I doubt this "league" ever plays a down.

(01-12-2017 06:23 PM)MplsBison Wrote:  

(01-12-2017 03:52 PM)ken d Wrote:  And that is what these kids will be

Sure, if you say so.

What makes you think it would be otherwise? These will just be 18-21 year olds in a strange town, with few friends other than their equally unknown teammates. They will likely be completely unrecognizable to the general public where they live. How would anyone know who they are, or what they do for a living? Or, for that matter, care?

In college, many of these kids are already known to many students even before they enroll, thanks to the publicity machines of the SIDs and booster clubs. They are celebrities the moment they step on campus. Sometimes that's a plus for them, and sometimes it's a minus.

(01-12-2017 04:52 PM)_C2_ Wrote:  

(01-12-2017 03:15 PM)ken d Wrote:  What will these kids be doing during the 44 weeks a year when there are no games scheduled? Are the coaches going to provide the structure and discipline 19 year old young men desperately need?

And don't underestimate the importance of one thing to college age males. Proximity to college age females! A lot of top players will opt for an environment where they will be treated like gods, or princes with harems, rather than the sterile environment of a D-league.

Yeah, as if you can't pop off into a night club or bar after playing a game. A D-League lets them work and make money while preparing for the NFL.

Most of these kids won't be old enough to go to bars or night clubs, at least not legally. And if they do get in, that $50K won't last very long. They aren't going to drink for free like they would at a college party.

They are going to be transitioning from a situation - high school - where they are getting all kinds of recognition and adulation, to one where they are nearly anonymous, with nobody but their coaches to shower them with praise and adulation 24/7. That's quite a letdown. I wonder how many kids could handle that.

(01-12-2017 03:08 PM)ken d Wrote:  

(01-11-2017 08:19 PM)MplsBison Wrote:  Simply put: there are five-star talent high school players who never get a chance because school isn't for them.

I think you are talking about a handful of players here - maybe one or two a year at most. There are plenty of major college programs where virtually any high school kid with a pulse and 4.3 speed can stay academically eligible.

Why did Tyreek Hill go to a community college?

In the end this will be a spot for guys with skills to play football but no desire to attend classes. I think this will end up pulling the guys who are already showing NFL potential from mostly "elite" programs. Might actually level the playing field to some degree and reward coaches who can develop players as opposed to those who simply recruit top talent. Good for KSU/Snyder type of programs and bad for places like USC and LSU who will lose players to this league.

(01-12-2017 09:01 AM)bullet Wrote:  

(01-11-2017 03:50 PM)CenterSquarEd Wrote:  It looks like this league is being founded by a sports agent. I'll be curious to see if players end up agreeing to give up some portion of their future earnings. It could pay for itself. And, frankly, for some football players who aren't NCAA-eligible and end up toiling in junior college programs, it may even end up being a better deal.

Which would explain Southern California. Probably the last place you would want this sort of league. It will get no fan support or interest.

It would also explain the 4 years out of HS limit. They aren't interested in the 22-25 year olds who already got cut.

It's not a coincidence this league is started in CA. It's has a low percentage of FBS teams to population and the schools that do have FBS football are Ivy League disconnected from the general populace. It will quickly spread us the Valley.

(01-12-2017 06:23 PM)MplsBison Wrote:  

(01-12-2017 04:28 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  A five star kid isn't telling USC, Bama or Michigan no thanks I'm going developmental league until the developmental league can prove that its players are at least as well prepared for the NFL as playing college ball.

Yes -- and not even just defacto as well prepared. It has to actually produce results.

When a QB from the D-League gets drafted as the first QB in the draft, that would be a huge momentum shift.

The day that happens will be the day that saves college football.

It kills all the be fair and pay the players talk because the players now have a viable option.

Despite the economist and talking head BS about how the fans are there because of the players, that's a load of bull. If AState's best player transfers to Arkansas or Memphis, he can break his leg for all I care. If Cal's best player transfers to USC doubt Wedge is running out to buy the kid's USC jersey. JRSec isn't running out to buy a UGA jersey if his team's best player goes to Georgia.

The bulk of the value in college athletics is the brand loyalty to the school, not the player. LeBron changing teams generates a lot of sales as LeBron fans swap gear. There just aren't many people who watch college because they are a fan of a specific player.

Top players having other choices and exercising them just isn't going to create havoc for the colleges, it will take a lot of stress off the college system dealing with players who for whatever reason aren't interested in pursuing a degree and require a great deal of monitoring to keep eligible and out of trouble.

(01-12-2017 09:41 PM)ken d Wrote:  They are celebrities the moment they step on campus.

I think you watch too much TV.


Anyway, I already conceded that some top high school players would still choose to play for school teams. For a variety of reasons: wants a degree, wants to follow in dad's footsteps, loved the school from a young age, wants to be close to home, etc etc etc.

But if the reason he wants to play for the school team is "hey man, I want the best parties and the hottest girls possible!" .... then you better run away from that kid, at full speed, as a coach.

(01-13-2017 08:44 AM)arkstfan Wrote:  The day that happens will be the day that saves college football.

