Commanders Post at The Warpath - View Single Post

sportscurmudgeon · 05-11-2004, 02:42 PM

Maybe his recent statement shows maturity. Maybe it shows that he doesn't know what he doesn't know. Time will tell.

A talented player who fights with his coach over where to play and the degree to which he can "freelance" and then takes that controversy over the coach's head all the way to the owner is not a player who is "all about winning". Arrington has been - more than a few times - a spoiled petulant brat. The fact is that he is supremely talented and he has gotten away with it in the past. He is much less likely to get away with that nonesense under this regime! The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior. Arrington is most likely to "rebel"; Joe Gibbs is most likely to kick him in the butt if he does. That is not the way Arrington has been treated in the past.

Arrington was much the same in his days at Penn State. He was a star player and the main foundation of an excellent defensive team. He was NOT the most beloved player on the team by the coaching staff or many of the other players. When he did not get his way., he sulked or he just went and did what he wanted to do.

The degree to which LaVar Arrington accepts the coaching and the direction given to him by the defensive coaching staff will be the most important factor in seeing how much better the defense gets this year. And don't just assume that it will be an easy adjustment for Arrington or that he will do it naturally. He's never been able to take direction very well in any situation in the past.

05-11-2004, 02:42 PM	#18
sportscurmudgeon Playmaker Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 3,159	Maybe his recent statement shows maturity. Maybe it shows that he doesn't know what he doesn't know. Time will tell. A talented player who fights with his coach over where to play and the degree to which he can "freelance" and then takes that controversy over the coach's head all the way to the owner is not a player who is "all about winning". Arrington has been - more than a few times - a spoiled petulant brat. The fact is that he is supremely talented and he has gotten away with it in the past. He is much less likely to get away with that nonesense under this regime! The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior. Arrington is most likely to "rebel"; Joe Gibbs is most likely to kick him in the butt if he does. That is not the way Arrington has been treated in the past. Arrington was much the same in his days at Penn State. He was a star player and the main foundation of an excellent defensive team. He was NOT the most beloved player on the team by the coaching staff or many of the other players. When he did not get his way., he sulked or he just went and did what he wanted to do. The degree to which LaVar Arrington accepts the coaching and the direction given to him by the defensive coaching staff will be the most important factor in seeing how much better the defense gets this year. And don't just assume that it will be an easy adjustment for Arrington or that he will do it naturally. He's never been able to take direction very well in any situation in the past.