Chris Wilson Signs with Redskins

[Tighthead]

Most of the 'Skins fans were being realistic. You can't get too fired up about unknown entities who come in the door. I thought Jason Verduzco was going to be a raging sucess. Most of them seemed to be of the opinion that they might as well give him a look, nothing to lose.

I think there were some hardcore Lumsden supporters who touted him as the second coming of Jim Brown, and 'Skins fans are duly chastened as a result.

[Ravi]

Keep in mind the expanded rosters in the NFL-- athletic defensive "tweeners" like Wilson can always carve out a niche as special team players on KO, KO Return, etc.

Yes - some other examples in the past -
Benefield played for the 49ers for a year - a CFL rush end who was a linebacker but also more a special teams guy down there; Fred Perry made an NFL roster for a bit after having a great year on the Argos D - another quick CFL rush end type.
So Wilson could stick, but IMO his chances are better if he has a good "in" there via the scout or coach who brought him in for TC or thru his agent maybe. Ex-CFLers are in tough from the get-go often though with typical NFL thinkers who will pre-rate them low on the totem pole / depth chart.

I didn't recall Perry in the NFL but I do remember that Reggie Givens spent several years on special teams in the NFL after leaving the Argos following the 1997 Grey Cup victory.

[PigSkin_53]

To them, Wilson is just another CFL export doomed to failure, citing Jesse Lumsden as Exhibit A.

If they're using Lumsden as the high watermark for CFLers, then I can understand their skepticism, however, there still are a number of ex-CFLers kicking around the NFL. Former Lion Brendon Ayanbadejo, ex-Bomber Juran Bolden and current Stampeder Marc Boerigter are the three I listed as being successful CFL exports.

Those type of NFL fans don't know jack squat, and are blissful in their ignorance.

Jesse Lumsden never got a fair shake, being besides a Canadian.

They sicken me, and the NFL deserves to have a big hole poked in the eye of its blusterous, bombastic, over inflated ego. :x

[Tighthead]

Every year, on every team, undrafted free agents make NFL rosters, and some end up starting by the end of the season. Most get cut, but all get a look. Somehow, anytime a Canadian or CFL player doesn't make it, it is politics and not getting a fair shake. Every roster in the NFL has undrafted nobodies who have cracked the roster and lineup - how does that make the league's ego blusterous and bombastic?

Look at some examples:

Mike Furrey is and ex AFL and XFL safety who the Lions coverted to WR, starting him ahead of a top 10 pick out of USC. They also cut a former top 5 pick, Charles Rogers, who was also a local kid.

Tony Romo, undrafted, beats out Drew Henson, a Michigan star with a fat contract, who would have been a first rounder if he hadn't opted for baseball first.

Denver started an undrafted Rookie on the O line for several games this year.

Richard Jeanty started the opening game of the season for the Bengals.

Dallas dressed and played an undrafted LB, Oliver Hoyte, over it's first round pick, Bobby Carpenter. They also cut their fourth round pick, out of LSU, and used an undrafted guy for their returner.

Do all these examples sicken you? To me, they evidence a meritocracy.

Lumsden went to camp and got injured. He also dropped an easy pass in an exhibition game. Any other free agent who does that is going to be gone as well. Was he better than Portis, Betts, Cartright, Duckett or Sellers? I doubt it. When Lumsden got cut from Seattle, it was a similar story. Meanwhile, at the time, the 'hawks had two undrafted Canadians on the team, including a RB.

Those fans do know this much - a bunch of Lumsdenites promised that he was the second coming, and he was just another guy. Every guy who has ever washed out of any league, or not made a select team, will say that he didn't get a fair shake. I've been involved in making selections, and some times you don't need to see very much of a player to know he doesn't have it.

[Rammer]

Every year, on every team, undrafted free agents make NFL rosters, and some end up starting by the end of the season. Most get cut, but all get a look. Somehow, anytime a Canadian or CFL player doesn't make it, it is politics and not getting a fair shake. Every roster in the NFL has undrafted nobodies who have cracked the roster and lineup - how does that make the league's ego blusterous and bombastic?

Look at some examples:

Mike Furrey is and ex AFL and XFL safety who the Lions coverted to WR, starting him ahead of a top 10 pick out of USC. They also cut a former top 5 pick, Charles Rogers, who was also a local kid.

Tony Romo, undrafted, beats out Drew Henson, a Michigan star with a fat contract, who would have been a first rounder if he hadn't opted for baseball first.

Denver started an undrafted Rookie on the O line for several games this year.

Richard Jeanty started the opening game of the season for the Bengals.

Dallas dressed and played an undrafted LB, Oliver Hoyte, over it's first round pick, Bobby Carpenter. They also cut their fourth round pick, out of LSU, and used an undrafted guy for their returner.

Do all these examples sicken you? To me, they evidence a meritocracy.

Lumsden went to camp and got injured. He also dropped an easy pass in an exhibition game. Any other free agent who does that is going to be gone as well. Was he better than Portis, Betts, Cartright, Duckett or Sellers? I doubt it. When Lumsden got cut from Seattle, it was a similar story. Meanwhile, at the time, the 'hawks had two undrafted Canadians on the team, including a RB.

Those fans do know this much - a bunch of Lumsdenites promised that he was the second coming, and he was just another guy. Every guy who has ever washed out of any league, or not made a select team, will say that he didn't get a fair shake. I've been involved in making selections, and some times you don't need to see very much of a player to know he doesn't have it.

