No Dummies Allowed At the NFL Combine!

I think it is pretty easy to say that the NFL has an issue with maturity; not everyone of course, but there are enough guys in the league that act their shoe size rather than their age. How can you force guys to grow up? You would think that the chance to make a cool million or two when you are just 22 years old would be enough right?

For many it is not, but the NFL thinks it has a way to put a stop to it all--no more academically ineligible players at the NFL Combine.

So if you don't hit the books than you will not be allowed to come to the NFL Combine. Alright, I can see a logic to it. If guys have enough maturity and responsibility to make sure they are passing than they must be more likely not to act a fool. 

I'd be curious to see some statistics on that one.

This would, or course, do nothing. The Combine is a very helpful tool in that it allows teams to see and possibly speak with a few hundred of the best athletes in college football. It certainly cuts down on costs and time and makes it possible to do a whole lot in just a little time.

However, there are too many ways around this. Would the rule apply to the regional combines as well? If not than expect those to suddenly become much more interesting. Even if it does teams will just evaluate these guys at their schools respective Pro Days.

You have to think that the coaches will not like this either. As much as they hate the negative publicity that comes with every arrest, they hate losing even more. Aaron Hernandez is proof that no matter what the risk may be someone will take a chance on the upside.

It's good that this is just being discussed. At best its putting a band aid that is too small on a really big cut, but should the NFL actually want to do something about it they can. It would take guts. It would be ballsy and every team would have to agree.

They need to do what New England did with Hernnadez--cut him--but than the league needs to ban guys. Maybe if players saw that the dream of the NFL--the money, the fame, the adoration of millions of fans--would go away if they gut busted committing a crime they would think twice before doing something stupid.

Now what the allowable threshold would be is--I don't know. Guys like Aaron Hernandez would of course be gone. The Josh Brents of the league too. Yes, I know that Brent wasn't malicious in his crime, but he did choose to drive drunk.

But the NFL would not have the balls to do something like this. They just want to keep guys that don't study from attending the Combine.