Youth matters

Quote
David Deacon
Last year it was really about Coach McVay and the improvement of our players. He sounded great but he was 30 years old. ...

This year we know Coach McVay is a coaching prodigy and that he will get better. (Link)

In a post from another thread, David Deacon I think correctly compares what we hoped for from McVay with what we now know. I think it is fair to say that he actually IS a coaching prodigy.

But then, some prodigies hit ceilings. By definition a prodigy is ... YOUNG. Inexperienced. Raw.

And you what? Sometimes last year McVay coached like he was 30. He was green and sometimes it showed.

My father in law used to talk about what he looked for in a financial adviser. He used to say, "I don't trust a financial adviser who hasn't lost enough money."

What he meant, of course, is that the only way to really KNOW how to invest is to go through some cycles. The losing cycles teach crucial lessons about what to trust and what isn't trustworthy. Young financial whiz kids may now this and that, but they have not learned the humbling lesson of losing money.

I think that principle applies to McVay. He was young and green last year and that showed. Frequently, I see posters say, "McVay needs to get better at ..." X, Y, and Z.

To me, that means he has to mature. And a key feature of his maturing is blowing a play call, a drive, a game ... a playoff game. Like any young coach, McVay needs to lose in order to win.

I think he will learn and grow. But, we need to understand that through all of the wonderful success we saw from him last year flowed certain themes of not being there yet. We can hope for and project him being more mature, having a finer sense of judgment this year. I do.

But, we can't KNOW it. It isn't real until it is real. And age matters.