rogers park bryan wrote:
veganfan21 wrote:
I'd agree that the NFL encourages parity, but I wonder if parity is also the inevitable consequence of a football league. Unlike the other major sports, to me football seems the most "open" in that you can coach up pretty much anyone with the minimal skill set and mental makeup to throw, catch, or run with a football, and the same for some positions on defense.
As evidence I'd point to several NFL stars who were either undrafted or were late, late round picks. I'm 100% sure there is no Tom Brady or Kurt Warner of the NBA, meaning undrafted or late round draft pick afterthoughts who went on to set records for their positions and lead teams to several championship games, and the same may be the case for the MLB and NHL.
So because more ordinary guys (i.e. mediocre prospects to those not even considered as prospects) are capable of playing good football than they are other major sports, I think that adds to the lack of team or player dominance in the NFL: most everyone is or can be on equal footing.
I have to disagree. It's the Cap and the slotting system. Its set up to keep talent equal and it does it's job.
I don't disagree, but at the same time I don't think my opinion and the bit about the cap system are mutually exclusive.
My point is there is rare talent in the NFL at all positions, but at the same time since football is an easier sport to break into as opposed to others, the fact that more players can be coached up to excel is one more reason why teams seem to be so evenly matched.
For example, my team may not be able to sign three future HOF players in their prime at the QB, WR, and RB spots - since the system is designed to prohibit that kind of talent grab - but I can very likely find a WR or RB on my own in the 5th or 6th round, or even off the street, and coach him up to be a perennial All Pro, or even a HOFer. That has happened several times, and Arian Foster is one example off the top of my head.
The NBA has also tried to prevent talent monopolies in several ways, one of which is incentivizing free agents to stay with their current team, but what partly explains the predictability of NBA competition is the makeup of the players - there are no from streets to glory stories in that league, because if you're not supremely athletic and over 6'3, you're not likely to become a difference maker. That isn't true in the NFL, where stud players can and often do come out of nowhere, which is partly why it seems every team has a shot each year.