Even if a spring league did nothing more than expedite the development of a handful of quarterbacks, helping them go from marginal prospects to winning NFL passers, that alone would be a boon. There are simply not enough reps to go around, not enough opportunities to actually get them on the field in anything approximating a game situation, and with fewer and fewer college programs running traditional pro-style offenses, the problem appears to be growing.
Oh, noes!
“I don’t know why it hasn’t happened to this point. I think the league wants to do it. There must be something blocking it. There must be some factors that are keeping it from going in that direction, because I’ve never heard anybody say they don’t want to do it. So I think you’d have to ask the higher-ups in the league really what’s holding it up.”
Dude, shit like that costs money. Money the league has never had to spend before because the college game’s been so accommodating. Now that it’s not so much, NFL teams are having to spend money and resources in different ways.
As for the players, the state of offensive line play has been driving coaches bonkers, with all the spread formations being used in college sending many of these youngsters to the pros without the fundamentals once taken for granted, and coaches believe a league like this could greatly hasten that learning curve.
And this offseason proved more than ever how scarce quarterbacks are, with ineffective starters like Sam Bradford getting $18 million a season and a bidding war erupting over Brock Osweiler, who played middling football this season in his first seven career starts, lost his job before the playoffs to a decaying Peyton Manning and then still received $38 million guaranteed.
Damn, that’s gotta suck.
Get The Picture 
Speaking of which, it looks like Aaron Murray is inching his way closer to an NFL start….. Hope he gets the chance at the time that’s the best for him to prove he’s got what it takes to be a great NFL quarterback. I really think he does…. could be like the second coming of Drew Brees. =D
http://www.arrowheadpride.com/2016/6/7/11878036/aaron-murray-gets-a-look-as-the-chiefs-no-2-quarterback
LikeLike
It’s going to be interesting in KC to see who gets left out among Murray, Bray and Kevin Hogan. Alex Smith isn’t getting any younger, so Murray could position himself as the heir apparent with a good camp this summer.
LikeLike
True, but it will be a tough road to navigate this year.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid named Brad Childress and Matt Nagy as co-offensive coordinators, while assigning play calling duties to himself. They have some talent, but this doesn’t look like a path to success.
LikeLike
No doubt … I don’t follow the NFL closely enough to know who does what, but I would like to see Murray get a shot to show what he can do other than wear a headset and carry a clipboard … But he does get paid very well to do those things.
LikeLike
Cry me a river NFL. The solution to their problem is in their own hands. All they have to do is do away with their age discriminatory rule about players not being eligible until they are 21. Of course, that would require spending some money on a farm system and the current college system falls all over itself to do that for the NFL so the NFL has absolutely zero incentive to do that.
LikeLike
Actually the age at which players are eligible to be drafted in a collective bargaining issue, so the NFL would have to negotiate that lowering age of entry with the NFL PA. The issue for the NFL PA is that no college guys are members, and aging veterans are members, so the members trying to hold on for another year or two won’t ant more younger talent entering the league.
As usual, the issues are more complicated that you think.
LikeLike
Reminds me of comments like this I recently saw in a recruiting article on AJC:
Playing his college ball receiver or safety would give him his best shot at the NFL. So that’s his likely college spot, but there’s one exception to that.
“It is at Auburn, though,” he said. “I could be a quarterback here.”
LikeLike
Het, you wanna call the tune, you pay the piper. Works both ways Bucko!
LikeLike
How long before they (NFL) start paying middle of the pack power 5 schools to go back to the Pro-Style O and endorsing them publicly as a chance to get to the NFL. I could see the NFL paying UK or Vandy $ to go to Pro-Style O and stating they would offer all players leaving at a minimum a shot as an undrafted FA once they graduate. The NFL would have rotating coaches work with the school to help instruct to get a better quality player out the back door. The school gets $ and free publicity as a guaranteed chance at the NFL. Could possibly use it to recruit better players hoping to go the NFL? NFL doesn’t have to pay for a true development league.
LikeLike
I was thinking about this post and wondered; when did college ever serve as an ideal training ground for pro-style offenses? This just feels like the “good ole days” of amateurism that never really existed. Was Nebraska’s offense under Tom Osborn or Spurrier’s at Florida ideal for prepping offensive players for the NFL? Just sounds like sour grapes from the NFL folks.
LikeLike