NFL Developmental League - Good or Bad Idea?

[rocknrollcoastie]

http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/02/01/packers-ceo-college-union-would-pressure-nfl-for-developmental-league/

I read this article the other day and I like the idea. I can think it could make the NCAA make some major changes out of neccisity. 

While I'm not completely on board with schools paying athletes. I do believe these kids should be able to make money off their names while they are in school be it sports memorabilia, autographs, commercials etc etc etc.

If they can't make money in school then let them sign with an NFL D League out of high school and see if they really got what it takes to make it in the NFL.

What say you Hogville?

[bphi11ips]

It's probably inevitable.  College baseball has never been popular because the best players skip college altogether.  Basketball has suffered from one and done.  College football will never be the same, but hey, this is America.  It's a free market, and the rules don't change just to protect what was once a great sport.

[Professor Psychosis]

No to the D League, let the kids make money of their likenesses and memorabilia if you want, give me my NCAA Football videogames back, stop bloating the conferences to the point where teams only play once every 6 years, leave the extra point alone, but give me a 8-team playoff consisting of the power 5 conference champions and 3 at-large bids.

And stop adding teams to FBS.

[MojoHog]

I like the idea of a DLeague bit I think they should still attend College for a few years. Maybe let them leave after year 2 but HAVE to go to the DLeague for at least one year. I just wonder when they would have the season. After the NFL season would be good but would conflict with the draft in April. Would be cool and I think.

[Hog1966]

I don't like the idea because it would water the talent level down at the college level.

[Hooch]

That is all the practice squad is, a developmental league but coaches get more looks at those kids everyday. 

[Lake City Hog]

D league will basically kill college football once you get below the top 25 or 30 teams.
The schools that can take the near qualifiers will be out of business cause those kids will go straight to D league.

High school sports will begin to suffer later on for the same reasons, why work hard to pass classes when I can take my talents straight to making money.

All anyone can think about are the Pro level kids and they are what, 5% of college football? Maybe less!! Think about this, 32 football teams draft for all intents and purposes 4 maybe 5 rounds of players, so 150 players and of those probably 10 to 15% of the 4th and 5th rounders make a team. So we are talking about 90 to 100 NCAA players every year that actually make a professional roster?

And we are going to change the entire setup of college athletics for them? It's the kids that go to school and get their education and become good solid citizens that we should be concerned with. Those others give up 3 to possibly 5 years in return for an education and training for their future. The compensation that they receive then more than makes up for the rest.

Now, should student athletes be given a bigger stipend?  I truly don't know the answer to that, I do believe that if you look as SOME of the regular students most athletes live a much more comfortable lifestyle than them.

I think of it as a Pandora's Box, open it and it will be nearly impossible to close!

[rzrbackrob]

I like the idea.

The Tennessee Titans could have a developmental league in Memphis, the Saints in Jackson, Mississippi and Cowboys in Little Rock.

Make the rule 4yrs out of high school for anyone entering the NFL draft, and all players must graduate high school to be accepted in the developmental league.

This would allow the young men who value money now over education now to have an avenue to demonstrate their value to the NFL. The men who pick college will be more motivated to attend class and graduate. The NFL will get more mature players and not waste money on players who never develop.

[Hogvillage Idiot]

Its called SEC.

[hollywood hog]

I don't like the idea because it would water the talent level down at the college level.

Or basically kill the greatest game on the planet.  Nothing close to CFB in my mind. 

[Torqued pork]

Its called SEC.

exactly

[Boardon Hamsay]

I kinda always considered the World League/NFL Europe a D league. I watched it for the sake of it being football but I think there's a reason it didn't hold up.

[LSPRazorbac]

It would be the next USFL, NFL Europe, and XFL.

And college players receive more benefits in college such as money (grants, Stipends, etc...), free room and board, meals, education, etc... than what they are paid in a developmental league.

A developmental league would basically be a Semi-Pro league and they haven't been real successful.

[LSPRazorbac]

But you don't run a D league for financial profit - it is more of a cost control with respect to player development. 

What benefit would a NFL run developmental league have over college football.

Seems the NFL would be spending a lot more money for very little improvement in player development.

[HiggiePiggy]

Arkansas might have a chance if it were to happen......

[Cletus]

The D League should have happened years ago.  Far too many athletes litter college campuses with no intention of being a student and that is against everything college sports is all about (or perhaps better stated, should be about). 

I don't have a problem with kids making money to play sports but that should be done away from the college campus in an environment that would better serve the developmental needs of the athlete.   

This x 1,000,000!!!

[Hogarusa]

Sounds like an awful idea for fans.  Nobody watches or cares about minor league baseball or the nbadl

[Hawghiggs]

 I actually like the idea as long as Arkansas gets a team.

[redeye]

Didn't read the article, but if they pay athletes and start a NFL developmental league, then it should have nothing to do with the schools.  They could use school stadiums and the schools could pay them for naming rights, but let's not pretend they're students.  If the athletes want an education, let them pay for it with their earnings, but don't force them to do it and then pretend they earned their degree like everyone else.

[Piggfoot]

The players would need to make about $200k per year to pay for college if they don't make it.  That is if they if they go to college and don't blow it on women, rides and tats.

[FS Hog]

It's been tried before. Here's one example.
United Football League (1961–64)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Football_League_%281960s%29

[GoHogs1091]

The NFL basically already has a Developmental League (3 of them).  They are the

SEC
ACC
Big 12

[Inhogswetrust]

http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/02/01/packers-ceo-college-union-would-pressure-nfl-for-developmental-league/

I read this article the other day and I like the idea. I can think it could make the NCAA make some major changes out of neccisity. 

