Athlete Gets Preference and Coach Gets Sacked

Utah Falconz teammates in the huddle before stepping onto the Timpanogos High School football field

by MICHAEL RAMOS

Not many people know who Alec Ogletree, Greg Robinson, Janoris Jenkins, Michael Brockers, Stedman Baily and Zac Stacy are.

They were the St. Louis Rams' team captains who met the Washington Redskins' captains at midfield before Sunday's pre-game coin toss.

They're also six players Washington traded away in order to get their hands on Robert Griffin III, who was supposed to be the next big thing (and actually started the game holding a clipboard).

60 minutes and a 24-0 Rams-win later, the point was proven. Football is a team game, and a bunch of nobodies can be more important than heralded individuals.

Washington is learning(?) the hard way that putting the super-star athlete at the center of the universe is a recipe for disaster. The team has already fired one coaching staff in favor of RG3, and they're possibly on the verge or running off another staff. 

Which would officially make RG3 a coach-killer.

In football, individuals have to take a backseat to the team. One player versus the rest of the team? I'll take my chances with the rest of the team.

There is something inherent within us that says great is better than good. And sometimes that’s the case (first-class vs coach). But what can’t be argued is that an overabundance of good far outweighs a little bit of great. In some cases, it outweighs a lot of great, especially if “great” considers himself/herself so gifted they don’t need to listen to the coaches.

Across all sports, and from the women’s game to the NFL, there are players out there who think they're so good, they can tell coaches to stick it. Johnny Manziel can’t stay out of trouble, and spends more time at the nightclub than the film room. Yet the Cleveland Browns are ready to make him their franchise quarterback.

And you wonder why some athletes never seem to get it. I mean, how many chances did Terrell Owens or Randy Moss get?

Washington coach Jay Gruden called out RG3 for his lack of production and even more important for his lack of leadership. But since team owner Dan Snyder is enamored with RG3, Gruden might be the one who gets whacked.

Gruden's been on the job for one season.

If you want to build a team that’s destined to lose, tell your star player not to worry about what the coach says. Don’t feel like conditioning? No problem. Don't want to come to practice? No sweat, you’re still going to start.

You want to build a team that wins games? Tell your players that if they can’t make it to practice, or don’t feel like they can condition, then they need to talk to the coach.

Our best players work just as hard as the rest of our players, if not harder. They’re a group of “yes, sir”, “no, sir”-players If they have egos, they leave them at the door come game time.

Vee Siqueiros, Falconz wing-back, is a perfect example of a team player. While she's got the speed and talent to score on any play, she takes pride in her blocking. If there's a big play, you'll see Vee taking out three or four defenders on the play. This roster is filled with players who go all out to make other players better.

 Sacrificing is what great teams do.