I can't multi-quote on my iPhone, but you said he was touted as the next Reggie Bush, never lived up to his potential, and obviously therefore has a work ethic issue. That's not questioning his college credentials? His potential was different from what you asserted, and I maintain it was his situation and those flawed expectations that caused him to fall short of the Bush comparisons. He didn't fail to live up to his potential, he failed to live up to someone else's potential.
The last line in that says it best, with everything I have seen on McKnight it just seems like he has all the talent in the world he just doesnt put it all together
The biggest shame in all this is that none of this would have even been an issue a few years ago, save the conditioning problems. Between the rapid reporting and Hard Knocks (and especially the confluence of the two), we have some suppositions and assumptions being made that have no real and broad basis, and yet people are treating them as though they do.
how did you come to this conclusion? he had near elite production in college, near elite measurables, and has elite versatility ... he is an elite prospect, whether or not he lives up to it is up to him and the coaching staff. but it is FAR too early to tell either way and saying someone has a vendetta against a player is far from a personal attack
I think we're not on the same wavelength... I mentioned the Reggie Bush comparisons to point out the hype he was receiving. It's an overlay to the fact that McKnight is a very talented player. I'm making the assertion that McKnight's work ethic issues are here and today. I don't know what his work ethic was like in USC, I honestly didn't pay attention to him when he was there. What I do know is that it is not at all uncommon for college players to get by on talent in college, and then fall flat on their faces in the NFL. Vernon Gholston is a prime example of this. Jets fans should know this better than any. Regardless of what McKnight did at USC... he's here now, and everything I've seen to this point makes me believe he may not have the work ethic required to succeed in the NFL. His talent is evident but so is the fact that he's constantly winded and very difficult to coach. What NFL running back have you heard of, especially of the speedy variety, that can't handle the cardiovascular aspect of the game the way McKnight's been struggling so far? I think if we're going to get anything out of McKnight, it may not be for another year or two. Then again, it looks like he might be able to kick ass as a PR... so we'll see I guess. I just don't like what I've seen so far.
excellent post and I couldn't agree more. Btw, people should remember that Leon struggled quite a bit in his first mini-camp/training-camp, but by the end of the year, he had become the promising rookie that we all grew attached to
I agree that it's too early to make a declaration against a player one way or the other. I'm not trying to peg him as a bust right now. I just think that what he's shown so far is not a good sign of things to come. Hopefully he turns it around.
i still dont get why you dont think hes in shape. also, if mcknight is not in shape by this point in camp, is that not the coaching staffs fault? when i played ball we didnt have a choice when it came to getting in shape and the least of ghosts problems is work ethic
These are professional athletes. If they can't get themselves in shape they don't belong in the NFL. The coaches are responsible for having them in game condition, but it is the players responsible to be able to handle that physically.
He hasn't given much of a good impression so far, but that's perfectly normal. He's playing like most of the other midround picks in the league. The problem is, we've had such heavy scrutiny and visibility this offseason that everything is magnified and people are making mountains out of molehills. Adrian Peterson didn't look good early in his first preseason. It's an adjustment. As far as the preparedness, I've made that point earlier in the thread. It doesn't concern me now that he's in the teams' hands. With a lot of rookies, it's less work ethic and more cluelessness that's a problem. Camp Carroll wasn't tough at USC, and he's adjusting. I doubt he has the support system that Sanchez has, and it showed that he was unprepared. Now we see where he goes from here. Like I said, it's dangerous to draw conclusions from such limited info, though.
I think that's part of the problem with debating these things on the internet and in text rather than in person. I might be coming across as having a stronger opinion against him than I actually do. I'm arguing what I see today, but it isn't like I'm calling him a bust or a wasted draft pick. I think with his skillset it actually makes a lot of sense that we drafted him. Just through today I'm not impressed and my expectations are low. I hope he changes that.
I can tell you the players do as they're told before they report to he team. It's up to their representation to put them with a training facility. For guys used to having offseason training programs with their college teams, this part of the process is crucial. It wouldn't surprise me if his reps dropped the ball, but if they did, McKnight should have been working out with his old teammates. Of course, with the upheaval at USC this year, I'm not sure how much of an option that was. I'm not saying he's blameless by any means, but I don't think you can chalk it up entirely to work ethic.
he just became a professional athlete, we knew when we drafted him that he needed to bulk up to be able to fully handle the physicality of the nfl im talking about conditioning, what leads you to believe that hes not in shape?
Fair enough. I think our basic difference at this point is on the issue of whether his present state should determine our expectations. That's not really something we'll come to terms on, but at least it's fun to debate :up:
At the end of the day these players only get one shot at the big leagues. If it doesn't work out he won't be able to look back on his career and blame USC or whoever for not making it in the NFL. This is his opportunity and his alone... he either has to seize the moment, or end up as just another afterthought amongst a long line of NFL failures. Support or not... in the end it comes down to him and his desire to succeed. This is true of every single player to ever put on an NFL uniform.
Well, we don't know either way, but HBO is sure trying to make that case. I haven't heard any conditioning complaints out of TC since he reported, though.
It's a pretty telling indicator when the head coach orders a puke bucket for a guy and is right about it. This after one run where the guy ran out of steam before finishing it out.
The quotes from Rex have all said the puking is nerves and excitement, not conditioning. I didn't think we saw him puke. I thought Rex was making a joke. And my take on the return is a few pages back, but I think people are making too big a deal out of him being gassed on that return given the way he returned it.
