In reality, Brian Kelly's move to the NFL is a bit of an aberration. Folks with any ideas out of the ordinary, especially offensively, are instantly dismissed as gimmick mongers. There is a reason it is called 'pro style' offense. For my money, I'd bet Mike Leach would kill in the NFL if given the right combination of QB, WRs, and offensive line. But he'll never get that shot because he likes pirates and is a lawyer.
Same goes for anyone that doesn't fit in. While this isn't a Michael Sam post, it'll be interesting to see how the league approaches him. For now, it looks like the SEC is probably more tolerant and open minded than the National Football League.
Think about Myron Rolle, the Florida State safety that is a Rhodes Scholar. The NFL didn't take to him, despite him being projected as a first round pick before going to Oxford. His projection fell to the fifth round after he came back, and he got cut by the Titans and sent to the practice squad. Same guy. Same talent. But because he went to Oxford, the NFL found him to be unacceptable.
And Rolle thinks he knows why:
"If you ruffle feathers, ruffle it in a way that the NFL can deal with, like getting a DUI, maybe beating your wife, maybe getting a drug charge. We (the NFL) can overcome that. If you're smart ... a little too much for us, you know? If it's close, they're gonna go with the other guy."The NFL makes a big deal about locker room culture and team. Which is funny considering the emphasis on individual stats and behaviors. Unless those individuals are different from the other individuals. Then that shit can be harmful to the locker room. And funny thing is, the NFL needed Myron Rolle way more than Myron Rolle needed the NFL. Because the smart football people decided Myron Rolle wasn't what they thought of when they thought of a good football player.
I pray that college football doesn't become that, because that'd be a damn shame.
TD
