About this time every year a media breeze blows in called the NFL Draft. It is a time of conjecture, predictions and best guesses. It keeps the NFL in the limelight in this “off” season.

The truth is there is no player who is a “can’t miss.” Someone will be rated lower that proves that and someone will be ranked too high. NO ONE knows how it will turn out and we won’t find that out until 3-5 years down the road. Not one draft choice will dictate the future of any team.

Back in the day, Archie Manning was a great college quarterback. He also was a very good professional quarterback, but played on terrible teams. As critical as a quarterback is, it takes more. Maybe the best thing Archie did was father Peyton and Eli.

Everything is run by television. Anytime they can create a live event, it’s money in the bank. The hype is for that purpose. Should it be that way? I don’t know. You have to judge for yourself. I would ask you to consider this; how an organization manages free agency, trades and the salary cap may be of greater impact on the future of the franchise.

Formulating a team’s picks around performance tests is highly overrated. The player’s 40 yd. dash time, strength, agility and other manufactured tests are interesting and a way for the scouts to cover their asses. MAYBE, is he a fit with the rest of the guys is a more important question.

There is only one question to answer, ”Can he play?” There are skills necessary, of course. There is born-with talent. However, the most important factor is his ability to bring his best, day in and day out, regardless of the circumstances. There are players that are legends who couldn’t do certain things well, but they continued to perform in ways that impacted the results. Yes, they helped their teams WIN.

Coaches, check your reading list. Make sure you have a copy of Coach Rolland Todd’s “The Art of Losing” available at lulu.com.