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Post by coachweav88 on Apr 29, 2009 9:54:46 GMT -6
Some of the other threads got me thinking....
For kids who don't go to college, what are their options to get to the NFL?
Basketball players can go play in Europe and then go to the NBA.
what options do football players have?
From what I have seen, semi-pro football isn't even close to getting someone ready for professional football. The arena leagues are on ice for right now.
I'm just posting this out of curiosity, not to get a "kid's should get their education" response.
What are their options outside of college?
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Post by phantom on Apr 29, 2009 10:04:39 GMT -6
This is a simple question- there are no options. I'm not saying that that's the way it should be. That's just the way it is.
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stylee
Sophomore Member
Posts: 178
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Post by stylee on Apr 29, 2009 10:07:09 GMT -6
There was one semi-pro guy from around here that went on to the League - Michael Lewis, who used to play for the Baton Rouge Redwings, I believe, who set some records with the Saints.
That's out of the many hundreds though. So, yeah, that's not much of an option.
Canadian League? They seem to look for guys with solid college resumes though.
So I think Phantom's right.
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Post by fatkicker on Apr 29, 2009 10:12:15 GMT -6
joe horn.....from itawamba community college to the league......
bout the biggest stretch i've ever heard.........
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Post by fbdoc on Apr 29, 2009 10:28:12 GMT -6
Options for the NFL? The guys that are playing in the Canadian League are GOOD! The guys playing arena ball are good! For a guy to get to the NFL without playing college ball (including basketball) ? Its just not gonna happen. I'm sure there's one or two in the past 20 years but I can't recall any.
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Post by coachweav88 on Apr 29, 2009 10:28:51 GMT -6
I didn't think there was much out there. I just didn't know if anyone else knew about something that I didn't. I do know that arena football will be back next season www.arenafootball.com/ViewArticle.dbml?&ATCLID=3726609&DB_OEM_ID=3500But they want college players as well. Maybe some of the lower level indoor football teams would take someone with no college experience |
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Post by mahonz on Apr 29, 2009 10:29:18 GMT -6
Coach
There really isn’t an avenue unless you are Curt Warner lucky.
Arena ball is alive but not well at the 2nd and 3rd tier levels…AF2, APFL, UIF…etc.
Semi pro…in my experiences was all about getting the kids that screwed everything up in HS off to college. Plenty of success stories there. Only one that I know of made it straight to the NFL as a WR for the Redskins but you have to convince an NFL scout to come take a look….nearly impossible. Plenty of talent exists in many semi pro leagues. Most just don’t possess the discipline and work ethics necessary.
We had a place kicker / punter in ’06 that paid his own way to an NFL combine and score in the 97%- ile for all kicks. Good enough to get an invite. They passed because he had never been to college. He was two years out of HS. His kickoffs were out of the back of the end zone, his punts cleared the light towers and were lost in the night sky ( HS stadiums) and his longest field goal was 61 yards in average conditions. Plus he could tackle like a linebacker. He was better than good enough…physically....and worked hard at his skills daily. He is in college now and doing well.
Coach Mike
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Post by phantom on Apr 29, 2009 10:44:44 GMT -6
Options for the NFL? The guys that are playing in the Canadian League are GOOD! The guys playing arena ball are good! For a guy to get to the NFL without playing college ball (including basketball) ? Its just not gonna happen. I'm sure there's one or two in the past 20 years but I can't recall any. Right, Doc. If there are CFLers without college experience I guarantee they're Canadians. Arena players almost all played in college. I even looked at Arena2 rosters (http://www.af2.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=3525&ATCLID=105450) and they there was exactly one player on the four rosters that I looked at with no college experience (1 28 year old WR in his 3rd year an A2). |
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Post by tvt50 on Apr 29, 2009 12:33:18 GMT -6
Options after HS
1. college
2. military
3. trade school
These are the ones we give the kids.
Options to get to the NFL
Wow that is funny
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Post by coachd5085 on Apr 29, 2009 15:26:07 GMT -6
basically none. This is a reason why college football and basketball have SO many 'issues' when compared to college baseball. Both have essentially served as a free minor league for the NFL and NBA.
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Post by knighter on Apr 29, 2009 15:42:16 GMT -6
Kurt Warner or Curt Warner
Kurt Warner played college ball at the University of Northern Iowa and was signed as a free agent after the draft by the Green Bay Packers. He was cut and was stocking shelves at a HyVee while playing for the Iowa Barnstormers, got picked up by the Rams who sent him to Europe to play in that part of the developmental league. After he showed signs of being "capable" he cam back and was the backup for Trent Green, when Green went down Kurt became the man and the rest is history...
