Quote:I firmly believe the whole "having a veteran to teach the rookie" is one of the most overrated cliches in sports.

I agree with this. It's easy to cherry pick example where it might have happened (and of course every player and coach is going to credit teammates), but there are just as many examples of players busting when they had great mentor types too. There are also plenty of examples of players doing very well when they didn't have mentor types.

 

If it helps some of you feel better to explain Beasley's success and Fowler's floundering up tot his point to the fact that Beasley has had a mentor and Fowler hasn't that is fine I guess. I'll chalk it up to the guy who was the far superior pass rusher in college with the far superior athletic profile developing into what he should have become independent of the enigmatic, unmeasurable 'veteran presence' theory. 

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