Tyler Russell

AFDawg

Senior
Apr 28, 2010
3,278
524
113
He had some training camp offers (without looking them up I forget from whom), but he's waiting until he's 100% healed before he goes to a camp.
 

esplanade91

Redshirt
Dec 9, 2010
5,656
0
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I'm calling BS. He's either lying out of some false sense of embarrassment, when he shouldn't... Everyone loves him regardless, or he has the worst 17ing agent in the entire country.

You accept the training camp invite when it comes. They have far more experience and knowledge about nursing a guy back to health than TR does (he's ok with throwing to an old teammate but he won't do that under an NFL trainer's supervision?), and there is a laundry list of players signed despite an injury who were brought along as they continue to heal.

I feel for him, but that's simply not true. Not one ounce of it.

ETA: I mean, c'mon.
 
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thf24

Redshirt
Jan 28, 2011
1,334
3
38
I'm a big TR fan but I agree. Injured or not, it's not hard to see what he is: an excellent short- to medium-range passer who struggles with quick decision-making. If anything, I'd think a team would want to go ahead and get him in their system and start working on the mental aspect right away, even if he's not 100%.

Despite this puzzling story, I think there's a decent chance that he'll still get in at some point as a 3rd QB, but I'd like to see him get a shot at the CFL too. I think he'd thrive there since most of those teams run a lot of air raid-type concepts.
 

esplanade91

Redshirt
Dec 9, 2010
5,656
0
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I think he had an excellent shot at being a practice squad QB until he supposedly didn't accept any invitations. I think people don't understand how hard it is to be a QB at any point on a depth chart. He's not better than New Orleans' Ryan Griffin, and Ryan Griffin didn't sit around for a year doing nothing.

I think it's telling that Arkansas' Tyler Wilson hasn't become more than a team's 4th QB when he was a god in college, and that's with 2 franchises who's QB's suck.

I think his future is in coaching. The NFL ship has sailed, whether it did when no one called or it was when he allegedly told the Saints and Colts and whoever no thanks (I mean seriously).
 

UpTheMiddlex3Punt

All-Conference
May 28, 2007
17,963
3,966
113
Not only that but you take the ticket when they hand it to you because you probably won't get another one. At Tyler's level, there are several dozen other guys just like him and there will be more next year.
 

kired

All-Conference
Aug 22, 2008
7,022
2,340
113
I expect the teams wanted to evaluate him in person before signing him as a FA. If he wasn't 100% (torn labrum normally takes anywhere from 6-12 months to fully recover) he probably knew he wouldn't get an offer. No reason to go embarrass himself if he knows he can't make the throws they want to see.
 

esplanade91

Redshirt
Dec 9, 2010
5,656
0
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I expect the teams wanted to evaluate him in person before signing him as a FA. If he wasn't 100% (torn labrum normally takes anywhere from 6-12 months to fully recover) he probably knew he wouldn't get an offer. No reason to go embarrass himself if he knows he can't make the throws they want to see.
I can understand that, but it still goes back to those scouts who called knowing their product. They KNOW he had surgery. They weren't calling him because he balled out at a pro day like a lot of guys do. He got a phone call because of his junior year and that Alabama game. They KNEW he wasn't going to make crisp throws with a bum shoulder.

It's a tiny investment to sign him anyway hoping he's 100% by November when the season's in full swing, and by the end of the season YOU KNOW what you have. If he sucks, you have all the time in the world to release him and go find another TR from the next year's crop.

Unfortunate. He's still going to go down as a posterchild for Mississippi State athletics, though, so maybe that's enough. I just wish he hadn't gotten such horrible advise.