Coach34, a question about Dontae Walker and Jimmy Johns

[HammerOfTheDogs]

We all know about Dontae. Jimmy Johns was Alabama's Dontae Walker. Both players were very talented athletes who never lived up to hype. Both went down for dealing drugs. Now, why would Jackie Sherrill and Nick Saban go out on such huge limbs to make us think they were great players and people?

In 2002, Sherrill kept going on and on about how Dontae was "the best player in the spring, before he got hurt". It was apparent it was a lie. He got fat, stoned, and eventually quit. Nick Saban gave Jimmy Johns the "Woodrow Lowe Award" for best linebacker in Bammer spring football.

You were a former coach. Were they trying to help their self-esteem? Were they trying to pull the wool over the eyes of fan bases disgusted with their underachievement? I just don't see how trying to appease bad apples helps a program.

J

 

[saltybulldog]

or...where they both trying to cover for potential indiscretions by certain coaches or alumni?

 

[HammerOfTheDogs]

...that they didn't want Johns and Walker ratting them out? Only problem with that is, if they did talk could anyone understand them?

 

[DowntownDawg]

...your answer lies in their desire to keep both players happy. When a player is bought, that player has the coach by the balls. Why else would Jackie let Dontae embarrass him time and time again on Saturdays. He should've been off the team, or at the very least, benched. Probably the same with Saban and Johns. In my opinion, we occasionally have this problem on our basketball team as well.

 

[HammerOfTheDogs]

Nick Saban didn't buy Jimmy Johns.....Mike Shula did. New coaches usually run bad players and bad people off just to establish who's boss.

 

[Bulldoghair]

i think is is because of both players potential. their heads evidently were not right, but the talent was there. they both had the talent to be all american.

 

[DowntownDawg]

....and that is explained by one of three scenarios:

1) Saban was simply trying some positive reinforcement as a last ditch effort to motivate a talented waste.
or
2) Saban knew Johns was bought, and Saban's program gets in trouble all the same if Johns rats him out.
or
3) A coked out Jimmy Johns was playing well.

The difference is that Johns just sucked. He never embarrassed Shula like Dontae did Sherrill.

 

[lanceharbor7]

or Shula?

 

[TBonewannabe]

I had a player on the team tell me that. After practice and everybody starts running, there goes Dontae to the locker room. No wonder the dude was a fatass.

 

[Coach34]

however, I seriously doubt any of those things happened to appeal to the fanbases. These guys are responsible for 100 players, and no matter how talented one is, they wont sacrifice their credibility with the team for one guy. Those two players had to be playing at a high level during the Spring to have the accolades thrown on them.

As far as "throwing a little extra sugar" on a player to keep them happy and quiet about how much money they have taken in while there, I have no doubt that goes on everywhere. And i'm sure it happened in those situations. We pay players, Mississippi pays players, everybody does. I even got a 100 handshake at a function once because I went with a couple of baseball players, so I can just imagine what really goes on.
From a high school level, we would do things like that as well. Motivation for players is such a big part of coaching. You got to push the right buttons for kids to get them to perform. Some players have to constantly be pushed, some have to be let alone for the most part, some have to be hollered at constantly...some you cant yell at much because they go into a shell. Good coaches identify these things quickly and handle their teams accordingly.

I dont know much about Johns, and dont really care. Dealing coke when you are a college football player at a major university is beyond stupid. Plus, he plays for Bammer so he can eat ****.

From what I know on Dontae- he got his leg hurt (I want to say sprained knee, but not 100% on it) and was being held out of conditioning. That, coupled with the medicine he was being given by the trainers caused him to gain weight. Could be bs, who knows. And because of this he never got in shape that last season.
As far as drugs, its also been told to me that Jackie could have saved his ***- all he had to do was make the phone call- and chose not to. That came from Dontae's legal team.

So bottomline, I think both these guys were playing well and got recognized for a reason, both made terrible choices, and both will be getting butt-slammed in a shower from time to time.

 

[Shmuley]

Saban was simply trying some positive reinforcement as a last ditch effort to motivate a talented waste.

That's it right there. The only thing I would change is the "motivate" to the word "appease." I think Saban was trying to appease both Johns and that large contingent mulletted walk on alumni who refused to believe that Johns was anything but the next Walter Lewis.

The simple truth of the matter is that Johns was incapable of handling the mental side of the game. Whether it was drugs or DNA, the guy was powe-esque.