The Reason Why Players Bust

[TheEnigma]

I think a lot of players today "Bust" because the team they go to. I think teams need to not only look at the production the player had in college but how they will fit into the system that the pro team runs. So often teams try and make the player conform to their style instead of playing the style that best fits the player. This mainly goes to the QB's more than any other O player and probabally fits a lot of D players as well.


I think Alex Smith will have a great career I know he's just the oppsite of what I said being a spread QB in college to a under the center in the NFL but I think he has the athletic ability and more important the Mental ability to be able to handel the switch in styles.

I don't think this is the sole factor, but I do think that mental make-up plays a big part in it. Mental make-up includes such things as the ability to understand the game at the pro level, work ethic, (definately a mental thing) confidence, (not to be confused with cockiness) and the ability to handle criticism and pressure. (thick skin)

 

[joseephuss]

He was surrounded by superior talent in College. In the Pro's most teams are MORE even (not even, but more even).

Also, 21 year olds are still filling out and most don't reach their physical prime until 25 or so, bulk wise anyhow. Everyones body is different, a skinny guy in college may bulk up more in a real pro program, some other folks may have hit their peak physical shape in college and have no more room to develope as they get older.

Some may get by on physical talent in college, where the pro game everyone is more physical and technique and savy become more important.

Thats just some of the reasons.

Similar to the transition from high school to college. Guys that were physically superior in their high school don't always get bigger or taller and then struggle in college.

It is just a percentage game. There are really only a very few spots available. There are about 2000 positions amongst the 32 teams. That doesn't mean that there are that many openings available. Many of those positions are filled. How many guys are playing Division 1A football right now? Include, 1AA, II, III and so forth. So you have many different college players all going for the same positions. (How many kids are playing high school football with aspirations to go to the NFL?)

For teams to draft the exact player they need in the 1st round is a crap shoot. That is based on the standard that a 1st rounder come in and must excel their entire career. Most busts are from the top ten. Those are the ones judged the harshest. It seems like a monumental task to draft the guy that fits your schemes, fits your needs, has potential, has a proven performance record and is worthy of a top ten pick.

There are probably more busts in the 1st round than guys that actually achieve greatness, especially in the top 10.

 

[THUMPER]

The more I think about it the more I am convinced that the physical aspects of a player are of much less consequence than his mental makeup. A player has to have some natural physical ability but after a certain point it has more to do with their mental makeup.

Guys like Mike Singletary, Steve Largent, Emmitt Smith, Sam Mills, Alan Page, and dozens of other players throughout the years were told they were too small, too slow, etc. yet they each dominated the sport for years at their repsective positions.

I think scouts become too enamoured with a guy's size, 40-time, arm strength, etc. and don't pay enough attention to his character and mental makeup which are more actually more important.

Dallas fell into this as we wasted some high draft picks looking for another Charles Haley via a similar body type rather than what really made Haley a monster DE which was his mental makeup. His attitude is what allowed him to overcome his relatively small frame and become a domiant DE, not the fact that he was tall and lean. Shante Carver was built a lot like Haley but mentally, they were completely different (of course Haley was completely different from everyone else to begin with).

Lots of guys with all the measureables never pan out while guys who are too whatever make it. It is mostly about the mental makeup of the player, not the body type.

 

[blindzebra]

Busts can be caused by something no one has brought up yet, the talent around them.

Players drafted high are being drafted by bad teams. If you are a QB or play other high profile positions that are dependent on the players around you...RB, WR, DE...you can fail because you were just not good enough to overcome the crap around you.

It could be why the ones with enough mental toughness pop up later on different teams and suddenly become solid players.

 

[MapleLeaf]

The more I think about it the more I am convinced that the physical aspects of a player are of much less consequence than his mental makeup. A player has to have some natural physical ability but after a certain point it has more to do with their mental makeup.

Guys like Mike Singletary, Steve Largent, Emmitt Smith, Sam Mills, Alan Page, and dozens of other players throughout the years were told they were too small, too slow, etc. yet they each dominated the sport for years at their repsective positions.

I think scouts become too enamoured with a guy's size, 40-time, arm strength, etc. and don't pay enough attention to his character and mental makeup which are more actually more important.

Dallas fell into this as we wasted some high draft picks looking for another Charles Haley via a similar body type rather than what really made Haley a monster DE which was his mental makeup. His attitude is what allowed him to overcome his relatively small frame and become a domiant DE, not the fact that he was tall and lean. Shante Carver was built a lot like Haley but mentally, they were completely different (of course Haley was completely different from everyone else to begin with).

Lots of guys with all the measureables never pan out while guys who are too whatever make it. It is mostly about the mental makeup of the player, not the body type.

...are there all endeavors are mental. The only reason for any professional athlete not living up to his physical potential other than illness or injury is the mental aspect.

people fail to achieve their goals because they do not exude the mentality to overcome all the hurdles.

