Good team/great team

One of the differences between football and baseball is the difference between what’s good and what’s great. In baseball, it’s more a matter of learned skill building on exceptional talent; in football, greatness depends on athletic ability even more than on careful preparation.

If you’ve never been to a professional football game, especially in the past decade or so, please put it on your bucket list; you will be amazed. The raw speed of everyone involved but even more so of the wide receivers and defensive backs will boggle your mind. TV just makes everyone look the same, sort of like how it makes 7 foot basketball players look like your next door neighbor’s grown up kids — that is until they stand next to a fan. Context is everything, and everyone in a football game has some solid speed — except for Tom Brady maybe, and he doesn’t need it.

I watched a game recently where a screen pass was called, and two offensive linemen, 300 pounds each after going on a lengthy diet, got out in front of a wide receiver, and stayed in front of him until they blocked defensive backs. Now first of all, if I’m a 180 pound defensive back and a 320 pound tackle is getting after me with nothing but evil in his eyes and a full head of steam, I’m making for the sidelines and calling for mama.

Amazingly, for several steps, any NFL lineman can keep up with a wide receiver because linemen at this level are as quick as anyone. It’s only when the receiver shifts into second that his speed is truly revealed, and it’s an old adage amongst coaches that, “You can’t teach speed.”

Now imagine how an NFL defensive player, someone who has been able to consider himself a stellar athletic talent his entire life, feels when he has to contend with one of the A List offensive talents in the league. Fellows who got run over by players like Jim Brown or Earl Campbell or had their ankles broken by the likes of Barry Saunders might justly wonder why the football gods had so deserted them in their hour of need.

In baseball, nothing replaces the muscle memory of having made thousands of plays very much like the one now being attempted, but in football, while the benefits of repetition are absolutely essential, the speed and agility brought to the task will determine the ultimate success of your efforts on game day.

Join me in the nose-bleed seats to appreciate all the talent on the field — just remember to bring your binoculars and maybe a stop watch. See you then.

Millerton resident Theodore Kneeland is a retired teacher and coach — and athlete.