I get that the service academies are limited in who they can recruit. But do the passing offenses have to be this bad? are there really no smart kids who can throw & catch a football who would be willing to get a top notch education for free and get a starting salary over $80,000 (and you know if you play football you’ll get some preferential treatment so really higher)?
Watching Army Navy game.
- Thread starter patdog
- Start date
If the service academies would let guys who play all four years and if they get drafted let them play NFL football in the fall and be on active duty, then when season is over report to a duty station, they could find and signed those guys. That commitment to the military and losing four years of professional sports after graduating turns those type of guy off. The military is having trouble recruiting and keeping in the service both enlisted and officers. You would think they would have figured it out by now.
The other issue is weight. Those offensive linemen have to lose weight before they get their commissions. Not just the o lineman.
The other issue is weight. Those offensive linemen have to lose weight before they get their commissions. Not just the o lineman.
It ain’t easy. One of my high school teammates went to Navy for football. Left highschool at about 6’3”, 270. At the end of basic (or whatever they call it before school and practice started) he was down to about 225. So, for the next year they were trying to get him up to 250 and convert him to center. Culture is weird too. MS boy didn’t really fit. He probably would’ve been better off going to Rice or ULM.
Then, there’s the whole mandatory service after.
That’s a lot to ask, in all seriousness. Military service isn’t for everyone.
And the payoff for elite athletes just isn’t there. Looks at Paul Skenes.
And the payoff for elite athletes just isn’t there. Looks at Paul Skenes.
Their purpose is to train officers for military service, not train athletes for the NFL.
They could still serve. As far as Navy and Marine Corps goes, they could be part of the I&I staff at a reserves station. Those are active-duty guys who are responsible for the training and making sure reservist are ready to be called up. They could work at the MEPs station. They could also serve in recruiting. It is very doable. It's not like we are talking about 4000 midshipmen. We are only talking a hand full would ever be drafted. Think of the PR they would have gotten out of Staubach.
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But for the most part you're not going to get a real college experience. I hear the first year it's pretty bad, but once a cadet is past that, it gets a little easier year after year. Upon graduation, there is a minimum 5 year commitment.
The AF has a few decent looking women, but for the other branches, Yikes!
Obviously, you never been deployed to an isolated post. Some of those WM's start to look good after a while. ********
Certainly not, I was in the rear with the gear. The places I went Qatar/Kuwait, are much safer than the 'Sip.
Can’t the service requirement be cut to 2 years if they are going to play pro? Didn’t That happened for David Robinson?
He was given an exception because his height was basically going to limit him from ever being active duty. They made him serve two years stationed as an engineer or something so he would be commissioned and get his naval pension.
The military academies are drawing from a tiny pool of high schoolers. You have a to find a high school kid who can play football AND wants to commit to service in the military. It’s hard enough to find a high school kid who meets ONE of those criteria, let alone BOTH. Also, football is not at the top of a cadet’s priority list. The service academies are the last place in the NCAA where the athletes are truly still amateurs.
You should see the insane athletic training technology Army uses if you completely believe that. Trust me, they want to win games. They have technology Alabama doesn't have. Their indoor facility is massive as well (we don't even have one really). It's all impressive.
Ah yes, the Dirty ‘Deid. As far as safety, you may not get shot or robbed, but getting in a wreck is a definite possibility. The driving habits of the locals leaves alot to be desired.
No doubt, I drove a good bit off base in Kuwait City, crazy drivers. I forget the term they used, but it had something to do with being "predestined" or God's will, what is going to happen is going to happen no matter what.
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Use to when you father got killed as result of combat in Vietnam their kids could go to any military academy if they had the grades. I don't know if it true today or not. There are a lot of benefits that people never hear about and the governments does not do a good job informing people of benefits. Social Security is the worse at it.
I thoroughly enjoyed the game . Reminded me of when college football was played by actual student athletes who cared about their school and played like it.
Sorry about your dad. My dad was in Vietnam, he said the heroes were the ones that never came home.
My dad came home but was a cripple. He died from his injuries several years later. They approach my mom and ask her did she want his name added to the memorial wall. She told them no because that's the same attitude my dad had.
My uncle flew Hueys in Vietnam. He was over there from nearly day 1 to the bitter end. He won’t talk about it…but my aunt will. I’m not a military guy at all so don’t know how the squadrons and numbers work out. All I know is that of the original 25-30 that went over there with him in his group, he was one of two that returned home. When he got into the airport he was so excited…as he was walking through the terminal to make a transfer he was immediately spat on and told he was a baby killer.
He grew too much while at the naval academy for active service.
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