Walker out scores Hayes

[X-Expert]

So homer

Do you really think that it’s just athletic talent, raw physical skills, that separate an All-American player from anyone else? Is it only the 5-Star recruits that will become all-Americans? I ask you, why does a player like Bluiett improve from his freshman year to where he is now? Do you think that it’s all because of what he does in practice? Is it just good genes? He was just blessed with the God given talent? While it is true that not every athlete has the same amount of physical gifts, if you measure “success” based on how well the athlete developed those talents and how close they came to reaching their potential, then it is quite possible that every player on the roster could be deemed successful, and not an “underachiever”.

As I stated before, when you COMBINE raw athletic talent with desire and with the willingness to put the work needed to hone that talent to its highest level....you can get a special player. That doesn’t mean that every player will become great, no matter how much they work, physical attributes or deficiencies will still make a difference.

But physical talent will only take you so far. Sooner or later you are going to come up against someone with equal or even better physical talent and skills. What then? I truly believe that it’s the athlete with the bigger drive, the bigger desire, and the one that has put in the most work honing their talents that will prevail 9 times out of 10.

Good examples....Johnny Manziel, Johnny Football. People will tell you that he had as much physical talent as anyone they ever saw. But his ex teammates will also tell you that he didn’t do near as well when it came to watching tape, practicing hard, training, looking after his body, etc. A #1 draft pick, Player of the year in College, All-American, etc. You would hope that every player in college, and especially every player in the pros has a desire to be great. Compared to 99% of the population. They are ALL great athletes. But there are countless examples of players that come onto college campuses or onto pro teams with all of the accolades that anyone could desire, and yet don’t pan out. An opposite example...Tom Brady. 7th round draft pick that might be the best QB ever. Does he have the same physical talents that Manziel does? No. Did Manziel ever have the drive and desire that Brady has? No. Who would you rather have on your team?

I don’t know any of the players on the current X team. I’ve never met any of them. I sincerely hope that each and everyone of them has the desire to put in the work that it willl take to reach their potential. I certainly am not going to call out players by name, either the ones on this team, or the ones on past teams. But I think that it’s pretty obvious to anyone that has been watching past Xavier squads just who put in the extra work, and who didn’t. Even the coach talks about EFFORT in practice being one deciding factor in who gets minutes in the games, and who doesn’t.

I will tell you that I personally, during my time at Xavier, did many times observe the men’s BB team practicing. Couldn’t help it, often we were practicing at the same time in the same facility (Schmidt), separated only by a curtain. It was pretty obvious to me that certain players were working hard and certain players were going through the motions. I also remember very clearing the whole team being chastised for not doing their lifting that they were expected to do....on their own. I remember it because I was flabbergasted that they were all provided FREE memberships at a local health club. FREE!? And they didn’t take advantage of that!? Couldn’t believe it! I had to PAY for mine MYSELF, and I had to EARN that money by actually WORKING at a JOB all summer.

And they were not very successful during that time, were they? Ever wonder why?

Completely disagree on Manziell but don't remember people looking at him as a can't miss by any stretch. Yeah he had and does have major head issues but many analyst said he was too small and was a risk for any team to take him. Great college QB but not many thought he was going to be a great QB regardless of where he was picked.

[skyhops]

Agree with X-pert. Manziel was viewed as a QB that was not a good fit for NFL due to size, style of play, and immaturity. Browns were just dumb enough to take him.

[kyzrex]

When and where did I ever call Manziel a “can’t miss”?

What I said was that many of his ex teammates will tell you that he had much athletic talent as anyone they ever saw, but that he didn’t do the other things that were needed to make himself a PRO. But Brady, who was certainly not looked at as either a great college QB or super athlete, is still going strong as a 40 year old. That “immunity” thing.....

I don’t believe that ANYONE is someone that “can’t miss”.

I also don’t believe that recruiting is an exact science or that you can judge recruits by numbers on a list. Everyone starts their college careeer the same way....as an UNPROVEN possibility. How they do in their college career has more to do with what can be than what they are, or what they were.

24/7 now has Walter listed around 150 overall, #9 for centers, and #1 in the State of Kentucky, and has alll of the X recruits listed in their top 247 and all of them as 3 stars.....so what?