Why did Jordan go from not making his high school b'ball team to possibly the greatest player ever.

Gretzky's father rode him hard on the backyard rink to create one of the most tenacious and mentally gifted players on the hockey arena.

Boggs' original batting averages coming into the big leagues was nothing stellar, but with hard work, perseverance and an unhealthy reliance on superstition he was the best at his craft.

Lance Armstrong quit his first ever Alps mountain ride saying it was too hard, too cold and too much. He just bagged what one has to acknowledge as one of the greatest sporting careers the world has ever seen. Seven tour victories.

The greatest hurdle any person has outside of an unfortunate physical limitation is their grey matter.

 

[kartr]

A player is really only a bust based on where he was drafted. A guy taken in the 6th round who ends up only starting a dozen or so games in a 5 year NFL career isn't considered a bust but if that same guy were taken in the top-10 then he is.

Players are taken high because of what they accomplished in college and how much they impressed the scouts/coaches in workouts or at the combine.

The pro game is drastically different from college (despite what one poster here thinks) and it is very difficult to project just how well a player will make the transition to the NFL regardless of how good he was in college. Teams take a chance that the guy can make the step up and translate his talent into success at the pro level. It doesn't always pan out that way.

By the same token, there are lots of players who were taken in the later rounds, or even undrafted, who went on to become stars. Their talent wasn't recognized by the scouts but they made the transition to the NFL and succeeded even though they may not have been all that in college.

The bottom line is that the two games are very different and the transition doesn't depend on physical talent alone but on attitude, technique, work ethic, character, teamwork, the ability to play well with others, staying out of trouble, etc. Lots of guys can run fast, are big and strong, can throw the ball 80 yards, etc. but only those with the dedication and willingness to sacrifice will make it in the NFL.

Ryan Leaf is a good example of a player with all the physical tools but not the mental attributes. He had a great arm but no feel for the game and no willingness to put the effort in to learn it. Heath Shuler is an example of a guy whose talents got him by in college but weren't enough in the NFL.

They are vastly different games and most guys can't make the transition.

There is this also, supporting cast, including coaching staff.
For instance, for a qb to develop properly, he needs a o-line that can pass block long enough for him to learn to properly read defenses, a running back who doesn't fall over his own to two feet half the time and isn't scared of itty-bitty cornerbacks, Wr's who can remember to run good routes, including coming back to the ball when the qb is in trouble and catching the ball. He also needs a legitimate head coach,offensive coordinator and qb coach. And last,but not least, he needs a owner/gm who will get him all those things and give him 2-3 years to get the hang of things before trying to replace him.

 

[blindzebra]

There is this also, supporting cast, including coaching staff.
For instance, for a qb to develop properly, he needs a o-line that can pass block long enough for him to learn to properly read defenses, a running back who doesn't fall over his own to two feet half the time and isn't scared of itty-bitty cornerbacks, Wr's who can remember to run good routes, including coming back to the ball when the qb is in trouble and catching the ball. He also needs a legitimate head coach,offensive coordinator and qb coach. And last,but not least, he needs a owner/gm who will get him all those things and give him 2-3 years to get the hang of things before trying to replace him.

hmmm, I wonder where this is headed?

 

[THUMPER]

There is this also, supporting cast, including coaching staff.
For instance, for a qb to develop properly, he needs a o-line that can pass block long enough for him to learn to properly read defenses, a running back who doesn't fall over his own to two feet half the time and isn't scared of itty-bitty cornerbacks, Wr's who can remember to run good routes, including coming back to the ball when the qb is in trouble and catching the ball. He also needs a legitimate head coach,offensive coordinator and qb coach. And last,but not least, he needs a owner/gm who will get him all those things and give him 2-3 years to get the hang of things before trying to replace him.

I don't really buy that argument as I have seen players on horrible teams have success and play well. Archie Manning, Dick butkus, and Jeff Van Note are some prime examples off the top of my head. Manning got killed for his entire career and could have been a HoFer if he wouold have been drafted by another team. Still he had a good career and was well respected even though he never played for a winning team.

Butkus played for some awful Bears teams but was the best MLB in the league for several years. He went all out all the time regardless of the score or how badly his team was playing.

Jeff Van Note should be in the HoF but because he played on some lousy Falcons teams he was overlooked but for most of his career he was one of the top-3 Centers in the league. The guys that played against him recognized his talent and desire despite the lack of talent around him.

I would have to say that players who don't pan out due to the talent around them lacked the mental makeup to push themselves to succeed despite said lack of surrounding talent. Personal success isn't tied to winning games but to winning the individual battles they face.

Poor coaching may have something to do with a small percentage of players that don't make it but that number would be so few as to be almost not worth mentioning. Again, I would have to go back to the player's character as the culprit rathr than the coaching staff. But that is just my opinion.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

I think situation is huge. A guy can go to the wrong situation and see nothing. If this happens a couple of times, your probably out of the league. I think it's key to go to the right situation.