Tommy to the Raiders

[TomCat88]

There are not that many guys that jump from FCS to active NFL rosters right away. Troy obviously did, but he's a freak and was not learning a new position. Thinking of singleton, Daniel hardy, Okada, pretty sure Mike person was a practice squad guy for awhile. To name a few. Tommy looks to have a winding road ahead if he wants to make football a career but we all know he's capable.

Great point. I would add that very few FCS and lower players have left a big mark on the NFL. Most are backups and special teams players. I just looked at the list of the top 20 FCS players to play in the Pro Bowl and I only recognized about the half the names. One was Randy Moss, who actually only played one year in the FCS. Jan Stenerud is the only MSU player I can think of that made the Pro Bowl. I'm not sure if any Griz players have. Maybe Scott Gragg? Bierman? Stenerud, Kupp and Jared Allen are probably the most prominent NFL players out of the Big Sky. Roos? Singleton is making a push.

Could totally be spacing someone out but my point is that it's hard to make the NFL and if you do, you're probably not going to be a household name even among people who follow the FCS. Most players are in the Colt Anderson, Daniel Hardy, Jordan Tripp, Ty Okada mold...players that have to survive the cut year in and year out. Mellott, should he ever make it, would probably be in that group, which is really about the most you can hope for. Busting through to the top of the league is super rare. When you are that good, you still have to avoid getting sidetracked by injuries, like Andersen.

Mariani was a Pro-Bowler from UM

That's right, as a punt returner! And he set a couple records. Most returns and most return yards.

[nanacat]

Any chance there will be an interview with Tommy as to what's next for him? @Colter_Nuanez
Of course the wound is still fresh, so not expecting anything real soon, if at all.

[gtapp]

Saints on Monday. Broncos reached out.

[nanacat]

Saints on Monday. Broncos reached out.

Nice that you're "in the know"

[autocat]

Tommy has a kickoff return to start the 2nd of a preseason game for 43 yards, a solo tackle on another kickoff, couple other returns for 20+ yards, a line drive kick return that most wouldn’t have handled. I don’t understand what teams are looking for!!

In the limited plays from preseason there is film on him, how about the one punt when he’s the first guy down field and the next raider is 15 yards behind him, now he misses the tackle but that’s all fixable!! Help me out, I don’t get this sh——

[BobcatDel]

There are not that many guys that jump from FCS to active NFL rosters right away. Troy obviously did, but he's a freak and was not learning a new position. Thinking of singleton, Daniel hardy, Okada, pretty sure Mike person was a practice squad guy for awhile. To name a few. Tommy looks to have a winding road ahead if he wants to make football a career but we all know he's capable.

Great point. I would add that very few FCS and lower players have left a big mark on the NFL. Most are backups and special teams players. I just looked at the list of the top 20 FCS players to play in the Pro Bowl and I only recognized about the half the names. One was Randy Moss, who actually only played one year in the FCS. Jan Stenerud is the only MSU player I can think of that made the Pro Bowl. I'm not sure if any Griz players have. Maybe Scott Gragg? Bierman? Stenerud, Kupp and Jared Allen are probably the most prominent NFL players out of the Big Sky. Roos? Singleton is making a push.

Could totally be spacing someone out but my point is that it's hard to make the NFL and if you do, you're probably not going to be a household name even among people who follow the FCS. Most players are in the Colt Anderson, Daniel Hardy, Jordan Tripp, Ty Okada mold...players that have to survive the cut year in and year out. Mellott, should he ever make it, would probably be in that group, which is really about the most you can hope for. Busting through to the top of the league is super rare. When you are that good, you still have to avoid getting sidetracked by injuries, like Andersen.

