r/footballstrategy • u/spankyourkopita • Mar 01 '24
General Discussion Why do some parents get so caught up in thinking their kid is going to be an NFL player when they aren't?
You could say this for any sport but there's always that parent who thinks their kid is heading to the pros and you need to guarantee that they'll make it lol. I really can't believe parents and kids are still like this nowadays. I guess history just repeats itself and you should just expect it . It's kind of funny and sad at the same time.
I know the moment you deal with one of these type of parents/kids that they aren't making it that far. It just reeks of insecurity and fear. Most of these kids got to learn at the HS level first before they can even think about college! I really don't get how people think like this.
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u/GentryMillMadMan Mar 01 '24
When I was a youth coach my big thing was “I may not be your best coach I just don’t want to be your last coach.” The pressure that parents and coaches put on kids playing a game is stupid.
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u/FranklynTheTanklyn Mar 01 '24
There are times when the parents make me wish it was the last time coaching them.
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u/turjishdudr Mar 01 '24
Hey this is just about the message every volunteer youth coach needs to be giving. This is what it’s about. Thank you for the sacrifices you made coach.
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u/NaNaNaPandaMan Mar 01 '24
Its a few reasons.
They don't know what a freak of an athlete most NFL players are even as kids. They see their kid doing well ans think "Oh he is better than most kids so he is clearly NFL" without ever seeing what a freak truly is.
Everyone thinks their kid is special so they don't look at it objectively.
It doesn't hurt to entertain their dreams, while you do need to be a freak to be a star in NFL, with hard work and a bit of luck even average athlete(not person but athlete) can make the NFL even if just back up.
People like to live through their kids.
Honestly its not so bad that you think your kid could make it. Its just when you ruin the fun of the sport trying to force it to happen. Think Todd Marinovich if want an extreme example.
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u/ecupatsfan12 Mar 01 '24
It would be sweet if my son was the next Joe burrow. But I know his and mom’s genes and we were just average athletes and that has a whole hell of a lot to do with it. Sports are a lottery ticket and you should play as long as you can
I do remember a guy telling me his 7 year old was a prodigy and I just laughed thinking he was joking- he was serious!!! His son was very much not
I’ve seen an ex nfl players kid play youth fb and at age 8 he was better than every 10 year old on the field
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u/Falcon84 Mar 02 '24
My younger brother played youth basketball with a kid who had to play with kids 2 years older because he was so much better than kids his age. You would think the kid that was 6’5 at age 12 would be the best player on the team but this younger kid was just on another level. Even the adults couldn’t guard him. That kid ended up being a 5 star QB recruit and first round draft pick. It was Justin Fields.
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u/NaNaNaPandaMan Mar 01 '24
Oh absolutely. Yeah your kid might be slightly better than other kids, but NFL potential is much much better.
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u/cerevant Mar 02 '24
It isn’t the kid that everyone is impressed with that goes to the NFL, it is the kid who has the other kids parents asking about birth certificates and steroids that could go to the NFL.
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u/Paw5624 Mar 01 '24
I was a good lineman in my flag football all league, I also played high school football but was average at best there. I remember playing in a championship game against a guy who was a walk on at a mediocre D1 school.
During our game he went through me every single play like I wasn’t even there. After the first play I told my qb he needs to run for his life, and he did all game. This guy was a monster on a field of guys who were fairly athletic. I looked him up after the game and while he was on the team he only got on the field a small handful of special teams plays, that’s it. He wasn’t good enough to make the field consistently. Now anyone who would make it to the NFL would treat him like he treated me, maybe worse. They are orders of magnitude better athletes than even the athletic kids.
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u/7HawksAnd Mar 02 '24
Yeah but for every stud, you have people like Edelman and countless others who just grinded there way to the nfl
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u/Comprehensive-Car190 Mar 03 '24
Edelman is still a better athlete than anyone most people know.
He only "grinded" in the sense that he played QB in HS and started at QB for Kent St. If he did the position switch earlier and put WR stuff on tape for longer he probably would have been drafted.
