The Switch between College to NFL gameplay

[ryguy101]

Why is the switch between college to NFL Gameplay so hard? We have seen a lot of athletes who perform so well and do amazing things in college but then falter to the floor when in the NFL. for example, Tavon Austin and Johnny Manziel. 

 

1. you can get in college by being a superior athlete. However, mostly all players in the NFL are superior athletes. however in the NFL the mental side needs to be successful

 

Interesting take: there are 134 FBS schools each around 85 scholarship players. that equals around 11,390 players. about 25% end their college career each year so roughly 2850 players. But there are only 224 sports in the draft. So a fraction of college players are even good enough to be drafted while much less actually see playing time.

 

~~The average college team has maybe one NFL caliber starter on their team. maybe the SEC and a few select programs have around 5. and as I said earlier an NFL roster is an NFL caliber players, for the most part.

 

2. playbooks are bigger and more complicated, coaches expect more from year, there's more workouts and are more intense

 

3. all the guys are playing against each other are pros. the blocking schemes and play design get a lot more complicated and leave less room for error. 

 

ANY INPUT?

[Cson76]

The mental side and work ethic are huge pieces of this.   Playbooks are one thing, but studying film, knowing the reads and doing the work away from practice.    

 

The personal part of it to, sometimes these kids have a lot of hanger ons that are in their ear telling them what to do.   Or they are out partying and not focused on football.  Dion Jordan was just in the news on this piece.

 

https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/dion-jordan-accepts-full-responsibility-for-his-wasted-playing-career

 

It will be interesting how NIL and these guys having money before they get to the league if it makes it any better

[OldTimer1960]

59 minutes ago, ryguy101 said:

Why is the switch between college to NFL Gameplay so hard? We have seen a lot of athletes who perform so well and do amazing things in college but then falter to the floor when in the NFL. for example, Tavon Austin and Johnny Manziel. 

 

1. you can get in college by being a superior athlete. However, mostly all players in the NFL are superior athletes. however in the NFL the mental side needs to be successful

 

Interesting take: there are 134 FBS schools each around 85 scholarship players. that equals around 11,390 players. about 25% end their college career each year so roughly 2850 players. But there are only 224 sports in the draft. So a fraction of college players are even good enough to be drafted while much less actually see playing time.

 

~~The average college team has maybe one NFL caliber starter on their team. maybe the SEC and a few select programs have around 5. and as I said earlier an NFL roster is an NFL caliber players, for the most part.

 

2. playbooks are bigger and more complicated, coaches expect more from year, there's more workouts and are more intense

 

3. all the guys are playing against each other are pros. the blocking schemes and play design get a lot more complicated and leave less room for error. 

 

ANY INPUT?

Add in that as college players become upperclassmen there can be 22-23 year olds playing vs 18-19 year olds.  In the NFL, everyone is a grown man.

 

Also, as you said most of the opposing players aren’t NFL-caliber and, if your on a strong team the weaker opponents may have you and several teammates that are NFL-ready spreading the opponents attention.

Edited yesterday at 09:17 PM by OldTimer1960

[HOUSE]

You are talking about 21 year old kids here

Most can not change a tire

[MJS]

Bigger. Faster. Stronger. More complex offensive and defensive schemes.

[Jauronimo]

1 hour ago, HOUSE said:

You are talking about 21 year old kids here

Most can not change a tire

They really should add changing a tire and programming a VCR to the combine.  

[Augie]

1 hour ago, HOUSE said:

You are talking about 21 year old kids here

Most can not change a tire

 

We should have some kind of decathlon at the Combine. Make them change a tire, make a call on a rotary phone, fold a map and stuff like that! 

 

I think that would be more fun than the Pro Bowl crap! 😊

18 minutes ago, Jauronimo said:

They really should add changing a tire and programming a VCR to the combine.  

 

Damn, you beat me to it!

[NI Bills Fan]

46 minutes ago, Augie said:

 

We should have some kind of decathlon at the Combine. Make them change a tire, make a call on a rotary phone, fold a map and stuff like that! 

 

I think that would be more fun than the Pro Bowl crap! 😊

 

Damn, you beat me to it!