Good post, but when it is at all close I do think that the NFL coaches will select the player that the scouting team has placed their opinions on versus an undrafted player with similar talent. Every now and then an exception to the rule will fall in, but for the most part the CFL players give a good TC fodder body with some football skills to grade out the other TC bodies in camp.

Last season only 4 players stuck down south, and IIRC only 10 were signed on. All any player has to look at is the signing bonus to realize the level of commitment and value that the NFL organization places on them.

At any rate, Wilson will be looked at for his ST work, and earn his way up the ladder. Ayanbadejo was always around the football in BC, yet so far he hasn't been given a LB role, but makes the best of his ST time. Even at his level of play, he has moved from his original team, to Chicago, as he neared that NFL pension timeframe, his allstar ST work becomes a factor at the Salary Cap level.

[sj-roc]

As long as we're talking CFLers who have stuck south, the name of former Lion Shelton Quarles, who has now spent the last ten seasons with Tampa Bay, should be mentioned.

http://www.sheltonquarles.org/

http://www.buccaneers.com/news/newsdeta ... ewsid=5567

[Tighthead]

I think that the way the NFL cap works, guys like Ayanbedejo are somewhat protected as if they are getting the minimum for their seniority level, they only count against the cap for $450K or so. I am sketchy on the details, but that way a guy like him making $700 or so is no more costly (from a cap perspective) than a rookie. They put that in because too many veteran reserve players were getting axed for just that reason - the escalating minimum was working against them.

No doubt CFL guys tend to be camp fodder, but so are other undrafted players, and even sixth and seventh round picks. If a seventh rounder comes in and gets injured, he is likely to be cut. But all of those guys are signed for a reason - they have been scouted, and there is a hope that they can do something.

I agree about the influence of the scouting department, but there is lots to take into consideration. The drafted player will usually be a little younger, and less developed. Think of a guy like Rob Murphy. I expect he is good enough to be a reserve tackle on many NFL teams. However, he isn't likely to get much better. A 23 year old third rounder fresh out of college may not be quite as good, but has way more potential.

Another thing that I think we tend to overlook is that players come to our league and improve. It is easy to say that someone like Geroy never got a fair shake when he was in NFL camps, but that fails to recognize how much he has improved over the course of his career here. WR is also a position where the players are very fungible once you get past the very best.

I think the theory that Canadians are discriminated against is also a little goofy - David Dixon was an undrafted player who had a long career with the Vikings. He was a Maori. An Estonian was drafted out of Eastern Washington two years ago. Teams want players.

[Canuck_4_Life]

To them, Wilson is just another CFL export doomed to failure, citing Jesse Lumsden as Exhibit A.

If they're using Lumsden as the high watermark for CFLers, then I can understand their skepticism, however, there still are a number of ex-CFLers kicking around the NFL. Former Lion Brendon Ayanbadejo, ex-Bomber Juran Bolden and current Stampeder Marc Boerigter are the three I listed as being successful CFL exports.

Those type of NFL fans don't know jack squat, and are blissful in their ignorance.

Jesse Lumsden never got a fair shake, being besides a Canadian.

They sicken me, and the NFL deserves to have a big hole poked in the eye of its blusterous, bombastic, over inflated ego. :x

To you, they are blissful in their ignorance, however, to me, they are more well versed in the NFL game than we are, therefore I tend to believe them moreso than you, as it relates to how Chris Wilson looks on paper.

If all you saw was a headshot and somewhat underwhelming stats in the CFL, not to mention a seeing a Div II college listed, I wouldn't exactly be lining up for seasons tickets at Fedex Field quite yet.

So, if they're right on the money about Chris Wilson, are they still blissfully ignorant? What would that make you?

I'm not sure if any single one of us can look at this from a completely neutral point of view, being BC Lions fans.

Looking at this from their POV, if I saw less than 100 tackles in 2 seasons as a starter, darn right I'd be skeptical, especially given the history of CFL exports.

As for the Detroit Lions cutting Charles Rodgers, didn't he have an irregular heartbeat or something that led him to being cut, aside from a piss-poor O-line and a QB who spent more time on his back then he did upright?

[Tighthead]

It's not like they aren't watching him in practice every day to see what he can do. If they thought he was good enough, why would they cut him? Why go through the trouble of scouting him, signing him, taking him to mini camps, training camps and exhibition if they are only going to feed him to the vast conspiracy?

Don't forget, if he was going to make the teams, it would have been on kick teams most likely, so carries don't really matter. Getting injured certainly does though, and he managed to do that in both attempts.

[Tighthead]

[

As for the Detroit Lions cutting Charles Rodgers, didn't he have an irregular heartbeat or something that led him to being cut, aside from a piss-poor O-line and a QB who spent more time on his back then he did upright?

He did have some drug issues (not sure if they were roids or other), but mainly sucked:

Upon his return from suspension, despite the fact that Rogers was deemed healthy, he played only nine games, with three starts, and was declared inactive for four games. He caught 14 passes for 197 yards and a touchdown.

On September 2, 2006, Charles Rogers was released by the Lions. According to Lions coach Rod Marinelli, Rogers simply wasn't good enough to make his team, which values hard work over raw talent. "We picked the men that are right for this football team," said Marinelli