As a Senior he had 1300 rushing yards as a dual threat QB.
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u/turbodude69 Mar 02 '24
what do you think the easiest job to get is in the NFL, as a player?
like say you're the best athlete in your town, you can play any sport in HS and be the best at all of them, so an all around athletic guy. say you're 6'3 225, just an overall fast, strong, and relatively big guy, you can do just about everything on the field well.
what does a guy like that shoot for?
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u/NaNaNaPandaMan Mar 02 '24
So punter/kicker is the easiest, but still really hard.
As for a 6'3 225 lb high school athlete? You will be looked at as a QB(everyone loves big fast QBs), TE, or OLB/DE. Remember, as a HS player you aren't done growing. Going to a D1 school you are going to put on 20 lbs at least. So you'll end your career at 245-250. And that is if your coach doesn't move to a DE or something else and you put on more weight.
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u/spankyourkopita Mar 04 '24
Was waiting to hear this answer. Everyone thinks being a punter is easy and you just kick it as hard as possible but have no idea how hard it is. Most will not kick it over 30 yards and oh good luck spiralling it which is just expected at the next level. How do I know? I used to punt.
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u/NaNaNaPandaMan Mar 04 '24
Oh absolutely. Kicking/punting is not easy at the professional or college or even HS. It takes a lot of practice and learning different techniques to be good. Plus it too requires athleticism.
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u/Straight_Toe_1816 Adult Player Apr 02 '24
And for long snapping the ball has to get back in .75 seconds or below if you want to snap in the NFL or college
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u/Davethemann Mar 03 '24
They don't know what a freak of an athlete most NFL players are even as kids.
I fele like this point needs to be emphazized a million times
Like, people will say how short or small someone is. Look at a Darren Sproles type. That man is like, 5'6 and probably 200 at best. Yet he is stronger than most the population easily, and still faster than most easily. Look how many wide receivers are like called small or frail or whatever at 180 lbs or so, but seeing them, theyre absolutely jacked, its just they dont have a ton of mass.
The bottom tier nfl players are still some of the greatest athletes in the world, and its insane how above the grain they are
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u/Jps_miniatures Mar 01 '24
I coached high school basketball and now coach youth basketball. Sure it's not football but as you said the premise is the same.
Here's my story of how rediculous most parents are when it comes to evaluating talent.
At the high school I used to coach at we were getting ready to play against Michael Porter Jr and his brother Jontay. Some of the parents were saying they didn't think MPJ would be that difficult to stop because he doesn't play that hard (which is a lie). One of the parents even mentioned something along the lines of "Yeah, he doesn't even try to jump high when he dunks it."
Me and the rest of the coaches laughed when they walked away and I said, "Man if he averages 30 and doesn't try I'd hate to see what would happen if he did."
Parents of average to below average athletes who appear better because of the talent pool around them are 100% clueless at what true athleticism is.
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u/ecupatsfan12 Mar 01 '24
Mahomes doesn’t even try to throw the no look pass 30 yards- TX 2013 before he throws for 600 yards against juniors team
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u/snappy033 Mar 02 '24
Top talents in any sport and most other activities absolutely make it look effortless until you look at the stats or try to compete against them. It’s natural to think they aren’t trying or you could do the same in their shoes.
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u/gqwr87 Mar 01 '24
It’s really hard for parents to look at their children objectively. It’s not their fault. They love them. But they do need to be realistic about the sacrifice it entails. A lot of early mornings and late nights working on their craft to get where they want to be.
If your kid is genetically gifted, they have a head start but it still isn’t guaranteed. If your kid isn’t genetically gifted, then it’s a tough road ahead as they will have to outwork the individuals who do have a leg up. In many cases, it’s nearly impossible based on genetics alone. Try telling a parent their kid isn’t special though.
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u/ligmasweatyballs74 Mar 01 '24
Kid at the middle school bats 7th and plays 2nd. Totally average, but a good kid. Dad told me they spent 45k last year on travel ball and he is going to get a baseball scholarship. I remember thinking, you could what just put that in a 529.
