Matt Waldman on Marquess Wilson vs. WSU

Link.

FO did themselves a big favor by hiring Waldman earlier this year. He's an excellent analyst who just "gets it." Oh, and he was just one of a handful of people with a soapbox to stand on that expected Russell Wilson to be a great NFL QB before the 2012 draft.

This was a really interesting article, where Waldman cites previous examples of players feuding with coaches or athletic programs. Waldman is careful not to exonerate WSU's Wilson, but takes a very fair and even handed approach to the situation and insists that people not rush to judgment.

That was a good article. It makes you think deeply about how these schools control these kids lives and how the kids have no option but to accept it. It makes you really want to take it one step further. A coach recruits you and you put a lot of thought into why you want to go to that school. Then said coach gets fired or takes off for the better job that opens up. New regime comes in and its not at all like it used to be, for the worse. What can you do about it? Nothing, especially if you are a senior. You can't transfer and if you quit like Marquees did then you get labelled as a quiter, pussy, etc....BTW I'm not defending Marquees. Some people who know him on a more personal level have told me through the grapevine that he wasn't used to the tough love and critisism and thats why he walked away.

I had never heard the Terrell Davis, Arian Foster, and Robert Smith stories. But as they say, the cream will always rise to the top. Cool to hear those stories of those guys prevailing despite fighting an uphill climb against their coaches.

Back to Marquees, I think the guy in the article put it best...

If my research into Wilson reveals that the player was at fault, then I want to see Wilson demonstrate accountability. I want to hear him volunteer lessons he learned. It would be even better if Wilson made a proactive attempt to address this elephant in the room before I broached the subject.

I want to know how Wilson will react the next time a coach gets into his face or benches him. I’ll also want to put him through a private workout where our coaches challenge him physically and emotionally. I’ll want a player who has gone through this experience and says with his words and his actions: "Look, I screwed up and I know why you have to ask me about it. You can test me as hard as you want, because I’m never reacting this way again."

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Thats the approach I think will best serve Marquees going into interviews and workouts before the draft.