ESPN: Is Spring League an NFL springboard? It's at least a shot

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4th&long
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ESPN: Is Spring League an NFL springboard? It's at least a shot

Post by 4th&long » Sun May 07, 2017 3:22 pm

The SL - more an academy than a league IMO had some success (by their own measure) with its limited mission. Now a July showcase may be coming.
This is a good article - take a read.

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/1930 ... least-shot

>David Ash stepped away from football in 2014, his career as the University of Texas quarterback cut short by concussions. Then, a wild thing happened. Three years later, he jumped in a car, drove from Texas to West Virginia and joined an upstart developmental league that helped deliver him to the Carolina Panthers' rookie minicamp this weekend.
~
Scouts visited from 10 NFL teams and two Canadian Football League teams, according to CEO Brian Woods. Another 20 teams requested practice and game video.
~
The structure met with approval among a scouting community that will be vital to The Spring League's future. Whether it was receiving fresh information on nearly forgotten players such as Ash, or benefiting from a conditioned arm in Bethel-Thompson -- who will participate in the New York Jets' minicamp -- the scouts saw potential in the concept.
<

It wasn't perfect even by low expectations but it got some into NFL-minicamp and that was the goal.

4th
Last edited by 4th&long on Sun May 07, 2017 6:51 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Sam Hill
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Post by Sam Hill » Sun May 07, 2017 6:42 pm

I thought the goal was to get players back into the league, not minicamp.

“I think, ultimately, the measure of success for us is going to be the number of players that can return and play football at the professional level,” Woods said, “and for us that means the NFL. If we can get somewhere around the ballpark of 20 percent of our players to return to the National Football League, then I think that’s a feather in our cap and I think that bodes well for us as we continue to grow this league into the future.”

Minicamp does not count.
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Sam Hill
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Post by Sam Hill » Sun May 07, 2017 6:45 pm

We don't need more football.
Over and over and over, the market — us, the fans, people who like football — has spoken. But time and again, the powers that be — the ones who look at our love of the sport and see only a buck to be made — have shown that they don’t care one bit.
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Renandpat
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Post by Renandpat » Sun May 07, 2017 6:56 pm

I'm curious on how his July shiwcase is being funded.

Also, note how the Panthers employee commented that these guys were basically too damn old.

4th&long
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Post by 4th&long » Sun May 07, 2017 7:00 pm

A REAL quote from the article...

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/1930 ... least-shot

>Indeed, some teams were intrigued with what they saw. The Panthers, in particular, took advantage of a relatively short drive and came away with six players -- including Ash -- who are participating this weekend in their rookie minicamp. Koncz and three other scouts rolled through during the course of the month.

"I think this league is on the right path and Brian's got the right idea," Koncz said. "It seems like there are lots of people that come in and have grand ideas of having lots of games in big stadiums and get television rights and all that. What Brian did was get guys in, play some games, have time for scouts to come in and evaluate and see what was there. A lot of these guys got looks that otherwise would not have."<

The SL is a player driven league geared towards NFL CFL placement. Different, maybe less appealing, but has some support.

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Sam Hill
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Post by Sam Hill » Thu May 18, 2017 3:21 am

Scrimmages.

They're scrimmages.

It's not a league.
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Post by suge night » Thu Nov 09, 2017 3:14 pm

The Spring League: The Spring League, which is an instructional league that serves as a developmental platform and showcase for professional football talent, is planning a second season in April 2018 and has started holding tryouts in seven markets across the United States. (As reported by minor league sports weekly on this board)

So lets get right to it, the spring league now is dumping its business model yet again in an attempt to grab any dollar available to it from what is a desperate consumer base. Recall that this league was or had moved on to charging former veteran rebuked players from the nfl. Back to anyone that will give me money model,Woods is slowly becoming that aba basketball guy. :eek:

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Sam Hill
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Post by Sam Hill » Fri Nov 10, 2017 5:27 am

What they had was not a season.

To call what they plan to have a "second season" is even more disingenuous.

It's not even a consumer base. It's a player base that's desperate.
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Post by suge night » Fri Nov 10, 2017 3:20 pm

The players are the consumer base :? ??:
And they are the only base for the SL....

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Post by LordBy2014 » Fri Nov 10, 2017 5:57 pm

If I'm a potential player looking for another opportunity to get into the NFL or CFL, I'm to sign up for one of these workout/mini camp deals, pay my own way to the event, work for a week hoping for that very precious FILM that might get me noticed??????

Cheap for the people running it (Spring League) but an actual league would be better for development, right?

Brian Woods hoping to get someone (NFL/CFL) to endorse his idea as an official avenue to getting into the league(s) . . .

God Bless him - I don't see it working long term w/o some sort of NFL "approval"

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