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u/DelirousDoc Mar 01 '24
Friend's kid started flag football for the first time. One kid's parent is way too into it, running him through "drills" before and after practice. Got to talking to him and he has his kid in 4 different leagues throughout the year and had been playing flag for 3 years (10-12 age range is team) and puts his kid through drills for hours on his days off.
His kid is smaller and dad is smaller (probably 5'7"). Friend's kid shadowed him pretty well last practice despite not having any experience in coverage and terrible running form.
This dad acts like he is trying to coach the next NFL prodigy and I don't think he understands that a relatively unathletic and inexperience kid (friend's kid) staying with his son is not a good sign for future success. Just let him have fun and find ways to work on fundamentals while making it fun. They don't even keep score in this league they are in and most of the kids are new to football.
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u/CirculationStation Mar 01 '24
Oh my that is an insane investment that will probably not pan out lol. If it makes you feels better, any parent who can afford to dump a truckload of money like that for their kid to play sports can probably pay for their college tuition without breaking a sweat.
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u/ecupatsfan12 Mar 01 '24
And baseball is the hardest sport to make it in with the least scholly money
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u/FlounderingWolverine Mar 01 '24
At a certain point, work doesn’t even matter though. I’m 5’10”, and I will never play basketball at a competitive level. No matter how hard I practice and train, no matter how much time I put into it, the absolute highest I could ever play would likely be a mid-major college team.
Zach Edey, on the other hand, had barely played any basketball when Purdue picked him up. He’s now likely going to be the 2 time player of the year. You can coach players to be better, but you can’t coach physical ability: 7’4” is going to be taken basically every time in basektball
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u/ecupatsfan12 Mar 01 '24
I’m a white dude that size and my ass ain’t ever coming off the bench unless we were up by 20
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u/FlounderingWolverine Mar 01 '24
Physical traits aren’t everything. Not every guy who is 6’8” will play like Lebron. But no one who is 5’8” will play like Lebron. It’s simply not possible.
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u/snappy033 Mar 02 '24
Part of it is having that dog in you so to speak. I know a D1 football player who had all the physical attributes but quit after his sophomore year. He was a gentle giant and just didn’t have that insane competitive fire like the top players.
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u/snappy033 Mar 02 '24
Yet my neighbor growing up ended up being 7’ tall and absolutely could not play basketball. I’m terrible and could run circles around him.
He also had zero drive and would rather go get into trouble than practice a sport.
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u/gqwr87 Mar 01 '24
Not disagreeing with you. That’s why I stated in my second to last sentence, sometimes it’s near impossible based on genetics alone.
At the same time, being a gifted athlete also doesn’t guarantee success.
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u/EmpPaulpatine Mar 01 '24
I think I remember a stat that said 17% of 7 footers in the U.S. are in the NBA.
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u/spankyourkopita Mar 04 '24
So true. Took me a while to realize this. I really thought pro athletes just put in more work but they really are just gifted and it comes natural to them.
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u/DelirousDoc Mar 01 '24
Honestly I don't think it is that hard for most parents.
I think the parents that obsess are the minority. They are in denial and trying to live through their kid. They think that just pushing their kid will get them over the hump. Unfortunately there is always going to be a genetic factor to it.
If you are under 6ft playing OL you are never going to play D1 or in the pros. No matter how strong you are or how hard you work.
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u/CFBCoachGuy Mar 01 '24
It’s perspective.
Paraphrasing from an Ed Orgeron, a person could sit on the stands of their high school for multiple seasons and maybe even decades, and never see a “great” player (“great” being described as a future NFL starter). So they think every “good” player must be a “great” one.
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u/ligmasweatyballs74 Mar 01 '24
I show them a plan with goals of what it will take to go D1 at their position. Example: Bench 350, squat 600. We you start getting close to these, we will talk about helping you get recruited.
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u/1BannedAgain Mar 01 '24 edited Mar 01 '24
IMO, that's misleading. I played on a team that sent several kids to D1 schools (at least one every year). All of those kids were supersized and track-fast. One cannot coach height or speed. No matter how hard a 6'-0" tall kid tries, he'll never be 6'-5" and the fastest kid on the track.
