Talent is overrated in the NFL

[jterrell]

Yet teams covet talent every year.

I think you can't over rate talent, but you can't under rate heart.

exactly.

while it is all-encompassing of a player's entire package, overall production is what matters. and talent is a huge part of that.

no matter how big a heart a guy has he isn't going to be able to play Wr like Fitzgerald without physical gifts that are unique.

Pittsburgh knows that they need to make their scheme go and they have the talent to do so. Harrison and Woodley have physical gifts. So does Rottenburger. He may be slow and somewhat goofy but he is big as a battleship and hard to tackle with a strong enough arm to get the ball where he wants it. And with the game on the line it was a physical display Holmes put on to get open get up in the air and get down for 6.

 

[Clove]

You do need play makers on your team, but you also need the coach to out scheme the other team. This is a physical chess game.

You get the talent.
Install a great game plan
Execute, cut way down on the mistakes.

You win.

 

[jterrell]

You do need play makers on your team, but you also need the coach to out scheme the other team. This is a physical chess game.

You get the talent.
Install a great game plan
Execute, cut way down on the mistakes.

You win.

I don't know how many people here have coached any sport on any level but I guarantee you those that have respect talent. I remember Barry Switzer once talking about Jimmy Johnson and saying he beat me when he had better players and I beat him when I had better players. That's generally how it goes.

You can train up guys and all that to a certain degree but physical limitations are what they are.

At the end of the day the NFL is a beat the man in front of you league. It is about physical talent as well as execution and all those other things. Schemes allow you to take advantage of certain things but its still a talent driven proposition.

Any one with a brain can copy a scheme.

 

[Doctor32]

Granted you need talent at QB and a couple skill positions.For the most part the game of football is all about the scheme.Last year the Steelers would have won with anyone because they have a great coach on the defending side.When u have 11 players its all about where and what they are going to do.In the NBA its all about talent,hence why the Mavs are not gonna do much in the playoffs.They have Dirk and Jet and thats about it and Jet is the 6th man.I see our defense being pretty darn good this year,but I see our offense stiffened solely because of Garrett.Defense wins championships though,so lets bring it.just my opinion.

You've never played football, have you? The game is about matchups. With a minimium of 11 1-on-1 battles on every play, it usually boils down to, "my guy can beat your guy." Tally up the wins and losses and you have your final score.
Case in point: The 90's Cowboys. Everyone knew what was coming, yet it could not be stopped. Why? Talent not scheme. That's just one example. The Dallas Maverick analogy, or any NBA Team contrast & comparison with the NFL game of football is not a strong way of illustrating your point.

 

[Yakuza Rich]

It's all about balance. Unfortunately it seems less and less people realize that every year. And I'm not talking about fans, I'm talking about coaches as well.

I'm a big Parcells fan, but his feeling that it's 'all execution' is what got the defense into trouble. Execution is important, but so is scheme because if you have the absolute wrong scheme or wrong play called, your players won't be able to execute to their full potential. The opposite is true as well. You can have the most brilliant scheme, but if you don't have the players it's probably not going to work.

So you need a coaching staff that can scheme, that does have an eye for talent, does have the ability to motivate and keep heads calm in rough situations, and is not afraid to cut a player if they are not getting the job done.

Dick Lebeau is a great D-Coordinator, but he also has great talent on his defense. Lamar Woodley, Harrison, Aaron Smith, Hampton, Polamalu and Farrior are all big league talents. And then Ryan Clark, Larry Foote, etc are nice compliments to that big league talent. Without one or the other, I seriously doubt the Steelers would have nearly the tenacious defense that they have.



YAKUZA

 

[ZeroClub]

Talent alone isn't enough ... because all NFL teams have a lot of talent.

It is next to impossible to win on talent by out-talenting a highly talented group of competitors.

So it usually comes down to other things, such as coaching, chemistry, etc.

And with such evenly matched teams playing week in and week out, good ole fashioned luck plays a bigger role than most of us would care to admit.

 

[Randy White]

You've never played football, have you? The game is about matchups. .

Actually it's more about execution than match up.

No team in the NFL has a 100% match up advantage over another team. Even the teams who have match up advantage over other teams, don't always win either. That why you have " upsets " every week.

However, the team that executes better, ALWAYS wins.

 

[cowboys#1]

i love opinion threads

 

[juck]

You've never played football, have you? The game is about matchups. With a minimium of 11 1-on-1 battles on every play, it usually boils down to, "my guy can beat your guy." Tally up the wins and losses and you have your final score.
Case in point: The 90's Cowboys. Everyone knew what was coming, yet it could not be stopped. Why? Talent not scheme. That's just one example. The Dallas Maverick analogy, or any NBA Team contrast & comparison with the NFL game of football is not a strong way of illustrating your point.

Explain why we had or have the most talented team in decades the past few years yet no playoff wins.Scheme is everything.

 

[DFWJC]

Explain why we had or have the most talented team in decades the past few years yet no playoff wins.Scheme is everything.

For starters, our talent was not at the level that some say. Overrated.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

all NFL teams have talent

the difference is the gap in talent, and if it's 2 squads evenly matched in talent, or even w/ one team having a slight advantage in talent, the matchup usually goes w/ the more cohesive and more prepared team

 

[Dwareabeast]

So if i was the steelers DB. We would still win the SB? Thats basicly what your saying.

 

[Doctor32]

Explain why we had or have the most talented team in decades the past few years yet no playoff wins.Scheme is everything.

What is the causes the positive execution of an offensive football play or defense? Scheme? That question is much more "chicken and egg" than the point that one must have the ability and aptitude to perform the schematic task required to execute the play properly.

 

[Sarge]

Yet teams covet talent every year.

I think you can't over rate talent, but you can't under rate heart.

Very well put. Talent absolutely counts, but perhaps not enough attention is aimed at heart (and for my money - leadership).

Nice post.