Stop calling Sammy Watkins a stud

[StableOfRBs]

No need to dig too deep & read into the education system and worry about what it teachs factual or not - here. This really isn't about that. It's about Watkins ability to ignore evidence that is alarming / troubling.

Flat earth...... Give me a break. What.... are we living in the 13th - 15th century now? Um. No. its 2017.

To be fair people knew the earth was round way before the 13th century as well

[dm1129]

No need to dig too deep & read into the education system and worry about what it teachs factual or not - here. This really isn't about that. It's about Watkins ability to ignore evidence that is alarming / troubling.

Flat earth...... Give me a break. What.... are we living in the 13th - 15th century now? Um. No. its 2017.

Agreed. There is a lot to be said about the suspension of objectivity and facts among a significant number of people in society as a whole, but this is not the place. How I view this information regarding Sammy and the flat earth belief is that there is a ceiling on his future. I don't think he has the ability to become any better than what he is because he does not seem to have the desire nor ability to study his craft seriously.

[SteveMaddensShoes]

No need to dig too deep & read into the education system and worry about what it teachs factual or not - here. This really isn't about that. It's about Watkins ability to ignore evidence that is alarming / troubling.

Flat earth...... Give me a break. What.... are we living in the 13th - 15th century now? Um. No. its 2017.

Agreed. There is a lot to be said about the suspension of objectivity and facts among a significant number of people in society as a whole, but this is not the place. How I view this information regarding Sammy and the flat earth belief is that there is a ceiling on his future. I don't think he has the ability to become any better than what he is because he does not seem to have the desire nor ability to study his craft seriously.

My initial reaction to this news was the same as you. His ceiling is capped, etc. But there have been plenty of athletes who have excelled without a high IQ. Even in the most intellectual position, QB, wunderlic scores hardly impact the outcome of a person. In fact, many of the greatest tend to be in the mid 20s from what I have seen(this is off memory, I don't have the stats abd exact numbers in front of me and could be remembering wrong) If IQ was the key to success then Fitzmagic would be headed to the fall of fame.

I have recently read several books, The Talent Code and Grit, that have convinced me that even insane beliefs like the world is flat would not keep Sammy from excelling in football. Just because a person cannot think objectively or abstractly, doesn't mean they cannot excel if they simply follow directions and repeat those directions. Football and rationale though don't have to go hand in hand. And that's quite fortunate for Sammy owners like myself.

[Jfever]

Good points. I agree that, there were a few cultures pre -14th century that seem to have understood that the earth was a sphere based on the few records that remain of their travels. However, the mass's did hold on to the paradigm of a flat earth for far too long. Long after sea travel, even long after Galileo and the invention of the telescope... To even have that line of thinking still alive in 2017 is nothing short of amusing. But....Sad, kinda, but still.. amusing. Simply put, He's an idiot. But, if we've learned anything through experience, plenty of idiots have performed at exceptionally high levels in athletics. Bottom line, I really don't think Sammy's football skills (value) are directly tied to his lack of critical thinking and awareness as a scholar or as a human being. He's just an idiot is all. No biggy. Heck, there are a lot of them out there - they are all around us.

Some still to this day in 2017, hold on to the belief that the world is 6000-10,000 years old. Some believe that dinosaurs are part of a conspiracy theory, some wholeheartedly believe in Big Foot, the Loch Ness monster, Santa Claus, fortune tellers, magic, ghosts, etc. etc. etc. I mean.... If you look and listen - you'll find a lot of strange things that will raise an eyebrow or two. Doesn't really directly tie to physical performance and following direction / or coaching.

[dm1129]

No need to dig too deep & read into the education system and worry about what it teachs factual or not - here. This really isn't about that. It's about Watkins ability to ignore evidence that is alarming / troubling.

Flat earth...... Give me a break. What.... are we living in the 13th - 15th century now? Um. No. its 2017.

Agreed. There is a lot to be said about the suspension of objectivity and facts among a significant number of people in society as a whole, but this is not the place. How I view this information regarding Sammy and the flat earth belief is that there is a ceiling on his future. I don't think he has the ability to become any better than what he is because he does not seem to have the desire nor ability to study his craft seriously.

My initial reaction to this news was the same as you. His ceiling is capped, etc. But there have been plenty of athletes who have excelled without a high IQ. Even in the most intellectual position, QB, wunderlic scores hardly impact the outcome of a person. In fact, many of the greatest tend to be in the mid 20s from what I have seen(this is off memory, I don't have the stats abd exact numbers in front of me and could be remembering wrong) If IQ was the key to success then Fitzmagic would be headed to the fall of fame.