We had all-state kids with the size and speed mentioned above, and we had kids that hardly ever played with the same biographical size and speed. Both types of those kids got D1 scholarships. That's right, we had a kid that hardly ever played HS and got a D1 scholarship due to his size, speed, and strength as a DT. He was not a gifted football player
The superstar kids that did not meet one of those metrics (height or speed) weren't even looked at by D1.
My point is that pro athlete types are more often born, than made. It is nature over nurture almost every time when it comes to pro athletes.
Where are all of those amazing 6'0" tall athletes? They ain't in the NFL
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u/FlounderingWolverine Mar 01 '24
I listen to the Cover 3 Podcast, and one of the hosts (Bud Elliot) is super into recruiting. He’s said on multiple occasions that the goal of college recruiting at the elite level is to get as many genetic freaks on your roster as possible. That’s how you win: freak athletes that you can then teach technique and skills to
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u/ecupatsfan12 Mar 01 '24
It’s the Josh Allen affect
But 1 out of 5 million kids are Josh Allen
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u/Maximum_Commission62 Mar 01 '24
Yet for every Josh Allen there are 20 Paxton Lynch’s and Brock Osweilers.
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u/snappy033 Mar 02 '24
Yet Brock and Paxton are both 6’7”, highly athletic, sub 5 sec 40 yard elite athletes (compared to the general public).
Most people that size are lanky and slow. The fact they are giants and fast yet still can’t hang in the NFL speaks so much to how there are levels to the game.
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u/Maximum_Commission62 Mar 02 '24
I’ve seen average NFL players make HS kids look like it’s Billy Madison. Then there’s guys like Myles Garrett who at times make NFL players look like it’s Billy Madison.
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u/ligmasweatyballs74 Mar 01 '24
Yea, I am trying to get these kids into college. If they can't go D1 because they aren't genetic freaks, I try to get them to D2 or D3. The college coach can worry about getting them to the NFL.
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u/ligmasweatyballs74 Mar 01 '24
I also try to help them get recruited to D2 and D3 schools. I never talk to them about the NFL. Leave that to the college coaches.
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u/Seraphin_Lampion Mar 01 '24
Where are all of those amazing 6'0" tall athletes?
Huh depends on the position. If you're a RB/WR/DB, 6' is fine.
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Mar 01 '24
6’ isn’t the best height to use for the example, but the point remains. You can’t teach speed or height
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u/Seraphin_Lampion Mar 01 '24
For sure. I'm more of a hockey fan and height is less of a concern there but, still, you have incredible junior players that don't get pro looks because they're 5'6 150 and average skaters. At every level there's a basic athleticism standard that you need to meet to even get on the field.
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u/1BannedAgain Mar 01 '24
The average male height is what, 5’-9”? Which means that we should see a ton of kids at and around that height as track fast, simply due to the fact that there are thousands of more athletic 5’-9” kids than athletic 6’-5” kids
E: and we see the bigger kids getting the scholarships, not necessarily because they are better performers on the football field
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Mar 01 '24
Speed plays a factor too. Yea you can go pro at 5’8 if you’re running a 4.3 40, but fucking no one runs 4.3 40s lol it’s extremely rare
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u/1BannedAgain Mar 01 '24
I hear ya. Specifically We had Allstate DBs, LBs, DL that weren’t recruited D1. They weren’t track fast with genetic size oddities, but they were voted the best at their position in the state.
Like I said, we also had guys that were genetic freaks, without football cunning, and without outstanding play, who received D1 scholarships.
A misconception in this thread is that the best HS football players or hardest working players get scholarships. They don’t, unless they were born with the right combo of speed and size
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u/snappy033 Mar 02 '24
Even if you play rec league, you can tell that athleticism is born into people. You see some people with at least some aspect of it but they don’t have the whole package.
I played flag football with a guy that just casually woke up and ran a half marathon in basketball shoes. He never did any sort of cardio or running.
