Will the Clarett ruling create a Farm System?

[Djaughe]

Some people are saying the NFL will feel the effects in 3 yrs of a mass of 18+ yr. olds going into the draft

Will this be the beginning of an NFL farm system by expanding the NFL Europe rosters using NFL and 18+ players? Wouldn't the NFL be interested in using new players to create some interest instead of letting them sit on a bench?

In essence - this would create/ expand a year long football viewership of fans.

What are your thoughts?

 

[AzCards21]

That's a great idea! They could expand beyond Europe too. I'd go watch the Rockie Point Cardinales a few times a year.

 

[Russ Smith]

ESPN has an article on this today from Pasquarelli(read at your own risk they have this annoying Honda ad that crashed me twice).

Basically they quote someone saying that it's unlikely an injunction or appeal can be heard in time so they assume Clarett will be allowed in unless a judge just flat says we need more time so injunction declared.

If that happens, they say as many as a dozen underclassmen could come into the NFL with Clarett, they didn't list names. The argument is if they let Clarett in they have to reopen the application period for others who WOULD have filed if they'd known they were eligible.

I hope that doesn't happen, then we would have a really screwed up situation although it would make the draft even deeper.

 

[spanky1]

Could end up like baseball......NFL franchises buy CFL franchises (they can be had cheap) and stock them with players that are deemed to be developmental.

There are "import" rules in the CFL that limit the number of non Canadian players to about 15 per roster I believe. Still that would be plenty of room for the Clarett's of the world to gain some valuable experience before returning to the NFL parent club. I could live with that.

What would Northern Card think?

 

[MadCardDisease]

The NFL will never let it happen. There would be a ton of different ways for the NFL to make selecting a High School player not worth the risk.

For instance, just by limiting the Roster size, teams wouldn't be able to risk drafting a HS player and having him sit for 3-4 years before he can play in the NFL. By the time the player would start to be productive he would be nearing Free Agency. Talk about coaches losing jobs left and right.

By not allowing a "Farm System" the NFL would essentially stop teams from drafting these young players. If you draft a young player and he doesn't make your team then he becomes a Free Agent. Not many teams would waste a high draft pick on a player who has proven nothing at a higher level and will ride the pine for several years.

 

[Djaughe]

Originally posted by MadCardDisease
By not allowing a "Farm System" the NFL would essentially stop teams from drafting these young players. If you draft a young player and he doesn't make your team then he becomes a Free Agent. Not many teams would waste a high draft pick on a player who has proven nothing at a higher level and will ride the pine for several years.

So lets say a young player doesn't get drafted. His only options will be either canadian or sign on nfl europe. Since they would have been undrafted - they could be eligible as free agents but still playing in a league under the control of the NFL.

Granted these choices are not the NFL big bucks - but I guess its still a job

I see the real winners will probably be all the sports agents trying to capture the 18+ market.

 

[Cardinal Bob]

Originally posted by Djaughe
I see the real winners will probably be all the sports agents trying to capture the 18+ market.

Yup. And the real losers would be the kids who buy into what these agents tell them, then don't get drafted and can't go play college ball.

See it all the time with college kids and the NBA. They leave school 'cuz someone convinced them they'd be a 1st round pick. Then they don't get drafted, they can't go to college to get an education (LOL!) or develop their game and you never hear about them again until they get convicted of whatever crime and get sent away. Sad.

 

[LVCARDFREAK]

Originally posted by Russ Smith
ESPN has an article on this today from Pasquarelli(read at your own risk they have this annoying Honda ad that crashed me twice).

Basically they quote someone saying that it's unlikely an injunction or appeal can be heard in time so they assume Clarett will be allowed in unless a judge just flat says we need more time so injunction declared.

If that happens, they say as many as a dozen underclassmen could come into the NFL with Clarett, they didn't list names. The argument is if they let Clarett in they have to reopen the application period for others who WOULD have filed if they'd known they were eligible.

I hope that doesn't happen, then we would have a really screwed up situation although it would make the draft even deeper.

ON the NFL Network last night, the Lawyer for the NFL who presented their case said that in theory they are challenging the ruling in the Appeals court, but it will never get heard in time. He said it makes it very unlikely that the NFL can stop Clarett from declaring.

On another note, it WONT stop the NFL from strongarming the owners though. And thats exactly what they will do. I wouldnt be suprised if he signs on with a team as an UDFA. Sad but very possible.

I dont think the idea of an NFL farm system will work for one very big reason. NCAA. They do not want their potential million dollar revenue earners skipping college and heading directly to the NFL 'Minor Leagues'. Nor do the sponsers of all the bowls, the big conferences, etc.

Sure it happens in baseball, but football programs is what makes money in college.

