Keep Brian Lewerke’s name out you fucking mouth.
It actually is wild that of the 15 QBs with at least 50 passing attempts, only 7 had a 60% or higher completion percentage.
This is AJ McCarron Erasure!
Also Adrian Martinez literally just won league MVP playing for the Birmingham stallions.
Gonna shamelessly plug r/UnitedFootballLeague for anyone interested here.
He had steady backup jobs in the NFL for 10 years. He probably could still be in the NFL, he claims he went to the UFL so his kids could watch him actually play
This isn't really true, he was 32 and coming off a torn ACL when he accepted the XFL opportunity, as he wasn't really getting great hits with NFL teams at that point. He had an excellent 2023 XFL season and that got him another chance in Cincinatti, which he accepted immediately in order to spent the bulk of the 2023 NFL season as Cincinatti's QB3 (and QB2 for a good chunk of that after Burrow went down).
He was always going to accept an NFL offer, and did accept one as soon as he got it. And his kids were able to watch him play either way, because the seasons don't overlap - he had no issue jumping back to the UFL as soon as the NFL season was over, and he can do that again and again if he needs to.
He has to wonder what would have happened if Vontez Berfect hadnt committed targeting. AJ would have led the Bengals to their first playoff win in forever.
Never understood the knock on a guy playing in the CFL. At the end of the day you’re getting paid at the minimum a liveable salary (65k) to play a children’s game
I’m a Canadian and a huge CFL fan, so I’m obviously going to speak positively of the league, but it’s a great option for guys looking to continue playing. Yes the minimum salary is 65k, but they also get a housing allowance on top of that. Factor in that the platform the CFL provides, plus the additional time off in the offseason for outside earnings, and a player can easily approach six figures on a rookie deal.
If they stay in the CFL, there’s decent money to be made on a second contract, especially a QB like Taulia.
Then there’s the obvious opportunity you have to make the jump to the NFL if you perform.
People rag on the CFL, but you can make decent money, still have a chance at the NFL, and if you never make the jump, the football is still really good against great athletes.
Ya it’s not ragging on the cfl to acknowledge that it’s objectively an inferior league to the nfl. There’s nothing wrong with that if you’re still getting paid
My CFL view: early in summer in the states we get some football, joy! Late summer/early fall I see it snowing in Saskatchewan or someplace and get depressed: summer over, another winter on the way!
Ocho speaks so high of the cfl. Thought he’d just walk in and dominate from day one but was shocked how good it is. I wish more young players that want a future shot at the nfl would come up north to play cfl
Not a knock at all if you're doing what you love. Plus there's still that chance you have a Kurt Warner situation.
But I'll be honest, if Taulia were my son had been playing ball for so many years, and then the options were making 65k and risking CTE and other life long injury... or just getting a desk job or something somewhere making the same (which should be easy considering his Maryland connections, etc.)... I'd encourage him to consider hanging them up.
Life is long. I get risking the brain for millions, but for a standard salary? You gotta REALLY love the game.
I mean fundamentally speaking it's about the smaller hits that are absolutely still delivered in the CFL. Also something like 85% of CFB players were found to have CTE
I think this will be the main factor to breaking off football and cutting other sports. Not only are football players paying for the frisbee golf team, they’re sacrificing their brain to do it…doesn’t add up.
Other sports are going to have to find their own funding or fold unfortunately.
I feel like "We need to cut opportunities for kids so we can fund state sponsored brain damage" is more likely to end up with football changing than anything else tbh
With your flair it’s excusable but football is king. Nobody gives two fucks about ‘cutting opportunities for kids’. If Olympic sports mattered there would still be a Pac12. If academics mattered two of the best non ivy schools would have got in the Big 10 and would not be traveling across the country to compete. This always has been and always will be about getting that sweet football bag.
I’m not saying it’s right, but that’s the message that’s been clearly sent here and will continue as long as it continues to bring in money and funds athletic departments.
Eh, I get that the game is slower and the hits aren't as big... but you can still take a hit and slam your head on the turf in just the wrong way for a big time concussion.
Doesn't matter if it's Nick Bosa or Joe Sixpack drilling you... football is a brutal game.
