Simis IS a gamer

[Griz Man]

Back before the PSU/North Texas game I watched a press conference given by then head coach Dan McCarney. He was asked about why Andrew McNultey (senior) was starting over backup DeMarcus Smith despite McNulty's extremely mediocre showings.

McCarney stated flat out he didn't have any confidence in Smith's abilities because he did not perform in practice as well as he should. McCarney also claimed that Smith was not showing what he considered a proper attitude or discipline in trying to learn NT's system, instead relying on his natural abilities and previous experience.

When McCarney said Smith told him that while he did have some difficulties in practice, he was a "gamer" and could out perform McNulty on the field. McCarney's answer to that was, "THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A GAMER," :bad: If you can't do it in practice, there is no way you can do it for real.

I doubt that if any of this is true about Simis. He sounds like a young kid who spent practices, even if he wasn't getting the reps, spent his time learning the system and absorbing everything his coaches told him.

If he is still your starter when you come to PSU, I wish him a good game and I wish you guys well, but then again, while PSU's success this year is great, our #1 goal of the year is to beat both Montana teams.

So GO VIKS and #barnyball

Nice post. I think it's psychology / mental makeup that makes a gamer. Some players are too anxious during games to play as well as they do during practice. Others get an extra adrenaline rush that actually elevates their play. In fact, the same player could experience both conditions during the course of a season or even during the same game. I was worried about Brady during the NDSU game, the way he was going at that mouth guard and the expression on his face. But he channeled it into a great performance. But I do think he was a little tight during the next 2 games - everything seemed forced, he just didn't look comfortable.

I've been very impressed with how loose Simis seems to stay during games, and he's quoted as using visualization techniques before games. And the guy is just a sophomore!