JWL wrote:
I played the trumpet up until 8th grade. I probably can talk about what it takes to play trumpet for the Boston Pops better than someone who never played an instrument can talk about what it takes to play for the Boston Pops. I know what it takes to play an instrument and sit in a band and read music and take direction from a conductor but I don't know how it all exactly goes on the highest level. This is akin to you saying you played high school football and because of that your opinion on football things should be valued more than the opinions of mostly everybody else here.
As you can see in several other recent posts, I am not the only person interpreting your posts as that you are dismissing others' opinions because their history does not contain as much football playing as your history. I like you. I suspect most of the other board members like you too. But this avenue you take and some of the comments you make are off-putting.
At any given time, there are probably 3-5 living U.S. Presidents (the current one and any former ones still alive). Are only those people allowed to have an opinion on the type of performance being given by the current President? After all, those are the only people who truly knows what it takes to do the job.
This makes a lot of sense. If I've rebuilt car engines, worked as a mechanic, or even raced as a driver in local races but then used that as justification to say that makes me an expert on what it takes to win a NASCAR race, I'm thinking the NASCAR people would laugh at me. It's a different level.
That said, I respect Reaser's posts and knowledge of pro football. But not because he played high school or college football like millions of others.
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This post reminds me of a little tiff between Dr. Z and Len Pasquerelli once. Can't remember exactly, but I think a reader sent in a question to Z in his mailbag, pointing out how something Pasquerelli said about NFL offensive lines contradicted what Z said. Z came back in his column with something like, "What do I know? I couldn't begin to speak to the nuances of line play like Len Pasquerelli."
Of course, the way Z said it was funnier and had a bit more vitriol, like only Z could.