Mo.Raider
10-10-2006, 03:46 PM
I have often wondered why there are so many gifted “special “ athletes that have so much talent, and yet it seems wasted on someone who could care less.
The Moss, Owens etc. scenarios hit close to home because I have dealt in the past with an athlete that would easily fit into this category. He was as gifted an athlete as I have ever and will probably ever see in person. The first time I met him he was with his mother who wanted him to play very badly. He had transferred just as camp had ended, and she was really hopeful that her son would still be allowed to play. I had no problem with it and little did I know that I was ok’ing the most gifted athlete that I would ever coach…period. I would later come to realize that she was desperate to get him involved in anything ….something positive. This first time I put the kid on the practice field I had one of those jaw dropping “oh my” feelings that you rarely if ever get as a coach. I put him in at tailback and ran a simple off tackle play. He was a slender but muscular 6 foot and from early appearances “looked” as if he might have some speed. The play started with some sloppy blocking that initially grabbed my attention, but was soon forgotten as I saw him slide through a late developing opening and then boooooooom…. the rocket boosters kicked in and he exploded past my stud linebacker and glided down the field 20 yards ahead of the safety. Talk about “Shock and awe”.
Needless to say during the course of the next few weeks the practices that he could make it too where he wasn’t suspended, it was more of the same. During one unforgettable play where he was stopped dead in his tracks and then churned his legs to break free he yelled “y’all need to drink your milk” over and over as he nonchalantly weaved through traffic and into the end zone. I quickly found myself caught in the conundrum many middle school coaches find themselves. Do I play this super gifted man child despite his poor attitude in the real world or make an example out of him for the rest of the team. I really didn’t know what to do, and as you probably already know I chose to play him. Partly because he was so special and because the only things that were happening for him that were positive were on the field. He quickly developed a respect and rapport with many of my good character athletes and the coaching staff. It was a decision that I still stick by, but he took care of my problem by being suspended two hours before the first game. We lost 8-6 to a mediocre team and moved on.
The next week we played a conference power. They had drubbed us sometimes 60-0 for the last 5 years although this was my first year and I didn’t know what to expect. They trotted out a mammoth 8th grade team that walked down the field and scored on the opening drive. When we get the ball I think well the kid has been good all week, lets let him play with the big boys. I call a simple dive which is quickly stuffed but he would not go down. He was clearly going nowhere so I had looked down to my play sheet to call the next play. When I glance up see him spin free and break a few tackles for a nice 5 or 6 yard gain out of nothing … and then booooom…. he is gone…..77 yard touchdown on his first carry from scrimmage. We ended up losing to the powerhouse team 34-30. Nobody came close to that team the rest of the season. My little trouble maker had rushed for well over 300 yards (our stats person was a student that lost track in the excitement of the game) .When I walked over to shake the opposing coaches hand he said….and I will never forget it…. “What the hell was that”. I knew of course he was talking about the monster that I had unleashed, and was unknown because he was not able to play the week before. I remember leaning in and saying quietly “he is something special….I just hope we aren’t the only ones to get to see it”. He knew exactly what I was talking about.
The rest of the year was a struggle to keep him out of trouble. It became quickly apparent that he would remain on the path of his choosing. I tried everything. Stern “father figure” type of help to finding anything that might “reach” him, but always being mindful that it couldn’t come off as if we were chasing him around because of his talent, even if in the end it was probably partly true. That was the reason he caught my attention. Soooo gifted. Every coaches dream and nightmare at the same time. He played in only 3 of seven games. I remember being exhausted as even after the season ended, it was a never ending train wreck. I grew to really care for this kid. He was soft spoken and respectful to coaches, but disrespectful to most others. Deep down he was a good kid, just troubled. He never made it to his freshman year. When I talked to the varsity coach he said that some of the other players had saw him and he said he was going to “show” up later. Later never came as he bounced in and out of trouble until he became ineligible. He later moved and to this day I don’t know what became of him. My best guess is sadly jail. I haven’t seen the coaches on the staff for a couple of years, but the last time we ran into each other, the subject inevitably came up. “What if”. In fact most people outside of the few who had that fleeting chance to coach or watch him play think his physical abilities are embellished. They are not, and I will always wonder what could have been. He was a rare physical talent that comes along only once. His straight line speed was awesome, but it was the eye popping explosion that made you think “that is just not normal”!
When I hear Moss talk it is uncanny the similarities of my player and he. It’s almost as if they have too many thoughts rattling around between their ears, and none of them are coherent. As I hear Moss and Owens ruining their chances of being “all time greats”, I again ponder my original question. What makes these truly gifted athletes totally unaware, or unable to harness their talent and become everything they “could” be?