There were more from smaller schools that are leaving or left a mark.
- Kurt Warner No Iowa
- Richard Dent Tennessee St
- Michael Strahan Texas Southern
- Terry Bradshaw LA Tech (yeah it’s FBS now but not then)
- Tyreek Hill from West Alabama
- Jerry Rice (Mississippi Valley State) and Terrell Owens (Chattanooga)…pretty sure they kinda left itty bitty marks in the receiving world…at least the videos I have seen with them torching DBs
- I would argue a guy named Walter Payton fits the bill from Jackson State which was not exactly a powerhouse
- there are more if I did some research

[cats2506]

There are not that many guys that jump from FCS to active NFL rosters right away. Troy obviously did, but he's a freak and was not learning a new position. Thinking of singleton, Daniel hardy, Okada, pretty sure Mike person was a practice squad guy for awhile. To name a few. Tommy looks to have a winding road ahead if he wants to make football a career but we all know he's capable.

Great point. I would add that very few FCS and lower players have left a big mark on the NFL. Most are backups and special teams players. I just looked at the list of the top 20 FCS players to play in the Pro Bowl and I only recognized about the half the names. One was Randy Moss, who actually only played one year in the FCS. Jan Stenerud is the only MSU player I can think of that made the Pro Bowl. I'm not sure if any Griz players have. Maybe Scott Gragg? Bierman? Stenerud, Kupp and Jared Allen are probably the most prominent NFL players out of the Big Sky. Roos? Singleton is making a push.

Could totally be spacing someone out but my point is that it's hard to make the NFL and if you do, you're probably not going to be a household name even among people who follow the FCS. Most players are in the Colt Anderson, Daniel Hardy, Jordan Tripp, Ty Okada mold...players that have to survive the cut year in and year out. Mellott, should he ever make it, would probably be in that group, which is really about the most you can hope for. Busting through to the top of the league is super rare. When you are that good, you still have to avoid getting sidetracked by injuries, like Andersen.

There were more from smaller schools that are leaving or left a mark.
- Kurt Warner No Iowa
- Richard Dent Tennessee St
- Michael Strahan Texas Southern
- Terry Bradshaw LA Tech (yeah it’s FBS now but not then)
- Tyreek Hill from West Alabama
- Jerry Rice (Mississippi Valley State) and Terrell Owens (Chattanooga)…pretty sure they kinda left itty bitty marks in the receiving world…at least the videos I have seen with them torching DBs
- I would argue a guy named Walter Payton fits the bill from Jackson State which was not exactly a powerhouse
- there are more if I did some research

Tony Romo

[TomCat88]

There are not that many guys that jump from FCS to active NFL rosters right away. Troy obviously did, but he's a freak and was not learning a new position. Thinking of singleton, Daniel hardy, Okada, pretty sure Mike person was a practice squad guy for awhile. To name a few. Tommy looks to have a winding road ahead if he wants to make football a career but we all know he's capable.

Great point. I would add that very few FCS and lower players have left a big mark on the NFL. Most are backups and special teams players. I just looked at the list of the top 20 FCS players to play in the Pro Bowl and I only recognized about the half the names. One was Randy Moss, who actually only played one year in the FCS. Jan Stenerud is the only MSU player I can think of that made the Pro Bowl. I'm not sure if any Griz players have. Maybe Scott Gragg? Bierman? Stenerud, Kupp and Jared Allen are probably the most prominent NFL players out of the Big Sky. Roos? Singleton is making a push.

Could totally be spacing someone out but my point is that it's hard to make the NFL and if you do, you're probably not going to be a household name even among people who follow the FCS. Most players are in the Colt Anderson, Daniel Hardy, Jordan Tripp, Ty Okada mold...players that have to survive the cut year in and year out. Mellott, should he ever make it, would probably be in that group, which is really about the most you can hope for. Busting through to the top of the league is super rare. When you are that good, you still have to avoid getting sidetracked by injuries, like Andersen.

There were more from smaller schools that are leaving or left a mark.
- Kurt Warner No Iowa
- Richard Dent Tennessee St
- Michael Strahan Texas Southern
- Terry Bradshaw LA Tech (yeah it’s FBS now but not then)
- Tyreek Hill from West Alabama
- Jerry Rice (Mississippi Valley State) and Terrell Owens (Chattanooga)…pretty sure they kinda left itty bitty marks in the receiving world…at least the videos I have seen with them torching DBs
- I would argue a guy named Walter Payton fits the bill from Jackson State which was not exactly a powerhouse
- there are more if I did some research

I was talking about the BSC, but even if your list included everyone it is very small considering that it's all small schools and a huge time frame. Mean Joe Green was a small school guy, too. Buck Buchanan. Most FCS and smaller are very low-key players. It's still a great gig and I'm not trying to downplay it. Just pointing how difficult it is to first, make a practice squad, then a 53-man, then a starter, then a prominent player even if don't switch positions.

