When parents look for role models in the world of athletics, it’s easy to point out the stars that make the big plays, earn the big bucks and win the big games.
Neither Jeff Driskel nor Michael McNeely qualifies as a "star player" by any stretch of the imagination. Nonetheless, those two embody the team-first attitude better than most.
It’s a demeanor that is lost to many of today’s athletes, but it’s one that is as valuable as ever.
A team player doesn’t care if he starts.
A team player doesn’t care if he plays.
A team player doesn’t leave Nashville hours before playing in a key Southeastern Conference matchup.
Leon Orr is not a team player.
I understand that Orr has NFL aspirations and that starting games is an important factor for NFL scouts.
But do you know what’s more important to the pros?
Showing that you can maintain a commitment with a professional attitude.
If any NFL squad can’t trust you to sit quietly and patiently while you’re on the bench, then you’re never going to see the field.
Jeff Driskel showed extreme poise and grace when Treon Harris took his starting quarterback job.
Even in a backup role, Driskel is doing and saying all the right things.
"At the end of the day it’s a team sport and everybody has to contribute and do their part," Driskel said.
"If mine’s the backup and not getting any plays at all, I want to be ready in case Treon goes down. If it’s being in a Wildcat type role, I want to be ready and able to run the ball and understand the blocking schemes and the defense we’re going to get."
That’s something you’d never hear from Orr.
He may say he loves his teammates and the University of Florida, but Orr didn’t show it when he abandoned the Gators on gameday.
Getting benched in favor of a true freshman must have been gut wrenching, but Driskel didn’t storm off in a temper tantrum. In fact, when Will Muschamp first put Harris in over Driskel during the Tennessee game, Driskel still made himself available to the media afterward.
Driskel got off the team bus after that contest to talk about how his replacement (a true freshman) won the game for Florida.
Orr got on a bus because he couldn’t even put up with a junior taking his starting spot.
However, in his letter to the Gainesville Sun, Leon Orr refuted the notion that he is not a team player.
"I could have made a better decision, but to say that I quit on my team is a lie," Orr said. "Personally, I feel like the coach quit on me."
Leon, your coach didn’t quit on you when he decided to start Jon Bullard over you.
He benched you.
It’s what happens to athletes when they don’t perform up to their standard.
I can’t even take the rest of the letter seriously when he can’t even admit he quit. When you say, "Start me or I’m going home," that’s quitting.
If I’m an NFL executive, I don’t want any piece of Leon Orr after he pulled that stunt.
I would want the guy that can stand in there and take hit after hit from the media and still have the professionalism to stand behind his team.
I would want the guy that can sit on the bench with the headphones on so he can still help his teammate on the field.
I would want the guy who has his helmet nearby so he can jump over the goal line for one play.
"I’m not going to say it hasn’t been difficult," Driskel said. "But at the end of the day I’m still doing what I’ve always done. I’m still preparing to be ready to go in and make plays if my number gets called. That’s what I owe this team."
Hear that Leon?
That’s what a team player sounds like.
Follow Jonathan Czupryn on Twitter @JCzupryn
Leon Orr walks off the field after a play in Florida’s 37-20 win against Tennessee on Sept. 15 at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. Orr will miss Saturday’s game with the flu.