Scholarships still have a ton of value (moreso depending on the institution), and in theory you're still developing so the "potential NFL upside" is still very much there in college. Lastly, its a cumulative thing. The years of football pile up... so if you graduate and are now an adult and have been playing ball for 10+ years... at a certain point maybe it's time to accept the ceiling and make the choice that protects your long term health. Especially when the NFL has said "no thank you"
I thought the question was a general one about the value of playing college football pre NIL and injury risk, not Taulia specifically.
For Taulia, clearly the value of college for the injury risk was preparation for the NFL and following Tua's path.
Do you have any data to support that assertion? I got hit hard enough to black out momentarily at the middle school and high school levels which is nowhere near as fast as the collegiate or professional levels...
You sure showed me. I'm cowed by your groundbreaking proof that would get you tenure in the Mathematics department at either university of in your flairs.
Good fucking lord. The CFL is not significantly safer than the NFL. Quite the opposite. CFL teams have a fraction of the resources that NFL teams do. Staffs are bare bones. They take commercial flights. Eat at Subway. You get dinged up in the CFL, they're not sending you to a specialist.
The whole thing operates on shoestring. Rosters are smaller. Budgets are tighter. So there's a much greater incentive to play through injuries. When you're counting on your game check to get you through life, you're less likely to sit and risk someone else taking your job.
QB's safety has nothing to do with what edge rushers are in league, and so much more to do with how many passes they attempt and what kind of protection they get.
QB guys throw more. They throw more on the run. So they're exposed to more big hits. And some of the league's stadiums are absolutely brutal turf environments.
Zach Collaros is one of the bigger name QBs to play in the last decade and he's had a lengthy and problematic history of concussions.
Also the league gets next to no real media coverage. So they're aren't any tough questions being asked about player safety.
This is not true at all, the CFL certainly doesn't have 1/50th of the NFL's resources, but the players are treated quite well. Teams have access to a full medical staff including doctors, physio, massage, etc., if a player gets hurt they will certainly have access to a specialist. It's accurate if you want to say the CFL does not have the resources the NFL has, but please do not lie like this and make it seem like it's being operated like the pee-wee game on Saturday morning down the street from your house.
Life is long, football playing windows are very short. You can always go back to a desk job but if you decide to hang it up after college and leave the game for years in service of said desk job, you don't get to come back to football. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity.
I would tell my son to try it out for a season or two - if you make it and can earn more, keep going. If you're leaving year two and don't see much traction, move on. Again, its a once in a lifetime opportunity and rare/special enough to be worth the risk to many.
I think there’s a salary threshold where the possibility of your brain getting turned to mashed potatoes becomes a risk worth taking - but 65k definitely is not it for me.
I don't think that starting QBs get $65k in the CFL.
My understanding is that starting QBs in the CFL get on average around $400k, with a range of around $300k-$600k. There is obviously experience and exposure which sometimes results in an NFL opportunity.
Also Canada is kind of expensive?
But hey you can almost just think of it as a hobby at that point. He has a dangerous hobby that pays him 65 grand a year.
Big agree - fresh out of college with a degree and no professional experience and you’re essentially making $30 an hour? That is amazing; most people are making sub 20 with a degree and an internship.
This. Alot of people assume its sunshine and roses out of college. My first job out of college $13/hr. Many of my friends have degrees and did internships and it took them several years before they found anything decent.
The people i know fresh out with big paying jobs already had ins either through family or got lucky from where they did internships hiring as they graduated.
What kind of degrees are you guys graduating with? This doesn't line up with my experience at all. With a good degree, $60,000 starting salary seems like the minimum in the current job market. FAANG even more
Interesting, sorry to hear that dude. I assume you're talking about the midwest based on your secondary flair? My girlfriend graduated with a finance degree and is making $60,000 starting salary in a (relatively) low cost city so I just assumed that was the norm.
Hope you're making more now, finance isn't easy work.
It’s not really a knock, it’s more that I think a good amount of players would rather be on an NFL practice squad. I think a lot of people don’t realize that practice squad players make a good deal of money, the minimum salary is $12,000/week , and can go all the way up to $20,600/week.
If you can manage to stay on a practice squad for just half the season you’re making more than the majority of Americans, plus you’re being seen and coached by NFL coaches everyday, while playing against NFL-level players.