As for switching positions, the number of players that have done that successfully is tiny. Most are switching very slightly relative to QB to WR. Like OLB to DE, WR to TE. Pat Donovan went from DL to OL, which I would guess is easier than QB to WR, plus it was a whole different era. He was an All-America at Stanford and the 90th pick of the draft though, so that might've given him a leg up. Tommy was 213.

[Colter_Nuanez]

There are not that many guys that jump from FCS to active NFL rosters right away. Troy obviously did, but he's a freak and was not learning a new position. Thinking of singleton, Daniel hardy, Okada, pretty sure Mike person was a practice squad guy for awhile. To name a few. Tommy looks to have a winding road ahead if he wants to make football a career but we all know he's capable.

Great point. I would add that very few FCS and lower players have left a big mark on the NFL. Most are backups and special teams players. I just looked at the list of the top 20 FCS players to play in the Pro Bowl and I only recognized about the half the names. One was Randy Moss, who actually only played one year in the FCS. Jan Stenerud is the only MSU player I can think of that made the Pro Bowl. I'm not sure if any Griz players have. Maybe Scott Gragg? Bierman? Stenerud, Kupp and Jared Allen are probably the most prominent NFL players out of the Big Sky. Roos? Singleton is making a push.

Could totally be spacing someone out but my point is that it's hard to make the NFL and if you do, you're probably not going to be a household name even among people who follow the FCS. Most players are in the Colt Anderson, Daniel Hardy, Jordan Tripp, Ty Okada mold...players that have to survive the cut year in and year out. Mellott, should he ever make it, would probably be in that group, which is really about the most you can hope for. Busting through to the top of the league is super rare. When you are that good, you still have to avoid getting sidetracked by injuries, like Andersen.

There were more from smaller schools that are leaving or left a mark.
- Kurt Warner No Iowa
- Richard Dent Tennessee St
- Michael Strahan Texas Southern
- Terry Bradshaw LA Tech (yeah it’s FBS now but not then)
- Tyreek Hill from West Alabama
- Jerry Rice (Mississippi Valley State) and Terrell Owens (Chattanooga)…pretty sure they kinda left itty bitty marks in the receiving world…at least the videos I have seen with them torching DBs
- I would argue a guy named Walter Payton fits the bill from Jackson State which was not exactly a powerhouse
- there are more if I did some research

I was talking about the BSC, but even if your list included everyone it is very small considering that it's all small schools and a huge time frame. Mean Joe Green was a small school guy, too. Buck Buchanan. Most FCS and smaller are very low-key players. It's still a great gig and I'm not trying to downplay it. Just pointing how difficult it is to first, make a practice squad, then a 53-man, then a starter, then a prominent player even if don't switch positions.

As for switching positions, the number of players that have done that successfully is tiny. Most are switching very slightly relative to QB to WR. Like OLB to DE, WR to TE. Pat Donovan went from DL to OL, which I would guess is easier than QB to WR, plus it was a whole different era. He was an All-America at Stanford and the 90th pick of the draft though, so that might've given him a leg up. Tommy was 213.

Guys like Jerry Rice and Walter Payton went to school where they went because of HBCU ties and because the full tipping point of standout Black athletes getting recruited by the best football schools in the country had only just begun. Guys from a previous generation like Deacon Jones, Art Shell and Jackie Slater all went to HBCUs because the top programs were hardly recruiting minority players at all.

I would argue that if Richard Dent or Michael Strahan or Steve McNair or Jerry Rice or Walter Payton came out of high school any time in the last 25 years, and particularly any time in the last 10-15, there is a 0 percent chance they go to their respective schools. They are going Power 4 all day long. Rice, as a "slow" receiver, may be the exception. None of the rest of those guys is getting past Ohio State and Michigan and Georgia recruiters now....

