Speaking to WIP Radio in Philadelphia on Tuesday, Schmidt expressed his doubts that Herrera could become a team leader – but not because of his on-field performance or even the flair with which he plays. From the Philadelphia Inquirer:
“My honest answer to that would be no,” Schmidt said. “First of all, it’s a language barrier. Because of that, I think he can’t be a guy that would sort of sit in a circle with four, five American players and talk about the game; or try and learn about the game or discuss the inner workings of the game; or come over to a guy and say, ‘Man, you gotta run that ball out.’ ”
Schmidt then reiterated his doubts about Herrera, a Venezuela native, becoming a team leader. “[He] just can’t be — because of the language barrier — that kind of a player.”
“My honest answer to that would be no,” Schmidt said. “First of all, it’s a language barrier. Because of that, I think he can’t be a guy that would sort of sit in a circle with four, five American players and talk about the game; or try and learn about the game or discuss the inner workings of the game; or come over to a guy and say, ‘Man, you gotta run that ball out.’ ”
Schmidt then reiterated his doubts about Herrera, a Venezuela native, becoming a team leader. “[He] just can’t be — because of the language barrier — that kind of a player.”
