Verbal meetings with prospects just as important as on the field play

[QB coach]

With all the things these young men can get into and how they will react to having their own money in their pocket are very important when choosing a player in the draft. Do they have a party problem? Do they have a girlfriend or women problem? Are they ready to make football their life's work? How serious are they about being as good as they can be? What kind of work ethic do they have? These are things we will never know as fans but are just as important as how good a football player these guys are. Remember Lawrence Philips from Nebraska? Super running back but a basket case. Johnny Manziel, enough said. Drafting has become a year round job and you have to be a private investigator to be good at it. These things we never fully know on draft day.

 

[Vader]

The strange thing is that the average fan can tell some of these players are going to be an issue so why can't the teams? I remember saying that Manziel was a drunk and wouldn't be in the league in 5 years. Yes, I watch a lot of college football but damn I didn't interview the guy. Most teams get enamored with film and even if they interview the guy they let the film override common sense. I didn't know much about Phillips but I remember stories coming out of Nebraska that he was a head case. I understand sometimes these stories are wrong (like Marino) but has anyone every listened to Phillips speak?

 

[Punxsutawney]

The strange thing is that the average fan can tell some of these players are going to be an issue so why can't the teams? I remember saying that Manziel was a drunk and wouldn't be in the league in 5 years. Yes, I watch a lot of college football but damn I didn't interview the guy. Most teams get enamored with film and even if they interview the guy they let the film override common sense. I didn't know much about Phillips but I remember stories coming out of Nebraska that he was a head case. I understand sometimes these stories are wrong (like Marino) but has anyone every listened to Phillips speak?

And a lot of GMs and coaches looked like idiots for passing on Randy Moss, despite his legitimate personality/behavioral concerns.

It's easy to say, "ignore the physical talent and focus on the intangible red flags" when it's not our jobs on the line.

 

[slashsteel]

And a lot of GMs and coaches looked like idiots for passing on Randy Moss, despite his legitimate personality/behavioral concerns.

It's easy to say, "ignore the physical talent and focus on the intangible red flags" when it's not our jobs on the line.

Moss we could debate is an exception to what should be the rules of the thumb. When in doubt pass.

And yet again if they player doesn't work out, you can cut cord.

I will push past the pendulum swinging for both sides and say this.

The way the Steelers have shown an incapability for shaping these difficult prospects, it really would be in their best interest to look in a different direction.

I know you have to look at each player with different degrees of concern, but we are late in the Big Ben parade, and better make sure the team is playing as


well as a team instead of a bunch of individuals.

 

[Vader]

And a lot of GMs and coaches looked like idiots for passing on Randy Moss, despite his legitimate personality/behavioral concerns.

It's easy to say, "ignore the physical talent and focus on the intangible red flags" when it's not our jobs on the line.

Moss was a great WR however he never won ****... even with Brady. Moss was also lazy at times. So he had the potential to be the greatest ever but he didn't have the drive nor the head for it. So yes all those GMs passed on him but some of them won SBs without him while he never held the trophy even with the most cheating team in sports history.

There are also GMs that passed on players with character issues where the player never amounts to ****.

 

[slashsteel]

Moss was a great WR however he never won ****... even with Brady. Moss was also lazy at times. So he had the potential to be the greatest ever but he didn't have the drive nor the head for it. So yes all those GMs passed on him but some of them won SBs without him while he never held the trophy even with the most cheating team in sports history.

There are also GMs that passed on players with character issues where the player never amounts to ****.

He did play in two SBs, yes they didn't win. But he did help them get there.

Not that I don't agree with your overall viewpoint.

 

[Punxsutawney]

Moss we could debate is an exception to what should be the rules of the thumb. When in doubt pass.

And yet again if they player doesn't work out, you can cut cord.

I will push past the pendulum swinging for both sides and say this.

The way the Steelers have shown an incapability for shaping these difficult prospects, it really would be in their best interest to look in a different direction.

I know you have to look at each player with different degrees of concern, but we are late in the Big Ben parade, and better make sure the team is playing as


well as a team instead of a bunch of individuals.