[Bobcat4Ever]

Forget the Raiders. When Spytek was asked, he said, “Yes, I wasted that one.” Look forward. Alex Singleton and Travis Lulay both had awesome careers in the CFL. Singleton tranlated to the NFL, Lulay did not. That’s okay — each of them met more influential people and made more money than if they’d been selling insurance.

I still feel Timmy has a shot somewhere. Denver was openly looking for a “Swiss army knife” before the draft. Carroll and Kelly don’t exactly have track records with that kind of player. I sometimes have this weird feeling that Tommy was used as a pawn in some hidden business game. Literally from day one, as many have noted, he was shunted to the sideline. He mostly got snaps on the all-cut team. I guess we’ll never know. Nor do I care. Tommy left an all-time mark on the ‘Cats.

[Bobcat4Ever]

Joe Flacco.

Thinking about the CFL. Travis Lulay became a highly decorated CFL player. CFL MVP. Grey Cup Champion. Grey Cup MVP. Gets no bigger than that. I think Tommy could take advantage, like did Travis, of the size of the field. How about trying to catch Tommy in a much bigger field, with only one more defender. RPO plays rule. Vernon Adams. I think, if he goes that direction, that he kills it as a QB and can forget the wide receiver stuff.

Has anyone mentioned Travis Jonsen, who transitioned to WR at MSU and carried it in into the NFL? No surprise, as he was 3-4” taller than Tommy, had excellent speed, but coukdn’t throw a ball on elevation to save his life.

[BelligerentBobcat]

There are not that many guys that jump from FCS to active NFL rosters right away. Troy obviously did, but he's a freak and was not learning a new position. Thinking of singleton, Daniel hardy, Okada, pretty sure Mike person was a practice squad guy for awhile. To name a few. Tommy looks to have a winding road ahead if he wants to make football a career but we all know he's capable.

Great point. I would add that very few FCS and lower players have left a big mark on the NFL. Most are backups and special teams players. I just looked at the list of the top 20 FCS players to play in the Pro Bowl and I only recognized about the half the names. One was Randy Moss, who actually only played one year in the FCS. Jan Stenerud is the only MSU player I can think of that made the Pro Bowl. I'm not sure if any Griz players have. Maybe Scott Gragg? Bierman? Stenerud, Kupp and Jared Allen are probably the most prominent NFL players out of the Big Sky. Roos? Singleton is making a push.

Could totally be spacing someone out but my point is that it's hard to make the NFL and if you do, you're probably not going to be a household name even among people who follow the FCS. Most players are in the Colt Anderson, Daniel Hardy, Jordan Tripp, Ty Okada mold...players that have to survive the cut year in and year out. Mellott, should he ever make it, would probably be in that group, which is really about the most you can hope for. Busting through to the top of the league is super rare. When you are that good, you still have to avoid getting sidetracked by injuries, like Andersen.

There were more from smaller schools that are leaving or left a mark.
- Kurt Warner No Iowa
- Richard Dent Tennessee St
- Michael Strahan Texas Southern
- Terry Bradshaw LA Tech (yeah it’s FBS now but not then)
- Tyreek Hill from West Alabama
- Jerry Rice (Mississippi Valley State) and Terrell Owens (Chattanooga)…pretty sure they kinda left itty bitty marks in the receiving world…at least the videos I have seen with them torching DBs
- I would argue a guy named Walter Payton fits the bill from Jackson State which was not exactly a powerhouse
- there are more if I did some research

If we’re using examples from 30 years ago, those are poor examples that don’t reflect the times.

Tyreek Hill went to a small school because of off field issues. He was at Oklahoma State before getting kicked off.

[BelligerentBobcat]

Forget the Raiders. When Spytek was asked, he said, “Yes, I wasted that one.” Look forward. Alex Singleton and Travis Lulay both had awesome careers in the CFL. Singleton tranlated to the NFL, Lulay did not. That’s okay — each of them met more influential people and made more money than if they’d been selling insurance.

