Talent or Finesse

By Jason Robinson II

Trust the process. 

That’s the thing that has gotten me to where I am, and that is the biggest thing I want to pass on to people trying to play football. 

I grew up in a football family.

My dad played football at Oregon and my brothers all play as well. My mom is probably the biggest football fan of all of us, growing up a die-hard 49er fan and signing me up to play when I was about five years old.

When I first started playing, I was not a stand-out player. I would not even call myself good. I did not take it super seriously. I was really just playing to play. 

When I was about 12 years old, however, I started going out and training with my brothers every day. We were going out in the rain, snow, or anything else. 

We would train day and night because we loved the game. Before long, I started noticing some real improvements. I was getting faster, I was running routes better, and I just felt more athletic as a player.

With all of these improvements, I started getting serious about the game. 

When I was 13, I started playing against high school kids. At 14 I joined one of the top teams in the nation. Around this time, I became obsessed with training. I would go to practice, lift, train some more, then do it again the next day. 

I maintain this regimen every day. 

I do not see myself as having a natural talent for football. I am where I am because I worked for it every day. I work hard to pick up new skills every training session. I was not born super tall, strong, or fast. I was not born with the ability to jump 70 inches. I was born with the work ethic and drive I need to get better every day.

When my work really started to show through, I started getting invited to different camps and showcases. Growing up, I had always been a running back. When I started to really work on my skills, I realized that I really loved playing wide receiver and defensive back. Those became the positions I would showcase at and train for at camps. I kept working, and eventually, my work came to a pinnacle when I received an invitation to the Under Armour All-American Game. I was so excited, but I had no idea what to expect.

After spending months preparing myself for the UA game, I found myself in a situation I could not have predicted. 

It was four o’clock in the morning before the game when I should have been getting sleep, but I found myself in a hospital bed. I had a broken hand. I spent a few hours at the hospital for my hand, then went straight from there to the game. I was trying my best to get some sleep in the car on the way there, but it was no use. 

After a few warm-up throws, I realized I could not catch the ball with my hand like that. I switched my offensive position to running back instead of a receiver, even though receiver was the position I had been working on. 

I had pain shooting throughout my hand, I could barely see because of how tired I was, but I just put my head down and pushed through. Even though I was far from my best physical shape, I had a great game. I even had a couple of interceptions, but I was forced to catch them like punts, using my whole body to catch the ball instead of my hands. 

After that game, I realized just how much I loved the sport. I was in a debate between focusing on football or track, but after that game, my mind was set on football. Since then, I have not turned back.

All I can say is trust the process, keep pushing forward, and never give up. Talent is not everything. I worked hard to get where I am, and I will continue to work hard until I make it. If I had quit because I was not good when I started, I have no idea what I would be doing now. This sport has given me so much, and I am so excited to continue my journey with it.

We put so much emphasis on talent these days. All the video, all the highlights, just containing raw talent. But we forget how finesse and trained skills win games.

Make sure to not get too wrapped up in all the hype.

In sports, David will beat Goliath 8 out of 10 times.