Miller: Bryzgalov Lacks Mental Toughness
As every incoming athlete is cautioned, you need to be mentally tough to play professional sports in Philadelphia. There’s going to be a lot said about you and you need to not worry about trying to be Mr. Popularity.
It certainly isn’t vicious here; it’s just that it’s oppressive. The media isn’t nearly as tough as people think – I’m pretty sure CSN stands for “Cheerleader Sports Network” – and you fans, believe it or not, are generally positive. Really, it’s just that we pay a lot more attention than they do in other places, not they we have unfair expectations.
But that scrutiny, even benevolent scrutiny, requires mental toughness. If you’re a pro athlete here, you have to deal with a lot. It’s time consuming and it isn’t necessarily fun. It requires mental toughness and the ability to not lose focus from the real job.
It was a deciding factor in 1999 when Andy Reid wanted to draft a quarterback, and thought that Donovan McNabb could hold it together better than Akili Smith or Daunte Culpepper. That seems kinda funny now, but McNabb did weather the psychological pressure until T.O. upped the ante.
Allen Iverson had it. Eric Lindros didn’t.
Tim Tebow has it. Mark Sanchez doesn’t.
Nnamdi Asomugha may or may not have it – he pretty much admitted late in the season that he didn’t, but it seems recoverable.
Cole Hamels has it, even if you don’t think he does.
Ilya Bryzgalov doesn’t have it.
He’s obviously very talented. That’s why the Flyers gave him a nine-year, $51-million contract last summer. He’s had success in his career. He’s flighty, but that’s not it, at least not completely. The problem is that he is allowing himself to be distracted from his work. He’s not mentally tough enough to ignore the allure of the HBO cameras, or to keep his mouth shut when his coach wants him to, or to not be more interested in talking to reporters when he should be working on getting better.
“I’m a little concerned,” said Rick Tocchet yesterday on 94-WIP.
Tocchet knows Bryzgalov – he was an assistant with the Coyotes when Bryz was in Phoenix.
“I’m not saying he’s lazy but he wasn’t the hardest… he just needs to work hard and reinvent himself,” said Tocchet. “Obviously, [this is] a different market. Ya know, people [in Phoenix], whether you win or lose they go golfing or hit the sun. They care, but it’s not like Philadelphia. There’s a total difference. There’s a passion here … so maybe he got away with a little bit there.”
When someone says “I’m not saying he’s lazy,” that’s exactly what he’s saying. “Lazy” might not be the right word, but Bryzgalov is clearly not focused on the right things. When he lets in one bad goal, or has one bad game, he talks about being “lost in the woods.” It’s entertaining and it’s great for reporters, but it’s not good for the team. It doesn’t fill his teammates with confidence.
And playing goalie is all about confidence. Confidence and focus.
“I just think he’s gotta roll up his sleeves, he’s gotta quit talking about the universe, he’s gotta get his game back and shut up,” said Tocchet.
Will Bryzgalov keep his trap shut and work on his game? Can he focus on his job, something that a lot of people will claim he’s never done?
If not, these last eight-and-a-half years of his contract could really be a drag.
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