Snake Eyes
Experienced Starter w/First Big Contract
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- Oct 29, 2007
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There is no doubt that there are elite athletes in other sports, I just don't see many that would be elite NFL athletes. The NFL is a height/weight/speed game and I just don't see any guys with the kind of size and athletecism required in other professional sports that could translate. There just aren't many 6'5" 260lbs monster athletes in other sports. Look at Rugby, the elite athletes for that sport are no bigger than 230lbs, which really limits the positions available. None of them have the size/speed to play LB'er, none of them have the agility and speed to play RB or WR. And there definately aren't and 300+lbs guys to play on the O or D-lines. The guys above 230-240lbs don't have anywhere near the athletecism required to play in the NFL. Even Lomu, who was listed at 6'5" 260lbs (which I think is exaggerated after seeing him in person, albeit after he retired) I don't believe had the lateral agility to play TE. He was no doubt the athletic marvel of his time in rugby, but the guys he was going up against couldn't touch him athletically. You put him next to a guy like Gronk and he would look tiny. I compared him to Jacobs because thats what he was, a north-south runner who used power to go through guys. He did most of his damage before he even touched the ball because his game was won on intimidation. You stick him in the NFL against Ray Lewis and he gets lit up every time.
I think if there was a chance to look outside the box, I think its in the young Polynesian guys in places like NZ, Fiji, Somoa and Tonga. Like African American's, genetically they are just gifted. But the key would be to get to them early, get them into the collegiate system and let them grow up in the game rather then try to convert them. For me these are your best chance at getting the athletic guys with the required size. That to me is the issue, NFL players aren't just normal sized athletes, they are monsters.
Why wouldnt NFL caliber athletes be present in other populations?
Danny Watkins has NFL size strength and he's from Canada, his issue is in his head but he's got the physical part no problem.
If high-level Rugby selects for a certain height/weight combo then that's what you'll see represented, that doesnt mean a person couldnt add weight and be an effective football player or that maybe the real NFL talent might actually be at a lower level in the Rugby hierarchy.
A sumo wrestler, at 400 lbs, might be far too heavy to be a good O-lineman but at 300lbs he could be perfect, again, you're probably not seeing that because those activities select for something different, and people will adapt to it. Look at it this way, if you took elite NFL talent went off to play Rugby you'd see them become smaller because working like hell for 6 seconds before a break isn't valuable anymore, they'd need to run all over the field for a while.
That's one of the big reasons your assessment of rugby players is biased, you're looking at their athleticism in the middle of their anaerobic activity, why would they be as explosive an NFL player if 1) they're not specifically training for it, 2) they've already been running all over the place when you see them on TV?
If you were to select those with the physical attributes desired for the NFL, let them train for that specific activity,, and give them the same rest in between plays you'd see something very different.
I'm sorry but you're assertion that Lomu would get destroyed in the NFL is nothing more than an assertion. He's a physical specimen and he's got very good body and field navigation skills. This doesnt automatically mean that he'd be the TE of my dreams but d%#*!@t, I want to look into that potential conversion a lot further!
I think the Polynesian peoples would make magnificent prospects, football is becoming very popular there because of the success of guys like Polamalu, football is a potential ticket to NFL riches. If NFL teams will give a shot to Antonio Gates because of his athleticism there's no reason why they won't give a shot to some Samoan no-name with spectacular physicality, it's just a matter of time.