broncobryce
11-13-2010, 04:00 PM
This guy played in the NFL, interesting take.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=tucker_ross&id=5784143
By Ross Tucker
ESPN.com
How does an NFL player get up to play in games that are meaningless? It's not easy, and it varies greatly depending on the leadership of the team in general and mindset of the individual player in particular.
I was unfortunately in this situation a few times, and there are several directions a player can take. So if you are a fan of the Carolina Panthers, Buffalo Bills and, yes, even those Dallas Cowboys, pay attention and try to identify which players on your team go in which direction.
Players take their cues from the leaders of the team, much more so than the coaches. If the leaders remain mentally focused, there is a much better chance more of the other individuals on the team will do the same. If not, look out.
The top five to 10 players on a team, the elite guys, are more disappointed than anything, but most of them still go about their business in the same way because they wouldn't have gotten to that status without having great discipline and great work ethic.
Then there are the guys like me who realize it is actually more important to play well when things are going poorly than it is when things are going well. If an average player has a couple of bad plays in a win, that usually is forgiven. In a loss? Could be grounds for a switch.
The only constant in the NFL is change, and everyone in the building should know, even though some inexplicably don't, that a horrendous season means a whole lot of change is ahead. I was always keenly aware of that, as my coach was fired at the end of my first three seasons in the NFL. As such, I would focus even more intently on my weekly preparation, knowing all too well that I needed to put my best foot forward so I wasn't part of the impending change. And even if I was going to be one of the ones shipped out the door, I had to put some good performances on tape so I might land a job elsewhere. A decent amount of players in the NFL are cognizant of this dynamic, especially the older guys who have been through it before.
Then there is the oblivious group -- usually young players who don't really pay attention to the media and fans and don't really think about the fact that they are out of the playoff race before it started. Even if they do realize it, they don't think about the consequences of such a disastrous season because they have never been through it before. For them, ignorance is bliss. Kind of.
And then there is the last group, the guys who realize they are just playing out the string and treat it as such. The more guys like this on your team, the worse off you are. They will let their preparation slide during the week both mentally and physically because they will wonder what the point is of putting in extra time. Like I wrote about last week, some of them will no longer be accountable because they feel like they no longer have anyone they need to be accountable to, especially if they believe the coach is on his way out and don't fear any type of discipline from management.
It will be very interesting over the next eight weeks to watch these teams, and others that soon will be in the same situation, to see which players step up their play and overcome the adversity, and which don't.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=tucker_ross&id=5784143
By Ross Tucker
ESPN.com
How does an NFL player get up to play in games that are meaningless? It's not easy, and it varies greatly depending on the leadership of the team in general and mindset of the individual player in particular.
I was unfortunately in this situation a few times, and there are several directions a player can take. So if you are a fan of the Carolina Panthers, Buffalo Bills and, yes, even those Dallas Cowboys, pay attention and try to identify which players on your team go in which direction.
Players take their cues from the leaders of the team, much more so than the coaches. If the leaders remain mentally focused, there is a much better chance more of the other individuals on the team will do the same. If not, look out.
The top five to 10 players on a team, the elite guys, are more disappointed than anything, but most of them still go about their business in the same way because they wouldn't have gotten to that status without having great discipline and great work ethic.
Then there are the guys like me who realize it is actually more important to play well when things are going poorly than it is when things are going well. If an average player has a couple of bad plays in a win, that usually is forgiven. In a loss? Could be grounds for a switch.
The only constant in the NFL is change, and everyone in the building should know, even though some inexplicably don't, that a horrendous season means a whole lot of change is ahead. I was always keenly aware of that, as my coach was fired at the end of my first three seasons in the NFL. As such, I would focus even more intently on my weekly preparation, knowing all too well that I needed to put my best foot forward so I wasn't part of the impending change. And even if I was going to be one of the ones shipped out the door, I had to put some good performances on tape so I might land a job elsewhere. A decent amount of players in the NFL are cognizant of this dynamic, especially the older guys who have been through it before.
Then there is the oblivious group -- usually young players who don't really pay attention to the media and fans and don't really think about the fact that they are out of the playoff race before it started. Even if they do realize it, they don't think about the consequences of such a disastrous season because they have never been through it before. For them, ignorance is bliss. Kind of.
And then there is the last group, the guys who realize they are just playing out the string and treat it as such. The more guys like this on your team, the worse off you are. They will let their preparation slide during the week both mentally and physically because they will wonder what the point is of putting in extra time. Like I wrote about last week, some of them will no longer be accountable because they feel like they no longer have anyone they need to be accountable to, especially if they believe the coach is on his way out and don't fear any type of discipline from management.
It will be very interesting over the next eight weeks to watch these teams, and others that soon will be in the same situation, to see which players step up their play and overcome the adversity, and which don't.