Lots of discussion, and anger, boiling over from Don Banks' SI.com article on the perception that many Texas prospects enter the NFL too soft. 54b touched on it in a diary, which included one of those great lines that we've come to expect from him.
I won't even try to top that.
I also received several emails from friends and readers, most of which were up in arms about the story. Admittedly, I read the emails, and 54b's take, before reading the article, so I was expecting it to be pretty harsh.
After reading it, I'm less offended than I thought I would be. I'll leave it to 54b (a former walk-on football player at UT) to comment on whether or not there is a "country club" atmosphere at Texas that helps explain why we've had some of our top draft picks underachieve, but I suspect that it's not true.
With that said, I didn't think the author of the article was doing much judging on his own; more laying out what lots of people are saying. In fact, he concludes the article by highlighting the successful players the Horns have in the NFL right now.
In conclusion, the main thing I took away is that a lot of these college kids - no matter how successful in the junior circuit - don't turn out to be NFL stars. The explanations for their fallout vary widely, and pinpointing it on a "culture" is probably a stupid thing to say. Roy Williams, for example, is playing for the Detroit Lions. Talk about a culture problem. And a quarterback problem.
Among this year's draftees, some will make it, some will not. I'm not convinced that Rod Wright is going to pan out in the NFL. Who knows? There's only one guy I'm willing to bet my reputation on. Need I even say his name?
Lastly, before we pound on SI.com too much, read Stuart Mandell's recent column on Vince. Ah, equilibrium.
--PB--