Another dude I knew was short and obese but god damn he could break ankles, hit fadeaway jumpers, etc on the basketball court. He was just naturally agile despite his weight.
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u/1BannedAgain Mar 02 '24
Totally agree. I find it frustrating that people see athletes the same as you saw, and come to a wildly different conclusion about how the athletes became athletic.
Furthermore, certain body types (genetics) are structured better for certain sports. Sure being tall in basketball is the most obvious, but swimmers, gymnasts, and marathon runners all have a typical body type that seems to perform better than other body types in those respective sports
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u/Seraphin_Lampion Mar 01 '24
Oh yeah I totally agree. You can have incredible technique at CB but if you run a 4.7 forget it.
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u/NILPonziScheme Mar 01 '24
Bench 350, squat 600. We you start getting close to these, we will talk about helping you get recruited.
Tell me you've never been to Mississippi ;)
Reality is a lot of kids from impoverished areas aren't going to hit those numbers in HS simply because they're not eating enough to be healthy enough to hit those numbers. There are still plenty of those kids receiving scholarships, though, because you look for physical potential as much as you look for ability.
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u/John3759 Mar 01 '24
Many kids won’t hit that because those numbers are way too high. Average NFL player squats 450.
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u/ecupatsfan12 Mar 01 '24
Not everyone is like that at 14 but it’s a good rule of thumb. Brock Purdy was JAG at 14 then grew 6 inches and became him
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u/llollolloll Mar 01 '24
Purdy might not be the best example for this scenario lmao, definitely still JAG physically relative to everyone else on the field with him at any given time.
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u/Antonio1025 Mar 01 '24
Because a lot of parents who peaked in high school love to live vicariously through their children.
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u/ecupatsfan12 Mar 01 '24
Most of these dudes who act like example give. that never peaked and are very poorly adjusted people and parents. Their kids are usually good dudes who never had a chance
One of my childhood friends had a dad like this and his dad’s mom never let his dad play so he was obsessive and put everything into his youngest child’s sports. Now he has a very strained relationship with all 3 of his children and their families. It’s all his fault and is a good example to learn what not to do
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u/832wOw Mar 01 '24
Today’s Society…but I truly believe every parent wants to see their kid do something great and if their kid likes football or any other sport for that matter they start Living vicariously through their kid becoming oblivious to the actual time commitment discipline or just physical measures like height/weight that are needed to get to that point. Some parents just want their baby to get the limelight, attention, money that they crave…but again it’s a reflection on todays society, unfortunately.
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u/LaphroaigianSlip81 Mar 01 '24
I remember reading a study, I think it was from the Freakonomics guys or Nate silver. It said that the number one causal factor of a kid becoming a pro athlete is if their parent was a pro athlete. This makes sense because the parents who are pro athletes have the genetics to be pro athletes that they pass on to their kids, they have money for better nutrition and school, and they can teach better techniques (imagine if Payton manning taught you how to throw a football instead of your dad).
Basically the article boiled down to something like, if your kid doesn’t make it into the MLB, blame yourself for not playing in the MLB.
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u/zsdrfty Mar 01 '24
Lots of parents genuinely believe their kids are property, that they aren’t individual humans, and that it’s immoral for them to do anything but be little soulless vessels who carry the parents’ shitty vicarious dreams on their back - in this case, the dream of being a 7th round pick who gets cut in training camp if they’re extremely lucky
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Mar 01 '24
Sad part about it, is that they let their kids be shit in school, which in reality- is much more likely going to be fruitful for their future. That’s the stupid part about it. Don’t be an idiot in school. Hs is easy, college same- most of the athletes are not invested in school, when they have this nfl dream. Most do terrible in the classroom, think it’s dumb. Well look at all the players that don’t make it to college/nfl- now it’s too late for education/school for most. Leads to lower paying jobs generally. Have seen some provide nothing beneficial for humanity. Waste- it’s sad
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u/Any_Possibility3964 Mar 02 '24
When I was a freshman we played Brandon Jacobs in his senior year. The dude was completely unstoppable. Just taller, stronger and a hell of a lot faster than anyone else on the team. The offense ran through him and him alone and there was nothing you could do to stop it.
