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Is character over-rated?


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High character has been mentioned a lot on the board. I'm thinking of us looking to draft Bryant McKinney or the character guy, Mike Williams. I never thought of Andre Reed, Bruce Smith, Conrad Dobler, or OJ as real character guys. I think ofJimmy Carter, Pope John Paul II and Mother Teresa as "character guys" . I respect them..but don't think any of the three could plug up the defensive line. I think character is nice...but a strong dose of nasty might go a little longer toward taking us to the playoffs.

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I think a lot of things in sports are overrated...if you have a team with loads of talent but with attitudes like Sean Taylor, you will probably have a consistently underachieving team...if you have a team loaded with character but not the best talent in the world, then you will probably have a overachieving team who only goes so far.

 

The key is to have a mixture of both, make sure the characters guys lead and the talented players follow that lead and use their immense talents to make the team succeed.

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I'd say most guys in the league fall somewhere in between the "high character" label of a Vincent or Bledsoe, and the "jackass thug" label of a Sean Taylor or Pacman Jones. I could care less if the team is full of saints, but I don't think you want guys on your team that will constantly bring negative attention to it, regardless of their talent. It'd be hard to define but there would be some kind of a "line" that I would have if it were my team.

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I think a lot of things in sports are overrated...if you have a team with loads of talent but with attitudes like Sean Taylor, you will probably have a consistently underachieving team...if you have a team loaded with character but not the best talent in the world, then you will probably have a overachieving team who only goes so far.

 

The key is to have a mixture of both, make sure the characters guys lead and the talented players follow that lead and use their immense talents to make the team succeed.

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Nice post. agreed

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I disagree. Character might not seem like much to you, because all you (and I) ever see is what happens on sunday (and maybe an occational practice). But character is very valuable during the other 346 odd days of football related actitivities. Preperation is key in sports (or in anything really). So when you have a guy who does whatever it takes to prepare and help his team get ready to play on Sunday, you are that much better off when it comes to winning football games.

 

I say get character guys. I place much value on them. (Whatever my opinion is worth.)

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How about Jerome Bettis, he was a nice blend of character on and off the field. When I think what I want for players on my team and what kind of team I want, I think of "Remember The Titans". Character is lifelong, ability is temporary.

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I think people misunderstand what Marv means by "character" when he discusses it.  I think his version of "character" is more or the professional type than the personal type.

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Well said. Ray Lewis might not be the guy you want to marry your daughter, but he'll go all-out on every play and make his teammates better.

 

This is one of my favorites, from Sandy Koufax:

"In the end it all comes down to talent. You can talk all you want about intangibles, I just don't know what that means. Talent makes winners, not intangibles. Can nice guys win? Sure, nice guys can win -- if they're nice guys with a lot of talent. Nice guys with a little talent finish fourth, and nice guys with no talent finish last."

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Guest BackInDaDay
I'd chop block her ass and stomp on her.  Conrad Dobler would too.  Actually Conrad would spit on her as he walked back to the huddle.

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She'd see ya comin'. Nobody ever got to MT's knees! :w00t:

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I think people are misunderstanding Marvs meaning of character. I don't think he is looking for guys that are in line to being the next Pope, but I don't think he wants guys who are constantly being investigated by the law or may miss practise or games due to court dates and hearings.

 

Marvs idea of character is represented on the playing field, guys who show up every Sunday to play every down no matter whats the score (like Grier stopping a shot in Saturdays Leafs game in the third with the Sabres done by more then 5). Guys who don't give up if something doesn't go their way, and play at 110%. That is the character he is looking for and that is the character that builds wining teams

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Guest BackInDaDay
Preperation is key in sports (or in anything really).  So when you have a guy who does whatever it takes to prepare and help his team get ready to play on Sunday, you are that much better off when it comes to winning football games.

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"In the end it all comes down to talent. You can talk all you want about intangibles, I just don't know what that means. Talent makes winners, not intangibles. Can nice guys win? Sure, nice guys can win -- if they're nice guys with a lot of talent. Nice guys with a little talent finish fourth, and nice guys with no talent finish last."

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Talented players with a good work ethic, sounds about right.

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