Posted by: Chris Vannini on November 13, 2012

You earn what you get when you play for Tom Coughlin.

New York Giants first-round draft pick and running back David Wilson has only received 18 carries through 10 games, and people are wondering why he isn't earning playing time. Have you ever watched a position coach play a young man before he deserves to play?

Coughlin doesn't. It's part of the reason he's one of the premier coaches in all of football.

"Just because you're a first-round draft pick doesn't mean you're ready to play or they all would be great,'' running backs coach Jerald Ingram said, according to the New York Post. "It's about winning games. It's not a popularity contest.

"It's time for you to grow up and be a man now and see what you can do with the whole ball of wax. Until he proves that it's hard to stick him out there and feel comfortable."

College coaches deal with similar issues. Do you promise a five-star prospect playing time when you're recruiting him? Or is it just lip service? What do you do when a highly-recruited player comes in and is expecting to be handed a starting role? It's something that happens all across the country every year, and you see lesser-recruited guys making it to the NFL.

The best teams are the ones that get every player - from five-star to walk-on - to buy in and give the maximum effort to help the team. No one gets a free ride. That's why Coughlin found success in college football and in the NFL.

It's something all coaches should take note of.

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Chris Vannini is the lead writer for CoachingSearch.com and has covered Michigan State sports for The State News, The Oakland Press and MLive.com. He writes a weekly column for the Detroit Free Press on behalf of SB Nation. Vannini lives in Big Ten country, so his foot speed is far from SEC caliber, but his pulse on coaches is hard to match. Be sure to follow @CoachingBuzz on twitter and send your feedback to chris@coachingsearch.com