Would you want TO?

[coachhez]

Would you want TO on your team? I am not talking about your fav NFL team, but I am talking about YOUR team you coach for or are a part of. As a coach I feel like I am always willing to give someone a shot and unfortunately (just being honest) sometimes talent gives you even more of a shot or a chance. Yet at the same time we have seen how his egomaniac personality has been a cancer in EVERY lockerroom he has been in. Something that doesnt get brought up often is what did his numbers and teams look like in college? Why did this guy who is supposed to be a gifted athelete not end up anywhere big? How did he get overlooked or were collegiate coaches already seeing the liklihood of his damaging personality?

[CoachJoe]

I don't know anything about his coaches, or anything. But no, I'll say that just a couple of years ago I would have let him on the team. But he's had his 2nd, and 3rd chances. He was a cancer in one of the most cancerous organizations in the NFL. Anyone who thinks they can fix him is a fool. Anyone who picks him up for a year and cuts him loose immediately at the end of the season is getting a good deal. But they'll get greedy. The first year is smooth, then he gets comfortable.

[dc207]

On my high school team? Hell no! Would not want him there because I feel like - even though winning is what gets us fired/lauded or whatever - it is a somewhat different situation. NFL even college is different we're talking about men, high school I do not think that kid (T.O.) would make it an entire season unless we had a one-on-one coach to shadow him and be a Special Ed. football coach.

[dc207]

In some ways we had one a few years back. 6-5, 210 lb reciver who played ILB/DE on defense and he was an athlete. Ran like a 4.5-4.6 40-yd. dash and had hands (set our school record for catches and rec. yards in a game, I think 12 for 250 or something. But we lost 38-23). Never went anywhere or did anything because of his attitude - he was a lazy, selfish cancer on the football team and the same way on the basketball team. To me, this question has already been answered at our school.

[jkeeler]

Would I want T.O. on my team? Absolutely no. But I love the move for the buffalo bills. They give him a one year contract so he will be on his best behavior for one year because hes going to want to maximize his earning potentail for the next contract. History tells us that TO is not a problem year one, its year two, three, etc where the wheels start coming off the bus. The bills needed a playmaker on offense and combining him with Lee Evans means the running game will get better because of facing 7 man fronts and it will also open up the big plays in their offense.

[CoachJoe]

Mar 6, 2009 23:54:50 GMT -5 dc207 said:

lazy, selfish cancer on the football team and the same way on the basketball team. To me, this question has already been answered at our school.

But is TO really lazy? It seems to me that he's a pretty hard worker. From my viewpoint, if you translate T.O. to a high school kid - his grades would be good enough, if not very good. He's in top shape, so you can expect him to work in the off-season (it may not be in the confines of your program though). So he doesn't get along with some of the other players? He doesn't generally get in fights or anything, does he? We probably just have different views of what T.O. would translate to in a high school player. But I don't see myself kicking him off!

[coachsilvestri]

In my current situation..heck yeah I'd want T.O. without doubt or hesitation! In my world of soft spoken Catholic school boys that offer up a helping hand after making a tackle. I would certainly welcome some Swagger! LOL But my kids are great kids ad have outstanding work ethic. Very Coachable with no egos or trust issues but not a great deal of raw talent. We still went 8-3 a school best last year though including the first homecoming win in 5 years. I was thankful to be apart of it.