If you can get both great!
Too much emphasis is placed on a players 40, weight to speed etc. Talent is essential but a little less talent supplanted by intelligence is far, far more important especially when it comes anchor positions. Not skill positions but anchor positions.
Bellichick continually drafts guys that will learn their position and 3 others as well as anyone. He's not so worried about the occasional play where his players are outskilled by the others. Football is the only true team sport and it requires 11 guys doing their jobs better than the opposing 11. They don't have to be the most talented, they just have to perform their jobs the best for the longest time.
Can you be slow and be in the NFL? No. But you also don't have to be the fastest guy in the world either. So much about football is body position, field position and approach. If players are taught well, can learn and are willing to learn, they will excel.
It's obvious that Saban didn't teach any of his new or existing players enough this preseason and continues not to during the offseason. I understand the necessity to rebuild. I know it takes time.
However, if you are as great as he's been touted, you wouldn't have as poor a season against such poor competition no matter what your talent pool is. Pund for pound Miami has as much talent as anyone, certainly more than most of the teams that have beaten them. That's as glaring a failure on the coaching staff as can possibly be made.
Too much emphasis is placed on a players 40, weight to speed etc. Talent is essential but a little less talent supplanted by intelligence is far, far more important especially when it comes anchor positions. Not skill positions but anchor positions.
Bellichick continually drafts guys that will learn their position and 3 others as well as anyone. He's not so worried about the occasional play where his players are outskilled by the others. Football is the only true team sport and it requires 11 guys doing their jobs better than the opposing 11. They don't have to be the most talented, they just have to perform their jobs the best for the longest time.
Can you be slow and be in the NFL? No. But you also don't have to be the fastest guy in the world either. So much about football is body position, field position and approach. If players are taught well, can learn and are willing to learn, they will excel.
It's obvious that Saban didn't teach any of his new or existing players enough this preseason and continues not to during the offseason. I understand the necessity to rebuild. I know it takes time.
However, if you are as great as he's been touted, you wouldn't have as poor a season against such poor competition no matter what your talent pool is. Pund for pound Miami has as much talent as anyone, certainly more than most of the teams that have beaten them. That's as glaring a failure on the coaching staff as can possibly be made.
