metrolax
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 21, 2008
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Its funny to hear about how much more talent there is on this Gopher team than in
recent years. Talent is what happens on the field of play,
between the lines, between the whistles, for 60 minutes. Its not about press clippings.
Its not about how fast you can run in a straight line without pads.
Football is a game of developed skills.
I remember when Holtz took over at Notre Dame after the Faust years. It had been
long suggested that Faust had great talent, since his recruiting classes were always
among the very best in the country, year in, year out.
An interesting comment made at the time Holtz took over was that while Faust
recruited HS All-Americans, they looked like nothing more than HS All-Americans,
only three years later. They did not look like they had been coached up to
become successful COLLEGE football players. That all changed with a capable
college coach.
What was talent in HS might not be talent in college. Many players cannot adjust
to the contact of college ball, or maybe the demands of balancing college-level
school work with the intensity of football. Many players cannot adjust to being
"on their own". There are a litany of things that go into this.
I'm wondering if the same observation that was made about Faust's players
will be made by the next coach.
That's what I liked about players like Eslinger and Barber, even Decker. they
were clearly below the radar recruiting-wise, but were three of the most
talented players to play for the U in a long time- not because they were
heralded HS players, but because they became college talent.
Talent is what talent does. You either have a program that can develop and
coach-up talent, or cannot.
Let's stop the talent talk until we see it on the field.
recent years. Talent is what happens on the field of play,
between the lines, between the whistles, for 60 minutes. Its not about press clippings.
Its not about how fast you can run in a straight line without pads.
Football is a game of developed skills.
I remember when Holtz took over at Notre Dame after the Faust years. It had been
long suggested that Faust had great talent, since his recruiting classes were always
among the very best in the country, year in, year out.
An interesting comment made at the time Holtz took over was that while Faust
recruited HS All-Americans, they looked like nothing more than HS All-Americans,
only three years later. They did not look like they had been coached up to
become successful COLLEGE football players. That all changed with a capable
college coach.
What was talent in HS might not be talent in college. Many players cannot adjust
to the contact of college ball, or maybe the demands of balancing college-level
school work with the intensity of football. Many players cannot adjust to being
"on their own". There are a litany of things that go into this.
I'm wondering if the same observation that was made about Faust's players
will be made by the next coach.
That's what I liked about players like Eslinger and Barber, even Decker. they
were clearly below the radar recruiting-wise, but were three of the most
talented players to play for the U in a long time- not because they were
heralded HS players, but because they became college talent.
Talent is what talent does. You either have a program that can develop and
coach-up talent, or cannot.
Let's stop the talent talk until we see it on the field.
