Athletic vs. Intellect

[fishfanmiami]

Actually coaches have this same dichotomy. Guys like Parcells had a strict physical description of what players at each position should look like. A LB needs to be 6'2" and weight 250 to be considered as an example. Coaches like Jimmy Johnson could care less if he sensed the heart and intelligence of a champion.
Both were successful. There is no correct answer.
To find both in a player is obviously the best outcome.

 

[J. David Wannyheimer]

Brian Urlacher was a dope, and he was a great middle linebacker because he was a great athlete.

 

[BigNastyFish]

An ideal MLB has to be a stud athlete. Seriously, that's a given. But after that, instincts are at the top of the list. Problem is, "instincts" relate to football IQ and especially film study and preparation -- not as easy to measure as a 40 time.

But for sure, smart players have a definite advantage over dudes just getting by on their athletic chops. And smart players can adjust on the fly and implement game time solutions whereas others will struggle or fall short. I think "smarts" is underrated and too often discounted by a league (collectively speaking) that's all about bigger and faster...

One other attribute that means a lot on the inside is good old nastiness. I mean you want someone in the middle that has bad intent when he goes after people. And that means intimidation -- the ability to psychologically "rock" the opponents game. At his best Zack could do that, but of course not like the great monsters of the past starting with Butkus.

Jut for fun, go back and watch some of his highlights. Wow! That would be a GREAT pick! LOL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJzEgMhU9_Q

 

[fishfanmiami]

Brian Urlacher was a dope, and he was a great middle linebacker because he was a great athlete.

Nick Buoniconti was 5'11" and only average physically but sharp as a tack on the other side of the coin.

The fact that I had to think hard for an example other than Zack tells me you guys are right :)

JOHD listed 9 great athletes off the top of his head and you could add John Offerdahl to that list. Good instincts and pretty athletic at 6'3" 240 but not exactly an Einstein.

 

[eric1317]

The truth is most NFL players separate themselves from their college counter parts with smarts. The best among them all usually have both elite athleticism and smarts. A simple observation though is that morons tend to squander their gifts, so i would stick with the smart guy if I had to choose. Offerdahl, Zach, Buoniconti all subpar athletes but made up for it with hard work and smarts.

 

[dolpns13]

Intelligence will rule over athletic every time. Intelligence can always make up for the loss of athleticism but athleticism will never make up for the loss of intellect. A smart football player will know where to be at all times and will not have to chase down plays. Not true for the athletic guy who is dumb as a box of rocks and will be chasing down plays because he is always out of position.

 

[j-off-her-doll]

The truth is most NFL players separate themselves from their college counter parts with smarts. The best among them all usually have both elite athleticism and smarts. A simple observation though is that morons tend to squander their gifts, so i would stick with the smart guy if I had to choose. Offerdahl, Zach, Buoniconti all subpar athletes but made up for it with hard work and smarts.

The problem with choosing the "smart" option in today's NFL is that the guy won't be a 3-down player without the necessary physical gifts. It's really that simple. If you can't move at a high level in today's NFL, opposing teams will abuse you in coverage. There's no outsmarting an inability to run with a guy in coverage.