While I'm not completely on board with schools paying athletes. I do believe these kids should be able to make money off their names while they are in school be it sports memorabilia, autographs, commercials etc etc etc.

If they can't make money in school then let them sign with an NFL D League out of high school and see if they really got what it takes to make it in the NFL.

What say you Hogville?

I say we've gotten to the point where there are a LOT of things rehashed over and over and over on Hogville way to much.

[goodguytex]

Its called SEC.

^^^^^^^^^^
This!

[YouCrawl_IQuall]

Or basically kill the greatest game on the planet.  Nothing close to CFB in my mind.

I love CFB but come on, greatest game? The fundamentals are average at best and the football IQ of players is even worse. NFL is much better then CFB in every facet of the game. There's just as many TV timeouts as CFB games but the game is a whole lot faster and a whole lot better

[FS Hog]

But you don't run a D league for financial profit - it is more of a cost control with respect to player development.

I'd have to say the operating environment of the NFL of today is far different than in the 1960's.  My point being is a developmental league is worth a try.

The NFL is all about profit.  If the NFL owners can't afford to fund a D league, who else can? Nobody wants to lose money.
All the D leagues that have been tried from the 60's through NFL Europe have all failed. They were all started with the thought of a profit.

[HF#1]

Already have one, it's called the SEC...

[superior_wang]

Its called SEC.

bingo! +1

[superior_wang]

The NFL basically already has a Developmental League (3 of them).  They are the

SEC
ACC
Big 12

no pac12? seriously? hahahah  ok  whatevas

[Bacons Rebellion]

I love CFB but come on, greatest game? The fundamentals are average at best and the football IQ of players is even worse. NFL is much better then CFB in every facet of the game. ..

That's what makes the college game far better than the NFL. All the teams have weaknesses. Players have weaknesses. Teams have to compensate.

[tophawg19]

it would be good because there are tons of quality players who simply aren't college material.

[FS Hog]

Cost containment increases profit as well.

How does paying enough players to run another league keep costs down? In all the years of "minor league football" there's only been a very few players make it to the next level. If you think minor league football will save wear and tear on a player, it won't. They'll need to play and practice at least as much as colleges or they won't get better. Better coaches then in college, maybe but where are they coming from?
There's been plenty of people over the years that thought it was a good idea or would be a foot in the door to the NFL, but all those leagues folded. They'll be many more attempts and maybe someday one will make it, but not likely.

[FS Hog]

How many developmental league players could one pay instead of paying for players like...

They've changed the rookie pay structure since the players you named were drafted.  They could change it even more. They'll be just as many "busts" from a D league as there is now. How many triple A baseball players that can't miss fail in the majors. Again better training then college, maybe, but where are these trainers and coaches coming from? Will they take a pay cut from their current college jobs?  The players are going to go full bore to make it to the NFL and the money. They'll have just as much wear and tear if not more. If they play like it's the pro bowl they aren't going to make it anyway.

[GoHogs1091]

no pac12? seriously? hahahah  ok  whatevas

The Pac 12 (or whatever that Conference is being called this year), and the Little 9/Big 1 (Ohio State) Conference simply are too top heavy with a couple of teams with significant bonafide NFL talent.  The rest of those 2 Conferences are simply atrocious in regards to the player talent, so those 2 Conferences are really overall not a good developmental league/conference for the NFL.  The week-in-week out competition in those 2 Conferences is simply mediocre.  It is not like the week-in-week out competition in the SEC, ACC, and Big 12.

Yeah, a couple of outliers/anomalies such as Russell Wilson could be pointed out, but he was already developed as a QB at North Carolina State before he arrived at Wisconsin.

[LZH]

Sounds like an awful idea for fans.  Nobody watches or cares about minor league baseball or the nbadl

I agree with ya.

[Hawghiggs]

The NFL is all about profit.  If the NFL owners can't afford to fund a D league, who else can? Nobody wants to lose money.
All the D leagues that have been tried from the 60's through NFL Europe have all failed. They were all started with the thought of a profit.

All of that is not the same. The NFL didn't have a network to create content for or to raise capital through advertising with before. Nor has it ever tried going after young star coming out of high school. It also could raise funds from local ownership groups and cities.  Anyone think that Little Rock wouldn't want a pro football team?

[reddogjcss]

Bad idea! It would do the same thing to football that the NBA did to college basketball!

[swinesation]

This idea ranks right up there with New Coke.

[razorbucz]

D league will basically kill college football once you get below the top 25 or 30 teams.
The schools that can take the near qualifiers will be out of business cause those kids will go straight to D league.

Yes it would, but also don't forget about draining the coaching pool as well.  Why would an up and coming coach work at a lesser college when he can work in this "D league". Where he has far more potential of getting noticed by NFL staffs.

Just something to think about.

[razorbucz]

Has that happened with the NBA D League?

I doubt it.  I think comparing football to basketball is like comparing apples to oranges.

More Division I colleges play basketball (346) than football (119).
The NBA had 92 foreign players on NBA rosters to start the 2013 season, the NFL had two foreign players that didn't play college football in America (Israel Idonije and Jon Ryan) both played college football in Canada.

[FS Hog]

Assuming that is true, if the cost of those busts can be significantly reduced, then money would be saved.  Cost savings is not insignificant these days - check out this article on ESPN'S Grantland - especially the section titled Opportunity.

The cost of good coaching and training staff, not to mention all the other costs of running a team x 8 team league (8 team league your #) is going to be more then a few busts a year. Which is why every time this has been tried it has failed. I have no doubt it will be tried again. If for no other reason then short memories.