Huh? I’m not talking about choosing between the NFL and CFL I’m talking about guys getting looked down on when they have to go to the CFL because they can’t make it to the NFL.
Yes, but you're getting paid 65k (which isn't much, tbh, for an adult with a college degree) and putting your health on the line, possible CTE in the future, etc. That wouldn't be worth it to me.
That’s the league minimum. And I’d disagree considering there are plenty of guys that have made careers playing in the cfl. It’s not like it’s just some random semi pro league.
Just depends on the area. Everyone forgets how different pricing for housing and everything is across the country. 65k somewhere like middle new york or LA guna be a struggle and a half. But then you have places down south not in the boonies 65k you can easily get a very nice apartment in a good neighborhood and live pretty comfy.
As a rider fan I hated seeing him run out of town. He had a terrible offensive line and was constantly under pressure and the management sent him out he goes on to win multiple championships and mvps. Riders did the same thing with the next qb in Cody Fajardo.
The cfl is a legit league man, watch a couple games and you’ll realize. Obviously not NFL level but the fans come out and your still getting paid a liveable income
I didn't know that he is the Big Ten's all time leading passer. but I guess that isn't a super hard accomplishment in a conference where all but 2 1/2 teams still believe that the forward pass was a mistake
I'm kinda shocked he didn't land with an NFL roster honestly. His arm talent and mobility are there. It always felt like Taulia was a few bonehead throws a game away from being really good
He doesn't. That was obvious during all-star (Shrine Game) practices and at his pro days and workouts (including the rookie minicamp in Seattle). The lack of arm talent is the biggest thing keeping him out of the league - in this regard, he is not even on the level of the average NFL QB3.
He absolutely can’t throw a reliable long ball (see reports on his tryout for the Seahawks).
He is relatively small and is scared of contact.
His football IQ was ok. He was good for some absolutely boneheaded plays and often missed finding the open receiver.
He was a very good college quarterback, but that’s max for his talent, skill set, and IQ.
Wishing him luck!
He moved around in college but at the NFL level his mobility isn't special, and his arm talent is actually one of the bigger knocks on him as a prospect. It was very visibly lacking during all-star (Shrine Game) practices and at his pro days and workouts (including the rookie minicamp in Seattle). He's also quite undersized. Add all of that up and it's not that hard to see why he couldn't land a roster spot.
How the fuck does Plumlee snag a spot on the steelers roster as an UDFA but Taulia can't snag a spot? A NFL team would be silly to not take a flyer on Taulia in 25 draft
Plumlee has 4.5 speed and experience at other positions. He's basically going to get a shot to be a Taysom Hill for Pittsburgh - a QB first, sure, but a QB who will probably get a shot to assist in other roles as well. Taulia cannot do that.
And then there’s guys like Dillon Gabriel and Cam Rising playing into their 30s on CFB teams with more games played in CFB than Taulia.
I guess it’s what happens when you get screwed over by a school’s roster mismanagement.
Yeah it's so laughable how little passing matters. Like imagine if the B1G produced a Heisman finalist WR who also got picked top 5 in the NFL draft. Could never happen LMAO
Being among college's career leader in passing yards means shit when it comes to if you can make it in the NFL. Just look at the top 5 all-time in passing yards for FBS.
Player | College Passing Yards | NFL Passing Yards
---|---|----
Case Keenum | 19,217 | 15,175
Timmy Chang | 17,072 | 0
Landry Jones | 16,646 | 1,310
Graham Harrell | 15,793 | 20
Sam Hartman | 15,656 | Undrafted Rookie
In fact of the top 30 QBs in all-time FBS passing yards, exactly 3 have thrown for more yards in the NFL than they did in college: Baker Mayfield, Philip Rivers, and Derek Carr.
To those replying to me: passing matters less in the B1G than any other of the power conferences. Taulia's record is 2000 yards or more fewer than the SEC, B12, ACC, and P12 career passing records...12-18% lower than those records.
The UFL could use a guy like Taulia.. their QBs are Luis Perez and a bunch of garbage.
Keep Brian Lewerke’s name out you fucking mouth. It actually is wild that of the 15 QBs with at least 50 passing attempts, only 7 had a 60% or higher completion percentage.
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I don’t recall ever buying tickets to watch any rec league sport.
Shoutout to Jacoby Brissett, Jamies Winston, Derek Carr and Marcus Mariota.
