Re-read my post man--nobody said a promise of playing time. Us former players have never been promised playing time...however, how we would be used within the scheme, the opportunities we would have, and the fair competition for playing time is conveyed by the coaches. When those things do not happen, a reasonable person might feel they are being misled or lied to. Oh, and you're right...nobody has ever struggled with sets/routes/reads this year on the Hawks offense. JR has been spot on all year long...no mistakes there... Sorry if you think us 'realists' are irrational 5-year olds. By the looks of your logic and reasoning, I might challenge you on who the real 5 year old is. Thanks for playing though.
Now I'm not sure if you are saying that you are a former player for the Iowa Hawkeye, or if you are saying you played football at some level. Either way, I'm going to say thank you for shedding light on what you know. I do think everything you and 23 have said is what every coach is gonna tell every player from the pee wees to the pro's. So I personally don't feel that is reason to leave the team....but to each their own. If you and Willies and others feel that is egregious enough, fine that is your opinion. It doesn't mean one side is a 5 year old, etc.
I will say just walk a mile in a coaches shoes before you lay down such vitriol. Imagine that you have a "physical monster" on your team (yes KF knows talent, and knows NFL talent). Imagine that you have players in front of him that work harder than he does, put in extra time, knows the offense, knows the reads, and display a better attitude day in and day out than that "physical monster". What do you do? Do you play the more talented play who is actually not getting as much out of himself as he can?
Do you reward him, when you know that he can be even better if he just puts in more work? Does this send a good message to your team as a whole that those not working as hard and really haven't passed up the players in front of them in practice are rewarded? I think it is obvious that tie goes to the harder work under KF, simple as that. Once it is no longer a tie, the better player sees the field.
I'm throwing that out there because I don't think KF does these things to punish anyone. He does this to motivate, and force his players to practice and prepare harder, which in turn makes a player better. He knows what it takes to make it in the NFL. He has seen physically gifted players (NFL physically gifted) come and go and never make it in the NFL, sniff the NFL, and basically waste the talents they have. To make it in the NFL you have to do much, much more than just be physically gifted. To get the most out of your own God given talents you have to be pushed further than you think you can/should be to tap the true potential that you have.
I feel bad for Willies, I have never walked a mile in his shoes, and his life experience is different than mine. Maybe I should have always been saying if I would have walked away mid season I know that I was just quitting. For Willies it is obviously different and he feels pushed pass the point of no return. I wish nothing but good luck for him wherever he goes.
