Talented players produce regardless of system

There are some phrases that bring out the cynical side.

For me, one of those terms as it relates to sports is “system player” or “it’s not
the player, it’s the system” or “he’s great in this system but put him in another
system and he would be” anything from average to lousy.

The notion behind this argument is certain players reach a level of performance
solely because of the system rather than their natural skill. The idea is most
commonly brought up in football as it pertains to quarterbacks but could apply
to any position. The term “system player” is used in basketball as well. The
term is commonly referenced in team sports because there are moving parts
that need to work in concert for a scheme to work.

Having lived in the San Francisco Bay Area most of my life (40 of 46 years to
be exact), the two people that are commonly linked to this term are former
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joe Montana and current Golden State
Warriors point guard Steph Curry.

Montana, who is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, led the 49ers to four Super
Bowl titles in eight seasons (1981-1989). Curry, who has become the most
prolific 3-point shooter in NBA history, has led the Warriors to three NBA titles
in the last four seasons.

For Montana, it is commonly assumed that Bill Walsh’s West Coast offense
was the reason for his success. Walsh’s offense was based around a short-to
-medium range passing game. Like most innovations, Walsh popularized his
offense based around limitations when was an assistant under Paul Brown
with the Cincinnati Bengals. The team had a deficient running game and a
quarterback, Virgil Carter, with limited arm strength and as a result focused
the passing game around short routes and getting rid of the ball quickly.

It has also been argued that Montana, whose arm strength was good but not
great, had Hall of Fame receiver Jerry Rice to throw passes to along with
running Roger Craig, whom many believe should have a bust in Canton,
Ohio. I can debunk that argument. Montana led the 49ers to two Super
Bowls before Rice arrived and one before Craig was drafted. When Montana
was traded to Kansas City, he had Hall of Fame running back Marcus Allen,
who while still valuable, was on the backend of his career. At that time, the
Chiefs had decent but not great receivers like J.J. Birden, Willie Davis and
tight end Keith Cash. With Montana, the Chiefs reached their first and only
AFC Title Game (1994) since winning Super Bowl IV until Saturday. The
point is, it took the Chiefs, who defeated Indianapolis 31-13 in the AFC
Divisional round, 25 years to return to that point.

Many fans outside of the Bay Area most prominently know the version of
Curry that has played under head coach Steve Kerr the past five years.
Compared to former coach Mark Jackson’s system, Kerr’s scheme is based
around ball movement as opposed to isolation under Jackson. In the process,
Curry, who recently surpassed Jason Terry on the all-time list for 3-pointers
made, has had the luxury of being paired with another historically great shooter
in Klay Thompson. The last three years, Kevin Durant, whom the Warriors
signed as a free agent from Oklahoma City, has joined the Warriors. Durant is
considered by some the best player in the NBA.

However, it should also be pointed out that Curry was hitting 3-pointers before
Thompson or Durant arrived and while playing in a scheme like Jackson’s that
was not as well-suited for him. Curry was also hitting 3-pointers when the
Warriors were struggling under Don Nelson.

Another “system player” argument that gets mentioned is NFL quarterback Matt
Cassel but you can somewhat intertwine this theory with New England Patriots
signal-caller Tom Brady. The Patriots drafted Brady in the sixth-round in 2000
and has led the franchise to five Super Bowl titles, more than any quarterback
in NFL history. Though some consider Brady the best quarterback of all time,
there are others that believe he would not be the player he is without the system
and culture fostered under head coach Bill Belichick.

In 2008, Brady suffered a season-ending knee injury in the season opener at
Kansas City. Cassel replaced Brady and the Patriots went 11-5 but missed the
playoffs based on losing out on the tiebreaker to Miami, which won the AFC East
that year with the same record and beat New England twice. With Brady
returning healthy the next year, the Patriots traded Cassel to Kansas City,
where he had a couple decent years but has not recaptured his 2008 success.
Cassel has since been on five other teams and is the current backup in Detroit.
It could also be pointed out that Cassel’s success in 2008 not translating was
predictable because he was a career backup in college (USC) and only threw
34 career passes. Perhaps, there was a reason he was never a starter.

The overarching conclusion I draw is that while it is true that some systems will
get more out of a player’s ability than others, at some point you either have the
ability to perform or you don’t. As for the system argument, for one, any coach
worth his salt is going to put players in a position to succeed. For example, do
you honestly think any NBA coach worth his salt would ask Shaquille O’Neal to
camp out on the 3-point line and shoot? No.

Joe Montana is completing passes whether it’s the offense of Bill Walsh, Bill
Parcells or Mike Ditka because he could read defenses and throw accurately at
a high level. Steph Curry is hitting 3-pointers whether he’s playing for the Warriors
or Orlando Magic. Perhaps, Curry would not get the number of open looks but he
would still connect on more than plenty.

Pure and simple, at some point, it comes down to either the player has the ability
or he does not. The tools provided are irrelevant. For example, I have a brother
and cousin (shoutout Mike and Kevin) who are car enthusiasts. You could take a
three car garage, put the engine of a 1968 Camaro in each of them with the same
tools. Put Vince in one bay, Mike in another and Kevin in another. I’m not a car
enthusiast whereas Mike and Kevin have put cars together. I could be given the
same engine and tools but that doesn’t mean I’ll put the car together as well as
they can? In fact, you could bet money that I won’t.

In some cases, the term system player can be accurate but too many blind
assumptions get made when using the term.

I say, “System, Schmystem.” Talented players find ways to produce regardless
of system.