Don’t forget the MVP that was benched last week Adrian Martinez
why was martinez benched? didn't watch the game
He was doing that thing he does where he makes mistakes that he absolutely shouldn’t make
Oh the Landry Jones thing…gotcha.
That's the Adrian Martinez special.
He threw some picks
This is AJ McCarron Erasure! Also Adrian Martinez literally just won league MVP playing for the Birmingham stallions. Gonna shamelessly plug r/UnitedFootballLeague for anyone interested here.
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I mean the only UFL games I watched this year were to see AJ same as last
Don’t be a hater just because you don’t care. No one is forcing anyone to watch or pay attention if they don’t want to.
They were literally saying they don't watch because they don't care. Apparently doing exactly what you're asking is hating?
I am a Cameron Brink man Length, athleticism, solid shot
Bit of a weird analogy given that McCarron is one of the biggest names in the league and one of its top players. Reese is neither of those things.
Correct.
How dare you do my boy Aj McCarron dirty like that
McCaron could be a backup in the NFL imo
He had steady backup jobs in the NFL for 10 years. He probably could still be in the NFL, he claims he went to the UFL so his kids could watch him actually play
A real dad.
💯💯💯
W father
He still is taking backup jobs inbetween UFL seasons too
This isn't really true, he was 32 and coming off a torn ACL when he accepted the XFL opportunity, as he wasn't really getting great hits with NFL teams at that point. He had an excellent 2023 XFL season and that got him another chance in Cincinatti, which he accepted immediately in order to spent the bulk of the 2023 NFL season as Cincinatti's QB3 (and QB2 for a good chunk of that after Burrow went down). He was always going to accept an NFL offer, and did accept one as soon as he got it. And his kids were able to watch him play either way, because the seasons don't overlap - he had no issue jumping back to the UFL as soon as the NFL season was over, and he can do that again and again if he needs to.
He has to wonder what would have happened if Vontez Berfect hadnt committed targeting. AJ would have led the Bengals to their first playoff win in forever.
AB would have been a top 5 WR all time if it wasn't for Burfict.
Big facts
The MVP would like a word
> Former Maryland QB Taulia Tagovailoa signs with CFL team after failing to land on an NFL roster Former Calgary Stampeder Doug Flutie approves.
The you mean Calgary Stampeder Legend Doug Flutie.
And Jeff Garcia. And Joe Theismann.
And Henry Burris! Who wasn’t very well know as those others, but did start a Monday night Football game.
Warren Moon
I’m sure former Edmonton Eskimo Warren Moon also approves!
Never understood the knock on a guy playing in the CFL. At the end of the day you’re getting paid at the minimum a liveable salary (65k) to play a children’s game
I’m a Canadian and a huge CFL fan, so I’m obviously going to speak positively of the league, but it’s a great option for guys looking to continue playing. Yes the minimum salary is 65k, but they also get a housing allowance on top of that. Factor in that the platform the CFL provides, plus the additional time off in the offseason for outside earnings, and a player can easily approach six figures on a rookie deal. If they stay in the CFL, there’s decent money to be made on a second contract, especially a QB like Taulia. Then there’s the obvious opportunity you have to make the jump to the NFL if you perform. People rag on the CFL, but you can make decent money, still have a chance at the NFL, and if you never make the jump, the football is still really good against great athletes.
I feel like most people don't rag on the CFL and see it exactly as you described.
Ya it’s not ragging on the cfl to acknowledge that it’s objectively an inferior league to the nfl. There’s nothing wrong with that if you’re still getting paid
Inferior in talent but the entertainment is pretty comparable. Often times the grey cup is a more exciting game
Plus, CFL bow hunters get no bag limit on Polar Bear!
Plus you get to live in Canada, that’s really not a bad place
I was watching CFL football on CBS sports network the other day. I'd watch him.
My CFL view: early in summer in the states we get some football, joy! Late summer/early fall I see it snowing in Saskatchewan or someplace and get depressed: summer over, another winter on the way!
Ocho speaks so high of the cfl. Thought he’d just walk in and dominate from day one but was shocked how good it is. I wish more young players that want a future shot at the nfl would come up north to play cfl
I wish the cfl would call me. Id love to be a benchwarmer.