I still feel Timmy has a shot somewhere. Denver was openly looking for a “Swiss army knife” before the draft. Carroll and Kelly don’t exactly have track records with that kind of player. I sometimes have this weird feeling that Tommy was used as a pawn in some hidden business game. Literally from day one, as many have noted, he was shunted to the sideline. He mostly got snaps on the all-cut team. I guess we’ll never know. Nor do I care. Tommy left an all-time mark on the ‘Cats.

What game would they be playing? A late round pick from a small school? There’s no game to be played.

It is very rare that a drafted rookie doesn’t make it to his original teams practice squad. They didn’t draft him and just decide to give him a shot. The idea that they just sat him on the sidelines for practice is ludicrous. Whether it was due to him being far behind the curve, or something else, at the end of the day, he didn’t perform well enough to get a spot. There’s no hidden agenda.

[SCVBobcat]

Forget the Raiders. When Spytek was asked, he said, “Yes, I wasted that one.” Look forward. Alex Singleton and Travis Lulay both had awesome careers in the CFL. Singleton tranlated to the NFL, Lulay did not. That’s okay — each of them met more influential people and made more money than if they’d been selling insurance.

I still feel Timmy has a shot somewhere. Denver was openly looking for a “Swiss army knife” before the draft. Carroll and Kelly don’t exactly have track records with that kind of player. I sometimes have this weird feeling that Tommy was used as a pawn in some hidden business game. Literally from day one, as many have noted, he was shunted to the sideline. He mostly got snaps on the all-cut team. I guess we’ll never know. Nor do I care. Tommy left an all-time mark on the ‘Cats.

What game would they be playing? A late round pick from a small school? There’s no game to be played.

It is very rare that a drafted rookie doesn’t make it to his original teams practice squad. They didn’t draft him and just decide to give him a shot. The idea that they just sat him on the sidelines for practice is ludicrous. Whether it was due to him being far behind the curve, or something else, at the end of the day, he didn’t perform well enough to get a spot. There’s no hidden agenda.

Spytek explained it when he said that he hoped Tommy would find a situation with "more patience". He said he still believes in Tommy, and I will take him at his word. At this point in his life Pete Carroll is probably more concerned with developing his advanced medical directive than developing an FCS QB to WR.

[RobertCats]

I was thinking about this last night, my guess is that Pete Carrol being the head coach had the most to do with this. He is the oldest coach in NFL history at 74 years old and he signed a 3-year contract. So I assume his window to coach is, at the most, three years. He does not have time for projects; he is in "win now" mode. I mean just look at his offseason transactions, he loaded up on veterans.

Raheem Mostert RB-33
Amari Cooper WR-31
Geno Smith QB-34 (*Trade)
Alex Cappa G-30
Jamal Adams LB-29
Devin White LB-27
Jeremy Chinn S-27
Malcolm Koonce DE-27
Leki Fotu DT-27
Adam Butler DT-31

He did sign a few younger DBs at like 25 and 26 but for the most part these were his free agent signings this year.

[Hi-Line Bobcat]

Forget the Raiders. When Spytek was asked, he said, “Yes, I wasted that one.” Look forward. Alex Singleton and Travis Lulay both had awesome careers in the CFL. Singleton tranlated to the NFL, Lulay did not. That’s okay — each of them met more influential people and made more money than if they’d been selling insurance.

I still feel Timmy has a shot somewhere. Denver was openly looking for a “Swiss army knife” before the draft. Carroll and Kelly don’t exactly have track records with that kind of player. I sometimes have this weird feeling that Tommy was used as a pawn in some hidden business game. Literally from day one, as many have noted, he was shunted to the sideline. He mostly got snaps on the all-cut team. I guess we’ll never know. Nor do I care. Tommy left an all-time mark on the ‘Cats.

What game would they be playing? A late round pick from a small school? There’s no game to be played.

It is very rare that a drafted rookie doesn’t make it to his original teams practice squad. They didn’t draft him and just decide to give him a shot. The idea that they just sat him on the sidelines for practice is ludicrous. Whether it was due to him being far behind the curve, or something else, at the end of the day, he didn’t perform well enough to get a spot. There’s no hidden agenda.

