kastofsna
Hall of Fame
Ryan Leaf. Tim Couch. Akili Smith. Andre Ware. Jeff George. Heath Shuler.
Some big name busts in recent NFL history. Lots of pre-draft buzz, created by some big games in college, some impressive workouts, but mostly just hype.
Strong arms, but not the greatest decision-makers. Quickly learned a simplified college offense, but struggled with a complicated pro offense with huge playbooks and a lot more reads.
The biggest thing they all have in common: no work ethic. Just not willing to put in the work needed to become the franchise player they were thought to one day become. Some of these guys didn't have the best work ethic just because of their personalities. Leaf and Couch were pretty aloof guys, and Smith had some problems there, too. You CAN'T succeed at the next level if you think you can get away with some of the things you do in college, simple as that. Then you have guys like Shuler who combined all of that with the fact that he held out for his entire initial training camp. That's not going to end well.
Onto JaMarcus Russell. He fits the mold. Almost perfectly. Strong arm, but not the best decisions on the field. Some good games throughout his career, but nothing spectacular. No one even considered him a top prospect till one game against a very weak Notre Dame defense, a game where he had several questionable throws, including an interception thrown into triple coverage. His work ethic has been questioned for a while now, as well as his general non-chalant attitude towards the team. When asked who he wants to play for, he said "Whoever picks first and whoever pays the most." Not exactly what you'd want to hear from a potential franchise QB.
I liked Vince Young as a prospect a lot more than Russell. And a lot of you know my feelings on Young pre-draft last year. I've never seen a more obvious QB bust in my life.
Some big name busts in recent NFL history. Lots of pre-draft buzz, created by some big games in college, some impressive workouts, but mostly just hype.
Strong arms, but not the greatest decision-makers. Quickly learned a simplified college offense, but struggled with a complicated pro offense with huge playbooks and a lot more reads.
The biggest thing they all have in common: no work ethic. Just not willing to put in the work needed to become the franchise player they were thought to one day become. Some of these guys didn't have the best work ethic just because of their personalities. Leaf and Couch were pretty aloof guys, and Smith had some problems there, too. You CAN'T succeed at the next level if you think you can get away with some of the things you do in college, simple as that. Then you have guys like Shuler who combined all of that with the fact that he held out for his entire initial training camp. That's not going to end well.
Onto JaMarcus Russell. He fits the mold. Almost perfectly. Strong arm, but not the best decisions on the field. Some good games throughout his career, but nothing spectacular. No one even considered him a top prospect till one game against a very weak Notre Dame defense, a game where he had several questionable throws, including an interception thrown into triple coverage. His work ethic has been questioned for a while now, as well as his general non-chalant attitude towards the team. When asked who he wants to play for, he said "Whoever picks first and whoever pays the most." Not exactly what you'd want to hear from a potential franchise QB.
I liked Vince Young as a prospect a lot more than Russell. And a lot of you know my feelings on Young pre-draft last year. I've never seen a more obvious QB bust in my life.