hangup to you watching white guy's!? look, I came to this site because I'm a ex- white athlete(Im not the "enemy" here, or some conspiracy theroist) and like to watch white guy's probably just as much as many of you. I just think its a little ridiculous not watching a game or liking a team if there aren't 15 white players on the field(btw, I don't like ND no matter how many white athletes they have..I also do not like USC, Ohio st, Texas to name a few). I, like you, identify with white athlete's with a similar size/speed that I(used to have, I'm a old fart now
)....like I have said, I don't really care if whites play positions other than skill ones(especially DB).
I'm mainly interested in why the NFL and 1A/1AA collleges don't have any white players playing cornerback(but I do understand a few reasons, BUT there still should be a few-like Seahorn, Scott Case, Brian Davis...anyone remember any of these 80s white corners?). Also, and I have stated this too already, I haven't encounterd many white athletes that can compete athletically with many blacks(btw, I'm from Cali-sf east bay, a highly populated area and a lot of athletes). In all my years of pick up b-ball, varsity b-ball, baseball, playing football at a early age(10) I never encounterd a white athlete who had my skill set(****y, maybe, but its the truth). The bottom line is that white athletes who can run/jump are rarer than black athletes. For others who have PLAYED at a high level I would like to hear if you agree with this or not? In college, I played with several white guys(WR's) who could run 4.5 or so. BUT it was all straight line and didn't equate to the game at all(
hence why some of these WR's who get free agent contracts get cut quick). Hardly any quickness and they were very easy to cover, especially in cover 0 and cover 1/3 playing bump.
I have found a old thread("There is a simple and obvious reason that there are no white corners in the NFL") that addresses this, and I can see its HOTLEY debated. I agree with the poster; spirtofspook who was started the thread. His reasons for lack of white corners is that they lack the genetics and hip structure. Again I PLAYED the position(and the change of direction and loose hips were my biggest problems when learning corner) and I am white! so, I have no reason to not want white's to play corner! I WANT to see white guys on ESPN, etc.. playing in big time games...But, the change of direction(and I also think quickness/reaactions) is a big reason AND the Caste system comes into play...so its a number of factors..But, not ALL Caste related. This is where I differ from many on here. I believe I'm a decent judge.
umm, usually all of these White guys set records or close to records for shuttle and 3 cone drill times which is all about change of direction, you should look up the thread about how agility beats out straight line speed. If you look at the combine and pro days Whites excel and do better than their black counterparts. It is all about how many White guys may run a .05 or .10 slower than some of the top black players but lost little speed when changing direction. The current record for 3 cone drill barely got a shot and is hanging on the Texans roster by a thread, a White guy that ran a 4.6 but was very quick and you could see how great he could change direction in college, Jeff Maehl. Eric Peterman was also very quick, made defenders miss easily in space and was out of the league before he really had a shot. Kevin Kasper, another White receiver who is quick holds the 20 yard shuttle record. He bounced around 5 different teams recording 24 catches, and had some nice returns.
As far as loose hips and backpedaling, read this article on how Alabama corners play, and how they are taught to play.
http://smartfootball.com/defense/why-nick-saban-doesnt-teach-backpedaling
current Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick caused something of a stir when he told the media that he “
never backpedaled at Alabama.” Apparently, this is something Bengals coaches value, as Kirkpatrick had to learn to backpedal. Some fairly questioned whether this was hyperbole — How do you
not teach defensive backs to backpedal? — but, although he does teach backpedaling, Saban very specifically focuses on other techniques.
As Saban tells it, he used to teach backpedaling until he was with the Cleveland Browns with Bill Belichick. The ownership signed the legendary
Everson Walls, who, much to the dismay of the young defensive backs coach, Saban,
ran about a 4.8 forty yard dash and simply could not, under any circumstances, backpedal. He was awkward, couldn’t accelerate, and there were other guys on the roster much better at backpedaling.
Walls also, however,
was being paid significantly more than his coach, and it was clear from the ownership that Walls would be starting. He also, it must be said, was still a great player, and just
happens to still rank 10th on the all time list of most interceptions in NFL history. So Saban began teaching his now famous “shuffle” technique, rather than the traditional backpedal.
so a black player with 4.8 speed, awkward and can't backpedal put up great numbers, a White guy like that wouldn't have even gotten a chance.
I don't know what White guys you were around but your comment about it all being all straight line speed sounds like a typical dwf comment. When Jordy Nelson came out that was what every wanna be draft guru said, "yeah he has great straight line speed but it takes him like a minute to change directions, he would be good on special teams as a gunner not worthy of pick until the 4th round or later" His straight line speed is great, its in the 4.4 range and he ran 10.6 when he was younger, the same time as Devin Hester. When he came into the league they put him in as a return man, now how can a returner make big plays if they "take a minute to change direction", he had some very nice returns, I remember a 70 yarder, not sure if it was preseason or regular season but he has quickness.
Also, the White players I work with, ,most of the fast ones are quick as well. Some may look a little different than black players when changing direction but its all the same as long as its quick. From my experience blacks are usually quick but many lack good balance and fall and trip much easier when changing direction. I just read a report about top athletes in sports like football which talked about how balance is more important than overall speed.
Yes you played the position and you struggled with change of direction, but you are just one person. When I was helping out with a local FCS program I saw black cornerbacks that started struggling with White guys on the scout team that just came out of high school, yet the White guys never got a change to start as the years went by. There was one guy in particular that I brought up to the coach and he laughed and asked if he was related to me or something and why would he start that guy and then said what you wanna suit up to now and play" (and of course I was no longer in playing shape) It didn't make any sense because there was a great White safety starting, who had similar measurables, if he could start at safety and be one of the defenses best players, why couldn't another White kid play receiver? The coach called the safety a once in a lifetime player at that kind of program. Maybe he thought the guy had some type of nonwhite blood in him, he had a look similar to Channing Tatum but a little tanner and talked like a black person, bascially a wigger. He looked a little darker from a distance for some reason and he kept his head really short and had it lined up on the forehead like black people do, but I saw his high school picture and he had the long hair of a White person. That hairline might have confused some people, looking up his picture now, he didn't have like the typical "roman nose" more rounder, but it looks similar to mine and I am mostly Irish/French (like 1/16th Spanish). He might have had a small amount of Native American in him but probably minimal, a lot of people from the area he came from had indian in them, some very light skin blacks, or "creoles" which used to be a word for Whites but With 20/20 vision the guy looked White close up, White facial features etc, everything except his hair, like I said it was very short and hard to tell what it would look like grown and the forehead straight line that black people do (they did that to me once and I was pissed) out and in the Louisiana sun of course he tanned. Maybe the coach didn't have 20/20 vision.