Now it makes sense... Keon was carrying a VCR and a tire on his 40 yard dash. 

[Mike in Horseheads]

1 hour ago, Jauronimo said:

They really should add changing a tire and programming a VCR to the combine.  

 A spelling bee would be interesting

[That's No Moon]

1 minute ago, Mike in Horseheads said:

 A spelling bee would be interesting

It would be brief.

[djp14150]

4 hours ago, ryguy101 said:

Why is the switch between college to NFL Gameplay so hard? We have seen a lot of athletes who perform so well and do amazing things in college but then falter to the floor when in the NFL. for example, Tavon Austin and Johnny Manziel. 

 

1. you can get in college by being a superior athlete. However, mostly all players in the NFL are superior athletes. however in the NFL the mental side needs to be successful

 

Interesting take: there are 134 FBS schools each around 85 scholarship players. that equals around 11,390 players. about 25% end their college career each year so roughly 2850 players. But there are only 224 sports in the draft. So a fraction of college players are even good enough to be drafted while much less actually see playing time.

 

~~The average college team has maybe one NFL caliber starter on their team. maybe the SEC and a few select programs have around 5. and as I said earlier an NFL roster is an NFL caliber players, for the most part.

 

2. playbooks are bigger and more complicated, coaches expect more from year, there's more workouts and are more intense

 

3. all the guys are playing against each other are pros. the blocking schemes and play design get a lot more complicated and leave less room for error. 

 

ANY INPUT?

With QBs it’s height, throwing in tight windows with enough speed , and system fit toward their strengths.

 

WR… route running , going against better CBs. Can’t catch/ jump hard balls

 

remember the football is different.

 

on defense it’s all about system fit beyong the size/ speed issues 

 

you see this in other sports where players seemed to excel at lower levels but they aren’t better at the pros.  In hockey/baseball you see this with AHL/ AAA league play.  The veterans on these clubs still make upper middle class wages or more. It’s hard to explain because you see them do well at this level but it does not translate.  Sometimes it can be situational due to depth. In hockey a player may be more of a scoring top 5 forwzrd but if the team is set they don’t have a chance.  
 

Now with costs where only the stars get the money you tend to get players in baseball/ hockey where they are cheaper under team control but they areNt good enough for that big contract and the team could replace them with new youth.  In football this translated to 3rd/4th yr vets walking and going to other teams 

 

[billsfan89]

In the NFL you are playing a college "All Star" team who have been training and playing professionally against the highest level of competition for years. Whereas in College you are playing 19-23 year old players most of whom as good as they are will not sniff an NFL roster. So even if you are an elite All American high end college player you just might not be able to have success at a pro level for various reasons. 

[Buffalo716]

8 hours ago, billsfan89 said:

In the NFL you are playing a college "All Star" team who have been training and playing professionally against the highest level of competition for years. Whereas in College you are playing 19-23 year old players most of whom as good as they are will not sniff an NFL roster. So even if you are an elite All American high end college player you just might not be able to have success at a pro level for various reasons. 

Without having to justify or talk about x + y = z... That's the best explanation you could have 

 

There's a difference between the best grown men in the world with professional training.. versus the best 18 to 23-year-olds with training 

 

It's a different level with a different physicality

[finn]

14 hours ago, HOUSE said:

You are talking about 21 year old kids here

Most can not change a tire

I teach students this age, and I'm here to tell you, most of them are not ready, mentally or emotionally, for anything more rigorous that an entry-level job in their chosen field. Thinking of them thrown into an arena with grown men hardened by years of grueling competition, and expected to perform under the klieg lights of intense national scrutiny, makes me wince. They would be chewed up, spat out, and left whimpering in the dirt.

 

College seniors and rookies may look like NFL players, and some of them have the requisite physical abilities, but it takes a lot more than that to survive in the NFL, let alone thrive, from what I can see. You need a supportive environment that gives you time and training to adjust to the crazy speed, power, and sheer violence in the NFL. But you also need maturity and character. How do you handle adversity, especially injuries? How do you deal with the obscene amount of money dumped on you, and the way it changes the relationships with your friends and family? What do you do when you whiff a block, drop a critical pass, get knocked down, and everyone says you suck? No wonder it's hard for Beane to hit on draft picks. Maybe Boogie Basham and Elam are good enough, physically, to be elite players but don't have or didn't get everything else they needed to succeed. 

