Thoughts

I was watching an SEC Football game a few weeks ago and they were touting one of the players as a sure NFL draft pick, a number one choice.  Now I have been around football all my life, playing and coaching.  I know when a player is "dogging it", meaning he is not playing hard. This player, a defensive lineman, is a giant of a man and an amazing athlete.  The television announcers were going on and on about this kid being great so I was focusing my attention on him.

As the game progressed I noticed the player was not even trying to make any tackles or fight off blocks.  He was barely coming out of his stance and was being easily man handled.  In short, no effort was given.  I know, maybe he was injured.  But certainly not enough to give zero effort.  Two weeks later I watched the same athlete play again.  He was crushing the opposition.  He was a man born anew.  One could not even tell that it was the same athlete. 

Why the motivation change? What motivates someone to do their best one day and not the next? Why are some folks "All out all the time?" while others pick and choose their moments? How can those who half ass it look at themselves in the mirror? Do they even know they are doing a poor job?  Its a fascinating subject and one that makes me nuts.

Also, if our nutrition is worse than ever as Americans, why are college and NFL players more monstrous than ever? I thought that they lived on Cheetos and fruit punch? McDonald's and Wendy's? I mean, these guys eat like crap and are huge as hell. Of course , you don't have to be in that great of shape, what with all the TV timeouts these days. So they probably aren't weighing a bunch go guys in the like the old days…and the blocking schemes are different. But damn, they are big. Tall also? What gives?

As an aside, I have to include this anecdote because it just flashed in my head:
I knew a coach one time (a true wild man) who always used to say to an injured player, "People crawled out of rice paddies in Vietnam with their legs blown off and you are worried about a sprained ankle!"

Reading A Trip to Echo Spring, about writers and drinking. Interesting and well thought out. Also reading Thuglit, a collection of crime fiction. 99 cents on Kindle,  that is quite a bargain. Just began reading Frank Sinatra in a Blender by Matthew Mcbride. Very promising so far, and fun to read.

Until next week!