So many so-called studs from college get to the Pros and fizzle. But some 3rd string QB ends up lasting 8-10 years in the NFL. How does this happen? and Why? You all can use Terrell Pryor(Oakland) as your example if you want. He sucks. but was a stud in College. Ohio State Schaub, 2nd string in Atlanta behind Michael Vick's sorry butt, but now a stud in Houston. How does this happen?
Skillset for success is different. Like in college basketball, a guy like Adam Morrison could take advantage of the short 3 point line, shoot over the top of smaller guys, and could take advantage of the team defense. In the pros, he's unatheltic, can't shoot over the top of guys, has a longer 3 point line to deal with, and is exposed on defense. A guy like Jeremy Lin, who wasn't nearly the college player Morrison was, will be a better pro because the lane isn't as congested, which let's him work and make plays for others.
Tom Brady, who is, at the very least, in the discussion for being the greatest QB in NFL history, was a sixth-round draft pick out of Michigan.
another perfect example. and I also think it comes down to understanding the playbook. if a college QB can't do that in the Pros, he's toast. Vince Young and Matt Leinart come to mind instantly.
great examples!! you can even use that in non athletic jobs. why do perfect students wind up sucking in the real world? Because in college they are operating in a tailored system. If they fit that system then they shine. If not they don't. In real world work the people with actual skills and talent shine. A lot of times those don't alwayys show up in school because you're finding yourself, you're forced to play a secondary role because of they system, but in the real world if you have skills they shine and employers will harness them because they benefit from it. Very good thread.
some people just hit their high note in college and dont develop like they are supposed too in the pros. football in the pros is much much faster than in college and there is less chance of "trick" plays on the pros. Plus there are other things that take effect such as the scheme you are used to playing and such. professional sports are generally no nonsense, you either catch on or you dont.
College has actually ended more rather than created pro sports careers. The USA sends far too many of its athletes into college rather than developmental leagues as Europeans do. This is why Europe so easily caught up with the USA in basketball and why it remains so vastly superior in soccer. Easy to see why: NCAA only allows 20 hours of practice per week in season (8 hours in off season). European juniors or developmental leagues allow 40-50 hours of practice all year round. After a 3 to 4 year period an athlete is in far better shape in one of those leagues. Example: how many Canadians or Europeans go to college to play ice hockey? Instead, they play in major juniors leagues and are far superior players than Americans who spend 4 years in college. Another example: Puerto Rico used to produce some of the best baseball players in the world and had several in the All star game several years ago. Once the draft was implemented there and compelled players to finish high school, PR produced far fewer players. By contrast, the Dominican Republic sends it players to developmental leagues and it has produced far greater numbers of players than PR. Ditto for Venezuela. Same for pro tennis. Soon enough the NBA will be dominated by European players. Bottom line: college is NOT the place to develop pro athletes in many sports.
College has actually ended more rather than created pro sports careers. The USA sends far too many of its athletes into college rather than developmental leagues as Europeans do. This is why Europe so easily caught up with the USA in basketball and why it remains so vastly superior in soccer. Easy to see why: NCAA only allows 20 hours of practice per week in season (8 hours in off season). European juniors or developmental leagues allow 40-50 hours of practice all year round. After a 3 to 4 year period an athlete is in far better shape in one of those leagues. Example: how many Canadians or Europeans go to college to play ice hockey? Instead, they play in major juniors leagues and are far superior players than Americans who spend 4 years in college. Another example: Puerto Rico used to produce some of the best baseball players in the world and had several in the All star game several years ago. Once the draft was implemented there and compelled players to finish high school, PR produced far fewer players. By contrast, the Dominican Republic sends it players to developmental leagues and it has produced far greater numbers of players than PR. Ditto for Venezuela. Same for pro tennis. Soon enough the NBA will be dominated by European players. Bottom line: college is NOT the place to develop pro athletes in many sports.
