The report from the Melbourne Herald-Sun that the Broncos are among the teams interested in rugby league standout Greg Inglis perked up an otherwise quiet Saturday morning.
The size of the speedy Melbourne Storm standout is impressive: 6-foot-5, 238 pounds. And the many common threads between rugby and American football indicate there would be a chance that his skills could translate.
But for anyone to go from another sport to an NFL game-day roster (and not be a kicker or punter) would represent an unlikely leap. Consider that the most prominent player in the NFL without college playing experience is San Diego tight end Antonio Gates — and remember that he nevertheless came to the NFL with some level of football experience; he played high-school football in Detroit so well that he initially earned a scholarship to Michigan State before transferring.
But perhaps the biggest obstacle could be personal, according to Inglis’s agent (often referred to in Australia as his “manager”) Allan Gainey. As Gainey tells the Sydney Morning Herald:
Inglis is such a natural athlete that it would be hard to imagine he’d struggle at NFL. What he may struggle with is being homesick. He loves being close to his friends and family.
That alone could be as tough as any opponent Inglis might face in the NFL. But if he can overcome that, he does possess some good on-field instincts — even though the helmet and pads might take some adjustment. This is akin to giving a tryout to an Olympic sprinter, except that Inglis has already shown game-play skills and savvy. So why not give him a tryout?
ADDENDUM: 5:55 P.M. MDT
And how could I forget Wesley Duke? A basketball player from a school without a football program (Mercer), Duke stuck on the Broncos’ roster in 2005 and caught a touchdown pass in a prime-time win at Buffalo that December. While the transition to football had its rough spots, Duke’s inability to stick for the long haul was more due to his knees than anything else; he had multiple ACL injuries in college and then suffered another in the offseason after his rookie campaign, ending his career before it really had a chance to begin. For a guy who wasn’t in the league long, he left an impression — as a bright fellow with self-deprecating wit — evidenced by his willingness to post a picture of himself on an elephant on the Broncos’ official website.
Ive watched this guy his whole Rugby League career and his athletic ability clearly stands out above any else in his sport, if anyone could make a successful transistion to NFL it would be this guy and I also think he is the only one who could make it. As a wideout he could be devastating but the gear adjustment and being hit from every angle as opposed to league where all the action plays out in front of you are the two biggest question marks.
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