Here is an interesting article looking at the difficulties that small school prospects face in getting an opportunity to achieve their dream. It looks at the difficulties of getting an agent to represent you, getting an opportunity to show yourself before scouts and the financial tolls of trying to make it to the next level - worth a read:
http://www.downattheone.com/NFL/The-journey-of-a-small-school-draft-prospect
Thoughts, opinions?
Playing in the shadow of an exceptional rookie class with no supporting cast has given Brandon Weeden a bad reputation.
Just because Weeden didn’t shine as brightly as the likes of Luck, RG3 and Wilson last season, doesn’t mean he’s a bust who has no hope of leading the Browns to post-season success. Weeden’s somewhat up and down rookie year doesn’t mean he won’t build upon it and improve. His numbers stand tall next to five of the last six Super Bowl winning quarterback’s first year numbers; did Drew Brees, Eli Manning or Joe Flacco look like they were going to become Super Bowl MVP’s after their first season? Heck, the last two of those didn’t look like they were going to become Super Bowl MVP’s after week 17 of the year they won it, let alone after their first year starting under center. Peyton Manning lead the Colts to three wins in his rookie year and threw 28 interceptions; that’s two less wins and 11 more picks than Weeden yet no one was screaming for the Colts to draft another quarterback in the 1999 NFL Draft. Times have changed; we live in the Twitter age where up-to-the-second news is the norm, where quarterbacks don’t sit for a season, where expectations are high from the outset. Brandon Weeden didn’t have half as bad of a rookie campaign as some would like to believe and there’s nothing to say that he won’t lead the Cleveland Browns to a Super Bowl in his career (well, maybe the high interception number could be a sign of things to come but that aside). Weeden was unfortunate to come out in the greatest quarterback draft class in NFL history alongside Andrew Luck, RG3 and Russell Wilson; had Weeden been able to stay in school another year and enter this years’ draft, he would be the highest rated quarterback on the board, higher than Geno Smith....:
http://www.downattheone.com/NFL/Is-Brandon-Weeden-a-franchise-quarterback
Down at the One has interesting takes on who we might take. I'd love to help out Weeden and Williams.
In spite of his off-field issues, does his talent make him worthy of a selection? He could certainly contribute and I'm sure our locker room could handle him. Getting away from Louisiana will do him good too. Thoughts, opinions?
http://www.downattheone.com/College-Football/The-Honey-Badger-Problem
