Intelligence And Football?

An interesting post. I was watching ESPN Classic last night and they were showing interviews with players back in the 1980s. What struck me was that in all of them, the players appeared so much more poised, mature, and intelligent than what I see today.


That's also the magic of television and editing. Probably also, the players didn't have as much freedom to move around in the league like they do now. By that fact, players who had starting positions or just a roster spot on the team probably seemed rather lucky!

you've hit the nail on the head Sociofan, and just think how bad it would be if the nfl followed the nba and started drafting high school kids. thats why i was so relieved when the courts sided with the nfl and blocked clarrett from entering the nfl early.

An interesting post. I was watching ESPN Classic last night and they were showing interviews with players back in the 1980s. What struck me was that in all of them, the players appeared so much more poised, mature, and intelligent than what I see today. Just my imagination? Or has anyone else noticed the phenomenon? Is it the money? Are lower calibre characters being attracted to the NFL today? Are colleges failing to turn players into good citizens as well as great players these days? Of course that is not a blanket statement, but the sheer number of incidents on and off the field and the things I hear coming out of players' mouths tell me that character "ain't what it used to be!"

To prove your point Sociofan........
The Titans had 5 players arrested this offseason and the club even had a policeman come talk to the club about staying out of trouble :rolleyes

I think SOME colleges look the other way with character issues as long as their college is winning and this just transcends on to the NFL.........

Some colleges, for example I'm a Notre Dame fan (yeah Joey T, Renaldo Wynn and Jerome Bettis), ND has very high academic and character standards.....but ND isn't winning like they used to, because they can't get the best athletes because of their tough admission stands. They refuse to compromise so recruits are going elsewhere, and so is winning, and thus the NFL..ND used to be one of the top colleges for players drafted in the NFL.... sad state of affairs...

Funny that you mention Notre Dame. I was just listening to a press conference with Charlie Weis where the question about winning came up. Although he said that winning was how he would be judged, he also made mention of the fact that attracting top talent to ND is difficult because of the high academic standards. They would do the best they could with what they had and he believes that having a smart team is critical to football success, equating ND to the Patriots. The Fighting Irish for pete's sake! With a coach wearing 3 Super Bowl rings! How could you not attract talent there as in years past? It must be one of two things: 1) The overall pool of talent is just not of the academic and character calibre of years past, or 2) Other schools have lowered their standards so much that athletes don't worry too much about academics anymore. This is NOT a knock on Jason Campbell since I don't even know the guy. From what I have heard, he has tremendous character and work ethic. That's a great start in my book. As a football fan, I just don't want the NFL to develop this "thug" image that destroyed my interest in the NBA.

True. But even in the 80s, the stories were Art Monk's unparalleled work ethic, Darrell Green's philanthropic activities, The Hogs' bonding after practice. Even when Dexter was having his problems, we still thought of him as the guy overcoming illiteracy and speaking before Congress. And Riggo--he was just a colorful character.


Perhaps you are right. Maybe the media have changed direction and act more like sensationalist tabloids now. It just makes it harder for kids to have sports heroes anymore when the good things that Noble, Wynn and others are doing is constantly overshadowed in the press by the players more obsessed with guns, drugs, and money than with being a good teammate. Still, I wonder if the football mills have lowered their standards over the years (giving in to the pressures of making money at the college level) and are now churning out very talented players who would not have found a seat in the classroom 20 years ago. The UNLV-ization of football.


Well it's a good point about Notre Dame that monk81 brings up. But on the professional level I think we're essentially saying the same thing, Sociofan. It's not necessarily that are fewer upstanding player/citizens it's just that it's not reported as much. And it's a shame.

Funny that you mention Notre Dame. I was just listening to a press conference with Charlie Weis where the question about winning came up. Although he said that winning was how he would be judged, he also made mention of the fact that attracting top talent to ND is difficult because of the high academic standards. They would do the best they could with what they had and he believes that having a smart team is critical to football success, equating ND to the Patriots. The Fighting Irish for pete's sake! With a coach wearing 3 Super Bowl rings! How could you not attract talent there as in years past? It must be one of two things: 1) The overall pool of talent is just not of the academic and character calibre of years past, or 2) Other schools have lowered their standards so much that athletes don't worry too much about academics anymore. This is NOT a knock on Jason Campbell since I don't even know the guy. From what I have heard, he has tremendous character and work ethic. That's a great start in my book. As a football fan, I just don't want the NFL to develop this "thug" image that destroyed my interest in the NBA.

ND's new coach will definitely help in recruiting.......he can wear and flaunt his Super Bowl rings. I think item #2 is your answer.

But Sociofan not all NBA teams are thugs......cheer on the Spurs...Good character, well spoken, do a lot for the community etc. And they are NOT boring, they all have a great sense of humor, and they love having Madden tournaments. Of course, you will have to wait until the playoffs to see the Spurs, since nationally they get FEW games televised.....guess the commish David Stern likes the "thug" image.... :shrug: . Why does the media love an NFL team who derives their strength from defense, but hate an NBA team that does, besides the Spurs can run 'n gun with the best of 'em.....even the Suns :(

I think Gibbs goes a lot on character so I have no concern over Campbell or our other draft picks. Gibbs knew what he was doing in selecting Carlos Rogers......even if Pac Man or Rolle had been their when the Redskins picked, Gibbs declared early that Rogers was our guy........After Pac Man was arrested, one of the Titan's coaches revealed that he had wished they had picked Rogers.......

Well it's a good point about Notre Dame that monk81 brings up. But on the professional level I think we're essentially saying the same thing, Sociofan. It's not necessarily that are fewer upstanding player/citizens it's just that it's not reported as much. And it's a shame.

You also make a good point TAFKAS.....the GOOD guys don't get much publicity ...........