Posted by jetwildcat on 1/13/2011 1:55:00 PM (view original):
Posted by tianyi7886 on 1/13/2011 1:38:00 PM (view original):
NBA/college all run similar systems. Man defense, zone defense, motion offense, triangle, how to run the fast break, how to break press, etc.
College transition for football to NFL is huge, in that college schemes are much simpler reads, with a pretty strong emphasis on a spread offense. NFL schemes have much different and harder reads, and every team has a different play book that a player needs to learn, memorize, etc. This is why a player can put up great stats in college in a spread offense, but be taken much lower in the draft than a player that comes from a pro-style offense with worse stats. Sure the physical stats from the Combines change things too, but alot of the times, a great college career is simply a result of the system.
there are a lot more positions in football than "quarterback", which is what your explanation most directly applies to.
you're correct in everything you've said, BUT you're ignoring the huge differences between college and NBA. namely, the importance of athleticism. athleticism is even more important for the basketball transition than the football transition. you can't definitively say that football is a tougher transition. also keep in mind how often NFL rookies excel and make the pro bowl compared to how often NBA rookies make the all-star game.
Not just QB. RB that runs in a pure man blocking scheme to run in a zone blocking scheme is a huge difference. WR needs to learn different routes, and especially timing with a new QB (which can take years to build up), Tackles and Guards need to learn different blocking schemes. And defense, even changing from 3-4 to a 4-3 defense for a nosetackle that have played 3-4 his whole life (Albert Haynesworth's gripe) is a huge transition.
NFL rookies do indeed make the pro bowl, but we also have to look at the # of rookies in each NFL class. It's around 250 rookies in the NFL to 60 in the NBA. And then you account for there simply being more positions/players involved in a game in the NFL, it also makes sense to see more rookies making the pro bowl than the NBA. And for those NFL rookies that do indeed make the pro bowl, they are handed the key to the offense/defense. You don't rarely see a rookie in the NBA become the focal point of the offense in his first year. In fact, besides the top few picks, most NBA rookies don't even start in their first year, which makes an All-Star appearance all but impossible.
I'm not denying that transitioning from College to NBA is hard, but it's not like learning a new game, which is what some players in football experience.