Jonathan Ferrey - Getty Images
7 months ago: SEATTLE - OCTOBER 30: Brian Leonard #40 of the Cincinnati Bengals runs the ball against the Seattle Seahawks on October 30, 2011 at Century Link Field in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)
What a great day it is to be alive. Good Ohio weather, pulled BBQ pork and second viewing of the Walking Dead among the many treasures life brings. Save for being fans of a non-playing winning team, life is good. Enough about me.
Your job for today's open thread is to name your number one attribute for a player. Is it talent? Is it intangibles? Is it character? If you were the general manager of an NFL team, what's the first thing you'd address with a player to know if he's right for your team?
0 recs | 32 comments
heart
you can overcome alot of things with the will power to succeed
joeb69 - February 15, 2012
Heart = high motor
+ 1
ashunte23 - February 15, 2012 via Android app
first thing I thought when I saw the headline
The best athlete with the best training is better than a nobody with heart, but if they’re even in the same ballpark athletically and knowledge-wise the guy with the most heart and drive and intensity will win every time.
indesignkat - February 15, 2012
if that was the case
Crocker would be an all pro lol
AMAS85 - February 15, 2012
+1
Gotta be the heart.. Randy moss shows just being talented doesnt cut you have to have the will and determination to be the best at what you do and spend alot of time working towards that goal and without heart your just playing for money..
Bengalsfan024 - February 15, 2012
High motor guys
I want a guy that doesn’t stop for anything. A Geno Atkins type of guy at every position.
Yarin - February 15, 2012
vision
The ability to see the field ahead of time
ticalcaldwell - February 15, 2012
THE WILL TO WIN
I WANT WINNERS
pray4gm11 - February 15, 2012 via mobile
willingness to sign stuff after practice at Georgetown :-)
ephram - February 15, 2012
I would want any player who possesses the following qualities: 1.) mental toughness, 2.) maximum effort 3.) high football IQ
Coupled with an unrelenting will to win
The_Black_Stripes - February 15, 2012
Will
If you have the will to win you know what it takes to win. Thus knowing what it takes to win you will have all aspects like toughness/heart/vision and anything else that might be mentioned in this thread.
TCfromDubVee - February 15, 2012
Pot Stash
steveinct - February 15, 2012
Intelligence
I think more and more we are seeing these freakish athlete’s that are dumber than a box of rocks
The other side we are seeing player’s less talented physically out perform those same freakish athlete’s
So lets find some freakish athlete’s with intelligence
keithp - February 15, 2012
good point
If you can get both. They’re kinda rare.
indesignkat - February 15, 2012
Talent.
I can find a bunch of high motor high character guys at any D3 school. But that’s not what makes an NFL athlete. Motor, Clutch, Character, these are all fantastic things to have but talent comes first.
Cry - February 15, 2012
A natural
The person born with gift.
Chili Dog - February 15, 2012
talent will only get you so far......
one attribute is not enough, you’ve got to put together the whole package. one part missing and you’ve got a whole lot of almost.
plug-nickel - February 15, 2012
The first time Ted Williams
He Knocked the block of the Pitcher.
Chili Dog - February 15, 2012
The Babe was just the same.
Just a gift. Bob Jones the same. Just a gift. The list goes on and on. The great are born with great gifts.
Chili Dog - February 15, 2012
Hardly works like that nowadays
With some exceptions,its mostly work ethic and confidence with todays player
Its hard to find that guy from a poor family,its him against the world,day and night,ball,ball,ball
Back in the day if you didnt have a mommy or daddy,you were in what was called a orphanage
Today thats called Juvenile Correction,like the kid did something wrong,not there loser as parents
The playing field has leveled talent wise,from the good ol’days,more money and ego,less team
When all this big time money for ballplayer’s started it was because they were under paid and giving their future up to play ball,Look today extremely overpaid,and less than a few years away from the league their broke!
keithp - February 15, 2012
Consider Barry Sanders
Who taught Sanders?
Chili Dog - February 15, 2012
the same coaches that taught Thurman Thomas?
indesignkat - February 15, 2012
Football IQ and Heart
A few folks above made similar comments. Overall, the Bengals seem to have a low level of football intelligence. They often seemed to make mistakes that most players were taught about in Junior HIgh school. Of course there are exceptions to everything.
JADefense - February 15, 2012
Pride
If you have pride in your work, you make sure the product you put out is nothing short of the best that you can offer. I’ll take that out of a marginal player than an elite one who doesn’t have it.
Beef1178 - February 15, 2012
A player that buys into the program, who is all about the TEAM first
AMAS85 - February 15, 2012
how strong is the rope?
Does one pull on a rope or push on a rope? Who are the two engaged in rope? Who has the rope? Who will push on a string? Push on a string without pull is fancy.The String lost Build for purpose. Pull on a string and purpose is a given. Push on me is madness! The rope wants to know. Is the string worth it. Am i the most powerful says the String? This is the day of both. Both strong and weak. The master of all can tie a Knot. Just get better!
Chili Dog - February 15, 2012
One Day Chili
I need more insight
keithp - February 15, 2012
I got this
Does one pull on a rope or push on a rope? You push the ropes when defined as “special or basic techniques or procedures.”
Who are the two engaged in rope? The coaches.
Who has the rope? All of the players if they were taught properly.
Who will push on a string? The next group of players follow the succession (string).
Push on a string without pull is fancy. The coaches have pull, and they decide the string. Are you calling mock drafts fancy?
The String lost Build for purpose. Well yeah. Of course. Why would you not build your sucession without a purpose?
Pull on a string and purpose is a given. Of course, as noted above.
Push on me is madness! Madness wrote the original post.
The rope wants to know. Is the string worth it. Yes. it is always worth it to show our sucession of players the ropes.
Am i the most powerful says the String? Depends on how well we draft.
This is the day of both. Both strong and weak. The master of all can tie a Knot. Just get better! I think I got that in a fortune cookie once. Nice work!
steveinct - February 15, 2012
If I wanted to read a bunch of metaphors
I’d read the Bible…
Oregonbengalsfan - February 15, 2012
AWESOMENESS
recedingjungle - February 15, 2012
DESIRE-YOU PLAY LIKE YOU PRACTICE!!!!!!!!!
When U lose, your reaction is usually correlated to how much u put into trying to win the game so if u coast thru practices, u don’t feel one/tenth of what the guy next to you who busts his ass in practice feels! I ‘ll take that guy every time because he’s not satisfied with losing.DESIRE=WINNING FOOTBALL!!!!!!!!
DANN60 - February 15, 2012
Determination
With enough determination a player can improve on his shortcomings. Whether it be talent, knowledge, or even to an extent his will. Doing whatever it takes to get better at his craft, always wanting to improve in all areas and facets of his game. Sacrificing anything and everything to be the best.
Bigcatdaddy - February 15, 2012 via Android app
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