The game had a decidedly playoff tone to it with both squads vying for a shot to climb to the top of the uber competitive NFC east heap. Several things stuck out to me, but one feature left me totally perplexed and I don’t know why I didn’t think about it earlier. No it wasn’t Costas hair plugs or the average Philly fans disregard for dental work, it was how the game was won. Dallas’ Division I-AA QB finding his Division I-AA wide out on a beautifully timed slant and go for 6. Wait a second….hold the phone, you mean to tell me Americas most widely recognized football franchise is getting by with *scoff* second class players? Pure blasphemy I say!

Well Virginia, that is the case and clearly I was joking about Tony Romo and Miles Austin being the football equivalent of the untouchable caste, but it helps in bringing about my point.  How did USC, Florida, and Texas miss out where Eastern Illinois and Monmouth cashed in? Romo has transformed himself from an undrafted free agent to starlet wooing People Magazine cover boy and (regardless of how his social life strikes you) Pro-Bowl caliber player. Austin, on the other hand, just accomplished something that no other WR in the storied history of the Cowboys franchise has ever done. He strung together the largest three game receiving total of any Dallas receiver in history. No it wasn’t Bullet Bob Hayes, Michael Irvin or even you T.O; those 482 yards belong to Monmouth’s finest.

This got me wondering the million dollar question: WHY? Why were they overlooked, shirked by other universities and professional franchises? And it’s not just Austin and Romo, not by a long shot.  Kurt Warner, Tom Terrific Brady and countless others played at obscure schools or rode the pine at a notable one only to find NFL fame and wealth several years down the line. This is a feature that I think you only find in football, no-name guys rarely strike it big in the NBA. Sure, many point to David Robinson, but growing 7 inches post high school would change the way any of us are viewed.

Conversely, there are a lot of players who excelled at prime time schools only to fail miserably at the professional level. The name Chris Leak comes to mind, sorry Gator fans. This guy was Mr. Everything coming out of high school (#1 recruit in the country according to some services) put up solid numbers at Florida and eventually won a national championship. This is no personal knock on Leak, but how is it that he was good enough to win at the highest level in college and then not pan out in the NFL?

The talent evaluators and recruitnicks of the world seem to miss more often then they hit. Too often people become enamored with measurables (myself admitably one of them, see post: James, Lebron) and forget what’s important, playing the game well with heart.

This happens at other levels too, not just at the major college or pro ranks. We have an college football player who trains at the gym (we’re going anonymous here people) who was playing football at a school in Western Massachusetts,  who decided to transfer to a school in western New York. He was told by his former coaches that he was “too slow” and wouldn’t play at either school. Fast forward a couple months and Mr. “Too Slow” is starting as a Sophomore and was a big part in his current squads pasting of his former 34-7. All he did in the big win was drop 8 tackles, 2 for a loss and 1 sack. 

Ultimately, as I stated earlier, playing with intensity and tenacity seem to be major factors in football that often supercede the tremendous athletic marvels many fall in love with. But what do I know, tell us what you think, why is football seemingly the only sport where guys can come out of nowhere and shine or be “gods gifts” and fall flat on their faces?