I have recently read several books, The Talent Code and Grit, that have convinced me that even insane beliefs like the world is flat would not keep Sammy from excelling in football. Just because a person cannot think objectively or abstractly, doesn't mean they cannot excel if they simply follow directions and repeat those directions. Football and rationale though don't have to go hand in hand. And that's quite fortunate for Sammy owners like myself.

I think we are splitting hairs here, but I will disagree. I am not saying Sammy is about to bust. What I am saying is we are seeing him at about his ceiling. There is a cerebral component to playing WR. A WR can read/learn a lot prior to the snap that can help his game if he understands route concepts and route combinations. This is the reason that certain players who are not physically gifted always seem to be open, it is not by mistake/random luck. I should also add I already had the impression that Sammy does not have the dedication to studying his craft, so learning that he believes the earth was flat already fit in a general sense with my of my view on him. Sammy is gifted physically and he will 'excel' when healthy up to a point that his physical gifts allow, but I do not believe beyond that point.

[balaberda]

Haha what is going on here. I think the pattern on Sammy is pretty concerning here. You think he will magically bust out and be a beast I think you are wrong. Injuries and underperforming more times than not.

[skip]

Whatever people want to think about his position on a flat Earth, tying that to his football acumen doesn't logically follow. That's like saying that if I'm a below average reader that I would be a substandard carpenter. There is no connection here. I'm not sure why this got so off topic.

[maxhyde]

If you were a bad reader was because your eyes are bad maybe be a problem but you are totally right. Just a red herring some like to throw out there like it means something. Not believing science may be ignorant but doesn't mean someone is stupid or not intelligent. However that is a different topic.

I wish some of the science whiz kids here owned Sammy Watkins in my leagues...I can't buy him anywhere for any type of discount. He is still valued as a top 15WR in almost all my leagues

[Dynasty DeLorean]

I wish some of the science whiz kids here owned Sammy Watkins in my leagues...I can't buy him anywhere for any type of discount.

I'm not sure believing the earth is round qualifies someone as a science whiz kid.

[maxhyde]

I wish some of the science whiz kids here owned Sammy Watkins in my leagues...I can't buy him anywhere for any type of discount.

I'm not sure believing the earth is round qualifies someone as a science whiz kid.

Right but I thought the theme of the thread was to infer correlations where there weren't any...sorry my bad

Still can't believe there is no universally agreed upon sarcasm font...

[kmbryant09]

Are people serious about the Flat-Earth stuff affecting Watkins' ability & production in the NFL? The flat-Earth line-of-thinking was made most famous by Kyrie Irving - a top10 player in the NBA - so clearly not affecting his ability to be an elite-level athlete.

I did see one person suggest that there's a level of thinking involved with the WR position, and I definitely agree with that. But there's also a high-level of thinking necessary to play Point Guard in the NBA, to read defenses, react accordingly, and making decisions with split-second reaction times. I also think that there's a larger disparity among NFL athletes than people realize - between "education/system knowledge" and "NFL / football knowledge". I mean, some of the Wonderlic scores of NFL QB's is pretty embarrassing, and even though most of them don't succeed, they know more about football in their pinky finger than any of us will ever know in our entire life. Heck, memorizing plays and actually calling them in a huddle is as difficult as learning a second / third language.

Bottom line - I'm worried about Sammy, but still being patient given the late-offseason trade. At least the offense is showing positive signs of being competent. Also, his opinion of the Earth being flat is laughable, but absolutely irrelevant to his Dynasty value.

[Dynasty DeLorean]

I wish some of the science whiz kids here owned Sammy Watkins in my leagues...I can't buy him anywhere for any type of discount.

I'm not sure believing the earth is round qualifies someone as a science whiz kid.

Right but I thought the theme of the thread was to infer correlations where there weren't any...sorry my bad

Still can't believe there is no universally agreed upon sarcasm font...

Just having a little fun with ya Max

[cweds]

I have a tough time seeing the correlation between a player's abstract/critical thinking ability and the way they think the game of football. Jamaal Charles competed in the Special Olympics as a kid and he seemed to turn out okay...

[saw061600]

What the hell happening in this thread? I mean seriously, everyone knows that the Greeks had mathematically determined the Earth was spherical somewhere around 600-500 BC. I think the reeeeeeeeeal question here should be: Did Sammy travel from the distant past where people believed it was flat or is from a alternate reality where the Earth IS flat?

[Vcize]

Don't see how being inept at science would impact someone's football acumen. The NFL is full of wonderlic duds that are doing just fine.

Besides, if we actually step back and look at both of them objectively, is there really anything separating the insanity of believing in a flat earth vs believing in the literal bible and religion, which billions of people do.

Two of every animal on Earth walked to some point in the middle east and boarded a vessel not even close to large enough to hold them all (much less food) that was built by a 600 year old guy after which they repopulated the earth via excessive amounts of incest.

A lot of people who excel in their fields believe some really ridiculous stuff.