Moss wasn't the norm, but he was far from the only prospect with character issues in college who ended up being a good to great NFL player.

The draft is really all about balancing positives and negatives as well as upside and risks. Teams continue to pick these guys with baggage early in drafts because they're under tremendous pressure to not only pick the right player, but to not pass on the wrong one.

 

[Punxsutawney]

There are also GMs that passed on players with character issues where the player never amounts to ****.

Yeah, in most cases, passing on the super-talented headcase works out, but not always, and when it doesn't, it can make an organization look really bad.

My point is that it's not as easy a decision to pass on these guys as observers/fans think it should be.

 

[SteveA]

In this day and age, it will only get worse...The times they are a changin'

 

[Vader]

Yeah, in most cases, passing on the super-talented headcase works out, but not always, and when it doesn't, it can make an organization look really bad.

My point is that it's not as easy a decision to pass on these guys as observers/fans think it should be.

I can't think of one team in particular that I think looks bad for passing on Moss. He isn't even the best player in that particular draft... that would be Peyton Manning. Hell even the team that drafted him traded him. He played for 5 teams total and he was lazy as hell at times. He wouldn't run routes full speed and he took plays off. So yes, when he wanted to be he was great.. when he didn't he wasn't. Even with hindsight I would draft him in 1998. I'd let him slide.

 

[Vader]

He did play in two SBs, yes they didn't win. But he did help them get there.

Not that I don't agree with your overall viewpoint.

He helped NE more than SF. With NE he had 5 catches for 64 yards and 1 TD. With SF he had 2 catches for 41 yards and 0 Tds. He wasn't a difference maker in either game. Also his post season stats aren't great. He only had 3 games out of 15 with over 100 yards. Look at some of these stats:

NE vs. SDG 1 catch 18 yards
NE vs. Jax 1 catch 14 yards
SF vs. Balt 2 catches 41 yards
SF vs. GB 2 catches 25 yards
MN vs. NYG 2 catches 18 yards
SF vs. Atl 3 catches 46 yards

And there are more duds in there. He had 15 total playoff games in his 15 year career. After his 4th year he never had more than 4 catches in any playoff game and that only happened once. So I get that he was a great WR but he wasn't a clutch WR and I sure wouldn't take him on my team if I'm trying to win a SB.

Hell Hines Ward doesn't have half the talent but his playoff stats were better than the great Moss. He only had 2 or few catches 4 times in his playoff career and he played in 18 playoff games. He had more 100 yard playoff games. He has the same number of TDs in the playoffs as Moss. I'll take Ward over Moss any day of the week. He actually helped his team and didn't take plays off.

 

[Drink IRON City]

I can't imagine being responsible for drafting players. There are so many different kinds of pressures on yaz that us as fans can only guess. Yes it would be hard to pass on an undeniable talent with issues but then be responsible if it goes sour. **** chest is a great example of great talent but zilch in the respectable brain department, how can one predict that??? Our guys do pretty good on the "head case" side but seem to lack on the talent evaluation side. Dan Rooney was a great evaluator and as we see, he is missed truely in that regards. Maybe this will be the year we hit on 2 + draft picks we desperately need ( not just making the team but starters from day one).



Salute the nation

 

[ark steel]

I'd imagine it might take someone off your board if they are a complete moron but we've seen so many of 5hose drafted early, i wonder.

 

[FordFairLane]

And a lot of GMs and coaches looked like idiots for passing on Randy Moss, despite his legitimate personality/behavioral concerns.

It's easy to say, "ignore the physical talent and focus on the intangible red flags" when it's not our jobs on the line.

It’s all risk vs reward. I personally take all the known risk off the table first round. Whether it’s Jarvis Jones and his degenerate spine, Randy Moss and his off the field, or Randy Gregory and his weed or Jaylon Smith and his knee. But in round two I would start evaluating risk vs reward.


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[CorpusDsteelers]

Maurice Clarett Approves this message