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Armando: Dolphins trying to get Parker to be a professional

Daytona Fin

Daytona Fin

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Remember that last year, coaches didn't want to put Parker on the field because both head coach Joe Philbin and then interim Dan Campbell said they needed to "see it" from Parker in practice. And they didn't see it. Well, that's because Parker wasn't showing it in practice. He wasn't the same guy in practice he was in games (when he finally got the opportunity).

Unfortunately, whatever lesson the last coaching staff showed Parker about working hard during the week to make game day easier didn't seem to stick. Parker, it must be repeated because it seems he forgets, has to practice harder.


DeVante Parker is a kind, laid back, soft-spoken individual. He doesn't play that way. But he practices that way.


He has to stop practicing that way. He has to practice up to his potential if he ever wants to play to his potential. And what is that potential?


"A special talent," Jefferson said. "Trust me, he's a special talent. He's blessed athletically. Trust me. He can do it all."


The Dolphins are in the process of remaking DeVante Parker. They monitor what he eats to make sure he's energized. They monitor what he drinks to make sure he's hydrated. They are nursing his legs. They are trying to help him grow up.


Part of the growth is learning to be a professional. Part of being a professional is going to work every day the team is practicing as well as on game day.
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http://miamiherald.typepad.com/dolp...-get-devante-parker-to-be-a-professional.html
 
You would think his multi million dollar contract and desire to be the best at what he does would be enough motivation :idk:

Hope he gets this head on straight and has a great year :brewskis:
 
I mean a team that prides itself on sports science and nutrition wasn't aware that their number one pick wasn't eating breakfast and hydrating and drinking water?

How can this be? I mean I get you cant force the guy but isin't that one of the first thing they would have went over with the players.
 
First round pick, makes big coin, needs all this babysitting.....um **** all this make the dude live with Jarvis Landry 24/7 maybe itll rub off.
 
fishfanmiami said:
You would think his multi million dollar contract and desire to be the best at what he does would be enough motivation :idk:
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Exactly......the more we hear the more he seems like either a prima donna or a bit of a pansy.......You're making millions of dollars and are playing a sport you supposedly strived to be at the top of since you were a kid....you have the chance few ever get and now you find every reason you can to sit out??? Man the F up dude and play. Look, I understand injuries, guys needing to heal, etc. but so far Parker has been out way more than he's ever been in (I mean last year & this pre season).....at some point you get a reputation as a dependable player or a guy who spends most of the time invisible and being a sideline warrior...so far.....he's the latter.

This doesn't bode well for the season with him......any good player will tell you that at some point you're going be playing hurt, with a nagging injury or at way less than 100%......it comes with the turf. It looks like Parker is gonna whine or try to justify every minor injury & that he can't play unless he is feeling at 100% (which so far has been, I guess.....never? )

What's next???...he has a broken fingernail and can't play?
 
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We hear it all the time in reference to older players being brought in maybe past their prime playing days but to serve as leaders in the locker room and it's sometimes dismissed as some silly notion. Yet this is exactly why every unit needs veteran leadership to mentor younger players coming into the league. Not just for field savvy knowledge such as route running intricacies or how to watch tape for tendencies, but for how to live, act, and play like a professional. It doesn't come as naturally for some as they enter the NFL. Certainly an aspect missing from the Dolphin's current WR corp. Good to at least see the coaches taking the responsibility here.

I don't see this as a negative situation in terms of lack of motivation or being "soft", DVP simply needs to mature. He'll get it.
 
He's just a young'un who has gotten by on pure talent. To take the next step he needs to learn to do every little thing the right way - nutrition, sleep, exercise, etc. It will take some getting used to if he hasn't had to establish those habits already.
 
as a coach myself i have coached many like this. during the week they are lackadaisical, showing glimpses here and there and then game day they explode. Its frustrating as a coach. And honestly i do not know what the right answer is. Some arent practice players. I dont get it
 
I hate being the negative nelly but going into his second year you would think things like nutrition and sleep would not be a problem at this point.

Whatever the problem it needs to be resolved ASAP. We are counting on him.

Injuries you cann't really control but this stuff you can.
 
fishfanmiami said:
I hate being the negative nelly but going into his second year you would think things like nutrition and sleep would not be a problem at this point.

Whatever the problem it needs to be resolved ASAP. We are counting on him.

Injuries you cann't really control but this stuff you can.
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I agree, it's not a small deal by any stretch, but hopefully fixable. To me it comes down to "want to." Does the player have that mentality...to WANT or even NEED to be the best, and are they willing to put the work in for that? What drives them? Listening to DVP, while he's soft-spoken and there's nothing wrong with that, he never struck me as particularly hungry. I had a similar reaction to Dion Jordan actually. These types of guys are dangerous [to pick high] because you can't be sure how they will react once they can't get by on raw talent. I'm not at all saying DVP will be anything like Jordan, just that all of these little things to me have to do with motivation and hunger. So when you end up with a player like this, you probably have to get in their head (or find someone who can) and light that fire. Hopefully Gase is able to do this.
 
sinPHIN said:
as a coach myself i have coached many like this. during the week they are lackadaisical, showing glimpses here and there and then game day they explode. Its frustrating as a coach. And honestly i do not know what the right answer is. Some arent practice players. I dont get it
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Maybe he'll be as good in the NFL as Allen Iverson was in the NBA.
 
didn't he worked like a beast to return from injury for the last year of college? I don't think he's a diva or anything, likely it's just as sons of shula said, it's about his professional maturation (learning how to pratice at this level, improving your consistency) more than some character flaw like laziness or being a diva
 
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