[SoCal Deek]

15 hours ago, HOUSE said:

You are talking about 21 year old kids here

Most can not change a tire

Or a lightbulb! 😉

[strive_for_five_guy]

When I was in my 20s, I used to play pickup basketball games against guys that had played for nearby D3 colleges.  Physically, these guys appeared just as athletic or more than some D1 players.  But if you spent a minute talking to them or watching them play, you realized that they just didn’t have it mentally.  That’s why a guy like LeBron is so amazing, b/c not only does he have unworldly physical abilities, but his mental awareness and vision on the court is also unheard of.

[PromoTheRobot]

16 hours ago, OldTimer1960 said:

Add in that as college players become upperclassmen there can be 22-23 year olds playing vs 18-19 year olds.  In the NFL, everyone is a grown man.

 

Also, as you said most of the opposing players aren’t NFL-caliber and, if your on a strong team the weaker opponents may have you and several teammates that are NFL-ready spreading the opponents attention.

 

This is why some fans expect the Bills to roll over teams and get mad when they don't. 

[H2o]

Of course the overall talent level goes through the roof in comparison to college. The NFL is the best of the best. Out of the crop each year, only 257 players are drafted. A lot of players are out of the league in 3-4 years. 

 

QB's - The windows are tighter, they close faster, and they have to process what they see on the field pre and post snap quicker. 

 

RB's - Runners have to be patient, yet decisive. Where some could bounce runs outside a lot in college, the NFL athletes will shut that down in a lot of instances. We saw it first hand with Spiller. Vision is imperative in the NFL game for a RB. 

 

WR's - Even with sloppy routes, speed and the overall talent level allow some of these guys to put up huge numbers in college. In the NFL, the refinement of the craft is more important. You can run a 4.3, but it doesn't matter if you don't understand what a defense is doing against you or where the soft spots will be. There are DB'S who run 4.3's too. You also have to make the most of your opportunities. 

 

TE's - Same as WR's. It's refinement. It's technique. It's being QB friendly. 

 

OL - Defenses are stronger, faster, and smarter at every level. Not only do you need talent and athleticism in today's game, but technique will win almost every time. 

 

DL - Same as OL, only on the other side. Understanding the concepts of the offense, and play recognition are huge. 

 

LB - In today's game, they are smaller than before. A lot is based on overall athleticism, speed, angles, and play recognition. You don't really see too many 240lbs+ LB's anymore. Now it's guys who fly around all over the field being disruptive. With today's game, they also have to survive in coverage more and do so according to all of the offense-friendly rules. In college, those LB's can fly around and make plays all over. In the NFL, the angles and bad diagnosis of what's going on in front of them can completely change a game. They don't have the same margin for error. 

 

DB's - Technique and play recognition. A guy who runs a 4.45, but has elite technique and play recognition will always be better than the guy who runs a 4.3, but is lacking in other areas expecting to get by on that speed alone. The 4.3 guy could use that speed to get back into plays or seem elite in college compared to the lesser athletes on the field. In the NFL, they get exposed every time. 

[PromoTheRobot]

29 minutes ago, finn said:

 No wonder it's hard for Beane to hit on draft picks. Maybe Boogie Basham and Elam are good enough, physically, to be elite players but don't have or didn't get everything else they needed to succeed. 

 

It can't be that hard. Just open up Madden NFL and look up players scores. 🤪

[finn]

14 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

 

It can't be that hard. Just open up Madden NFL and look up players scores. 🤪

I admit that I feel like a seasoned expert after reading a few scouting profiles and watching player highlights on YouTube. On draft day, I'm outraged--scandalized!--that Beane would ignore my favorites for some player my sources say will be a dub. (Then I proceed to ignore the favorites who turn into busts and remember only that I wanted the Creed Humphreys over the Boogie Bashams.)