Craig has the pleasure of speaking with former NFL wide receiver and current wide receiver coach for the Carolina Panthers, Frisman Jackson. Frisman offers a wealth of knowledge about the wide receiver position, coaching wide receivers, and just football in general. Jackson was a former client of Craig and they have remained
friends over the years. Frisman goes in depth on what wide receiver coaches look for in a wide receiver prospect. “When you look at Jerry Rice, Larry Fitzgerald has been a good player in this league for a very long time. You know, all the hall of fame receivers ... they were fierce competitors, man. They love to compete. And they had an aura about them that they knew when they stepped on the field, they were the best guys. And yet they weren't the best around running the routes or catching the football in their hands. But they loved to compete and they knew when they walked on the field, they had this sense about themselves that I'm the best player on the field, not the best receiver. I'm the best player on the field.” Frisman talks about how important confidence is especially in the wide receiver position where you are put in the spotlight. Working hard is not good enough according to Frisman, you need to work harder than everyone else. You need to have that competitive edge that makes you hungry for competition and success. This goes into practice because all of the great wide receivers took practice extremely seriously. Frisman and Criag go on to discuss a story about Jerry Rice and how Joe Montana would get angry that Jerry would take it all the way down the field for a touchdown and they would have to wait for him to run back to start another play.
Another aspect of the game that young players don’t realize, Frisman says, is that the older players are not only playing for the glory and for the fun of it. They are playing to feed their families, pay child support, or maybe buy their family a car that they never had. They want to win and be the best not just for them but for the people around them. This plays into another reason wide receivers and football players in general want the ball in their hands as much as possible. But, sometimes to help the
team win you can’t have the ball in your hands. Sometimes they are going to have to take one for the team so someone else can get open. The great players are willing to make this sacrifice for the betterment of the team. The selfish players who complain about not getting the ball unfortunately won’t make it in the league. Lastly, Frisman discusses how hard it really is to make it into the NFL. He talks about how people trivialize how hard it really is and only the top .08% of highschool players make it to the NFL. From there so many players flame out after a year or two because of injuries or poor performance. You will not be able to make it by just going to practice and doing what you are supposed to do. As Frisman likes to put it, “this is not a 9-5 job” this job is around the clock and if you ease up on the pedal you might miss out.
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