It kills all the be fair and pay the players talk because the players now have a viable option.

Despite the economist and talking head BS about how the fans are there because of the players, that's a load of bull. If AState's best player transfers to Arkansas or Memphis, he can break his leg for all I care. If Cal's best player transfers to USC doubt Wedge is running out to buy the kid's USC jersey. JRSec isn't running out to buy a UGA jersey if his team's best player goes to Georgia.

The bulk of the value in college athletics is the brand loyalty to the school, not the player. LeBron changing teams generates a lot of sales as LeBron fans swap gear. There just aren't many people who watch college because they are a fan of a specific player.

Top players having other choices and exercising them just isn't going to create havoc for the colleges, it will take a lot of stress off the college system dealing with players who for whatever reason aren't interested in pursuing a degree and require a great deal of monitoring to keep eligible and out of trouble.

Agreed 110%. Maybe even 120%.


I'll add that all the people who thing CFB dies when the top high school talent is no longer playing for school teams are full of crap.

You could take the players from St. Thomas (top DIII team in St Paul, MN) and Mount Union (top DIII team in Ohio), dress them up in Minnesota and Ohio St uniforms, and no one would be able to tell based on the play on the field. No one would care.

(01-12-2017 06:27 PM)Kaplony Wrote:  I doubt this "league" ever plays a down.

Funding usually will put these things down before they can live out any sort of existence, but, if someone tries to hold it up in the courts, that's a horse of a different color.

The sport needs a D-league. Not just for the NFL, but for the hope the sport can sprout and/or thrive elsewhere (including CFL). I think the college game is truly becoming a liability for the sport.

(01-13-2017 11:23 AM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  

(01-12-2017 06:27 PM)Kaplony Wrote:  I doubt this "league" ever plays a down.

Funding usually will put these things down before they can live out any sort of existence, but, if someone tries to hold it up in the courts, that's a horse of a different color.

The sport needs a D-league. Not just for the NFL, but for the hope the sport can sprout and/or thrive elsewhere (including CFL). I think the college game is truly becoming a liability for the sport.

The college game is evolving in a different direction from the NFL. The difference in offense means they are using players with different skill sets and physical attributes. If you are in a conference with a lot of spread option teams you will give up size at DE and DT to get speed, you don't see a lot of defensive linemen flaring out to play pass coverage in the NFL the way you will see in a college game.

A more mobile QB who doesn't have an NFL arm can beat out the less mobile guy with an NFL arm on many college teams.

Unless something reverses the trends, it is going to be harder and harder for NFL teams to evaluate talent because they are playing such a different style.

The World League / NFL Europe did a great job with talent development, it just didn't make a good return on investment.

(01-13-2017 10:30 AM)MplsBison Wrote:  

(01-12-2017 09:41 PM)ken d Wrote:  They are celebrities the moment they step on campus.

I think you watch too much TV.


Anyway, I already conceded that some top high school players would still choose to play for school teams. For a variety of reasons: wants a degree, wants to follow in dad's footsteps, loved the school from a young age, wants to be close to home, etc etc etc.

But if the reason he wants to play for the school team is "hey man, I want the best parties and the hottest girls possible!" .... then you better run away from that kid, at full speed, as a coach.

As usual, you are great at twisting what other people are saying. You make it sound as if I think that would be the only reason or even the main reason a kid might opt out of a D-league. You know better than that.

There are a lot of good reasons to choose college, even if you don't care about the academics at all.

Better competition
Better publicity / exposure
As good or better chance to get drafted
Better social life
It's what your mama wants you to do

Getting laid a lot is just icing on the cake.

(01-13-2017 12:15 PM)ken d Wrote:  There are a lot of good reasons to choose college, even if you don't care about the academics at all.

Better competition
Better publicity / exposure
As good or better chance to get drafted

You're assuming this is true. But that's not the discussion.

The discussion is: if it was known that the two paths were equal, then would kids be more likely to choose ...

(01-13-2017 11:23 AM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  

(01-12-2017 06:27 PM)Kaplony Wrote:  I doubt this "league" ever plays a down.

Funding usually will put these things down before they can live out any sort of existence, but, if someone tries to hold it up in the courts, that's a horse of a different color.

The sport needs a D-league. Not just for the NFL, but for the hope the sport can sprout and/or thrive elsewhere (including CFL). I think the college game is truly becoming a liability for the sport.

And that's why it will never get off the ground. The roster costs alone are going to be $2.5 million per team or $15 million for the six team league, and that doesn't cover coaching staff salary, support staff salary, facility costs, uniforms and other needed equipment, etc. Where's the money going to come from?

(01-13-2017 11:35 AM)arkstfan Wrote:  The World League / NFL Europe did a great job with talent development, it just didn't make a good return on investment.

I don't know about that. I think the Arena League does a better job shaping guys for the NFL than WL/NFLE ever did.

Who is going to watch this?
Why couldn't the NFL easily replicate this (vs purchase) if they really wanted to?
What players would choose this over going to Bama, So Cal, Ohio st, etc?

This will never work.