Transcript
I. WHY GKI? A. Historv of Inquiries concernina the scouting profession. 1. Letters, phone calls, face to face questions from many people.a. How? A colleague and long - time (20 - 30 yr.) scout once asked: Are we scouting pro ability orare we scouting college ability? b. What? Division of laborDo you have to been a coach in high school? I don't think so. What you do have to have are a mechanical mind and social skills (understanding people) c. When? In the beginning it was the coaches who did the scouting. It was a collateral job until theidea of the scouting department came aboutThe first scouting departments were staffed by retrenched coaches who 'couldn't coach'and players who 'couldn't play'Tom Landry and Al Davis came up with the idea of going out on the roadToday, there is a high energy quotient of people - younger people. Ron Wolf was a typistand gopher at Pro Football Weekly when he entered scouting. From there, he went on toTampa Bay, the New York Jets, and now he's running the show in Green Bay d. Where? The true scouting world is about finding them, meeting them and testing themYou have to get out there. There is a lot of time involved e. Why? You're not just a resurrector of talent, but also an eliminator of talent. f. Whom? As a scout, NEVER ANSWER THE QUESTION Who are you scouting? Your tokenanswer should always be Anyone who can play. Otherwise, you'll be known by othersas The guy who has the information. ( a Pat Summerall or John Madden guy - GK) 2. Why different levels of interest for a scouting job (scouting job motivation)?a. NFL expansion and the possible realignment of teams Also the annexation of the Arena League, the CFL, etc. b. Scouting is conducive to a successful career in front office administration(General Manager, Football Operations, etc.) You can't work in the front office unless you're the owner or son of the owner, but thepeople who come up work in personnel, and this cannot be denigratedBill Polian worked in the WFL and the AFLJohn Beke went from a film evaluator for Kansas City onto Denver, eventually becameGM and is now VP AdminDwight Clark went from Player Relations onto personnel and is currently GM for Cleveland c. Job retrenchment and/or career change It's sad, but you still see really capable coaches (head coaches and staff coaches) lookingfor jobsBut in scouting, you control the variables. If you do what you're told, you'll never getfired. In fact, they'll never let you leave! d. Job attraction - glamour B. The reluctance of scouting directors to hire YOU. 1. You lack scouting experience - how to write a report Explaining what you did - that's what it's all about in this profession 2. Not acquainted with your work habits 3. You would be looked upon as a trainee ... and no one likes to either train a trainee or keep training people 4. You don't really know what you are getting into This course will dispel that 11. WHAT QUALITIES MAKE UP A GOOD SCOUT? A. Self-Starter (but follow directions when given) 'I don't know of any scout who as soon as he receives his assignment ( here's your forms - go get 'em) turns and asks what to do from a long - time staff member who doesn'tknow if we're evaluating college or pro ability' B. Can Do Personality (EQ - Energy Quotient - rather than IQ) The belief you can do it no matter how hard it isA go getter - Finding a way to get to Hofstra, Seton Hall and Siena while you'd rather beat or not missing Pitt and Penn State C. Detailed (must be observant and perceptive) Anecdote of waiting outside an interviewer's office only to come in and be asked in detailof all the items he saw while waitingAnswer questions of what you saw and not what you did NOT see D. Like to Work (love your job) George C. Scott in Patton: God, I love this job! E. Be Organized and Neat in your work It carries over F. Tenacity (to complete job needs) 'needs' as in 'need a time', 'need this', etc.You'll have a lot of job needs. After the season, there are subsequent meetings whereyou go back to school to get a time, measurement, etc. G. Exercise your good judgement and not those of others Watch out for the pack mentality Beware doing what a 'Summerall' or a 'Madden' does - ex: film room study in a group ofscouts where one says aloud Look at that! He looks great! ... H. Write informative reports (be descriptive) I. Be a closer (get it done on time; don't procrastinate) All reports have to be in by a certain date, such as the end of December (end of thecollege season) 3. People person (your ability to communicate with others and being influential) You've got to ask people to do something for you. Talk to doctors, trainers, chaplains,policemen, coaches, head coaches and secretaries. You have to strip them ofinformation without them knowing it while having them want you backYou can't be abrasive K. Decent moral and ethical behavior (being a good citizen) loyalty, trustworthiness L. Enjoy travelling (it's a big part of a scout's life) M. Be accountable for your success or failure (on what you do or what you don't do) 111. WHAT IS FOOTBALL SCOUTING? A. The science of gathering information utilizing an orqanized system of observation, testing, and interviewinq to determine a football player's level of talent and toafford a sound and prudent evaluation. The scout does not make the selection decision - the head coach, GM, or owner does B. Answer all questions about the player and his talent Eliminate I don't know , I couldn't find out , The coach said... , etc. from your vocabularyThe I don't know problem occurred in Atlanta when too many I don't know responsesled Dan Reeves to throw out Randy Moss' name due to lack of information C. Scouting (with a sharp eye) is the lifeline for success on the gridiron Great players make great playsThe best programs do not have bad recruiting seasonsWhatever's in that draft, recognize what's there and get the best of the best IV. DEFINING FOOTBALL TALENT A. Those specific natural and acauired abilities that measure qifted or talented plavers B. Abilitv - The quality of being able to perform or the power to perform I. Natural Abilitv = the condition or ca~acitv that permits a player to perform,thus, an aptitude that must be measured via mental or physical testing innate, God - given, born with it How do you coach a 4.24 on grass? The 320 pounder who can't run 4.5 but can still run a 4.9 is great! (you can't coach a4.5, anyway)Example: Dan Marino graded a highest - ever 8.9 out of a possible 9.0 by GK due to hisnatural talent, not a product of coaching. He does a lot of things wrong but he doesthose things anyway because of his natural ability.Another example: Pitt's Tony Dorsett: If he's got that hitch, step back and let him doit ... Don't coach that out of him. His peripheral vision and quickness (his natural ability)made him a quick back a. How much does he have now? Know how deep the well is. DON'T FORGET TO MEASURE THIS! b. Can he hold or absorb more? You develop all players at all levels. You try to give more competency at the position - Bill Parcells c. And if so, how much more? Does the player have any more development? 2. Acquired Abilitv - Implies a $iJ level or level of competency; a measurementof proficiency or the ex~ertise of the player at his position. Recognizing bothabilities, acauired and developed via:a. Coaching Big programs like Nebraska and Penn State do a great job of coaching and givingexpertise to their players. These players have production and great coaching - they evenknow how to test! Large programs will often have two coaches for a position (you alsosee this in the NFL: a CB coach, S coach and nickel back coach - the extra coach is hiredso the LB coach isn't overburdened) but not the Bloomsburg U'sHowever, if you plug one of these players out of his program and into the NFL he oftendoes not fit
