For those of you who think professional football
players can be as dumb as tree stumps and still play the game, as long
as they are either big and strong, have an arm that can throw a hand
grenade from Ohio to California or have a leg that can kick the chrome
off of a bumper, you need to think again. Pro football is a very
complex sport and unless you've got a good head on your shoulders, you
are going to find out the hard way that it isn't simply a matter of
being skilled.
Sure, you have to be big and strong, especially if
you're going to be a lineman. These guys top the scales and 300 pounds
plus and feel like mack trucks when they hit you. Certainly if you're a
90 pound weakling, you're not going to get far in the game of football.
And yes, if you have a fantastic arm and can throw a football the
length of the field accurately, you'll most likely make a good
quarterback, again, provided that you have a head on your shoulder.
Okay,
so why the need for brains? Isn't this a rather simple game? Isn't the
object of the game to score a goal by either running or passing the
football over the goal line? And if that's not simple enough, you can
also kick it over if you think you're too far out for a regular score.
How hard can this be? Kids in high school play it and some of these
kids aren't the brightest bulbs in the bunch.
To answer that
question, one has to understand the level at which pro football is
played. These players ARE the strongest of the strong and the most
talented. They have the best arms and legs. When it comes to raw
talent, there is none better anywhere. What separates the good players
from the great players is how they assimilate the game on an
intellectual level. In pro football there are a great number of plays
for both offense and defense. Some teams have play books that have well
over 100 plays. And they're all used. If the coach calls a play, you
better know what it means and how you're supposed to react. That means
storing a hundred or more plays in your head. And you thought cramming
for an exam was hard. This requires a certain degree of brain power.
Imagine
the coach calls a play and you forget which play it is and you miss an
assignment or a route or a block. It could mean the difference between
scoring and not scoring or the opposition scoring or not scoring.
Usually it's mistakes that decide games. By having the plays down cold,
you minimize the chance of those mistakes.
So the next time you
think that football players are just a bunch of dumb jocks, I suggest
you try getting a hold of one of their play books and see if you can
learn even half of what's in them.
Professional football. It's NOT for dumb people.
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