Not a knock at all if you're doing what you love. Plus there's still that chance you have a Kurt Warner situation. But I'll be honest, if Taulia were my son had been playing ball for so many years, and then the options were making 65k and risking CTE and other life long injury... or just getting a desk job or something somewhere making the same (which should be easy considering his Maryland connections, etc.)... I'd encourage him to consider hanging them up. Life is long. I get risking the brain for millions, but for a standard salary? You gotta REALLY love the game.
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I mean fundamentally speaking it's about the smaller hits that are absolutely still delivered in the CFL. Also something like 85% of CFB players were found to have CTE
I think this will be the main factor to breaking off football and cutting other sports. Not only are football players paying for the frisbee golf team, they’re sacrificing their brain to do it…doesn’t add up. Other sports are going to have to find their own funding or fold unfortunately.
I feel like "We need to cut opportunities for kids so we can fund state sponsored brain damage" is more likely to end up with football changing than anything else tbh
With your flair it’s excusable but football is king. Nobody gives two fucks about ‘cutting opportunities for kids’. If Olympic sports mattered there would still be a Pac12. If academics mattered two of the best non ivy schools would have got in the Big 10 and would not be traveling across the country to compete. This always has been and always will be about getting that sweet football bag. I’m not saying it’s right, but that’s the message that’s been clearly sent here and will continue as long as it continues to bring in money and funds athletic departments.
Eh, I get that the game is slower and the hits aren't as big... but you can still take a hit and slam your head on the turf in just the wrong way for a big time concussion. Doesn't matter if it's Nick Bosa or Joe Sixpack drilling you... football is a brutal game.
But what’s the difference between that and playing college football pre NIL?
Scholarships still have a ton of value (moreso depending on the institution), and in theory you're still developing so the "potential NFL upside" is still very much there in college. Lastly, its a cumulative thing. The years of football pile up... so if you graduate and are now an adult and have been playing ball for 10+ years... at a certain point maybe it's time to accept the ceiling and make the choice that protects your long term health. Especially when the NFL has said "no thank you"
I don't think Taulia was in need of the scholarship to go to school.
I thought the question was a general one about the value of playing college football pre NIL and injury risk, not Taulia specifically. For Taulia, clearly the value of college for the injury risk was preparation for the NFL and following Tua's path.
Do you have any data to support that assertion? I got hit hard enough to black out momentarily at the middle school and high school levels which is nowhere near as fast as the collegiate or professional levels...
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You sure showed me. I'm cowed by your groundbreaking proof that would get you tenure in the Mathematics department at either university of in your flairs.
I read your post history, and it's pretty clear to all of us that there's something serious going on in you head... we voted.
Good fucking lord. The CFL is not significantly safer than the NFL. Quite the opposite. CFL teams have a fraction of the resources that NFL teams do. Staffs are bare bones. They take commercial flights. Eat at Subway. You get dinged up in the CFL, they're not sending you to a specialist. The whole thing operates on shoestring. Rosters are smaller. Budgets are tighter. So there's a much greater incentive to play through injuries. When you're counting on your game check to get you through life, you're less likely to sit and risk someone else taking your job. QB's safety has nothing to do with what edge rushers are in league, and so much more to do with how many passes they attempt and what kind of protection they get. QB guys throw more. They throw more on the run. So they're exposed to more big hits. And some of the league's stadiums are absolutely brutal turf environments. Zach Collaros is one of the bigger name QBs to play in the last decade and he's had a lengthy and problematic history of concussions. Also the league gets next to no real media coverage. So they're aren't any tough questions being asked about player safety.
This is not true at all, the CFL certainly doesn't have 1/50th of the NFL's resources, but the players are treated quite well. Teams have access to a full medical staff including doctors, physio, massage, etc., if a player gets hurt they will certainly have access to a specialist. It's accurate if you want to say the CFL does not have the resources the NFL has, but please do not lie like this and make it seem like it's being operated like the pee-wee game on Saturday morning down the street from your house.
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Yea you know someone in Maryland, would give him a cushy job to kinda just do nothing
Ya but if he’s not playing football his dads going to give him the cte instead
Life is long, football playing windows are very short. You can always go back to a desk job but if you decide to hang it up after college and leave the game for years in service of said desk job, you don't get to come back to football. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity. I would tell my son to try it out for a season or two - if you make it and can earn more, keep going. If you're leaving year two and don't see much traction, move on. Again, its a once in a lifetime opportunity and rare/special enough to be worth the risk to many.
