I caught the following quote from Jamaal Charles in my local paper (Denver Post) today (12/1/09)about his fumble near the goal line last week that hurt the Chiefs:
His quote sounded way too familiar to Longhorn fans:
10/6/07 (Oklahoma game):
I know there's more just like that from Jamaal, was his excuse every time he put the ball on the ground, just not enough time to scour the internet for the other game quotes.
With Jamaal's nasty habit of being responsible for inopportune turnovers I submit the following question to BON fans:
Is Jamaal's presence on an otherwise great, solid football team a net plus or a net negative? I couch the question that way because I do believe there is a difference between teams that have to make up for a lack of talent by taking chances to overcome their overall deficiencies and teams that have a solid surrounding cast who can match up with most anyone else.
And I tie that presumption to the Texas Longhorns being a team that consistently has a solid surrounding cast.
Full disclosure: I'm of the mindset that for great solid teams it comes down to not making mistakes moreso than quantity of "explosive" plays to beat other great solid teams. Being deep and having the talent will keep you in games, even just making first downs and playing field position. Capitalizing on the other guys mistakes is the difference maker, as is giving the other guy opportunities to capitalize on yours. Outclassed teams roll the dice to get results, sometimes winning big, other times crapping out.
And I, for one, wasn't saddened to see Jamaal go pro early even with the disappearance of a running game without him in the backfield last year (or even if he could have been eligible for this season). I envision him putting the pigskin on the ground at least once during the course of either season that would have cost a game here or there. So, I'm a "Net Negative".
What do you think?