The System Overlooks Dogs
I’m a father of three boys who all play tackle football, and I’ve coached youth ball from 4th grade through 8th — multiple cycles, head coach, assistant, all of it. I’ve seen the game from the sideline, the stands, the huddle, and the living room. And look, I don’t pretend to have all the answers — I’ve coached my kids and a bunch of other kids through youth football, not the SEC. But I’ve watched enough real football to know what makes sense and what’s just plain stupid. This blog isn’t here to be careful or diplomatic. It’s here to say the things a lot of us are already thinking.
Let’s talk measurables. I think they’ve gotten WAY overrated. We’re out here measuring kids’ kneecap sizes at recruiting camps now — like that’s the secret formula to finding the next All‑Pro. And it starts young. One thing I’ve learned coaching youth football is that a lot of guys think they’re coaching in the NFL. We’re volunteers. It’s a ton of hours, and you’ve got to genuinely love the game and change kids lives to even want to be out there. God bless youth coaches. But let’s be honest… it’s not rocket science. At the youth level, give the ball to your best athlete (or your fastest kid), and the most aggressive kids are usually your best players. Somewhere along the journey, as you get closer to high school and real competitive football, measurables start to matter — but they’re still WAY overrated.
And look, let’s be honest about measurables. I love watching the Combine as much as anyone — it’s insane what the modern athlete can do. Some of these guys are absolute freaks. They check every box, smash every drill, and their tape looks exactly like what their numbers say it should: explosive, violent, fast, powerful. Those dudes exist, and they’re incredible to watch. But here’s the part nobody wants to admit: there are also guys who pop off the film just like those freaks… but they don’t have the measurables. They don’t run the magic 40 time, they don’t hit the “ideal” height or weight, they don’t jump out of the gym — and yet every time you turn on the tape, they’re the ones making plays all over the field. These are the guys the system overlooks - and it shouldn't.
It really starts in high school. Camps, weight-room numbers, size charts, recorded speed — all the stuff that looks great on paper. And sure, some of it matters. But let’s not pretend it tells the whole story. I’ve seen plenty of high school kids who are skinny as hell, can’t bench a mouse, and look like they’ve never eaten a carb… yet they’re the most physical tacklers on the entire team. Meanwhile, there are dudes who look like 20‑year‑old bodybuilders — shredded, jacked, Instagram-ready — and they’re soft as warm butter when the pads come on. Coaches get wowed by offseason metrics and practice reps against dummies, but game film is a completely different universe. And sadly, it gets overlooked. Too often, coaches fall in love with the kids who “look the part” or have the loud, confident personalities, and they don’t realize until halfway through the season that the quiet kid — the one who wasn’t a monster in the weight room — actually has an inner confidence and a whole lot of DOG in him.
You see the same pattern at the next levels too — college and even the NFL Draft. Every year there are guys who dominate on Saturdays, make every play, show up on film over and over… and somehow they slide down draft boards because they don’t “measure right.” Meanwhile, the prototype kids — the ones who look incredible in shorts and a compression shirt — get pushed up because they fit the mold. And without fail, a bunch of guys with average numbers end up outplaying the guy who won the underwear Olympics. And you see it at the highest levels too. Amon‑Ra St. Brown went in the 4th round because he “lacked top‑end speed,” even though he was a monster at USC and his tape looked nothing like a 4th‑rounder. Fred Warner slipped to the 3rd because people thought he was too light and would struggle physically — which is hilarious in hindsight. These are perfect examples of guys who didn’t check the boxes, didn’t win the measurables beauty pageant, and still turned into absolute stars. The system didn’t see it… but the film did.
At the end of the day, there’s no perfect science for evaluating football players. If there were, every 5‑star would be a superstar and every draft board would be flawless. Measurables absolutely have a place — but in my opinion, they should be the smaller part of the equation, not the headline. The transfer portal (as messy as it is right now) at least gives kids a chance to prove it on the field. If a D2 or D3 kid balls out, he can level up. That’s a good thing. And even with all the examples out there — even with the GOAT Tom Brady himself being the biggest “you got this wrong” in NFL history — the narrative somehow still hasn’t changed. We’re still pretending you can measure heart. You can’t. You can’t measure love for the game. You can’t measure the dog in a kid. And until the system figures that out, there will always be players breaking the mold and proving everybody wrong. I just wish more coaches and executives were bold enough to break the mold and take a real gamble on the kid who shows it on the field, instead of waiting until he proves everyone wrong and reacting after the fact.
Keep pushing. Keep proving them wrong.
– Coach Jerome