KnoxRealtorVOL
First of his name
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Just some off-season discussion, but all the talk about this receiving corp has got me thinking about some of our more recent players, including Hunter.
I think most would agree 2010-2011 Hunter was a different player than "post-ACL" 2012 Hunter. Hunter still had a great year in 2012, but before he went down it seemed like he was shaping up to be one of the best receivers in UT history. He was fast, tall, athletic, and would sacrifice himself to make the catch. The truth is pre-injury Hunter would go through a defender or over a defender to make the catch, especially if it was for 6. 2012 Hunter seemed to spend a great portion of his year avoiding contact. Often times he would catch the ball and go down when he could have picked up 10 more, and I'm pretty sure at least once a game he would step backwards after the catch to avoid contact instead of just diving forward. Don't get me wrong, I was a huge Hunter fan, but it's hard to deny what we all saw in 2012.
This brings me to the morality issue. Granted, gun-shyness is a real thing. I have no doubt he was scared of landing wrong or taking a bad hit, but I think it's also safe to assume he had his pro career in mind. So my question is, is it wrong to play "softer" to try to avoid injury if your pro career is right around the corner?
At first glance the answer would seem to be "yes", but then again, a player like Hunter has probably had pro football on his mind ever since he was told he has the potential to get there. Kids all the time are told "don't base your decisions in school around the assumption you can make it in the pros" but let's be honest, they still do. So how many of us would sacrifice our future career for the good of Tennessee football? I love Tennessee, but I sure wouldn't. On the other hand the argument can be made that UT was essentially "paying" him (via scholarship) to come play. My wife and I will be paying for the rest of our lives on her student loans from UT, meanwhile Hunter was going for free, and UT was letting him go for free under the assumption that he would give his all to help advance the football program. From that perspective, playing soft to avoid injury is essentially not holding up your end of the deal.
Anyways like I said, just some offseason discussion, but is it morally wrong to play soft after injury to assure a lucrative career in the pros, or is it justifiable?
I think most would agree 2010-2011 Hunter was a different player than "post-ACL" 2012 Hunter. Hunter still had a great year in 2012, but before he went down it seemed like he was shaping up to be one of the best receivers in UT history. He was fast, tall, athletic, and would sacrifice himself to make the catch. The truth is pre-injury Hunter would go through a defender or over a defender to make the catch, especially if it was for 6. 2012 Hunter seemed to spend a great portion of his year avoiding contact. Often times he would catch the ball and go down when he could have picked up 10 more, and I'm pretty sure at least once a game he would step backwards after the catch to avoid contact instead of just diving forward. Don't get me wrong, I was a huge Hunter fan, but it's hard to deny what we all saw in 2012.
This brings me to the morality issue. Granted, gun-shyness is a real thing. I have no doubt he was scared of landing wrong or taking a bad hit, but I think it's also safe to assume he had his pro career in mind. So my question is, is it wrong to play "softer" to try to avoid injury if your pro career is right around the corner?
At first glance the answer would seem to be "yes", but then again, a player like Hunter has probably had pro football on his mind ever since he was told he has the potential to get there. Kids all the time are told "don't base your decisions in school around the assumption you can make it in the pros" but let's be honest, they still do. So how many of us would sacrifice our future career for the good of Tennessee football? I love Tennessee, but I sure wouldn't. On the other hand the argument can be made that UT was essentially "paying" him (via scholarship) to come play. My wife and I will be paying for the rest of our lives on her student loans from UT, meanwhile Hunter was going for free, and UT was letting him go for free under the assumption that he would give his all to help advance the football program. From that perspective, playing soft to avoid injury is essentially not holding up your end of the deal.
Anyways like I said, just some offseason discussion, but is it morally wrong to play soft after injury to assure a lucrative career in the pros, or is it justifiable?
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