Chris Ballard on Jake Plummer

Good story in this weeks SI on Jake Plummer by Chris Ballard.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1181772/index.htm

Have to admit forgot all about Plummer. Clearly marches to his own drummer.

 

Nice FU to Bernie Lincicome at the end.

 

Haven't read it yet, but looking forward to it...nothing wrong with an athlete leaving sports early...it's really their choice. Even more so in football where your body takes such a thrashing.

 

Agree - you walk away with your dignity unless you come back - see Favre, Brett.

From story it sounds like he and Shannahan did not get along too well.

 

Shanahan has done zero to help his own legacy since Elway retired.

 

I enjoyed it, but skipped over the handball parts -- promotion of handball being the only reason Plummer agreed to doing the story.

 

Agreed - he had 2 potentially really good NFL QB's that he failed to develop.

 

Like the part about Plummer catching Gruden and Allen knuckle bumping under table after they thought offer they made would get him to Tampa.

 

Did Plummer come off as an idiot during his playing days or just someone who was aloof? It seems that he's the one who has his head on straight.

 

re: shanahan -- i know it's often been expressed that many folks consider him a sure-fire hof'er but i couldn't disagree more. his record w/o elway is just beyond terrible, as is his history developing qbs not named elway.

and the longer the trend continues the more glaring it becomes. and the stronger the case is made for other coaches who have been successful with a variety of lesser qb's leading their teams.

but plummer has always been a bit of a strange bird, with or without shanahan as his boss. i've never found him to be a compelling figure. and i sure as haven't been wondering, 'whatever happened to jake?' since he walked away.

maybe that's just me. though i doubt it.

 

I forgot all about Plummer till this weeks SI arrived, but found the story pretty interesting and well written as compared to say Kings profile on Goodell last week.

 

The first-person debate is ongoing all over the board. In that light, I found Ballard's non-use of it refreshing. He was obviously right there during handball week. Had it been other writers, we would have heard how THEY felt staring out at the lake. Instead we heard how Jake Plummer felt. It was refreshing.