Curt Warner I have no idea about...
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Post by knighter on Apr 29, 2009 15:46:56 GMT -6
Kurt Warner or Curt Warner Kurt Warner played college ball at the University of Northern Iowa and was signed as a free agent after the draft by the Green Bay Packers. He was cut and was stocking shelves at a HyVee while playing for the Iowa Barnstormers, got picked up by the Rams who sent him to Europe to play in that part of the developmental league. After he showed signs of being "capable" he cam back and was the backup for Trent Green, when Green went down Kurt became the man and the rest is history... Curt Warner played his college ball at Penn State.... |
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Post by kylem56 on Apr 29, 2009 18:03:53 GMT -6
Maybe consider a prep school like Hargrave but eventually you will need some kind of college education.
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Post by fbdoc on Apr 29, 2009 18:08:55 GMT -6
Curt Warner had a pretty darn good career as a RB with the Seahawks.
Options for the NFL? Maybe options to play football after high school would be a more logical question. There are probably less than 20 "real" semi-pro or minor league teams in the entire country (just a wild guess, and i played 2 years for a pretty good semi-pro team in the Northwest back in the early 80's). Even the players in the lower level arena leagues are ex college players. If you're looking for tackle football in the same vein as slow-pitch softball or men's league basketball, don't hold your breath... or move to Europe where that particular animal actually does fairly well. There are several coaches on this board that might be able to help you (or your former players) but I don't see it catching on here.
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Post by coachweav88 on Apr 29, 2009 18:29:00 GMT -6
This was just a hypothetical question along the lines of the "do grades matter?" thread. If there is no other way to get to the nfl without playing in college, then it's even more of a reason why they need to get their grades squared away.
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Post by fbdoc on Apr 29, 2009 18:34:47 GMT -6
I hope this isn't too obvious but the chances of a kid getting to college as a football player are less than 5% and the chances of getting to the NFL are just too slim to even mention. If a high school kid/parent is worried about getting to the NFL, then the coach needs to have a serious heart to heart.
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slimbo7722
Sophomore Member
Some days yoour the dog...some days you are the hydrant.
Posts: 139
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Post by slimbo7722 on Apr 29, 2009 19:59:31 GMT -6
Eric Swan
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Post by joelee on Apr 30, 2009 7:29:01 GMT -6
Yes Eric Swann of the Arizona Cardinals |
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Post by phantom on May 1, 2009 9:06:13 GMT -6
[quote author=knighter board=general thread=29824 post=283604 time=1241041616
Curt Warner played his college ball at Penn State....
[/quote]
... and was just named to the College Football Hall of Fame.
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Post by brophy on May 1, 2009 11:54:18 GMT -6
What about Europe or Japan?
But then again, if you could afford to live off the meager stipend you would get there (plus travel) you should be able to afford to get your but in school.
The biggest things kids need to take advantage of is junior colleges, to help them bridge the gap between college academics and continuing to play the game (rather than sitting for 4 years).
If they want to get in the NFL, they could check out NFL.com for job openings (for PR, concession, interns) because without college PT that is the only kind of "in the NFL" they are going to get, it just will not happen. It might help to look at the percentage of HS athletes that actually do play in the NFL.
You also may need to realize that part of the prerequisite college playing time has to do with having an understanding of how things "work". You can be a helluva athlete, but knowing how practice, road trips, chain of command, team meals, weights, etc go, is all a part of knowing the 'grind' of (what it means to) "playing football". You may have a 180 IQ, but if you do not know the business world, markets, and QPIs of your field, it is meaningless in application. Why take a chance on a dime-a-dozen athletic talent (that you would have to indoctrinate) when you can get the next guy who already knows what is expected of him?
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Post by RENO6 on May 1, 2009 12:01:58 GMT -6
• About 5.8 percent, or approximately one in 17, of all high school senior boys playing interscholastic football will go on to play football at a NCAA member institution.
• About 2.0 percent, or approximately one in 50, of NCAA senior football players will get drafted by a National Football League (NFL) team.
• Approximately nine in 10,000, or approximately 0.09 percent of high school senior boys playing interscholastic football will eventually be drafted by an NFL team.
