ALLENDALE, Mich. — A plethora of football coaches from around the country were on Grand Valley State University’s campus today for the Best of the Midwest football camp, put on by the GVSU coaching staff.
That included both Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh and Ohio State coach Urban Meyer.
The pair closed out the morning session that saw a number of coaches from around the state of Michigan speak.
Meyer went before Harbaugh and spoke about the Buckeyes success with sending players to the NFL, mentioning Ezekiel Elliott, Joey Bosa and J.T. Barrett. He followed that up telling campers that there’s more to the sport than wanting to make it to the NFL.
“There’s nothing worse than a confused player,” Meyer said. “I call that a player in conflict. For example, if I coach a player in college that’s in conflict, he does not develop. Then when a professional coach comes to me and starts asking about our players, if their whole focus is on getting to the NFL, that’s not what the NFL coach is looking for.
“When Bill Belichick comes in, he’ll ask me two very critical questions: What kind of teammate is he and how does he perform in the big game? He doesn’t ask me how he runs around in shorts and t-shirts and what’s his 40-time and those kinds of things.”
Meyer went on to say that this line of questioning isn’t limited to the NFL. He and his staff are asking about those same things — making sure to bring up the importance of big games once again.
“I have no desire to watch a game where you beat the hell out of someone 40-0,” Meyer said. “I quit watching. I want to see you in your rivalry game. I want to see you on fourth down. How do you perform when the team needs you?”
It didn’t come off like a jab at Harbaugh, who stood just off to the side listening to what Meyer had to say. However, the two are arch rivals, and Meyer holds a 3-0 advantage in the series.
Harbaugh spoke next, telling campers, who ranged from ninth to 12th grade, the philosophy that allowed him to reach the NFL as both a player and coach.
“If you want to be a good football player, do everything your coach tells you, as hard as you can do it,” Harbaugh said. “You can also translate that to, do whatever your teacher tells you to do, as hard as you can do it, and also to your parents, do what they tell you, as hard as you can do it.”
This idea came from his father, Jack, and became a strategy he used throughout his football playing days.
“Whatever he told me to do, how he told me to do it, with numbing repetition. I transferred that to football,” Harbaugh said. “Give my coach hat he wanted me to do. I saw myself rise up the depth chart, go from high school to college football, play in pro football for 15 years.”
He highlighted the story of Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit in the Bible, noting that players will have to deal with temptation and pressure from others just like they did with the serpent. Handling distractions will be another major factor in their success, he said.
Harbaugh closed by telling campers to talk to the coaches that were in attendance before they started doing drills and not after, that way coaches could pay attention to them and be noticed.
The most popular man in the building, he was swarmed by youth campers quickly afterwards.
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