Developmental Time

These next 2 days are serious times for the NFL. The reason why, all 32 teams have to get their rosters from 75 to 53. After watching numerous pre-season games on the NFL Network, there are many good young players out there that are going to be released on Friday September 3rd and Saturday September 4th. In retrospect, what really should be occurring is that these 22 players that are going to be released really should be placed on each team's minor league program along with 11 more to give each NFL franchise a total of 33 minor leaguers. A minor league for each team gives each franchise an opportunity to develop players that need work on technique, need work on strength, need work on team chemistry, and need work on the adjustment to the speed of the NFL game. There always is a referral back to Steelers James Harrison who coming out of Kent State was released by Pittsburgh 3 times and signed by Baltimore, sent to play for the Rhein Fire in NFL Europe, signed back by the Steelers and 5 years later becomes the defensive MVP of the league. The position that a minor league system would assist the most is quarterbacks. If Steelers Dennis Dixon during his rookie and second year was playing in minor league games instead of being in a non-playing role, he could have developed his quarterback skills playing in numerous NFL minor league games. Nothing like hands-on experience. I am swinging into the wind here because the NFL powers will not institute a minor league but there are many on the rise players that never get a chance to develop.