The simple word “talent” is used too sparingly in sports.
Instead, coaches and scouts and scientists of movement toss around phrases such as “wiggle” and “quick twitch” to describe our nimblest and most explosive athletes.
“Hand-eye coordination” is another one. And oh, what a dream it would be simply to be able to hit the sweet spot of a 2-iron as Tiger Woods does or snap the net like Steph Curry.
Such grace can’t be taught. But those who arrive with it don’t do so as fully formed demi-gods.
They get better by the year, or at least by the season. They practice. They work out. They receive coaching. That last one is critical for this discussion.
First, let’s acknowledge that any athlete who becomes a pro begins with basic genetic gifts.
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But as we try to figure out why some Detroit teams struggle evermore, the question is: Where do those gifts end and training and coaching begin? Another question: Is “developing talent” the prime skill in the varying successes of professional franchises?
Simply identifying “talent” is critical, of course, and something our local teams have struggled with for most of the past decade. But beyond that, what truly distinguishes the most successful squads is the ability to help players make the most of their “talent,” whatever that is.
The Detroit Tigers struggled to help Robbie Grossman this season. The Detroit Lions, meanwhile, are struggling to help D’Andre Swift — or maybe not yet.
Grossman, an outfielder traded to Atlanta earlier this month, and Swift, a running back still in town and recently featured on HBO’s “Hard Knocks,” seemingly have little in common, beginning with their “talent” levels. Grossman, at his best, is a solid big-leaguer. Swift, though, at his best, is capable of making the Pro Bowl — in theory.
That’s the theory his position coach, Duce Staley, espouses.
“Listen to me,” he told Swift in a meeting that recently aired as part of “Hard Knocks,” “… you can be the best in the league. You really can.”
He has the talent, his coaches believe. Swift may believe that, too.
Now he has to show it. He can’t do that alone. And so, Staley pushes him, cajoles him, teaches him, encourages him, shows him — as he did on a recent episode of the HBO documentary — a tendency to head to the sideline instead of stiff-arming, or, say, cutting outside when the play is designed for an inside burst.
It’s not that Swift wants to avoid contact. He’s just so used to making people miss in space — with his “wiggle” — or outrunning them that he’s constantly seeking the most obvious open areas, forgetting that sometimes the best path to that space is through a narrow gap first.
Some running backs instinctively see what Staley is trying to help Swift see. Some backs seek contact first and know they’re likely to run over the defender because of their size and strength and speed — their physical talent.
Swift has talent, too. Loads of it. If he can combine what he is learning with what he was gifted, he may well achieve his goal of 1,000 yards running and receiving, as well as that of his coaches — to be the best.
At the minimum, Staley wants Swift to act like he’s the best every time he “steps on the (expletive) field.”
“Be hungry,” he tells him. “Be greedy for every (expletive) yard.”
Whether Swift reaches this place will be up to him, obviously. But also, up to the coaching — and, gulp, culture — of the Lions.
And while drafting talent is imperative and finding the right trades and free agents are critical, the development of players is what will determine head coach Dan Campbell’s fate. He’s in charge of a franchise that has historically struggled in that area.
Last season, his team showed improvement late despite all the losing. That’s a hopeful sign that Campbell and his staff will eventually get the best out of players such as Swift.
A sign that’s missing with the Tigers.
When Grossman got to Atlanta, the Braves’ analytics staff cut video together to show him how his swing had changed from a year ago. He took the coaching and immediately began to hit again, with as many homers from the left side of the plate in two weeks in Atlanta as he had in four months with the Tigers.
Grossman has cooled off this week. Baseball is like that anyway. Even the best hitters go hot and cold to a degree.
But Grossman felt good enough about his instant success that he talked about the difference his new franchise had made.
Atlanta wanted to get the tension out of his upper body during his swing and change his swing path and hand positioning. It’s possible no one in Detroit noticed. It’s also possible that the numerous individual struggles so many Tigers’ hitters have dealth with this season, and the resultant losing, caused Grossman’s issues to get buried in the muck.
Earlier this week, Tigers manager A.J. Hinch acknowledged the uptick in Grossman’s production since the trade.
“Last year, he was 20/20 for the first time in his career,” he said, referring to Grossman’s 23 homers and 20 steals. “Us not being able to unlock that this year was a frustration for all of us.”
Hinch suggested that the new environment might also help explain Grossman’s recent surge. It wouldn’t be the first time a change of scene unlocked a player’s natural talent.
But the numbers this season — and, yes, those over the past several seasons — suggest the Tigers are one of the worst talent developers in the game. General manager Al Avila lost his job because of this.
Grossman may not match Miguel Cabrera in his prime, but he still has talent. Anyone who can hit a 95 mph fastball does.
Hitting it consistently is a different matter. Physical gifts play a part, maybe more than anything. But when everyone has gifts, the most consistently successful franchises figure out how to unwrap those gifts and take that talent to the next level.
The Lions are showing signs they (finally) may be doing this. The Tigers, unfortunately, still have a way to go.
Contact Shawn Windsor: 313-222-6487 or swindsor@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @shawnwindsor.