NFL Offseason Thread

[garbon]

What of the injustice done to my people?

[derspiess]

Baby Brudder always trying to compete with Big Brudder:

I saw Big Brudder's statue this past weekend.

[derspiess]

What of the injustice done to my people?

  Maybe one day African Americans will get a fair shot to compete in the NFL.

[CountDeMoney]

What of the injustice done to my people?

  Maybe one day African Americans will get a fair shot to compete in the NFL.

Field hands will never make it to the house staff, you know that.

[Valmy]

What of the injustice done to my people?

  Maybe one day African Americans will get a fair shot to compete in the NFL.

Why do you show such disrespect to garbon's diverse heritage

Anyway Michael Sam just needs to wait a bit for people to start getting injured.

[derspiess]

Anyway Michael Sam just needs to wait a bit for people to start getting injured.

He ought to make a political statement by renouncing his US citizenship and accepting the offer to play in the more enlightened CFL.

[Barrister]

Anyway Michael Sam just needs to wait a bit for people to start getting injured.

He ought to make a political statement by renouncing his US citizenship and accepting the offer to play in the more enlightened CFL.

What's more enlightened about the CFL?

I did read he's on the Als negotiation list, so him coming up to Canada is not out of the question.

Hmm just after typing this I went and checked - seems the Alouettes have even contacted Sam's camp:

http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=460799

[Grey Fox]

But that's Jim Pop schtick. He probably called Rodgers camp too considering the Als trouble at QB this year.

[derspiess]

What's more enlightened about the CFL?

It's Canadian.  But I was also kidding.  The news down here was that he had been contacted by a CFL team but hadn't responded.

[Barrister]

But that's Jim Pop schtick. He probably called Rodgers camp too considering the Als trouble at QB this year.

Well it's not quite a schtick.  The Als only have so many spots on their negotiation list (35 IIRC), so you don't want to be dropping serious prospects in order to reach out and contact a publicity stunt candidate.

[sbr]

What the hell is a negotiation list?

[Barrister]

What the hell is a negotiation list?

The CFL has a Canadian draft, but there is no draft for American players.   What they do have is a negotiation list.  Each team has 35 players on the negotiation list.  They can add or remove players on a regular basis.  If one team has a player on their list (in this case the Montreal Allouettes), then no other team can try to sign that player.

The lists are done in secret so we have no idea who is on each team's list unless it is mentioned in a news story (like this one).

So teams have to try and balance out which players will be good, but won't stick with an NFL club (and who might be amenable to coming to Canada).

[sbr]

If they are secret how do you know two teams don't have the same guy on their list?

[Barrister]

If they are secret how do you know two teams don't have the same guy on their list?

Secret from the public (and the players involved), but not from each other.  I think the league office has the master list.  But it's all fairly secretive.

[derspiess]

Irsay got fined half a million.  Yeowch.