A Study of Character - How Scouts View Problem Children

[Plankton]

http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2016/03/17/nfl-draft-joey-bosa-noah-spence-connor-cook-robert-nkemdiche

More on Cook in a minute, but first let’s attack this notion of “character concerns,” that catch-all scouting phrase that seems to dog a handful of top prospects every draft and often well into their pro careers.

From Cam Newton to Maurice Clarett, not all perceived character concerns are created equal. For instance, NCAA pay-for-play violations can carry college penalties similar to those for drug use, but the two transgressions are hardly alike in the eyes of NFL scouts. And, fair or unfair, a quarterback who isn’t a captain can be just as unattractive to some teams as a defensive lineman who gets drunk and falls through a window—if not more unattractive—simply based on the relative positions they play on the field.

Right now, Cook, Ole Miss DT Robert Nkemdiche and a host of others are having their lives picked apart by strangers who will decide their NFL future. The evaluators talk to friends, family and coaches, but mostly they want to hear from the player himself. They want to watch him squirm as he’s asked for the 50th time: What were you thinking?

 

[tyke1doe]

http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2016/03/17/nfl-draft-joey-bosa-noah-spence-connor-cook-robert-nkemdiche

More on Cook in a minute, but first let’s attack this notion of “character concerns,” that catch-all scouting phrase that seems to dog a handful of top prospects every draft and often well into their pro careers.

From Cam Newton to Maurice Clarett, not all perceived character concerns are created equal. For instance, NCAA pay-for-play violations can carry college penalties similar to those for drug use, but the two transgressions are hardly alike in the eyes of NFL scouts. And, fair or unfair, a quarterback who isn’t a captain can be just as unattractive to some teams as a defensive lineman who gets drunk and falls through a window—if not more unattractive—simply based on the relative positions they play on the field.

Right now, Cook, Ole Miss DT Robert Nkemdiche and a host of others are having their lives picked apart by strangers who will decide their NFL future. The evaluators talk to friends, family and coaches, but mostly they want to hear from the player himself. They want to watch him squirm as he’s asked for the 50th time: What were you thinking?

I thought you wrote that.

 

[Plankton]

I thought you wrote that.

I'm not quite that erudite.

 

[Yakuza Rich]

I don't have a problem with the concept of somebody using facial expressions, linguistics, etc. to grab a profile on a player. Law enforcement uses these techniques all of the time and the best can do it with astounding accuracy to create profiles of criminals that they have never met.

For instance, there was a case in Alaska where a bunch of strippers and prostitutes were being killed by a madman. The police had no clues and decided to just ship the crime scene evidence to the FBI for a criminal profiler to look at the evidence and come up with a profile of the killer. During that time, a local man would always stop in the local diner and talk to police and had interest in the police. One police officer questioned if he may have been the killer because killers often take interest in crimes they commit to get information and stay 1-step ahead of the law. But, the police deducted that he couldn't be the killer because he was married with a family.

The FBI criminal profiler came back with the profile. White male in his 40's. Not from Alaska, but likely from the Midwest. Avid outdoorsman with a wife and children (likely daughters, no sons). Experienced with knives and was likely an entrepreneur. The FBI criminal profiler left with one more tidbit...likely has a speech impediment...either a lisp or a stutter.

The police read there report and were astonished because it fit the local man on the diner perfectly. He had a wife and a daughter. He was originally from Michigan and was an avid hunter. He also owned his own business....a butcher shop. And to top it off...he had a stuttering problem. They kept track of the local man and found that he was indeed the killer.

I think that stuff can be used in the NFL on some level. My problem with Nawrocki was that he's not an expert nor has he ever been trained in the field. And that's how a guy like Cam Newton turns out to not be the bust that some poseur scout thinks he will be.




YR

 

[tyke1doe]

Thanks for sharing this article, Plankton. I thought this excerpt was telling and summarized this issue:

Another evaluator saw the incident at Eastern Kentucky as a sort of final straw: “There’s a pattern there that’s troubling. Multiple issues. For you to get dismissed at Ohio State with that talent, that’s troubling. Then you slip up at Eastern Kentucky for drinking and throwing the bottle into the street. I don’t think that maturity adjustments have been made.”

But that may not dissuade everyone. “Where do you take him?” a scout asked. “When GMs and head coaches are desperate for their jobs, they roll the dice with a guy like that. You watch Spence rush the passer and you say, Well, he’s not that bad a guy.”

Teams will always gamble on talent. Unless the transgression involves unjustifiable violence - and even then - a team will take a chance on a talented player. That player may drop lower than he should have (Randy Gregory, Frank Clark), but he'll be taken.

As for transgressions, I agree with the statement ..."two transgressions are hardly alike in the eyes of NFL scouts."

Sometimes fans can't understand why drunk driving, for example, isn't treated as badly as insubordination. That's what we experienced with T.O. and what we're facing with Hardy. The refrain I heard about T.O. from posters here is, "Well, it's not like he killed someone" or "He wasn't as bad as so and so who did something even worse."

But what they fail to realize is that disrespect to authority, insubordination and like transgressions are foundational sins, i.e., sins that strike at the heart of foundations and institutions.

Simply put, everything we do revolves around respect for authority and submitting to SOMEONE. And when you show blatant disrespect for coaches, assistant coaches, etc., you're basically saying you don't care about the very constructs that build community and society and allows us to get along in society, whether that society is a team or a group or a neighborhood or a country.

Fighting (with others in the community) and doing drugs are signs of character concerns, but they're different because they don't have the same direct team impact as insubordination.

Furthermore, even with drugs and attitudes, you have to see if there's a pattern with the player. I would be leery of a player who was constantly getting into the same trouble, e.g., Johnny Manziel.

If a guy is consistently getting into trouble, I'm not drafting him (or pick him where he's projected to go on talent alone) UNLESS his solution involves a systematic approach to getting better. So, in the case of Johnny Manziel, he has to show me that he has a system of structure he's following to recover from whatever he's battling, and I have to see that he's been involved in it long enough to where I'm convinced he's serious about his recovery.

Absent that, I'm not going to take him high in the draft or where his talent suggests he should go. Personally, this would be my approach with Noah Spence. I wouldn't take him in the first four rounds unless I was convinced his transgressions were in the past, and he'd have to show me the system or structure he's using to overcome his issues.

I'm not accepting "conversion stories" alone. Faith without works is dead. I want to see the works to go along with your repentance/change.

 

[tyke1doe]

I'm not quite that erudite.

You should be flattered, though. Some posters I would have definitely had my doubts about it being their original work.

 

[tyke1doe]

As an aside, is it me that just doesn't understand this Peter King observation:

4. NFL observers at Michigan State’s Pro Day noted the oddity of having all 32 teams represented and a potential first-round quarterback on the field, with the conspicuous absence of a single NFL head coach. The big Pro Day draw on Wednesday was, understandably, the University of Georgia, followed by Baylor. However, it’s likely any team interested in Cook will have allotted time for a personal visit with the quarterback.

That entire piece just left me baffled. Any translators?

Thanks in advance.