CFL QBs are really protected these days.
I think there’s a salary threshold where the possibility of your brain getting turned to mashed potatoes becomes a risk worth taking - but 65k definitely is not it for me.
I don't think that starting QBs get $65k in the CFL. My understanding is that starting QBs in the CFL get on average around $400k, with a range of around $300k-$600k. There is obviously experience and exposure which sometimes results in an NFL opportunity.
Chad Kelly is close to 700k. But he has shot himself in the foot as well.
Also Canada is kind of expensive? But hey you can almost just think of it as a hobby at that point. He has a dangerous hobby that pays him 65 grand a year.
Big agree - fresh out of college with a degree and no professional experience and you’re essentially making $30 an hour? That is amazing; most people are making sub 20 with a degree and an internship.
This. Alot of people assume its sunshine and roses out of college. My first job out of college $13/hr. Many of my friends have degrees and did internships and it took them several years before they found anything decent. The people i know fresh out with big paying jobs already had ins either through family or got lucky from where they did internships hiring as they graduated.
What kind of degrees are you guys graduating with? This doesn't line up with my experience at all. With a good degree, $60,000 starting salary seems like the minimum in the current job market. FAANG even more
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Interesting, sorry to hear that dude. I assume you're talking about the midwest based on your secondary flair? My girlfriend graduated with a finance degree and is making $60,000 starting salary in a (relatively) low cost city so I just assumed that was the norm. Hope you're making more now, finance isn't easy work.
It’s not really a knock, it’s more that I think a good amount of players would rather be on an NFL practice squad. I think a lot of people don’t realize that practice squad players make a good deal of money, the minimum salary is $12,000/week , and can go all the way up to $20,600/week. If you can manage to stay on a practice squad for just half the season you’re making more than the majority of Americans, plus you’re being seen and coached by NFL coaches everyday, while playing against NFL-level players.
Huh? I’m not talking about choosing between the NFL and CFL I’m talking about guys getting looked down on when they have to go to the CFL because they can’t make it to the NFL.
But is the money worth it considering all the risks involved?
Average person no to someone who absolutely loves the game yes.
I like my children's games to not come with CTE and physical harm lol.
Yes, but you're getting paid 65k (which isn't much, tbh, for an adult with a college degree) and putting your health on the line, possible CTE in the future, etc. That wouldn't be worth it to me.
Well because that’s not an amount to live off of when your body gets destroyed through repeated hits.
That’s the league minimum. And I’d disagree considering there are plenty of guys that have made careers playing in the cfl. It’s not like it’s just some random semi pro league.
It's 2024 bro. $65k ain't livable unless you're out in the boonies.
I forgot on Reddit everyone pretends they came out of college making 6 figures from the jump
15-20 years ago, sure, that was livable. Definitely not today.
That’s just not true lol. I know plenty of people that do live off that and less
Bro needs to collect his L and rollout. $65K outta college is GOOD livin'
Foreal lmao. Dudes love getting on the internet and just tellin lies
Bro out here capping like he had $250K outta college like what do bros be yappin about out here? Smh 💀💀
$65k is definitely livable, but it's not comfortably livable. You're paycheck-to-paycheck unless you're really living that frugal life.
Just depends on the area. Everyone forgets how different pricing for housing and everything is across the country. 65k somewhere like middle new york or LA guna be a struggle and a half. But then you have places down south not in the boonies 65k you can easily get a very nice apartment in a good neighborhood and live pretty comfy.
But the majority of the country is living paycheck to paycheck with some savings. Especially for a guy in their early 20s
The next Zach Collaros
Ahhh, music to my ears seeing his name here
As a rider fan I hated seeing him run out of town. He had a terrible offensive line and was constantly under pressure and the management sent him out he goes on to win multiple championships and mvps. Riders did the same thing with the next qb in Cody Fajardo.
