Imagine, if you will, a closed-door meeting in an NFL team executive office.  The owner is there, presiding.  The coach is there, along with the vice president, the general manager, the head of player personnel, the head of operations and several of the top player development/scouting professionals.

The team has an astronomical budget — both assets and debts alike — but the team’s success is declining.  Other teams perpetually are getting bigger, faster, more successful.

The group discusses a turnaround …. “How can we make smarter decisions to become better?”

The coach turns to the group and suggests the team’s downfall is a personnel issue.  He urges the general manager and the player development people to do more homework, to watch more film, to gather more information and to stop drafting players from smaller, inferior schools … schools with less stringent educational standards … schools with substandard training programs … schools whose traditions and practices are not in line with a successful NFL franchise.  

The coach offers up an example, and says, “Why can’t we draft more people from Alabama, or Stanford or even Oklahoma?”  Why not focus on successful programs as a source of talent?  He says he loves the name of Slippery Rock University, but thinks there are better quarterbacks on the market.

Everyone nods in agreement and immediately sees the validity and wisdom … and just plain common sense of what the coach is saying.  Football is a game they all love, but they have no misconceptions.  Football is a business and it is their job to make the best decisions to win.

No one accuses them of racism for a common sense approach to business.

Know what I sayin?