The Moss, Owens etc. scenarios hit close to home because I have dealt in the past with an athlete that would easily fit into this category. He was as gifted an athlete as I have ever and will probably ever see in person. The first time I met him he was with his mother who wanted him to play very badly. He had transferred just as camp had ended, and she was really hopeful that her son would still be allowed to play. I had no problem with it and little did I know that I was ok’ing the most gifted athlete that I would ever coach…period. I would later come to realize that she was desperate to get him involved in anything ….something positive. This first time I put the kid on the practice field I had one of those jaw dropping “oh my” feelings that you rarely if ever get as a coach. I put him in at tailback and ran a simple off tackle play. He was a slender but muscular 6 foot and from early appearances “looked” as if he might have some speed. The play started with some sloppy blocking that initially grabbed my attention, but was soon forgotten as I saw him slide through a late developing opening and then boooooooom…. the rocket boosters kicked in and he exploded past my stud linebacker and glided down the field 20 yards ahead of the safety. Talk about “Shock and awe”.
Needless to say during the course of the next few weeks the practices that he could make it too where he wasn’t suspended, it was more of the same. During one unforgettable play where he was stopped dead in his tracks and then churned his legs to break free he yelled “y’all need to drink your milk” over and over as he nonchalantly weaved through traffic and into the end zone. I quickly found myself caught in the conundrum many middle school coaches find themselves. Do I play this super gifted man child despite his poor attitude in the real world or make an example out of him for the rest of the team. I really didn’t know what to do, and as you probably already know I chose to play him. Partly because he was so special and because the only things that were happening for him that were positive were on the field. He quickly developed a respect and rapport with many of my good character athletes and the coaching staff. It was a decision that I still stick by, but he took care of my problem by being suspended two hours before the first game. We lost 8-6 to a mediocre team and moved on.
The next week we played a conference power. They had drubbed us sometimes 60-0 for the last 5 years although this was my first year and I didn’t know what to expect. They trotted out a mammoth 8th grade team that walked down the field and scored on the opening drive. When we get the ball I think well the kid has been good all week, lets let him play with the big boys. I call a simple dive which is quickly stuffed but he would not go down. He was clearly going nowhere so I had looked down to my play sheet to call the next play. When I glance up see him spin free and break a few tackles for a nice 5 or 6 yard gain out of nothing … and then booooom…. he is gone…..77 yard touchdown on his first carry from scrimmage. We ended up losing to the powerhouse team 34-30. Nobody came close to that team the rest of the season. My little trouble maker had rushed for well over 300 yards (our stats person was a student that lost track in the excitement of the game) .When I walked over to shake the opposing coaches hand he said….and I will never forget it…. “What the hell was that”. I knew of course he was talking about the monster that I had unleashed, and was unknown because he was not able to play the week before. I remember leaning in and saying quietly “he is something special….I just hope we aren’t the only ones to get to see it”. He knew exactly what I was talking about.
The rest of the year was a struggle to keep him out of trouble. It became quickly apparent that he would remain on the path of his choosing. I tried everything. Stern “father figure” type of help to finding anything that might “reach” him, but always being mindful that it couldn’t come off as if we were chasing him around because of his talent, even if in the end it was probably partly true. That was the reason he caught my attention. Soooo gifted. Every coaches dream and nightmare at the same time. He played in only 3 of seven games. I remember being exhausted as even after the season ended, it was a never ending train wreck. I grew to really care for this kid. He was soft spoken and respectful to coaches, but disrespectful to most others. Deep down he was a good kid, just troubled. He never made it to his freshman year. When I talked to the varsity coach he said that some of the other players had saw him and he said he was going to “show” up later. Later never came as he bounced in and out of trouble until he became ineligible. He later moved and to this day I don’t know what became of him. My best guess is sadly jail. I haven’t seen the coaches on the staff for a couple of years, but the last time we ran into each other, the subject inevitably came up. “What if”. In fact most people outside of the few who had that fleeting chance to coach or watch him play think his physical abilities are embellished. They are not, and I will always wonder what could have been. He was a rare physical talent that comes along only once. His straight line speed was awesome, but it was the eye popping explosion that made you think “that is just not normal”!
When I hear Moss talk it is uncanny the similarities of my player and he. It’s almost as if they have too many thoughts rattling around between their ears, and none of them are coherent. As I hear Moss and Owens ruining their chances of being “all time greats”, I again ponder my original question. What makes these truly gifted athletes totally unaware, or unable to harness their talent and become everything they “could” be?