I see a wink-and-nod type agreement between the two. I doubt very seriously if the NFL just starts encouraging 18 year olds to skip college.

 

[Southpaw]

Originally posted by Djaughe
Some people are saying the NFL will feel the effects in 3 yrs of a mass of 18+ yr. olds going into the draft

Will this be the beginning of an NFL farm system by expanding the NFL Europe rosters using NFL and 18+ players? Wouldn't the NFL be interested in using new players to create some interest instead of letting them sit on a bench?

In essence - this would create/ expand a year long football viewership of fans.

What are your thoughts?

The NFL already has a farm system in place and it is the best in Pro Sports. It is called NCAA college football. I don't believe the NFL with their Legal Armada in place is going to get beaten on this one. Clarett's lawyer got an injunction and the NFL will get a "stay". It ain't over till the Fat Lady sings. If the NFL wants to do the right thing, they should subsidize college sports and economically underpriveleged student athletes. Clarett is the ultimate short cut taker and he won't beat Tags & Company.

 

[Duckjake]

I've always joked about starting a franchise of "Football" schools similar to the trade or proprietary schools like ITT Tech or the American Truck Driving School.

You would have 8 schools in various regions of the country and they would be for the primary purpose of teaching football. They would also have some basic educational classes focusing on skills that will help the students adapt to both life in the NFL and after football like reading and writing and HumVee purchasing 101.

2 hours a day in basic classes 2 hours of football classroom and 2 hours of football practice every day. The 8 schools would play each other twice a year for a 14 game schedule.

With no NCAA the kids would be free to work, get "sponsors" like golfers do or even get "scholarships" from Agents. If a guy was really good the Governor of Texas might even chip in to pay him $100,000 to attend.

We would advertise it on daytime TV and late night on cable.

"Can you bench more than your SAT score? Is 4.0 closer to your 40 time than your GPA? Too cool for college? Call 1-800-DEFENSE or 1-888-OFFENSE in CA for information on the American Football Academy. Operators are standing by."

I can already count the Pell Grant money.

 

[Northern Card]

Originally posted by spanky1
Could end up like baseball......NFL franchises buy CFL franchises (they can be had cheap) and stock them with players that are deemed to be developmental.

There are "import" rules in the CFL that limit the number of non Canadian players to about 15 per roster I believe. Still that would be plenty of room for the Clarett's of the world to gain some valuable experience before returning to the NFL parent club. I could live with that.

What would Northern Card think?

Not a problem. Although there are already a few agreements between the NFL and CFL regarding recognizing contracts and when the NFL can poach. That said; as long as no one suggests any rule changes (that would be a non-starter) this could be a win-win situation.

FYI - The CFL season runs from June until the Grey Cup near the end of November

 

[Northern Card]

Re: Re: Will the Clarett ruling create a Farm System?

Originally posted by wallyburger
Clarett is the ultimate short cut taker and he won't beat Tags & Company.

Paraphrasing the famous last words of those who believed in the 70s that FREE AGENCY in baseball would never happen..

 

[AzCards21]

Originally posted by Duckjake
I've always joked about starting a franchise of "Football" schools similar to the trade or proprietary schools like ITT Tech or the American Truck Driving School.

You would have 8 schools in various regions of the country and they would be for the primary purpose of teaching football. They would also have some basic educational classes focusing on skills that will help the students adapt to both life in the NFL and after football like reading and writing and HumVee purchasing 101.

2 hours a day in basic classes 2 hours of football classroom and 2 hours of football practice every day. The 8 schools would play each other twice a year for a 14 game schedule.

With no NCAA the kids would be free to work, get "sponsors" like golfers do or even get "scholarships" from Agents. If a guy was really good the Governor of Texas might even chip in to pay him $100,000 to attend.

We would advertise it on daytime TV and late night on cable.

"Can you bench more than your SAT score? Is 4.0 closer to your 40 time than your GPA? Too cool for college? Call 1-800-DEFENSE or 1-888-OFFENSE in CA for information on the American Football Academy. Operators are standing by."

I can already count the Pell Grant money.

I want in on this. I call dibs on the Southwestern franchise errrr campus.

 

[Southpaw]

Re: Re: Re: Will the Clarett ruling create a Farm System?

Originally posted by Northern Card
Paraphrasing the famous last words of those who believed in the 70s that FREE AGENCY in baseball would never happen..

And we all know what great shape baseball is in. Contraction talk, $25gazillion/yr contracts and the players union runs the game. Ooh, I can't wait for the inmates to begin running the asylum.

 

[Cardiac]

The market will take care of itself. Few GM's will give up big bucks on kids that can't take the pounding of the NFL in their teens. Look at how many high school kids are recruited heavily for colleges and then don't make it to the PROs.

