Alabama17Tide
Member
At pro day you talked about Jake Coker and the NFL combine and wanting to address that process. What steps do you take when you want the NFL to address an issue? Do you call the league office, or NFL coaches, or other college coaches?
CNS: "I think this is not a relationship between college football and Jake Coker. This is something that affects college football and it also affects the NFL. I would contact, and I have talked to several guys in the NFL as well as college guys, about their concerns in terms of how guys get rated that come out for the draft early, how can we have a better process of that.
"The response is that I think everybody is looking for a better way from a college standpoint as well as from an NFL standpoint. 97 guys come out for the draft this year, all those guys obviously can't get drafted in the first or second round, so it takes up spots at the combine. People want to draft guys that are going to be starters. How many of those guys that went out for the draft, if they stayed in college for a year and developed, and entered the NFL more ready to contribute in a year, would have a better chance to have careers as a football player rather than being shortsighted, being a fourth, fifth or sixth round draft pick that has a minimal chance of making a team and an even smaller chance of having a career that has any longevity at all?
"The average NFL life expectancy is three-and-a-half years. And you're stuck with the bad contract. You're going to play for close to minimum wage and get a marginal signing bonus at best. A guy could tell me, 'I'm going to get drafted in the fourth round and show them I'm going to make the Pro Bowl every year.' I say, 'Go ahead, you're going to play on a three- or four-year contract and make no money.' So Jarran Reed comes back to school and has a chance to be a first round pick and is going to be a first round pick because he developed and became a better player.
"I think that's what the NFL wants guys to do, because they struggle to develop players in their current system because they have no minor league. They have no place to send a player. So if you have no role on a team and you can't be a starter, play on special teams or be an adequate backup, you're not going to make the team. So where do you go from there? You have nothing. A lot of guys fall into that. And guys say 'I'm going to do it for my family' and all that. You'll do better for your family if you stay in school and graduate from college and make more money next year.
"Look at the record of the number of guys that we've had that had 3rd and 2nd round grades and moved up and became 1st round picks since we've been here, and look at the position and status of their career. We haven't had many that came out that shouldn't, but you can look all over the country and figure that one out. So that's an issue for everyone. The NFL doesn't want it and it effects the quality of college football, but more importantly, it affects the young man and his future in terms of developing a career off the field and giving him the best chance to have a career on the field."
Some interesting stuff from Saban last night | TideSports.com
CNS: "I think this is not a relationship between college football and Jake Coker. This is something that affects college football and it also affects the NFL. I would contact, and I have talked to several guys in the NFL as well as college guys, about their concerns in terms of how guys get rated that come out for the draft early, how can we have a better process of that.
"The response is that I think everybody is looking for a better way from a college standpoint as well as from an NFL standpoint. 97 guys come out for the draft this year, all those guys obviously can't get drafted in the first or second round, so it takes up spots at the combine. People want to draft guys that are going to be starters. How many of those guys that went out for the draft, if they stayed in college for a year and developed, and entered the NFL more ready to contribute in a year, would have a better chance to have careers as a football player rather than being shortsighted, being a fourth, fifth or sixth round draft pick that has a minimal chance of making a team and an even smaller chance of having a career that has any longevity at all?
"The average NFL life expectancy is three-and-a-half years. And you're stuck with the bad contract. You're going to play for close to minimum wage and get a marginal signing bonus at best. A guy could tell me, 'I'm going to get drafted in the fourth round and show them I'm going to make the Pro Bowl every year.' I say, 'Go ahead, you're going to play on a three- or four-year contract and make no money.' So Jarran Reed comes back to school and has a chance to be a first round pick and is going to be a first round pick because he developed and became a better player.
"I think that's what the NFL wants guys to do, because they struggle to develop players in their current system because they have no minor league. They have no place to send a player. So if you have no role on a team and you can't be a starter, play on special teams or be an adequate backup, you're not going to make the team. So where do you go from there? You have nothing. A lot of guys fall into that. And guys say 'I'm going to do it for my family' and all that. You'll do better for your family if you stay in school and graduate from college and make more money next year.
"Look at the record of the number of guys that we've had that had 3rd and 2nd round grades and moved up and became 1st round picks since we've been here, and look at the position and status of their career. We haven't had many that came out that shouldn't, but you can look all over the country and figure that one out. So that's an issue for everyone. The NFL doesn't want it and it effects the quality of college football, but more importantly, it affects the young man and his future in terms of developing a career off the field and giving him the best chance to have a career on the field."
Some interesting stuff from Saban last night | TideSports.com