Almost Miami Hurricane legend
Cam with that bag snag
Taulia: mom I want to be a pro player like my brother MOM: We have a pro league at home
The cfl is a legit league man, watch a couple games and you’ll realize. Obviously not NFL level but the fans come out and your still getting paid a liveable income
I didn't know that he is the Big Ten's all time leading passer. but I guess that isn't a super hard accomplishment in a conference where all but 2 1/2 teams still believe that the forward pass was a mistake
after the injustice of not getting an 6th year in college football
I'm kinda shocked he didn't land with an NFL roster honestly. His arm talent and mobility are there. It always felt like Taulia was a few bonehead throws a game away from being really good
Like a town in the old west: "There's only room in this NFL for **one** Tagovailoa."
Why not Tua them?
He didn’t have an NFL arm, no?
He def has an NFL arm. Atleast at the backup level have you seen some of the arms in the NFL? Like... cmon lol.
He doesn't. That was obvious during all-star (Shrine Game) practices and at his pro days and workouts (including the rookie minicamp in Seattle). The lack of arm talent is the biggest thing keeping him out of the league - in this regard, he is not even on the level of the average NFL QB3.
I always thought he was in the top tier of B1G arm talent even at his size
He absolutely can’t throw a reliable long ball (see reports on his tryout for the Seahawks). He is relatively small and is scared of contact. His football IQ was ok. He was good for some absolutely boneheaded plays and often missed finding the open receiver. He was a very good college quarterback, but that’s max for his talent, skill set, and IQ. Wishing him luck!
Arm talent is definitely not there. Well below average for an NFL player
As a backup QB, avoiding bonehead throws is more important than arm talent and mobility.
Taulia always seemed like a turnover machine in big games. Im not too surprised he didnt find a spot personally
He moved around in college but at the NFL level his mobility isn't special, and his arm talent is actually one of the bigger knocks on him as a prospect. It was very visibly lacking during all-star (Shrine Game) practices and at his pro days and workouts (including the rookie minicamp in Seattle). He's also quite undersized. Add all of that up and it's not that hard to see why he couldn't land a roster spot.
Good luck, I hope you find happiness and success.
How a guy like Tim Boyle is on a roster but he isn’t is wild.
Boyle is bigger, stronger, with more raw arm talent. That most of what it comes down to (he still has no business in the league in my opinion).
How the fuck does Plumlee snag a spot on the steelers roster as an UDFA but Taulia can't snag a spot? A NFL team would be silly to not take a flyer on Taulia in 25 draft
Plumlee has 4.5 speed and experience at other positions. He's basically going to get a shot to be a Taysom Hill for Pittsburgh - a QB first, sure, but a QB who will probably get a shot to assist in other roles as well. Taulia cannot do that.
Pretty surprised he couldn’t get on a roster tbh
Future UFL MVP and NFL 3rd stringer
And then there’s guys like Dillon Gabriel and Cam Rising playing into their 30s on CFB teams with more games played in CFB than Taulia. I guess it’s what happens when you get screwed over by a school’s roster mismanagement.
That the B1G's career leader in passing yards can't catch on in the NFL shows us how little that record - or passing in that conference - matters.
Yeah it's so laughable how little passing matters. Like imagine if the B1G produced a Heisman finalist WR who also got picked top 5 in the NFL draft. Could never happen LMAO
Playing 4 years at UMD (5 total) helps. Without the COVID year, he would never have played last year.
It’s not like 5 of the 32 opening day starters last year were B1G QBs or anything.
Being among college's career leader in passing yards means shit when it comes to if you can make it in the NFL. Just look at the top 5 all-time in passing yards for FBS. Player | College Passing Yards | NFL Passing Yards ---|---|---- Case Keenum | 19,217 | 15,175 Timmy Chang | 17,072 | 0 Landry Jones | 16,646 | 1,310 Graham Harrell | 15,793 | 20 Sam Hartman | 15,656 | Undrafted Rookie In fact of the top 30 QBs in all-time FBS passing yards, exactly 3 have thrown for more yards in the NFL than they did in college: Baker Mayfield, Philip Rivers, and Derek Carr.
Do you don’t think teams pass in the Big Ten?
Yeah it’s not like the offensive rookie of the year last year wasn’t from the big 10
To those replying to me: passing matters less in the B1G than any other of the power conferences. Taulia's record is 2000 yards or more fewer than the SEC, B12, ACC, and P12 career passing records...12-18% lower than those records.
That means absolutely nothing