NFL Regular Season Games Overseas: Good or Bad Idea?

[dmek25]

santanaman, if the nfl is so popular overseas, why is it anytime you watch an nfl europe game, the stands are over half empty?

[Redskin]

Originally Posted by dmek25

santanaman, if the nfl is so popular overseas, why is it anytime you watch an nfl europe game, the stands are over half empty?

Bahahaha you watch NFLE, thats worse then college

[SantanaMan]

Originally Posted by Redskin

Bahahaha you watch NFLE, thats worse then college

I agree the quality is poor, I haven't watched it in years due to the increased availablity of NFL coverage here.
Increase the quality of players and people will get interested in it again.

The following is a list of players who have played in NFLE and went on to have pretty decent careers in NFL - see how many of them you knew had played in NFLE ... (there are more, but this is just an example)

Jake Delhomme, Kurt Warner, Brad Johnson, Lawrence Phillips, Dante Hall, Marcus Robinson, Brian Waters, Marco Rivera, LaRoi Glover, Keith Traylor, Brandon Noble, Nick Ferguson, Adam Vinatieri, David Akers

[SantanaMan]

Originally Posted by dmek25

santanaman, if the nfl is so popular overseas, why is it anytime you watch an nfl europe game, the stands are over half empty?

Because the fans know its a poor product being put out - like people have said in this thread the teams need more homegrown talent, something to have a real connection with. Right now the teams are made from cast offs that are highly unlikely to remain on NFL rosters, theres been a few great stories (such as Kurt Warner, etc), but on the whole its not as big a "developmental league" as it had been touted as.
A higher quality of players from stateside would also help as NFL teams pretty much send players it think CAN'T play and asks them to be proven wrong, rather than players that they think can play and want to watch develop. NFLE would have been perfect for Tayor Jacobs to work in gametime stuff to try and improve.
Even NFL practice squads at times have better players!
I have held a long time thought that NFLE could and should be used by players who have fallen out fo favor in the NFL (or lost their roster spot but feel they can still play in the NFL) to use it as a spring board back, say a Trung Canidate/Ryan Leaf (bad examples, but you get the idea) or whatever to say "hey I still got it", maybe get noticed and get a job back in the bigs. The added name recognition alone of these players would boost the league let alone their ability above and beyond what was already available.
However, would the NFL take what stats these players make serious given the lower standard of play, would a ex-NFLer who's lost his job swallow his pride enough to drop down in an attempt to get back up or would he rather just walk away without "lowering himself". There are a few who have, Eric Crouch and Akili Smith - names fans can recognise rather than joe schmoe from A&B college - but on the whole not enough to make a huge difference.

[That Guy]

Originally Posted by SantanaMan

Because the fans know its a poor product being put out - like people have said in this thread the teams need more homegrown talent, something to have a real connection with. Right now the teams are made from cast offs that are highly unlikely to remain on NFL rosters, theres been a few great stories (such as Kurt Warner, etc), but on the whole its not as big a "developmental league" as it had been touted as.
A higher quality of players from stateside would also help as NFL teams pretty much send players it think CAN'T play and asks them to be proven wrong, rather than players that they think can play and want to watch develop. NFLE would have been perfect for Tayor Jacobs to work in gametime stuff to try and improve.
Even NFL practice squads at times have better players!
I have held a long time thought that NFLE could and should be used by players who have fallen out fo favor in the NFL (or lost their roster spot but feel they can still play in the NFL) to use it as a spring board back, say a Trung Canidate/Ryan Leaf (bad examples, but you get the idea) or whatever to say "hey I still got it", maybe get noticed and get a job back in the bigs. The added name recognition alone of these players would boost the league let alone their ability above and beyond what was already available.
However, would the NFL take what stats these players make serious given the lower standard of play, would a ex-NFLer who's lost his job swallow his pride enough to drop down in an attempt to get back up or would he rather just walk away without "lowering himself". There are a few who have, Eric Crouch and Akili Smith - names fans can recognise rather than joe schmoe from A&B college - but on the whole not enough to make a huge difference.

that's what the CFL is for. that's where mike sellers went, where ron warner went (after the skins released him recently), where ricky williams went, where warren moon cut his teeth, etc. NFLe is more for learning special teams