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Post by brophy on May 1, 2009 13:09:54 GMT -6
For kids who don't go to college, what are their options to get to the NFL? What are their options outside of college? this.....  and this  |
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Post by phantom on May 1, 2009 14:47:04 GMT -6
To all of those who are filling us in about the odds of making it in the NFL, thanks but we knew that. Weave was asking a question based on the thread about athletes and grades. Rather than changing a practical thread about a real problem into a philosophical discussion about whether kids need college he was asking whether there's anywhere that a football could go to prepare for a pro career.
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Post by chadp56 on May 1, 2009 15:00:36 GMT -6
• About 5.8 percent, or approximately one in 17, of all high school senior boys playing interscholastic football will go on to play football at a NCAA member institution. • About 2.0 percent, or approximately one in 50, of NCAA senior football players will get drafted by a National Football League (NFL) team. • Approximately nine in 10,000, or approximately 0.09 percent of high school senior boys playing interscholastic football will eventually be drafted by an NFL team. I don't want to get too far off topic. But does anyone think that these numbers are too high? Every time I see them I think of that. I've been coaching football for 12 years and I'm guesstimating coached about 350 kids. So I should have had about 20 college football players when the real number is about 5. I just don't see that many kids moving to the next level in the schools I've been coached at in Michigan. Is this geographical? |
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Post by fbdoc on May 1, 2009 20:24:40 GMT -6
I guess listing the statistical chances of a HS kid playing in college and a then moving on to the NFL without playing in college was my "tactful" way of saying ... THERE AIN'T NO FREAKIN WAY!!!  Except for Eric Swann |
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Post by bobgoodman on May 1, 2009 20:37:20 GMT -6
From what I have seen, semi-pro football isn't even close to getting someone ready for professional football. True. The term "semi-pro" itself is an anachronism and misnomer for current minor league football, which has really been amateur for decades. At one time it was a viable path to the majors, and for a brief while some of the pro clubs even had minor league affiliates, but that time has passed. Now the money in minor league football is too little to allow players to afford much practice time; they almost always have to pay to play. (A few of the minor league clubs are actually survivors of the era when it really was semi-professional.) So the players and coaches have to have jobs and often can't take much time off from them. Heh. I don't know if you intended the joke, being they played on dry hockey rinks. |
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Post by bobgoodman on May 1, 2009 20:54:55 GMT -6
There are probably less than 20 "real" semi-pro or minor league teams in the entire country (just a wild guess, and i played 2 years for a pretty good semi-pro team in the Northwest back in the early 80's). If by "real semi-pro" you mean really able to pay players, I'd guess there's now less than 1 in the entire country. If, however, you mean "minor league" to include amateur teams, they're in the hundreds. There's even over half a hundred women's teams. The early 1980s was probably about the last time some of the teams could afford to pay players, such that the players on those teams didn't wind up spending more money on equipment, insurance, and travel than they got in revenue shares. Some teams just paid a few ringers, however. Then you haven't kept up. Tackle football as a participant sport for adult amateurs is doing at least as well in the USA as in other countries. However, the great majority of games and teams are unpublicized. |
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Post by phantom on May 1, 2009 21:07:31 GMT -6
I guess listing the statistical chances of a HS kid playing in college and a then moving on to the NFL without playing in college was my "tactful" way of saying ... THERE AIN'T NO FREAKIN WAY!!! Except for Eric Swann You're right. |
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Post by coachweav88 on May 1, 2009 21:31:56 GMT -6
From what I have seen, semi-pro football isn't even close to getting someone ready for professional football. Heh. I don't know if you intended the joke, being they played on dry hockey rinks. Good catch bob  I wasn't even thinking that when i wrote it. I started this thread in response to the one about the kid quitting high school to go over to Europe. In basktetball, as much as I dislike it, it appears that grades do not matter (in the athlete's mind) because you can go straight to professional basketball (NBA or Europe). Heck, you can even quit school and go play. I was just curious about football players if there was some way to skip college and just go play ball. What I've seen is, no there is not. So for football players, grades do matter (to the athlete) if you want to play at the next level and beyond. There's no way around it. Thanks for the responses so far. Just to be clear, I feel it's very important to get an education and that grades do matter regarless of whatever your professional ambition is. |
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Post by 19delta on May 1, 2009 21:33:54 GMT -6
I guess listing the statistical chances of a HS kid playing in college and a then moving on to the NFL without playing in college was my "tactful" way of saying ... THERE AIN'T NO FREAKIN WAY!!! Except for Eric Swann You're right. Swann was a beast. IIRC, the kid was a top 5 draft pick with no college experience. |
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I wasn't even thinking that when i wrote it.