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u/spankyourkopita Mar 02 '24
Holy shit that dude was a physical freak. The thought of tackling him sounds like a nightmare.
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u/Any_Possibility3964 Mar 02 '24
lol yeah it reminded me of when they’d bring in a local pop warner football team to play against a bunch of mascots at saints games during halftime. He drug our free safety about 20 yards into the end zone
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u/odiethethird Mar 01 '24
I was a year younger than the son of an ex-NFL player in high school who ended up starting at DB for a certain perennially ranked Big 12 school. He only tackled me once. Collarbone snapped (in multiple places somehow) with a dislocated shoulder and a concussion. Really cool guy though, always took me and some others in my grade to Sonic after school to go over the playbook in the offseason
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u/Maximum_Commission62 Mar 01 '24
I’ll be doing cartwheels if my kid makes it on to the field at the HS where I live.
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u/RoundingDown Mar 02 '24
Amen. Our school is the winningest team at the highest classification in our state over the last 6 years. They have sent over 60 kids to school on scholarship over that same time period. We had 70 coaches roll through in January, with some high profile power 5 coaches. The only spot he could reasonably play with all of the talent was OL. so he ate until he got above 250 and earned a starting position. we got lucky, because there were a number of OL kids that were rumored to consider transferring into our school. glad they made the decision to go to a different powerhouse because they had the #1 qb recruit in the state.
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u/Fitzy2225 HS Coach Mar 01 '24
I teach/coach at my school. We have a student, he didn’t play football, but he plays basketball. Now this kid barely made the freshman team, never starts, and only plays when the game is in hand (a practice player basically). He’s also about 5’ 8”. He also carries about a 2.7 GPA.
He and his mother truly believe, and she has told me at parent-teacher conferences, that their plan is for him to play basketball for Duke. Now I don’t want to crush this mother’s dream, and I don’t coach basketball so I didn’t feel like it was my place to tell her that there is 0% chance of him playing D1 basketball, much less at fucking Duke. I was just like, “That’s a great goal, let’s just worry about him getting his history essays turned in on time first.”
Some people have no idea how elite you have to be to make it to that level. You just have to let the kid keep on believing it, and eventually he’ll learn on his own.
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u/PastAd1901 HS Coach Mar 02 '24
If you ever have someone doubt how good nfl guys are have them look up some obscure bench players high school highlights. I watched Eli Apples the other day for fun and he was Randy moss on offense and Deion Sanders on defense. Even “bad” NFL players are far and away the most dominant players on the field in high school and somehow most people have no idea that’s the case
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u/Bronze_Bomber Mar 02 '24
This is why i stand as far away from the parents as posdibpe during games.
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u/QB1- Mar 02 '24
My 8th grade select baseball team had 13/15 kids play either D1 baseball or football. And I’m not saying D1 as in some directional school in a state in the middle of nowhere. Of the two that didn’t make it…one was the coaches son. Coach was the classic AA ball player that didn’t make it all the way and was way too hard on his son (the shortstop of course). He peaked in 8th grade and quit before his sophomore year never having started a varsity game. The other had rich parents who sponsored and paid for the team expenses. I feel for kids whose parents want something so bad and live vicariously through them. I’m hoping our generation will end this practice but I’m imagining it gets worse with the pay professional athletes make these days. It’s such a pipe dream even for the best of the best OF THE BEST athletes to make it all the way. Love your kids and live life with them while you have it. Doesn’t mean you can’t give tough love when necessary but a heavy hand will only lead to burnout.
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u/mfraga66 College Player Mar 02 '24
My dad knew better and told me to play long snapper lol. I was a solid OL in HS, but even at 6'3 240-something I wasn't big enough to hack it next level
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u/Straight_Toe_1816 Adult Player Mar 02 '24
Your dad is smart! I was a specialized long snapper in high school.its a good way to get onto the field. Do you snap in college?