The salary cap won't allow teams to carry a player for 4 years without contributing on the field.

So maybe a couple of idiot GM's roll the dice on a couple of HS kids and both parties learn a hard lesson for the rest of the league.

Why is the magic number 3 years out of HS and not 2 for 4 or......

Each athlete is different and so some freshman or sophmore players could make the transition to the NFL. Point is these will be the exceptions to the rule.

Look at how many Juniors come out early every year and then slide way down in the draft or go undrafted. This just proves that GM's in the NFL won't go crazy picking up teens no matter what their upside is.

As a couple of posters have pointed out the true shame in all of this is those teens who will fall prey to scummy agents.

I for one don't want to live in a society where so many laws are passed to keep us from hurting ourselves that we are no longer living in a free society. Freedom of choice - It's what America is all about. You can't legislate the stupid out of people, hasn't ever really worked in the history of mankind.

 

[JeffGollin]

If the Ruling Sticks, They May Have To

Funny - I just brought this up on an earlier thread.

Maybe not immediately - it depends on how many high schoolers and underclassmen elect to come out - but if the NFL was boxed in by being forced to baby site man-children, they'd face the moral dilemma of (a) kids being encouraged to drop out of school (b) arriving on the scene ill-equipped to deal with the non-physical responsibilities and pitfalls an adult's world, (c) making their undeveloped bodies vulnerable to obliteration by full-grown men and (d) dealing with an expanded player-pool with 53 man rosters and 5 man practice squads and a somewhat "informal" NFL Europe.

Since there has been an incessant whine over recent years about "why shouldn't colleges pay football players?" and "Are all young people suited for college?" some have felt that, if a budding young athlete shouldn't have to waste his time taking courses like basket-weaving or "phys ed" but be taught courses on "life skills" (i.e. how to deal with sleazoid agents", "how to financially plan for the future", "life after pro football", "keeping predatory family members and homeboys from the hood from leeching off you" etc.

Well, if rape by the courts is inevitable, why not establish a really solid mechanism for accepting young kids into the NFL and seeing to it that they develop into solid citizens as well as well-coached and physically prepared football players?

A minor league program which includes mandatory attendance (and passing) of life-skills courses is an intriguing idea. The only thing that might have to be tweaked would be the scheduling of minor league season - to make it more convenient for teams to evaluate and promote players in line with minicamps, training camps, preseason and regular season.

I also think that the League should look past NFL Europe and consider adding teams from Asia and Central/South America and possibly Canada. But, to keep air travel down to a dull roar, have more than one league (similar to the Cactus and Grapefruit Leagues MLB spring training set up).

Because everyone is scrambling and diving for the bushes, I wouldn't expect to see anything for at least a year or two - but it does look like the direction things will eventually go.

Until it does, you may see an expansion of the number of players who can be on a team's practice squad and an expanded length time by which a team can protect players categorized as "under the age of 20 or 21."

 

[Northern Card]

All good thoughts, Jeff. But, I'm wondering if they won't create a bit of a hybrid where players they believe are quite close to making an NFL roster are sent to NFL Europe, so that they can take part in NFL camps -and, a second group, deemed in need of more seasoning, who are - for example - sent to CFL teams for that league's June to November season. I don't think we can discount the cost of creating new leagues, expansions, etc. - from the NFLs bottom line considerations.

 

[ajcardfan]

Re: If the Ruling Sticks, They May Have To

Originally posted by JeffGollin

Since there has been an incessant whine over recent years about "why shouldn't colleges pay football players?" and "Are all young people suited for college?" some have felt that, if a budding young athlete shouldn't have to waste his time taking courses like basket-weaving or "phys ed" but be taught courses on "life skills" (i.e. how to deal with sleazoid agents", "how to financially plan for the future", "life after pro football", "keeping predatory family members and homeboys from the hood from leeching off you" etc.

Well, if rape by the courts is inevitable, why not establish a really solid mechanism for accepting young kids into the NFL and seeing to it that they develop into solid citizens as well as well-coached and physically prepared football players?

Jeff, I've had this idea, for a few years now, that the NCAA should allow schools to create a major called "Professional Athlete". That way, all of the guys who are in college just to play sports and make it professionally don't have to go through the whole "student-ahlete" charade anymore. The benefit for the schools are no more probations. Then, to encourage guys to stay in school, the athletes should receive a stipend of some sort in addition to their scholarship. Since Title IX requirements would make that really tough (a female badminton player at USC would have to get just as much as the starting QB), the NFL and other prosports leagues could help fund it. That way, the farm system for pro sports could be built into the current college game structure.