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<blockquote data-quote="theo" data-source="post: 299617"><p>It'll take time and money (lots of it) before they're competing for full blown NFL talent. All of the executives involved come from the major American sports (NFL, NBA, MLB) so they've seen first hand how athletes have driven up salaries. They have no plans to kill themselves chasing overpriced talent. If they do get if off the ground right, they will certainly compete for the fringe NFL prospects. Guys that weren't quite good enough to stay in the NFL long term, but have all of the athletic ability. </p><p></p><p>Two of the USA 7's most recent project players are NFL castoffs, one of which also ran hurdles in the Olympics. The first one adapted to rugby way better than expected. It's too early to call on the second player since he's currently in his first camp with the team. </p><p></p><p>You get the idea though. Each year there are hundreds of those kind of guys that end up going into the workforce or making peanuts playing football in Canada or one of the small-time arena leagues. </p><p></p><p>There are also quite a few American rugby players that call it quits when they finish college in order to get jobs, because a professional rugby career is unlikely. This type of setup certainly could extend the careers of some worthwhile players. The USA 7's Captain and 15's player Kevin Swiryn nearly quit the game when he graduated, but ended up sticking it out and he's turned into a huge find. </p><p></p><p>As for the competition, I do know more about it than I included in the article. Some of it is directly from the source and other parts are from an unnamed source, so I'm holding onto the infomation until I piece it all together. But, I can say it's defintely not a league setup such as the Magners League, Super 14, etc. It would be too hard to pull something like that off with 16 teams from around the world. Plus, as you said... it just doesn't fit with the 7's format. </p><p></p><p>Expect it to be more of a tournament type format as with other 7's events. The way they plan to package, broadcast, and market the competition revolves around it.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="theo, post: 299617"] It'll take time and money (lots of it) before they're competing for full blown NFL talent. All of the executives involved come from the major American sports (NFL, NBA, MLB) so they've seen first hand how athletes have driven up salaries. They have no plans to kill themselves chasing overpriced talent. If they do get if off the ground right, they will certainly compete for the fringe NFL prospects. Guys that weren't quite good enough to stay in the NFL long term, but have all of the athletic ability. Two of the USA 7's most recent project players are NFL castoffs, one of which also ran hurdles in the Olympics. The first one adapted to rugby way better than expected. It's too early to call on the second player since he's currently in his first camp with the team. You get the idea though. Each year there are hundreds of those kind of guys that end up going into the workforce or making peanuts playing football in Canada or one of the small-time arena leagues. There are also quite a few American rugby players that call it quits when they finish college in order to get jobs, because a professional rugby career is unlikely. This type of setup certainly could extend the careers of some worthwhile players. The USA 7's Captain and 15's player Kevin Swiryn nearly quit the game when he graduated, but ended up sticking it out and he's turned into a huge find. As for the competition, I do know more about it than I included in the article. Some of it is directly from the source and other parts are from an unnamed source, so I'm holding onto the infomation until I piece it all together. But, I can say it's defintely not a league setup such as the Magners League, Super 14, etc. It would be too hard to pull something like that off with 16 teams from around the world. Plus, as you said... it just doesn't fit with the 7's format. Expect it to be more of a tournament type format as with other 7's events. The way they plan to package, broadcast, and market the competition revolves around it. [/QUOTE]
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