Draft picks wouldn't bust if teams could accurately measure what Zack Martin believes is the number one pre-requisite to success: 'obsession'.
In his retirement speech, Cowboys legend Zack Martin delivered a powerful message to current and incoming players, urging them to become “obsessed with the work.”
For Martin, success is not defined solely by physical talent, but by the effort and discipline invested off the field. He emphasized that the mental side of the game is just as important, if not more so, than physical ability.
As a self-dubbed "sports below the surface" guy, that was a sound for sore ears.
Martin’s main point was clear: two key factors often determine a player's success, and they can’t be measured on a traditional stat sheet.
The first is a player's passion for football and their ability to maintain the off-field discipline necessary for success. The second is their mental toughness—how well they handle adversity and process information quickly in high-pressure situations.
These mental traits, Martin stressed, are often overlooked, but modern technology is now providing deeper insight into these aspects of a player’s game.
This is where the S2 Cognition test comes in. Revolutionizing the evaluation of mental skills, the S2 Cognition test measures a player’s decision-making, reaction time, and ability to process information under pressure.
By using cognitive science, the S2 test allows teams to assess a player’s mental agility, providing a more detailed and clearer picture of their potential.
As we know, physical tools are great. But they're almost useless if they aren't parlayed with an ability to process under pressure.
In other words - and in Zack's words on Wednesday as he said goodbye after 11 incredible years - "Obsession.''
