September 13, 2000
Editors note: This column may be unsuitable for fans of Naperville Central football who can't stand the thought of the Redhawks failing to repeat as state champions. Read at your own risk.
MEMO: To Naperville Central's football players You're overrated. There. I said it. Let the hate mail begin. My phone will be forwarded to my editor for the remainder of this week, and I'll be out of the office till Christmas.
There's little question about your talent. I'm just trying to figure out if you've got any heart. A tie against West Chicago at the end of the first quarter? West Chicago? The let's-leave-the-DuPage-Valley-Conference-before-we-get-eaten-alive Wildcats? Five first-half sacks of quarterback Owen Daniels against Stevenson in Week 2?
Sure, you've run roughshod over opponents this year, to the tune of 125-0. And we've sung your praises all over the pages of this newspaper.
Which seems to be the problem. You actually believe what you read.
So believe this: You're not as good as you think. In fact, last year's version of the Redhawks was better.
Forget the numbers. The stats. The high praises of USA Today, rivals.com and Fox Sports.
Forget that Daniels announced he's going to room with Bucky the Badger in the fall and that Kevin Noel's got his choice of where he'll play catch.
But remember this: Talented teams who don't play hard on every play of every game of every quarter rarely win championships. There have been exceptions. But you'd be a betting fool to think you'll be one of them.
Against Stevenson, I watched as Daniels got tossed around your backfield like a body surfer at Lollapalooza. I watched as a player who's considered one of the best receivers in the country looked more like your No. 2 wideout, dropping more passes than he caught, fumbling punts and running half-hearted, lolly-gag routes when the coaches didn't call his number.
The Patriots game, I thought, would be your wake-up call. Sure, the final score was 40-0, but Stevenson dropped a sure touchdown pass and bungled a first-and-goal near your 5-yard line that would have made it a decidedly different ball game at 14-14.
Then came the Wildcats game. A game marked "R" on your schedule for annual rout. You won big again. But not before struggling through a scoreless first quarter and watching Daniels run repeatedly for his life after getting flushed out of the pocket.