I wonder if Donovan Alexander (Canada) already counts?
Even though Canada would be far and away the best country for this, I would imagine Canadians don't qualify, as the best Canadian players rights are held by CFL teams.
This team is lacking the Canadian content it used to have; Jerome Pathon, Kerry Carter, Jesse Lumsden and the irreplaceable JP Darche. Right now we're just settling for Calgary-born Nate Burleson.
Michael,
I'm impressed that you are able to find things to write about this time of year. These are the dog days of spring.
Can't wait for summer to come to a close so we can have something exciting to talk about.
Thanks Steve, there is always something to write about, sometimes just less than others.
Wouldn't hurt if someone on ESPN would proclaim the Arizona Cardinals the Superbowl favorites 
Since NFL Europe is bye bye where exactly would these International Players come from?
i would be looking to Australia for players, plenty of guys down under that can kick further than Sav Rocca!Then there are our rugby guys some of them would make excellent running backs.
Craig, Sydney Aust.
I would like to see a 350 pund sumo Phenom from Japan or somthing like that. Or maybe a huger German guy to play the wedge on kickoffs....
About Australia.
I was in Australia in 2006 and got to see an Australian Rules football game during their championships in Sydney. Not as much stragety as the American game and a completely different skill set than American football. The game plays more like Rugby and soccer because there's no huddle and play is continuous. You score by kicking the ball through the center two goal posts and you can't pass the ball only carry it, latteral it, or kick it. You can't hold the ball for very long and if you run with it you have to occasionally bounce it off the ground. There are no offsides and players are all over the field from both sides of play.
Totally different set of skills than American football. For example, They do catch the ball and out jumping someone for a kicked ball is a common skill. They don't run a precise route against coverage or have a book of plays to learn nor do they have to know their routes like NFL receivers. They usually gather in a bunch and jump for the ball. Good hands maybe but if you can't run a route and catch the ball on the run, you don't have NFL skills as a receiver. Running the ball is the same type of difference. They run to avoid tacklers without any blocking like NFL lineman provide. They block on the fly mostly not like NFL linemen do from a stance. They have a sort of snap like formation to start play called a center bounce IIRC, and only 4 players from a side can be there but it's not like a line of scrimmage. Runners don't take handoffs. They don't have to hit holes as we think of it in the NFL. they catch latterals on the move and quickly latteral it to another player or kick it. Kicking is another skill and maybe an Austrailian could make an NFL roster as a place kicker or punter with some training but most other skills are different. An Austrailian Rules football player wouldn't be any more qualified for the NFL than any other professional athlete such as a basketball player, soccer player, lacrosse player, baseball player, or hockey player would be from a skills level.
An athlete from another sport trying to learn football skills to play professionally faces a very difficult task because they're competing against guys who grew up with the sport from Pop Warner ball through the public school systems and then college ball. Not impossible to do but very difficult especially at the pro level. It's a lot of stuff to learn and then to be able to beat out the best players in the world?????
I like the sumo wrestler idea. They're trained to control a big strong guy in space and leverage is the whole game there. A project to be sure but I don't see those skills as being so dissimilar. The real problem once agin is an NFL lineman has to do much more than use strength, leverage, and technique to move guys out of the way. They have to use coordinated footwork and work together as a unit. They make decisions based on situations as to who to block. They have to pull sometimes and lead a RB through a hole or around the end. They have to pass protect which is passive aggressive which they don't do in Sumo. In Sumo, you have a single opponent and you're engaged in a pushing match to see who can force the other out of a circle which is actively being aggressive until the match is over.
It'll be interesting to see who the Seahawks can find from a foreign country to come in and start learning American football. To me, unless you can find somewhere where they play American football, you get a good athlete and try to train him. An Austrailian Rules football player or a Sumo Wrestler would be as good as any place to start.
for the record there have been austalian players who have made the nfl as punters: Darren Bennett (mostly with vikings i think), Matt McBriar (cowboys)and Sav Rocca (eagles). Colin Scott was a rugby player who made the NFL in early 80's as DL for the cardinals.I am certain there will be more in the future, if only as punters!!
7 Visitors Online
Commenting by HaloScan
