NFL’s feisty rookies can’t hardly wait

[FishForLunch]

The players are massive and quick. The game is as intricate as the inside of your laptop. The pressure from fans and media is enough to squash the steeliest of minds. The workload is exhausting. The coaches are demanding to the point of being unreasonable.
SO WHY IS the NFL a rookie’s paradise?
Perhaps that is an exaggeration, but gone are the days when franchises bring along their young players slowly. The grace period has been all but eliminated. When the high draft pick of today rolls into camp with his gleaming new rig and his bulging bank account, he had better be prepared to justify the investment in him. Immediately.
That isn’t to say there is no time whatsoever for coddling. Of course there is. Carson Palmer won’t be the starter in Cincinnati for, oh, probably a game or two. Kyle Boller already is starting in Baltimore.
But there are several other rookies who won’t be loitering on the sidelines like their counterparts of yesteryear. Charles Rogers and Andre Johnson will be immediately impact players at wideout for Detroit and Houston, respectively. Troy Polamalu is listed as No. 2 on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ depth chart at strong safety, yet he’ll be contributing immediately in nickel and dime packages. Nick Barnett is listed as No. 1 at middle linebacker for the Green Bay Packers. Dewayne Robertson will start at defensive tackle for the New York Jets. With the exception of somebody like Willis McGahee, whose knee injury prevents him from competing for a backfield spot in Buffalo, just about every first-round draft pick will at least have the opportunity to contribute to an NFL team immediately. And that’s not even touching on second-rounders and beyond.
Why are these youngsters so darned precocious?
Large sums of jack represent one reason.
It’s absurd to give a high draft pick an obese signing bonus and then let him watch. It’s like paying a guy to go to school. Throw him in there. Make him learn and earn at the same time. The game is so much more accelerated at the NFL level than it is at the college ranks, that the only real way to indoctrinate oneself to its cold realities is to play right away.
But we’re not talking about babes being hurled to hungry wolves, although it may have seemed like that if you watched David Carr play last year.
Players who enter the sophisticated NFL environment do so after spending three years or so in an increasingly complex college game. As the rewards in college have grown over the years, so has the intensity of preparation. College coaches borrow from professional playbooks for two reasons: One, obviously to gain a competitive edge against their rivals, and two, to satisfy the desires of promising players with NFL aspirations who want to attend programs that will prepare them for the fame and fortune in the big league.


As a result, college players who go on to the NFL are more seasoned, more schooled, more physically fit and more emotionally qualified to step right in and perform. It’s the opposite of the NBA dynamic. More and more kids with less and less preparation jump to the NBA, and that league is content to let them sit and develop because the financial investment is less severe, and NBA teams are interested in grooming a kid to play for the next 10 years.
In the NFL, the future is this moment. Contracts aren’t guaranteed, and hefty signing bonuses are paid up front, so teams are eager to see results. There is an urgency to the business side of the game. A knee could get torn up, and a dream could end for good. Careers in pro football last about as long as governors in California.
The pressure is no longer an impediment to success at the pro level. You don’t see too many meltdown candidates a la Ryan Leaf. For the most part, the young men who matriculate into the NFL do so after playing at major colleges, where winning is expected, fans are merciless and the media are omnipresent. Make no mistake, coming into the NFL — where real men deal in real violence for real money — is still a culture shock for a college kid. It’s just not as much of one anymore.
These days, college players also have a wide network of sources for information about what it takes to play in the NFL. They may have coaches on their college staff with NFL experience. They may have friends or classmates who have gone on to the pros and fill them in on exactly what it takes. They may have the occasional brush with an agent or scout. They watch hours and hours of highlights and analysis on TV. They cruise the internet. They may even attend an NFL game or visit a camp.
All of this creates a maturity like never before. Young players expect to play. They’re not surprised by the amount of videotape work they’ll have to engage in as an NFL player. They’re not overwhelmed by the demands of the weight room. They’re not intimidated as much by the brutality of the NFL game. They’ve been counseled about the pitfalls of being young, having lots of money and being a target of every nefarious whack job within 100 miles. They’re ready.
Certain positions require more time and patience than others. Quarterbacks and linebackers and offensive linemen have varied responsibilities, whereas corners and running backs and wide receivers have an easier path. Still, considered as a group, NFL rookies shouldn’t count on a year’s worth of paid vacation.
And to their credit, most wouldn’t have it any other way.


Michael Ventre writes regularly for NBCSports.com and is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles


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After reading this article it should strike you that Terrance Newman was left out, but Troy Polamalu is mentioned as a impact player. I guess they want to hype him this year. They ignored Roy williams last year even though he had five interceptions and numerous game altering hits, and forced fumbles. I hope Terrance Newan has the same impact as Roy last year.

I bet the media will try to ignore Roy williams this year too, but Maddan and the media will be licking John Lynches ass.

[MFFL]

great article ffl