Saturday, December 19, 2009

Malcolm Gladwell on Jason Campbell

Nope, that is not a misprint. In an exchange with Bill Simmons on ESPN.com this past week, the best-selling author of The Tipping Point, Outliers, and Blink actually brought JC into the conversation.

"What we're talking about is what are called capitalization rates, which refers to how efficiently any group makes use of its talent. So, for example, sub-Saharan Africa is radically undercapitalized when it comes to, say, physics: There are a large number of people who live there who have the ability to be physicists but never get the chance to develop that talent. Canada, by contrast, is highly capitalized when it comes to hockey players: If you can play hockey in Canada, trust me, we will find you.......Case in point: Everyone always says what an incredible advantage it has been for Peyton Manning to have had the same offensive coordinator and the same offensive system his entire career. Football offenses are so complex now that they take years to master properly, and having one system in place from the beginning has allowed Manning to capitalize on every inch of his talent. On the other hand, someone like Jason Campbell has had a different offensive coordinator in virtually every season of his pro and college career (and I'm guessing he'll get another this offseason). I'm not convinced that it's possible to say, with certainty, that Campbell has less ability than Manning. I'm only sure we can say that Campbell has not been in a situation that has allowed him to exploit his talent the way Manning has. We just don't know how good he is capable of being -- and we may never know."

With all the good vibes going around DC this week, one cannot forget that we are in for yet another complete overhaul and a lot more uncertainty. We all should know by now to never drink any of the Kool Aid that Snyder is serving.

(Images courtesy of i.cnn.net and pigskinlovinglady.com)

1 comment:

  1. While I understand the point Gladwell is making and have supported JC through thick and thin, I think I can fairly certainly say Campbell has less ability than Manning.

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