Character is as Character Does

You can talk about drafting “character guys in the NFL” all you want, but the bottom line is doing whatever it takes to win as Chris Sanders said in his post.

The Tennessee Titans rolled the dice when they drafted cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones out of West Virginia with the 6th pick in the 2005 NFL draft even though he’d already been involved in a number of off the field issues in college and was labeled a questionable pick.  I talked to one of their top team officials who said they’d investigated Pacman’s background more than any other player before making the pick.

Oh really?

They wanted and needed his talent at that position and were willing to close their eyes to potential danger signs. Besides, I’ll bet they also thought they could teach and/or force him toe the line.  But it didn’t work, and they’ve been embarrassed as an organization as a result.

Sometimes it just doesn’t pay. Winning at all cost can blur the lines of rational thinking. Coaches do it everyday when they’re dealing with star players who might win “the big one” for them.