Games are played all the time, and there is always an angle played no matter if it’s the big leagues or little leagues. Not one person on here knows what went on in the draft room. no one knows if Carrol or the GM had an ax to grind with another coach or GM and drafted Tommy to spite that other coach, with no real plan for him. Money is no object for teams, so they don’t care about wasting a mill or two. You also could be right and he could have been doing horrible in practice, even though the fan boys and all the podcasts didn’t even suggest that, nor did the announcers who were talking him up during the last game. Something doesn’t make sense in the whole thing.
Look at the Sanders deal with Cleveland, they let go of a guy who was in all reporting outperforming Sanders. Sanders looked absolutely terrible in his last game, but amazingly they kept him on the team and moved their other QB. Politics is everywhere in life and so are hidden agendas, to not think that is unrealistic in my mind. How many shots did the raiders give Jamarcus Russel, before their ineptitude finally was unavoidable and they had to cut and run?

[PapaG]

Joe Flacco.

Thinking about the CFL. Travis Lulay became a highly decorated CFL player. CFL MVP. Grey Cup Champion. Grey Cup MVP. Gets no bigger than that. I think Tommy could take advantage, like did Travis, of the size of the field. How about trying to catch Tommy in a much bigger field, with only one more defender. RPO plays rule. Vernon Adams. I think, if he goes that direction, that he kills it as a QB and can forget the wide receiver stuff.

Has anyone mentioned Travis Jonsen, who transitioned to WR at MSU and carried it in into the NFL? No surprise, as he was 3-4” taller than Tommy, had excellent speed, but coukdn’t throw a ball on elevation to save his life.

Flacco was a drop-down from Pitt.

[onceacat]

There are not that many guys that jump from FCS to active NFL rosters right away. Troy obviously did, but he's a freak and was not learning a new position. Thinking of singleton, Daniel hardy, Okada, pretty sure Mike person was a practice squad guy for awhile. To name a few. Tommy looks to have a winding road ahead if he wants to make football a career but we all know he's capable.

Great point. I would add that very few FCS and lower players have left a big mark on the NFL. Most are backups and special teams players. I just looked at the list of the top 20 FCS players to play in the Pro Bowl and I only recognized about the half the names. One was Randy Moss, who actually only played one year in the FCS. Jan Stenerud is the only MSU player I can think of that made the Pro Bowl. I'm not sure if any Griz players have. Maybe Scott Gragg? Bierman? Stenerud, Kupp and Jared Allen are probably the most prominent NFL players out of the Big Sky. Roos? Singleton is making a push.

Could totally be spacing someone out but my point is that it's hard to make the NFL and if you do, you're probably not going to be a household name even among people who follow the FCS. Most players are in the Colt Anderson, Daniel Hardy, Jordan Tripp, Ty Okada mold...players that have to survive the cut year in and year out. Mellott, should he ever make it, would probably be in that group, which is really about the most you can hope for. Busting through to the top of the league is super rare. When you are that good, you still have to avoid getting sidetracked by injuries, like Andersen.

There were more from smaller schools that are leaving or left a mark.
- Kurt Warner No Iowa
- Richard Dent Tennessee St
- Michael Strahan Texas Southern
- Terry Bradshaw LA Tech (yeah it’s FBS now but not then)
- Tyreek Hill from West Alabama
- Jerry Rice (Mississippi Valley State) and Terrell Owens (Chattanooga)…pretty sure they kinda left itty bitty marks in the receiving world…at least the videos I have seen with them torching DBs
- I would argue a guy named Walter Payton fits the bill from Jackson State which was not exactly a powerhouse
- there are more if I did some research

Brian Westbrook was a 2x pro bowler. Tony Romo was a 4x pro bowler

But, yeah. It's an uphill climb for a guy like Mellott to learn a new position AND make a mark.

Seems to me like he'd be a spectacular addition to a practice squad to help teams prep for a dual threat QB like Lamar Jackson.

[BelligerentBobcat]

Forget the Raiders. When Spytek was asked, he said, “Yes, I wasted that one.” Look forward. Alex Singleton and Travis Lulay both had awesome careers in the CFL. Singleton tranlated to the NFL, Lulay did not. That’s okay — each of them met more influential people and made more money than if they’d been selling insurance.

