Pros advice: ‘You can’t win by yourself, buddy’
ARLINGTON, Texas – Graduation Day arrived Thursday with the kickoff of the NFL draft inside JerryWorld, which made it the perfect time for some free advice.
Think you’ve arrived, Mr. First-Round Pick, after strolling the red carpet and bro-hugging Roger Goodell? Think again.
But don’t take my word for it. Listen to a few people who have been there and done that.
“I remember draft day,” Mi-
chael Irvin, the Hall of Fame receiver snagged by Dallas in the first round in 1988, recalled for USA TODAY. “I had a Kangol (hat) on and a big rope (chain). I popped the hat off and said, ‘We’re on our way to the Super Bowl,’ because I had played in a championship game three years in a row at the University of Miami. ‘I’m here now and since I’m here, this thing could happen.’
“The best piece of advice I can give any one of these young men, at this level? ‘You can’t win by yourself, buddy.’ I don’t care how great you are, you cannot win by yourself. You have to get in here and make sure you are keeping the right people in, making sure the right mindset is at practice and it will take more than just you. Don’t get discouraged. If you’re the greatest thing in the world in college and you come in and you go 1-15 and 3-13, it’s all part of the process. But you cannot win by yourself.”
The theme Irvin expressed was amplified and expanded on by others tapped by USA TODAY for this matter. The fresh draft picks would be wise to heed the advice.
Listen to Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells, who won Super Bowls and on occasion picked his “own groceries” that were NFL draft picks.
“I would try explaining to them that they’re not in a recreational pursuit any more,” Parcells said. “They’re in a place that represents their livelihood. Just like any employee, you need to find out what the people in charge want and you need to do it to the best of your ability. Be punctual. Reliable. Accountable. Pay attention. Do your extra work in practice. And give your best effort.”
That sounds simple and easy enough. Parcells knows better.
“So many of these guys have so much going on around them,” Parcells said. “It’s not always their fault. But some young men have a difficult time not letting that get intertwined with their livelihood. It’s not the money. But money gives you access to things that you never had access to before. That can be a very strong deterrent to staying focused on what you need to do.”
Keyshawn Johnson can relate. The former receiver drafted No. 1 overall by Parcells and the Jets in 1996 (and author of a controversial book published after his rookie year, Just Give Me The Damn Ball), warns of off-field relationships and situations that can derail players.
“There are all kinds of pitfalls that are coming,” said Johnson, whose various business ventures include establishing a sports agency, First Round Picks. “Be mindful of that. Although you’ve made it, you haven’t made it.
“You’ve got to watch what you do and say. It’s a different world than five, 10 and obviously 20 years ago. We’re seeing that right now with Josh Allen. You’ve got to be mindful.
“And you don’t need any new friends. You’re in a new city, somebody’s got the hookup that you know, and now they’re trying to be your BFF. Be careful with that.”
Joe Namath, the legendary quarterback who guaranteed a Super Bowl III victory for the heavy underdog Jets (and delivered), understands the pressure that comes with the territory of the lofty expectations attached to first-round picks.
“Most of the guys with this opportunity have already been through some pressure,” Namath said. “They don’t get to this level without it. But you’re still going to feel it. I always felt the adrenaline, knowing that it was the energy to come alive before every game.”
How to deal with it? Namath preaches humility.
“I didn’t know how it was going to turn out for me,” Namath said. “I didn’t know if my (damaged) knee would hold up. But I also had the will. So you have to keep working. Work harder than you ever worked before. You don’t get there by being lazy.”
Steve Smith, who emerged as a thirdround pick to become one of the greatest players in Panthers history, remembers the advice he received as a rookie that served him well.
“When I got to Carolina, the first thing I heard from a vet who I respect: Rookies are meant to be seen and not heard,” Smith said. “It was the best advice I got. He told me that basically, I need to earn my voice. I loved that, and I tell people that now.”
Smith finished his 16-year career with the Ravens. He took that advice with him.
“I was going into my 14th year,” Smith recalled. “The first day when the wide receivers got in line to do reps, I was at the back of the line. I became the leader of the group and at the front of the line by the first or second day of training camp. When I was in the middle, they said, ‘Bro, lead us. You’re in the front.’ I know who I was, but I wasn’t that guy there. I had to earn my voice. And how I had to earn it was by letting my work speak.”
Torry Holt, drafted sixth overall by the St. Louis Rams, offers similar advice.
“Your life is changing,” Holt said. “This is a childhood dream. Now that you have a chance to make something of it, don’t take it for granted. And speak when spoken to as a rookie.”
There’s an art — and much substance — to earning locker room credibility.
“Ask the right questions,” Holt said. “Get around the right veterans. Those are the things I paid attention to. I wanted to make sure that they saw that I had a work ethic and that I had the smarts and the discipline to study my work, to know my plays.
“Once they feel comfortable with that, they open up and allow you to learn from them.”
Of course, it’s a business. And an industry where injuries can cruelly end a career in an instant. Conservative financial moves matter.
“I would tell them to approach it from a financial standpoint that they’re going to live a long time,” Hall of Fame cornerback Mike Haynes said. “You’re going to live to be a real old person, so don’t try to live large the first five years. You’ve got plenty of years to do that.
“So set your goals way out. You’re going to live a lot longer than 60. At least plan that way.”
So there you have it, rookies. Good advice at the right price.