NFL Exec VP/Football Operations Troy Vincent said after mentioning in April the NFL's interest in establishing a developmental league, he "got more than 100 proposals." Vincent: "I think that shows it is worth a look." The AP's Barry Wilner noted Vincent cited "a bunch of reasons" why such a league is likely to get off the ground, "from training coaches and officials to finding players to testing rules." The league "won't be an international venture." Instead, it "probably would be done regionally, cutting down on travel costs" (AP, 6/6). ESPN's Adam Caplan said there is "no question" the NFL will establish a developmental league. Caplan: "When you talk to executives around the league, they want this, coaches want it." He said the "biggest drawback" is money, because when NFL Europe shuttered in '07, it "was a big money loser." ESPN's Andrew Brandt: "There's a lot of momentum behind it" ("NFL Insiders," ESPN, 6/9). In Cincinnati, Paul Dehner Jr. noted the NFL is the only league among the four major sports "without a developmental league/farm system of some sort." With "so much thirst for the product year round, it would only make sense to add games to help fuel the NFL Network as well as give fringe players an opportunity to prove themselves" (CINCINNATI.com, 6/9).
CONFLICTING EVENTS: ESPN BOSTON's Mike Reiss wrote Vikings QB Teddy Bridgewater’s remarks about "preferring to be with his teammates at organized team activities instead of the required NFL Players Association Rookie Premiere last weekend echoed a thought I had" when it came to Patriots rookie QB Jimmy Garoppolo "having been in the same situation." Reiss: "Why not hold the premiere in late June or early July so rookies -- already behind because of the later-than-normal draft -- don’t miss valuable practice time with teammates?" The intentions of the event "seem solid, but the execution seems to make things harder on these new union members" (ESPNBOSTON.com, 6/8).
BALANCING THE BOOKS: In Boston, Ben Volin wrote, "We like the idea behind the NFL Players Association's proposal to have player salaries apportioned out over 52 weeks instead of bi-weekly during the regular season." But with that said, the "most the NFLPA should do is make the 52-week system optional for players, who still should favor the current system." If a player is "truly concerned about his cash flow, he should authorize his agent or financial adviser to disperse the money evenly throughout the ear, not the team" (BOSTON GLOBE, 6/8).
