Schobel rejects "high motor" label

[JoeMama]

Don't describe Aaron Schobel as a "high motor" guy.

He thinks it's "nonsense."

LOL!

I can't stand when talented pass rushers like Schobel get stuck w/ "high motor" as their defining quality.

Schobel's defining quality is his initial burst & speed upfield. And, of course, all the sacks -- 2nd most in the AFC since he's been in the league. To dismiss all his natural ability & immediately attribute all his success to being "high motor" is dismissive & insulting.

Guys who lack big-time numbers -- but show a lot of effort -- deserve "high motor" as their primary characteristic. Guys like Ryan Denney or Chris Kelsay. They're pretty good players but they're not defined by freakish athletic ability like Schobel. And I don't mean that in an insulting fashion, I'm just trying to point out where the term "high motor" is more applicable.

Buffalo News article (http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20061214/1073451.asp)

But what I especially like is how Schobel pimped his athletic ability w/ some cold, hard numbers.


"I think I'm quicker than most - believe it or not I am," he said. "I think I'm able to bend, being as athletic as I am."

Then he spit out the numbers from his predraft workout at the 2001 NFL Combine like it was yesterday.

"Let me tell you all some stats," Schobel said. "Thirty-eight-inch vertical [jump], 4.03 shuttle, the third fastest at the combine. So I've got some burst. Y'all didn't know that either, but it's there."

Schobel is the man!

[ublinkwescore]

He better make the probowl this year.

Perhaps McGahee should have tried to do some PR work for him in addition to London Fletcher on the NFL network yesterday (or was it the day before yesterday).

[Statman]

How does one define "high motor?"

[Billsrock4life]

He and Kelsay are both pretty quick

[JoeMama]

He better make the probowl this year.

For real.

Schobel should've been in the pro-bowl long before 2006.

When you're 2nd in the AFC in total sacks over the course of your career, something ain't right if the NFL isn't taking notice.

[Marvelous]

Many a times Schobel has made a play & either forced a fumble, sack, etc well after the main burst.. The guy is relentless.

Hands down my favorite current Bills player..

[JoeMama]

How does one define "high motor?"

It's a term that's usually associated w/ white defensive ends.

If that's the main "positive" you hear in regard to a player, it's ostensibly a nice way of saying that player lacks natural ability &/or impressive tangibles -- but will still get some production thanks to second effort & coverage sacks.

Which is treatment worthy of finishing 3rd in the special olympics. "He's not real talented, but he sure does try hard!"

So it's no wonder Schobel doesn't want that to be his default charactaristic. He should be praised for his tangibles first & foremost. Not his "high motor".

On a side note...

One thing that's always struck me as odd is whenever you read draft previews, there's this tendency for writers to compare white DE's to other white DE's. Ditto for black DE's.

Has anyone else ever noticed that?

[Dolfan984]

He's having a great year. He deserves a probowl spot backing up Taylor.

[Kerr]

He deserves to make the pro bowl especially if he holds to stay in the top 3 of the league. Every year schobel has gotten better and better. He's one guy the team doesn't have to worry about replacing for a long time.

[Romes]

It's a term that's usually associated w/ white defensive ends.

If that's the main "positive" you hear in regard to a player, it's ostensibly a nice way of saying that player lacks natural ability &/or impressive tangibles -- but will still get some production thanks to second effort & coverage sacks.

Which is treatment worthy of finishing 3rd in the special olympics. "He's not real talented, but he sure does try hard!"

So it's no wonder Schobel doesn't want that to be his default charactaristic. He should be praised for his tangibles first & foremost. Not his "high motor".

On a side note...

One thing that's always struck me as odd is whenever you read draft previews, there's this tendency for writers to compare white DE's to other white DE's. Ditto for black DE's.

Has anyone else ever noticed that?


Yeah, I noticed that too. Same thing applies to QB's and how all black QB's seem to "mobile/scrambling" QB's. It bothers me.

[JoeMama]

Yeah, I noticed that too. Same thing applies to QB's and how all black QB's seem to "mobile/scrambling" QB's. It bothers me.

That's very true.

And it seems like such a shallow, insulting fashion to illustrate similarities b/w players.

Correlations b/w players only need to match up in terms of talent, not skin color.

Aaron Schobel plays a hell of a lot more like Jason Taylor than Grant Wistrom.

[Philagape]

However someone takes it, I think "high motor" is a good thing to be called. I don't see it as derisive in any way.

Lee Evans is high motor. Angelo Crowell. Terrence McGee. Doesn't mean at all that they're not talented.

"High motor" just means better than low motor.

[Ron Burgundy]

The Pro Bowl is a joke.

[Ingtar33]

Yes... high motor means white. It should be equally offensive to Schobel as it should be to black DE's, as you will never hear that tag about them, which implies they're lazy, or don't work hard.

there were a lot of so called "draft" experts who declared Leftwich, as "mobile", and JP as a pocket passer.

[Philagape]

Why does everything have to be about race? :sigh:

[G. Host]

It's a term that's usually associated w/ white defensive ends.

If that's the main "positive" you hear in regard to a player, it's ostensibly a nice way of saying that player lacks natural ability &/or impressive tangibles -- but will still get some production thanks to second effort & coverage sacks.

Which is treatment worthy of finishing 3rd in the special olympics. "He's not real talented, but he sure does try hard!"

So it's no wonder Schobel doesn't want that to be his default charactaristic. He should be praised for his tangibles first & foremost. Not his "high motor".



If he was black they would describe his as "quick as a cat".
It is just dumb labelling by media which started with college football.

[madness]

I've been wanting a Schobel jersey!