Tonight Andy Reid will be looking for football players. You know, guys who can go out on Sunday afternoon or whenever game time is, and make plays. I’m not talking about “impostors” or practice players, I’m talking about gamers.
I’ve seen guys who were “hired killers” during practice but for some reason they couldn’t transfer that to the games. Buddy Ryan used to say, “we need people who can play when the lights come on”. We’re going to find some things out about all the youngsters on the roster, namely Gocong, Bunkley, Kolb, Abiamiri, Bradley, Hunt, Gaddis and etc. Usually guys who starred at big schools will have no problem making the transition but that’s not always true, either.
Many times it’s impossible to explain why one guy can play and another guy can’t. I’ve seen guys who can run like the wind and lift up the entire gym but can’t play a lick. On the other hand, I’ve seen players who can’t run and can’t lift up a wet towel, but everybody finds out they’re great players. Football is not an exact science, which can be judged solely by a tape measure and a clock. Sometimes the tape measure and the clock will totally betray you.
You also can’t go by the way a guy looks. Some guys have bad looking bodies but are great players. Then you have some others who we used to say, “Look like Tarzan play like Jane”. Some of the guys were getting suspicious of Bunkley last year because he walked around the locker room looking “A Beast” but gave them no help. I’ve seen guys come to camp, who’ve had muscles everywhere but couldn’t bust a grape. You can be too muscle-bound. Hitters come in all shapes and sizes.
Some guys come to life during practice but something changes during the games then they choke up and can’t repeat the performance. I've been in the huddle and have seen guys go into a shell. There are others who are mediocre practice players but great players during game time. Coaches aren’t looking for guys who can practice football, they’re looking for guys who can play football.
Some guys are too stupid to play even though they might be a smart guy off the field. I remember a guy who went to Yale University, who was one of the dumbest players I've ever played along side. His last name was Rohrer. You've got to have football intelligence, which is what QB coach Pat Shurmur says rookie QB Kevin Kolb has.