I still feel Timmy has a shot somewhere. Denver was openly looking for a “Swiss army knife” before the draft. Carroll and Kelly don’t exactly have track records with that kind of player. I sometimes have this weird feeling that Tommy was used as a pawn in some hidden business game. Literally from day one, as many have noted, he was shunted to the sideline. He mostly got snaps on the all-cut team. I guess we’ll never know. Nor do I care. Tommy left an all-time mark on the ‘Cats.

What game would they be playing? A late round pick from a small school? There’s no game to be played.

It is very rare that a drafted rookie doesn’t make it to his original teams practice squad. They didn’t draft him and just decide to give him a shot. The idea that they just sat him on the sidelines for practice is ludicrous. Whether it was due to him being far behind the curve, or something else, at the end of the day, he didn’t perform well enough to get a spot. There’s no hidden agenda.

Games are played all the time, and there is always an angle played no matter if it’s the big leagues or little leagues. Not one person on here knows what went on in the draft room. no one knows if Carrol or the GM had an ax to grind with another coach or GM and drafted Tommy to spite that other coach, with no real plan for him. Money is no object for teams, so they don’t care about wasting a mill or two. You also could be right and he could have been doing horrible in practice, even though the fan boys and all the podcasts didn’t even suggest that, nor did the announcers who were talking him up during the last game. Something doesn’t make sense in the whole thing.
Look at the Sanders deal with Cleveland, they let go of a guy who was in all reporting outperforming Sanders. Sanders looked absolutely terrible in his last game, but amazingly they kept him on the team and moved their other QB. Politics is everywhere in life and so are hidden agendas, to not think that is unrealistic in my mind. How many shots did the raiders give Jamarcus Russel, before their ineptitude finally was unavoidable and they had to cut and run?

Nobody is drafting a player solely to spite another team or coach.

I’ll put it this way. Think of what you would say if Griz fans were saying all of this about one of their players. You would rightfully call them out. It’s no different here.

[91catAlum]

There are not that many guys that jump from FCS to active NFL rosters right away. Troy obviously did, but he's a freak and was not learning a new position. Thinking of singleton, Daniel hardy, Okada, pretty sure Mike person was a practice squad guy for awhile. To name a few. Tommy looks to have a winding road ahead if he wants to make football a career but we all know he's capable.

Great point. I would add that very few FCS and lower players have left a big mark on the NFL. Most are backups and special teams players. I just looked at the list of the top 20 FCS players to play in the Pro Bowl and I only recognized about the half the names. One was Randy Moss, who actually only played one year in the FCS. Jan Stenerud is the only MSU player I can think of that made the Pro Bowl. I'm not sure if any Griz players have. Maybe Scott Gragg? Bierman? Stenerud, Kupp and Jared Allen are probably the most prominent NFL players out of the Big Sky. Roos? Singleton is making a push.

Could totally be spacing someone out but my point is that it's hard to make the NFL and if you do, you're probably not going to be a household name even among people who follow the FCS. Most players are in the Colt Anderson, Daniel Hardy, Jordan Tripp, Ty Okada mold...players that have to survive the cut year in and year out. Mellott, should he ever make it, would probably be in that group, which is really about the most you can hope for. Busting through to the top of the league is super rare. When you are that good, you still have to avoid getting sidetracked by injuries, like Andersen.

There were more from smaller schools that are leaving or left a mark.
- Kurt Warner No Iowa
- Richard Dent Tennessee St
- Michael Strahan Texas Southern
- Terry Bradshaw LA Tech (yeah it’s FBS now but not then)
- Tyreek Hill from West Alabama
- Jerry Rice (Mississippi Valley State) and Terrell Owens (Chattanooga)…pretty sure they kinda left itty bitty marks in the receiving world…at least the videos I have seen with them torching DBs
- I would argue a guy named Walter Payton fits the bill from Jackson State which was not exactly a powerhouse
- there are more if I did some research

Tyreek Hill went to a small school because of off field issues. He was at Oklahoma State before getting kicked off.

Right, same with Randy Moss. He didn't choose Marshall until he was out of FBS options.