Listen Up Dummy

This week I sat down for an interview with Rod Issac, a cornerback on our football team. The interview was for the NFL Draft Special TV show I do and it really wasn't anything special. It was on the heels of the combine and I wanted to ask him two main questions: "Does the combine matter?" and "Does your track background help you in drills?" (he's also a sprinter on the MT track team). Of course there were a few other questions thrown in here and there but that's neither here nor there. It was while he was answering these questions though that I found myself, literally jaw open with amazement at what was coming of Rod's mouth. It was nothing that hadn't been said before, but this was stuff you hear from coaches when they get excited and start talking technical babel. Football catch phrases such as "fluidity of the hips" and track terms such as "get out" were flowing out of this ripped young man with a gold grill and tattoos up and down his arms.

Now before you go oh crap he's going with the race card, no I'm not. Yes Rod is black but that's not the stereotype I'm attacking. The young black thug who doesn't care about anything but cars, money, and women is one of the most overused stereotypes in the world but this is a sports blog and I'm not preaching to a bunch of old white guys who can't stand rap and think its killing society, I'm preaching to sports fans. And thus, the stereotype I'd like to destroy is that of the athlete and in particular that of the "dumb football player"

First of all understand something: all stereotypes are there for a reason. Asians are stereotyped as really smart and this is because in most areas of Asia school is much harder than it is here and thus their parents who grew up over there are smarter and the genes and work ethic are passed down. Football players get the opposite rap. Many don't excel in school and simply aren't meant for academia. Fine, I'll give you that. I've met my fair share of dumb football players and other athletes that don't excel in school but to say they're dumb period would be a horrible mistake. Football players process more information on one snap than you'll see your whole day as you twiddle your thumbs in your cubicle. This was easily seen when we did our first demo with Rod and Jeremy Kellem for the draft show. We asked them how they'd defend a certain route. They responded with a very logical answer, depends on what coverage we're in. So being the football "experts" we are we told them go with a Cover 2 man look. Anyone who knows football knows what this is and would probably go OK that makes sense let's do this. Anyone who's plays football like Rod and Jeremy do still have a lot of questions. Instead of asking though they simply explained the 3 or 4 different options they could use, shading the receivers every which way, whether they were expecting run or pass, so on and so forth. This was all stuff I've heard of and seen before but for this to be the logical way some one's brain processed information truly amazed me.

It's no secret that everybody's mind doesn't work the same. Some of us are mathematical geniuses, others can recant history from now until forever, while others are gifted writers who have the power to move and motivate with words. Athletes might not necessarily be great at these things but they have an innate ability to process information quickly and get their bodies to react accordingly. Great athletes take this to the next level and are able to anticipate what is going to happen not only to them but to everyone around them. Most pitchers were more physically gifted than Greg Maddux. He was simply smarter than everyone else. He meticulously studied hitters and knew their every tendency and weakness and thus he was great. Kobe Bryant is not significantly more physically gifted than say, J.R. Smith, but the two players aren't even in the same league because Kobe knows what is going on with all 10 players on the floor at all times before even they do. So the next time you see LeBron James and go it's just not fair, he's not human, you're right. He's one of a kind: 6'9" 265 lbs and brilliant. His ability to read the floor is what makes him an elite player just like Kobe and thus he's next in line.

However, those are pros who have been playing for a long time. You wouldn't expect that from say, a college kid who plays for of all schools Middle Tennessee State in the "glorious" Sun Belt Conference, would you? You obviously haven't met Rod or Jeremy. None of this hit me during the interview, I was too amazed at the depth of what Rod was saying, I had to pay attention or I would've been lost, but the more I think about it the more amazed I am. So the next time that football player in your class doesn't get it remember, it's not cause he's dumb or stupid. It's cause its not something he understands. If you were able to explain biology in a way that related to football they would get it. I know, I once explained competitive inhibitors to a volleyball player in volleyball terms and she aced the test. All of a sudden the topic interested her and thus she got it. Just because someone doesn't think like you doesn't mean they're dumb. And just because someone is an athlete doesn't make them dumb. So big ups to Rod. Thanks for the insight. It was greatly appreciated and it opened my eyes into how much truly goes on on the field on every play.  I have enough insight and have watched and studied sports enough to truly realize that there are no idiots at any elite level of sports, and now I hope you do too.