play the position. My ears did a double take with that comment. Really? A guy who just wins, has a better than average arm, is smart, humble, runs like deer, and has the size to be a winning NFL quarterback is going to be to nice to play? I say, oh hell no.
If he is going to be to nice, then he can go talk to Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Joe Montana, or even Steve Young and find out how to be nice and have a successful career in the NFL. This is so ridiculous to me and it should be to you.
With the current climate in the NFL, teams should be clamoring for a guy like Mariotta. He's not beating girlfriends, behind on child support, carrying guns, or standing up in the middle of the student union at the University of Oregon and shouting obscenities out loud (we know the reference here). He could be the face of your franchise for years to come. Kids gravitate towards athletes such as this, fans love players like this, and reporters love guys like this because they won't be rude or even condescending toward the media. Owners will love this guy because, like I said earlier, he won't be on the news for a negative reason.
There are plenty of over hyped, rude, news making thugs in the NFL as it is. Isn't it about time we start looking at the players that are the antithesis of this? I know it's a pie in the sky attitude, but saying a player is to nice to play at the highest level is just ridiculous. Here's hoping that Marcus Mariotta wins all sorts of Super Bowls, All-Pro honors, and has many positive stories about him on the news.
No comments:
Post a Comment