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Delhomme, Cooper would hate to see NFL Europa fold
Column By Steve Reed
CHARLOTTE — A question to ponder: If there had there been no NFL Europe would there have been a contract waiting for Jake Delhomme? And if there had been no Delhomme would the Carolina Panthers have made it to the Super Bowl in 2003?
The question is worth asking in light of the financial struggles of NFL Europa (formerly known as NFL Europe and the World League of American Football) to stay afloat.
This weekend NFL Europa, which his funded by the NFL, will host World Bowl XV, but there’s a growing possibility it could be the last game ever because of the increasing cost to keep the league alive. Despite setting attendance records, the league is projected to lose about $1 million per NFL team this year, according to ESPN’s John Clayton, and it’s expected new commissioner Roger Goodell will discuss NFL Europa’s future with NFL owners at some point in the near future to determine whether it’s still worth the investment.
Many believe the league was set up to develop young quarterbacks, and Delhomme is one of those who buy into that theory.
“I cut my teeth there and got to play a lot there, so I learned a lot there,” he said. “To me, it’s a quarterback’s league — that’s what I believe. That’s what I believe it was made for — to allow young quarterbacks to play and grow.”
Delhomme, who led the Frankfurt Galaxy to a World Bowl championship in 1999, isn’t the only guy who has translated success overseas to success in the NFL.
Former Super Bowl MVP Kurt Warner is the league’s poster boy, but other quarterbacks such as Brad Johnson and Jon Kitna also rejuvenated their careers abroad.
However, quarterbacks aren’t the only guys to benefit from this developmental league, which is the closest thing the NFL has to a Minor League system.
In 2000, safety Deke Cooper was an undrafted rookie who went to training camp with the Arizona Cardinals. He failed to make the roster and did not play his first season. The Cardinals re-signed him in 2001 and allocated him to NFL Europe, where he earned first-team All-NFL Europe honors after leading the league with six interceptions.
Still, he was waived again by the Cardinals.
Carolina picked him up in 2002 and sent him back to Europe, where Cooper turned in another impressive season earning Defensive MVP honors after leading the league in interceptions for a second straight season.
Although his career never took off in Carolina, Cooper parlayed his overseas production into three solid years with the Jacksonville Jaguars (2003-2005) where he played in 46 games and recorded 154 tackles and three interceptions. The Panthers gave Cooper a second chance this offseason, signing him to a free agent contract and he’s currently competing with Nate Salley for a starting job.
“I think my chances (of making it in the NFL) would have decreased significantly, because if you don’t have anything on film it’s like nobody really knows what you exist,” Cooper said. “So it gave me a chance to show them that, ‘OK, this guy can play.’ "And, the league gave me back my confidence. Here, when you are with guys like Julius Peppers and Dan Morgan it’s easy to get overlooked. You go over there and you have a chance to build that confidence back. And this game is all about confidence. So I’d hate to see it fold.”
Of course, the NFL wants to expand its game globally, but the problem with NFL Europa now is that five of the league’s six teams are located in Germany after franchises in Barcelona, London and Scotland folded.
If the league does go under, Delhomme is hoping the NFL will find other ways to develop young quarterbacks (like himself) who might have fallen through the cracks. One suggestion is mandating that one practice squad spot per team be reserved for a quarterback.
Of course, that still doesn’t help with gaining playing time experience at the pro level.
“That’s the thing,” said Delhomme, who still follows the league closely. “That’s what was so hopeful to me. The experience I gained on the field ... that was huge. You fall back on that”
So would he be here, the starting quarterback for the Panthers, had it not been for Europe?
That’s one Delhomme can’t answer.
“I don’t know. You’d like to say yes, but who knows?” he said. “That is where I got better playing on the field in certain situations. You just learn so much.”
http://www.gastongazette.com/sports/nfl_5887___article.html/league_delhomme.html
Column By Steve Reed
CHARLOTTE — A question to ponder: If there had there been no NFL Europe would there have been a contract waiting for Jake Delhomme? And if there had been no Delhomme would the Carolina Panthers have made it to the Super Bowl in 2003?
The question is worth asking in light of the financial struggles of NFL Europa (formerly known as NFL Europe and the World League of American Football) to stay afloat.
This weekend NFL Europa, which his funded by the NFL, will host World Bowl XV, but there’s a growing possibility it could be the last game ever because of the increasing cost to keep the league alive. Despite setting attendance records, the league is projected to lose about $1 million per NFL team this year, according to ESPN’s John Clayton, and it’s expected new commissioner Roger Goodell will discuss NFL Europa’s future with NFL owners at some point in the near future to determine whether it’s still worth the investment.
Many believe the league was set up to develop young quarterbacks, and Delhomme is one of those who buy into that theory.
“I cut my teeth there and got to play a lot there, so I learned a lot there,” he said. “To me, it’s a quarterback’s league — that’s what I believe. That’s what I believe it was made for — to allow young quarterbacks to play and grow.”
Delhomme, who led the Frankfurt Galaxy to a World Bowl championship in 1999, isn’t the only guy who has translated success overseas to success in the NFL.
Former Super Bowl MVP Kurt Warner is the league’s poster boy, but other quarterbacks such as Brad Johnson and Jon Kitna also rejuvenated their careers abroad.
However, quarterbacks aren’t the only guys to benefit from this developmental league, which is the closest thing the NFL has to a Minor League system.
In 2000, safety Deke Cooper was an undrafted rookie who went to training camp with the Arizona Cardinals. He failed to make the roster and did not play his first season. The Cardinals re-signed him in 2001 and allocated him to NFL Europe, where he earned first-team All-NFL Europe honors after leading the league with six interceptions.
Still, he was waived again by the Cardinals.
Carolina picked him up in 2002 and sent him back to Europe, where Cooper turned in another impressive season earning Defensive MVP honors after leading the league in interceptions for a second straight season.
Although his career never took off in Carolina, Cooper parlayed his overseas production into three solid years with the Jacksonville Jaguars (2003-2005) where he played in 46 games and recorded 154 tackles and three interceptions. The Panthers gave Cooper a second chance this offseason, signing him to a free agent contract and he’s currently competing with Nate Salley for a starting job.
“I think my chances (of making it in the NFL) would have decreased significantly, because if you don’t have anything on film it’s like nobody really knows what you exist,” Cooper said. “So it gave me a chance to show them that, ‘OK, this guy can play.’ "And, the league gave me back my confidence. Here, when you are with guys like Julius Peppers and Dan Morgan it’s easy to get overlooked. You go over there and you have a chance to build that confidence back. And this game is all about confidence. So I’d hate to see it fold.”
Of course, the NFL wants to expand its game globally, but the problem with NFL Europa now is that five of the league’s six teams are located in Germany after franchises in Barcelona, London and Scotland folded.
If the league does go under, Delhomme is hoping the NFL will find other ways to develop young quarterbacks (like himself) who might have fallen through the cracks. One suggestion is mandating that one practice squad spot per team be reserved for a quarterback.
Of course, that still doesn’t help with gaining playing time experience at the pro level.
“That’s the thing,” said Delhomme, who still follows the league closely. “That’s what was so hopeful to me. The experience I gained on the field ... that was huge. You fall back on that”
So would he be here, the starting quarterback for the Panthers, had it not been for Europe?
That’s one Delhomme can’t answer.
“I don’t know. You’d like to say yes, but who knows?” he said. “That is where I got better playing on the field in certain situations. You just learn so much.”
http://www.gastongazette.com/sports/nfl_5887___article.html/league_delhomme.html
