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re: Players' Union Aim for Pay-to-Play May Backfire
Posted on 4/11/14 at 9:21 pm to deeprig9
Posted on 4/11/14 at 9:21 pm to deeprig9
Part Two:
There are currently over 650 football recruits for the class of 2015 on 247sports with a 3 star rating or higher.
If 176 of them didn't qualify for NCAA eligibility, or chose to go straight to the Developmental League for the money, that would be enough of a pipeline of quality players to field a team 3-deep for each of the 8 divisions of the NFL; an 8 team developmental league. This assumes the NFL keeps the 3 year rule on draft eligibility, with a new "class" coming in each year, with another one moving on into the draft or elsewhere, after a minimum of 3 years. A player could get a redshirt equivalent for either medical issue or just to get a 4th year of development, similar to college.
A team in the Developmental League of 8 teams plays every other team twice in the season, each a home and away. 14 games. A final four is selected based on record, two from the NFC and two from the AFC. The tie-breaker (in the event of a tie to get to the final four) will be head-to-head, followed by margin of victory for the season, so it pays to beat the shite out of your opponents during the season. This all happens during Spring and Summer. Venues are sorted out by the NFL.
But why would anyone care?
Here's the problem with traditional models...
We think of an NFL Minor League in terms of "What would make a college football fan watch it?" The answer is nothing.
But you can make NFL fans watch it.
The NFL Draft would be amended to give every team an additional pick in rounds 3 through 7, and the team can only pick from their own division's developmental team for that additional pick, so their normal pick in that round can come from anywhere.
1st/2nd round picks and undrafted players can be selected/signed from anywhere.
A Steelers or 49ers fan might want to keep an eye on his division's developmental team because he knows his team (and his div rivals' teams) are going to be taking a minimum of 5 players from that team each year.
ETA- edited to fix my math
There are currently over 650 football recruits for the class of 2015 on 247sports with a 3 star rating or higher.
If 176 of them didn't qualify for NCAA eligibility, or chose to go straight to the Developmental League for the money, that would be enough of a pipeline of quality players to field a team 3-deep for each of the 8 divisions of the NFL; an 8 team developmental league. This assumes the NFL keeps the 3 year rule on draft eligibility, with a new "class" coming in each year, with another one moving on into the draft or elsewhere, after a minimum of 3 years. A player could get a redshirt equivalent for either medical issue or just to get a 4th year of development, similar to college.
A team in the Developmental League of 8 teams plays every other team twice in the season, each a home and away. 14 games. A final four is selected based on record, two from the NFC and two from the AFC. The tie-breaker (in the event of a tie to get to the final four) will be head-to-head, followed by margin of victory for the season, so it pays to beat the shite out of your opponents during the season. This all happens during Spring and Summer. Venues are sorted out by the NFL.
But why would anyone care?
Here's the problem with traditional models...
We think of an NFL Minor League in terms of "What would make a college football fan watch it?" The answer is nothing.
But you can make NFL fans watch it.
The NFL Draft would be amended to give every team an additional pick in rounds 3 through 7, and the team can only pick from their own division's developmental team for that additional pick, so their normal pick in that round can come from anywhere.
1st/2nd round picks and undrafted players can be selected/signed from anywhere.
A Steelers or 49ers fan might want to keep an eye on his division's developmental team because he knows his team (and his div rivals' teams) are going to be taking a minimum of 5 players from that team each year.
ETA- edited to fix my math
This post was edited on 4/11/14 at 9:29 pm
2
Posted on 4/11/14 at 9:27 pm to deeprig9
That will never happen.
Posted on 4/11/14 at 10:27 pm to deeprig9
When and exactly where would these teams play?You gonna compete against CFB,NFL and HS in the fall?What's gonna be their payroll? Why would the NFL risk upsetting their relationship with CFB?...It's a built in farm system thats worked out pretty good for em and it doesn't cost em a dime...the only way a developmental league works is to have it subsidized by the NFL.
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