I miss Dr. Z’s insights.

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Thanks, Homer, perfect illustration.

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Absolutely agree This is a problem you see at places like CMU (Carnegie Mellon,) where most of the kids were top in their high school classes and are now just average. It’s interesting to see how they deal with it. Some fall apart. Some get stronger.

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“” Rooney (Art Jr) pulls out the Steelers’ old scouting file on Lambert. The reports run pretty much true to type: “Intense, great nose for the ball, needs to add weight…”

“My cousin Timmy, who’s head of personnel for the Lions now, was the guy most in his corner,” Rooney says. “He told me that the day he was up at Kent they had a quarterback who was evidently a dissipater, and he did something and they were going to throw him off the team. Lambert was the team captain. He went to Fitzgerald and said, “You can’t. You’ll wreck the team.’ Fitzgerald said, ‘O.K., but he’ll have to run a punishment drill.’ Lambert said, ‘I’ll run it with him to make sure he does it.’ Lambert ended up draggin him through.

“Timmy told me that story one night, and the next day I drove up to see him myself.The field was muddy. They were practicing in a parking lot, with cinders. Lambert dived at someone and when he got up, all these cinders were sticking to him. He went back to the huddle picking the cinders off.” “”

The story of Lambert picking the cinders off his skin is Steeler legend. But those are precisely the things that statistical analytics don’t measure. Those are the things you learn about as a scout when you hang around and talk to the trainer or groundskeeper. You might even hear those stories from the SID or coach, but maybe not.

Yogi once said you can’t observe a lot just by watching. And, as always, he was right. And scouts can learn a lot more by developing friendships and relationships – and taking time to shoot the bull with the people who watch prospects both on AND off the field. They will always be the first to raise the red flags. They can also tell you about the guys who pick the cinders off their skin.

That’s how the Plumber, Timmy, and Art Jr learned about Jack Lambert’s incredible desire and passion for the game. And that’s how Bill Nunn knew that John Stallworth’s 4.8 time in the 40-yard dash meant absolutely nothing. Numbers measure a lot. But, as you point out, they don’t measure heart.

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