Re: Wakano-defensive lineman?

["Garrett Dressler" <litvid@earthlink.net>]

The reason I started watching football was that the battling rikishi
reminded me of the interior line play in American football.  I would rather
watch the linemen duke it out than the quarterback dropping back for a pass.

I love the idea of Waka trying out to play American pro football. Back
around 1991, or so, there was a jungyo to San Jose California.  I recall
seeing on TV some rikishi horsing around with a pro football team ( The
49er's?).  Well the rikishi had no problem easily pushing around the
football players.  But that was one on one stuff.

Football is a very complicated TEAM game that takes years and years of
constant study and practice to learn.  On both, the defensive and offensive
sides, learning all your responsibilities on the set plays is difficult, but
learning to "read" your opponents and coordinating "instinctively" with your
teammates is something that only comes with a whole lot of experience.  Waka
simply doesn't have enough time to "learn" that.  I am speaking of both the
tangible intellectual knowledge that is expressed in words and the
"instinctive," intangible body knowledge and action that is immediate with
no time for words or thought process.

I obviously disagree with Robert Demsker who wrote:
"As an offensive lineman he wouldn't have to make reads like he would on D.
Audibles will be called by the Quarterback whose job it is to read the
defensive alignment."

Both offense and defense disguise their intentions.  Although offensive
plays may be changed by the quaterback based on what he sees, but he is
often given a false set by the defense.  When the play starts the learned
"instincts" of the players take over.   Good "instincts" make for good
linemen .  You can have all the physical skills, but without those instincts
you don't make it as a pro. Years and years of hard study and hard work in
both practice and games are needed develop these so called instincts.  Waka
doesn't have the time nor the youth to do it.

BUT....if the aged Waka has the physical skills and can withstand injury,
then I see him on the defensive side in limited situations.  If he makes it
at all it will be as a special teams player.  (For those of you who don't
follow American football, there are three squads O, D, and special teams.)
He could come into the game in situations that fit his limited abilities,
while he continues to learn the game. He could be a defensive lineman on
short yardage situations, goal line stands and kicking situations.

My conclusion is that Masaru Hanada (former Yokozuna Wakanohana) has a
slight chance of becoming a pro American football player.  I would love to
see that!!!

Garyu, the football fan rooting for Waka


----- Original Message -----
From: "William C. Blank" <wcb@bdi.com>
To: <sumo@sun01pt2-1523.statgen.ncsu.edu>
Sent: Monday, June 11, 2001 6:03 AM
Subject: Re: Wakano-defensive lineman?


> I follow the NFL pretty closely, even in the off-season, and I have yet to
> have heard even the smallest hint about this.  You say he is going to
> "Arizona" but you don't mention the Cardinals organization.  Many NFL
teams
> had camps the last few weeks, it is hard to imagine making a team having
> never played football and not having even attended a camp when it is
> already June and preseason games start in two months.  The Cards started
> their rookie camp June 4.
>
> Does he have an agent?  Is he having contract talks?  This sounds more
like
> a rumor than a fact to me, where are people getting this information?
>
> I also highly doubt that a thirty-something injury-prone Wakanohana has
> even a shadow of a chance to make an NFL team, get real!
>
>          -Tetsuonoumi
>
>
> At 06:26 AM 6/11/01 +0900, you wrote:
>
> >I'm surprised this hasn't been discussed before, but Masaru Hanada
(former
> >Yokozuna Wakanohana) is making a serious attempt to join the NFL.  He's
> >traveled to Arizona and is in the midst of some hard weight training and
> >conditioning.  Apparently, in a few months or so he's going to try out at
a
> >camp there.  Nihon TV showed some clips of him training the other night,
and
> >man, I think he could do it.  His face as he pushed himself in training,
> >it's not like any way I've seen him before.  And he looks like he's back
in
> >fighting shape.
> >
> >In his book, Hanada talked about intending to try out for the NFL when he
> >graduated high school, but he ended up joining Futagoyama-beya to look
out
> >for his brother.  In the final chapter, titled "Dreams", he talks about
> >Michael Jordan trying baseball the first time he retired from basketball,
> >and how he admired Jordan for that.  I'm sure he was thinking about
> >attempting to try out even then, before his danpatsu-shiki.
> >
> >What position would he play?  The only one I can think of is defensive
> >line-man, a pass rusher.  He'd be perfect for it.  Defensive line-man
have
> >to quick and nimble to dodge around very large offensive linemen and try
to
> >tackle the quarterback.  His proficiency in lateral movement would be a
> >great asset.  If he was an offensive lineman, I imagine he'd
instinctually
> >wrap his arm around his man, like a yotsu-grip, and he'd be called on
> >holding.  But defensive linemen can pick up someone blocking them and
toss
> >them aside with no problem.
> >
> >Two things give me pause.  One is conditioning.  He looked in great
shape,
> >but we're talking about being on the field for probably 30+ minutes per
> >game, and for extended drives much longer than a long sumo match.  It
> >wouldn't be that much different from five or six torinaoshi's in a row.
And
> >he has his injuries.  Well, most football players have injuries from the
> >time they graduate college, but it is a concern, I think.  And finally, I
> >wonder about his football instincts.  Football players get the basics set
in
> >high school, and then in college hone their skills like reading a defense
> >and/or an offense.  I wonder if he would be able to do that.  On the
other
> >hand, football is rigorously controlled from the sidelines, and really
doing
> >things like reading the opposition's formation is for the defensive
captain
> >and the quarterback on the field, so maybe this wouldn't be that much of
a
> >problem.
> >
> >Anyone with experience with American football care to comment?
> >
> >---------
> >Josh Reyer
> >jreyer@grn.mmtr.or.jp
>