Quote:
Originally Posted by Jstraub
One of my biggest pet peeves about media and most fans is the concept of "mentoring" among these professional athletes, especially in football. As Torry Holt said on live TV when the rams drafted a WR, "I'll mentor his ass right to the bench".
Its even more surprising when people are shocked to hear athletes response when asked about their potential successor was just drafted. Of course they are pissed about it. shocking.
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And yet whenever a player goes into the Hall of Fame, we see a bunch of active players talk about how that player mentored them when they first came into the league. I mentioned Alex Smith with Patrick Mahomes. Reggie Wayne (who should be a HOFer btw) talks about how much Marvin Harrison taught him when he came into the league. Ed Reed and Champ Bailey used to bring the DBs to their houses every week of the season to teach the DBs how to watch film the way they did. Somehow, all those mentors were still able to maintain their spots on the team and have ok careers before they lost their jobs to players they mentored.
I get it if we were talking about the Drew Brees/Phillip Rivers situation in San Diego. Bress was barely out of his rookie contract facing a highly rated rookie who was actually older than him coming in. I know pro athletes are ultra competitive. They have every right to be insecure as they know that teams will cut their asses in a hot second if the team can find a cheaper alternative at their position. Maybe holding a couple of veteran tricks up their shoulder pads will be the difference between keeping the job or losing it. Finally no player HAS to be a mentor to anyone especially one who could be there to take his job.
I just think there is a difference between being competitive and wanting to show that you are the better option versus intentionally abdicating the role of being the young player's "vet" by not giving advice and tricks of the trade that will help the player and eventually the team because of your insecurity especially if you are claiming to be a leader on the team and you do so for teammates who don't play your position. I don't think Aaron Rodgers not mentoring Jordan Love gave Rodgers an advantage in the starting QB competition in Green Bay and kept Love on the bench. Rodgers was the starter because he was better than Love. Alex Smith did not lose his job with the Chiefs because he served as a mentor for Patrick Mahomes and used those tricks against Smith. To me, it is just too normal to hear about veteran players taking young players who plays the same position under their wings and teaching them the ropes even though the young player will eventually take the vet's job hopefully using that passed on knowledge to do so for it not to be weird when it does not happen. Maybe the QB position is just different.