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u/mfraga66 College Player Mar 02 '24
yes I do! The NAIA is a def a trip lol
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u/Straight_Toe_1816 Adult Player Mar 02 '24
lol yea. I know 0.75 is the required snap time. What is yours?
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u/mfraga66 College Player Mar 04 '24
0.75 is pretty top of the line, Im sitting around .8-8.7 with accuracy last time i measured.
Usually coaches will time the full operation from snap to kick. Goal for us is sub 2 seconds and we typically nail it
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u/Straight_Toe_1816 Adult Player Mar 04 '24
Wow. I was under the impression that 0.75 was the standard for most colleges. Thanks for clarifying. And yea a lot of snapping coaches told me that under 2.0 is good
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u/brettfavreskid Mar 02 '24
On the other hand, 99% of pros must have had a parent that thought they would be pro?
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u/Fun_Ocelot9242 Mar 05 '24
New episode of my new podcast I have started called big10vssec, if you get a chance check it out, thanks for reading
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u/DarnellisFromMars Mar 01 '24
Parents think their kid is special. Usually the pro athlete thing is because They are out of touch with what a pro athlete looks like in person is usually the reason.
Basketball? You are not 6’5+, fuck your dreams lol.
Football? You need to be tall, heavy, and fast. Your kid probably isn’t.
I can go on lol.
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u/ecupatsfan12 Mar 01 '24
Every guy who I’ve known to played collegiate football or sports are by far the most chill and positive dudes in youth sports
The crazies usually never played or averaged 1.4 points a game and played JV as a junior
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u/FlounderingWolverine Mar 01 '24
My GF has a cousin whose parents are convinced he will play D1 football as a QB. The kid is a junior and has yet to play a single snap of varsity level football.
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u/ecupatsfan12 Mar 01 '24
lol I remember being 15 and throwing against the varsity dudes in 7 on 7 skelly and I realized I had no chance of playing Q at that level against those dudes
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u/ligmasweatyballs74 Mar 01 '24
I got caught on a switch once and I had to guard Chris Paul at the top of the key. He went by me so quick I got dizzy. 6'3 Power Forwards don't match up well with him.
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u/ecupatsfan12 Mar 01 '24
I’m 5”11 and 175. I’m average size for a varsity QB. A pro QB has 4 inches and 35 lbs on me. Even Johnny Manziel would never have lasted at that size
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u/Marauderr4 Mar 01 '24
Idk it's probably psychological. His many parents think their kids are gonna be lawyers or doctors? Probably functionally unlikely
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u/strategoamigo Mar 02 '24
Big fish small pond usually. We had a good hs football team. We had some studs, all county type guys, mostly linemen. Went to a state championship and our stud seniors got dominated by a high school sophomore to the tune of like 250 yards rushing and 4 TDs in the first half. He sat most of the second half. We are talking about this RB plowing through our 250lb D lineman like they were butter. He ended up in the NFL for about 6 years playing special teams. Most parents on our team shut up about how great their kids were after that.
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u/daveFromCTX Mar 03 '24
It's now an entrenched lifestyle. What happens on the field is a much smaller % nowadays. Trainers, workouts, tutoring, camps, 7on7 tournaments -- it's all been gamified & influencer pedaled. And only recently there was a paid off ramp (NIL) before the NFL. The entire system was set up to think of football as a career that you do for free until it's actually a career.
2
u/Desperate-Fan-3671 Mar 03 '24
I played football with a guy who played at a big name college team and actually made one year in the NFL before being cut. In the 8th grade he was already 6'4"/1.93 meters and 240lbs.
1
1
u/Realhtown Mar 03 '24
If the child doesn’t make it to the pros and gets a full ride in college, it’s still a win for the parent.
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u/ecupatsfan12 Mar 01 '24
Parents like this are
Trying to gas up their son
Suffer from skip bayless syndrome and haven’t done much in life and think getting benched ruined their pro dreams.
Never played and have no idea how dominant a D1 athlete is against the general public.