Loved reading this in The Athletic, but it begs the question, who tf is coaching AR?
“They (Sam and AR) had already bonded throughout game days, practices and film sessions. But when Richardson lost his job as a starter, Ehlinger helped him reevaluate his “system,” which stretched far beyond the field.
“I just told him, ‘The systems and habits you create determine the man you’re gonna be, the father you’re gonna be, the husband you’re gonna be, and then, ultimately, the player you’re gonna be,’” said Ehlinger, who spends time working with Richardson on Tuesdays (the players’ off day). “We talked a lot about just building the right system to give you the best chance.”
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Flacco is useless. This is the stuff he should be teaching. Sam is the man.
The organization where Peyton set the standard and Luck brought a similar work ethic also rode the retirement carousel for years. It looks like they just never learned how to develop a project QB.
Some of ya’ll wanna breastfeed AR until his 5th year I swear
Slingin’ Sammy!!!
Ehlinger is being extremely smart with his career. Being a decade-long NFL backup might just be the best job on the planet, and he seems to have realized the best way to ensure that is to help the starter as much as possible
Sam definitely has a future in coaching.
I think back to all those interviews of Flacco saying “he was here to play” and not be a mentor. Dude should be the one helping AR but he looks like he could care less. Shout out to Ehlinger for being a real one
Sam’s been through a lot in his personal life, so it’s no surprise he’s got the professionalism thing down pat.
Yeah, Cam Turner should be fired the day the season ends. A lot of the stuff that came out over the past 3 weeks is not how anything should have played out. Like them saying AR didn’t know how to prepare like an NFL quarterback. Like bro, that is literally the job of the QB coach. Smh.
Ok I’ll play devils advocate for Flacco/any QB2 here. There is an argument to be made that QB2 should be 100% focused on prepping to go play just as much as any QB1 given the likelihood he is going to be put in the game. Mentoring someone else could take time away from that preparation which may impact QB2’s ability to take over at a moment’s notice. QB3, on the other hand, far less likely to see game action and by the time QB3 is in the game the game is lost anyway. Mentorship may more naturally fall to QB3. Not saying that is the way it should be, but I don’t necessarily have a problem with Flacco not taking a direct role in mentoring AR.
Also worth noting we don’t actually know to what degree Flacco has been working with the kid. He may be highly involved in his development and not just by setting an example.
Hell yeah, Sam! This is why you’ll be a great coach eventually
I don’t think this necessarily takes away from what coaches are doing. Their primary focus is playbook, mechanics and game plan. You also have weight coaches focused on fitness. Ehlinger is doing what a vet should be doing. Helping with putting all that together with how he goes about his business.
Sam seems like a great person who has endured a lot in his life. Shout out slinggin’ sammy.
If there is one thing I know about 20 year olds, it is that they all definitely seek out and follow life advice from 40+ year olds.
That’s why in every work environment, the new people all hang out exclusively with the 40+ people all day at work and especially outside of work.
That’s very cool.