PLAYERS MUST HAVE TALENT AND DESIRE
By STEVE KING
The NFL is built on talent and desire – or want-to, which is what I like to call it.
At least it’s built on those two things when it comes to the players.
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Those who make it to the league have some combination of those traits. They have to have both. They can’t get by on only one. They just can’t. It doesn’t work that way.
Those who make it big have a lot of both. The others are lacking in one or the other.
With all that in mind, then, we go to Browns head coach Hue Jackson’s press conference on Monday. It was, when you get right down to it, all about what players must have.
Consider what Jackson said when asked a series of questions, the first several of which were about wide receiver Josh Gordon.
*On how Gordon looked at practice on Monday: “Good. He is a big guy, a big guy that can catch and run. It is good just to have him back out there with his guys, running around and catching balls.”
Now here’s the real interesting one.
*On if Gordon’s performance reflects the fact that he was away for most of training camp: “No, because he is very talented. It does not look like he has missed anything. At the same time, we know he has. He has to get himself ready to play football. I do not know by Sunday if he will be exactly ready just to play football. As I have said before, he is not going to start the game. We will kind of go from there, but he is going to play.”
*On if there is more experience needed in the Browns wide receivers room considering the fact that three of them are rookies: “It is a young group, but they have talent. They are not the guys that have to go out and play right now. We have been there before where there have been young guys that have had to go out and do it. We still have (WR) Jarvis (Landry). We have Josh (Gordon). We have (WR) Rashard (Higgins). (WR Antonio) Callaway, (WR Derrick) Willies and (WR Damion) Ratley – I know those are who you are talking about – they are young players, but they are talented. They do not have to shoulder the load.”
*On what separated Derrick Willies from the other wide receivers competing for a roster spot: “His talent. We think that he is very talented. Big guy that can run. Has athletic ability. Has made some plays. Obviously, he can do some things on special teams, so that makes a difference.”
*On the Browns roster heading into Week 1: “I think that it is a good roster. We just have to play the way we know that we can play. It starts with how we are in practice, how we are in meetings and how we get ourselves ready to play. This is going to be a real good experience for them this week because we are playing a game that is for keeps. We have a lot of work to do.”
*On the skillset of offensive linemen Desmond Harrison: “Athletic. You guys have watched him. I do not want to talk about him too much. You have seen him play in games. The guy is big, long and athletic. He has talent.”
Yes, but does he also have the want-to?
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