As far as i know only France has a national soccer academy , the rest of the countries have a multi-division system in ball sports where kids sign up in their local clubs and if they are good enough they are getting transferred to bigger ones . The main difference between Europe and America is that here you are either a pro or an amateur , pros get paid if they are older than 16 so from very young age they are introduced to professionalism and nobody thinks of age when it comes to performance , if your 17 year old plays better than the veteran then he becomes the starter and the older guy sits on the bench or gets a transfer. Clubs see their academies as a financial investment so they are putting money and time into their development process ("producing" club gets a 10% of every transfer their academy player makes) . It is a pyramid scheme where the richest clubs always have the best players and it is this way not because it suits the richest clubs but because it suits everyone . NBA uses players older than 21 , in that age Europeans already know if they are made for big things , low division role players or that they should look for another job . Kostas Papanikolaou was a second round 2012 draft , he may not be good enough for play there but compare his experience with the guys that are just finishing college .
The key being that European youths play the sports all year round. They are not restricted to 8 hours of practice in the off season since there is none, contrary to American schools. An 18 year old who plays soccer in the USA is limited in practice/training while a European may have as many as 40-50 of practice per week all year round since European youths do not go to college where their practice and training are restricted. Also consider that the European coaches are professionals who know the craft a lot better than do college coaches most of whom did not have professional experience as players or coaches. This is why European players are so much better than Americans. Further, this is why so many Europeans are in the NBA. If this continues, soon enough the NBA will have a majority of European players. Already we are seeing a disproportionate amount of MLB players from Venezuela, Dominican Republic, and from Asia. Again, those players are not required to stay in high school or go to college. Like their European counterparts they also go to academies and are not restricted to 8 hours of off season practice. The NHL has a majority of players from Europe or Canada. MLB has a disproportionate amount of Latinos & Asians. The NBA is now featuring what are being called "all white" lineups for the first time in decades as Europeans are now dominating. WTA/ATP professional tennis are both totally dominated by Europeans. This because Europeans do not send their athletes to college. How much longer will we keep up the fiction that college is the way to create pro athletes???
American universities are great for creating swimmers or track & field athletes but ball sports are a totally different beast , right now AC Milan (this is one of the biggest soccer clubs in Europe) wants to put a 15 year old play and asks for the age restriction (currently at 16) to be lifted. Players need competitive games to mature , even if you have the best academies you will never produce great players if they are not tested in real championships . By the age of 20 Latin Americans and Europeans must have already proven that they are worth their salt under real pressure conditions (fans are crazy in both continents) while Americans have college life before they are asked to take a big leap into competitive sports so i don't think it is a big surprise that many of them flop .
Some guys athletically peak at different ages too. Some guys are past their peak at 20-21, and don't have anything left. That isn't the norm, but you see guys who don't have the durability needed for a pro level schedule, and their athleticism declines. And then, of course, there are freaks like Steve Nash, Ray Lewis, and Grant Hill, who are still doing their thing at (*)(*)(*)(*) near 40.
Heck...Randy Johnson pitched until he was 42, Nolan Ryan to 4! And unlike many who pitched that long, both were starters (200+ innings a year) and flamethrowers (95+MPH fastball...Ryan hot 100 a few times). Ryan's last pitch--thrown with a torn ligament in his shoulder--was clocked at 98MPH. (On the road (Seattle), he left the mound to a nearly 5-minute standing ovation, including from the other team...everyone knew they were watching the end of an era.) Many pitchers who pitch after 40 are relievers with a much lighter workload (offhand, Mariano Rivera, Trevor Hoffman, Dennis Eckersley) and/or throw much slower (like knuckeballers Tim Wakefield, Charlie Hough, R. A. Dickey, Tom Candiotti, Steve Sparks, and the Neikro brothers).
Well the thing with college as far as QB's like Prior go is that being on an excellent team can hurt you. If you play QB for a major program you are use to your line being better than the other team. You are use to your receivers being better than the other team. You rarely see the kind of pass rush and coverages in college that you will in the pros. Once you get to the pros all things are equal. You aren't beating the (*)(*)(*)(*) out of Eastern Michigan. You will see a lot of pressure. Your receivers wont be running wide open. Major program QB's have a hard time adjusting to their teammates not being head and shoulders ahead of the competition.
