Sunday, October 21, 2018
You Can't Teach Speed
One of the favourite
expressions used by scouts of all sports is, “You can't teach
speed”. Athletes can be taught pass patterns, breakout plays, base
stealing. But only a select few have the speed to be successful at
positions requiring speed.
Football is a violent
game. Every single player who suits up to play professionally knows
that before going onto the field. They have experienced the violence
from childhood, playing at the “Pop Warner” level. We use other
names for minor football in Canada, but it is still the same:
physical contact requiring significant protection.
Players wear helmets.
They are made of durable material, and are lined with foam rubber to
protect the player. Some helmets have air cushions. All equipment is
designed to give players as much protection as possible.
On most plays, the
player receiving the snap is the most vulnerable one on the field.
Penalties have been created to protect the quarterback and the
punter. There are also penalties for roughing the person who receives
punts. In Canada, players must not encroach on a punt receiver for
less that five yards, until he touches the ball. In the states,
players can indicate a “fair catch”, and no one is to touch the
receiver until he touches the ball. Good safety rules.
Most kick and punt
returners are the fastest players on the field. They run elusively,
and hope to churn up as many yards as possible before being tackled.
Unfortunately, in the United States, kick returns have virtually been
eliminated from the game. This is beyond my comprehension. One of the
most exciting aspects of pro football has been eliminated. They say
it is in the name of safety. Hogwash, I say. There are so many other
situations in football equally as dangerous as kick returns.
Most kickoffs are
returned in the Canadian Football League. One of the reasons for that
is because the fields including the end zones are shorter in the NFL.
Their kickoffs to start games, and those after touchdowns are rarely
returned. Shameful.
Mike “Pinball”
Clemons works for the Toronto Argonauts. He is the best ambassador
the league has ever known. Thousands have met him, been photographed
with him, (even before the selfie thing), collected his autograph.
But when he retired as a player from the Argos, his name was near the
top of many punt and kick return record categories for the league.
He returned 300
kickoffs in his career. The leader in that category is Henry “Gizmo”
Williams with 325. Both players lead the league for yards collected
on kickoff returns in their careers.
In the CFL, missed
field goals can be returned for touchdowns. Tied for the record of
only two in their careers are Ezra Landry and Marcus Thigpen. The
remarkable thing about all of the players I have mentioned is that
neither stands above 5' 7' tall. Even that is a stretch. Several of
the public school kids from Belleville Minor Football met Landry
after a game. “Is he ever small!” they remarked. But, I told
them, as tough as nails.
In the United States,
the list of great kick returners is led by Devin Hester, Deion
Sanders, Gale Sayers, and Dante Hall. Great players who might be out
of work in today's game.
Just one man's opinion.
Run fast, run deep, I say!
October, 2018
# posted by James Hurst @ 2:39 PM 
