On April 30th, the draft officially came to an end, which also means that the preparations for the new season are on track.
On the one hand, the team manager continues to pick and choose in the free agent market, and continues to strengthen the loopholes or vacancies left after the draft; on the other hand, the team's coaching staff begins to formulate tactics, discuss staffing, and work intensively for Preparations for the new season begin.
At the same time, the voluntary training camp has officially begun. Rookies who have just entered the league and newly signed free agents will join the training camp to start getting used to the team and learn the team's tactical manual. Soon, the official training camp will kick off, and they still have a lot to work on in order to keep up with the team's veterans.
The preseason in August seems very far away. There are still three full months left, but in just a blink of an eye, the preseason will be close at hand and imminent. It seems that the rookies’ celebration party has not yet come. It's over, and the sound of the start of the 2011 season has already begun to come from far and near.
Therefore, after the draft ended, the entire league went into high gear, as if it had never truly rested.
This is especially true for undrafted rookies. Time is getting faster and faster, and opportunities are getting slimmer and slimmer; every day that passes means they are further away from the professional league. Everyone wants to be Kurt Warner, but there is only one Kurt Warner.
Kurt Warner, this is one of the greatest "Cinderella" stories in NFL history.
During his four years in college, Kurt has always been the backup quarterback at the University of Northern Iowa - this university's football is unknown, almost a desert, but even so, Kurt has always been the school's backup quarterback. Shooting guard, he didn't get his chance until his fifth year. He performed very well and was named the best player in the University of Northern Iowa's division.
However, due to the mediocre strength of this division, the school has no reputation. Therefore, Kurt did not receive an invitation to the 1994 rookie training camp, nor did he see his name appear on the draft list. It wasn't until the start of the 1994 season that the Green Bay Packers, who were looking for a third backup quarterback, sent out a trial invitation. Unfortunately, the trial failed.
Kurt, who had no team inquiries, had to work in a local grocery store to help support his family in order to make ends meet. At the same time, he also played for an indoor football league team and returned to his alma mater, the University of Northern Iowa, as a team coach. The assistant coach is inquiring about the trial camp, hoping to get the favor of an NFL team again.
During his three-year career in indoor football, Kurt performed well and got a tryout opportunity with the Chicago Bears, but missed it because he was accidentally bitten by a spider during his honeymoon. Subsequently, Kurt went to play in the NFL's European expansion team - a peripheral team established by the NFL to develop the European market. Through his outstanding performance, Kurt was recommended to the St. Louis Rams' training staff.
In 1998, Kurt served as the Rams' third backup quarterback and sat on the bench for the entire season, only coming on as a substitute in the last game of the game; in 1999, Kurt was twenty-eight years old.
That year, Kurt was appreciated by the coach through his training and was promoted to the second quarterback. However, during the preseason, the main quarterback tore his cruciate ligament and was reimbursed for the season. The Rams were forced to push Warner up front. So, 28-year-old Kurt, after five years of wandering around, stepped onto the NFL stage as a starter for the first time in his life.
After that, he started his legendary career. In the 1999 season, Kurt led the Rams to a miraculous record of 13 wins and three losses, successfully entered the playoffs, and won the Super Bowl that year. Kurt was elected the regular season MVP, The Super Bowl MVP brings a perfect ending to his mythical journey.
After that, Kurt led the St. Louis Rams and Arizona Cardinals to one Super Bowl respectively, but both failed. At the same time, he was elected as the regular season MVP again, and finally announced his retirement in January 2010.
Kurt is the best undrafted player in NFL history and the greatest Cinderella in history!
Everyone longs to be Kurt and replicate his miracles, but such a legendary experience is only one example.
It is even more difficult for an undrafted rookie to join the league. He must be in the right place at the right time, have just the right opportunity, and just meet Bole. At the same time, he just suits the needs of the team, and more importantly, he has just the right qualities. Only with corresponding strength can this be accomplished. Otherwise, after losing the draft, why would the team choose again?
After the draft, the coaching staff of each team began to weigh and discuss, repeatedly reviewing the player list, each position, the strength of the main players, and the depth of the bench players. According to NFL requirements, each team can only retain a roster of fifty-three players, and they must streamline, expand, or supplement the roster.
After the discussion is over, based on its own needs, the team may open a trial camp to continue to select suitable players and improve its 53-person roster.
In the so-called trial training camp, the team will take the initiative to send out some invitation letters based on its own needs and scout reports, inviting those players with potential to come for trial training, review again, fill vacancies, and survive the fittest; in addition , after any free agent or undrafted rookie learns the news, they can go to participate and show off their skills, hoping that the team will take a fancy to their strength.
After missing the draft, training camp is Lu Ke's last chance. Otherwise, even if he becomes a miracle like Kurt Warner, Lu Ke will need at least a few years of polishing in the Canadian League or the European League to prove himself before he can create a miracle.
However, the competition in the training camp is more intense, not only because the choice range is larger, but also because the rookies have to compete with the league veterans, and the shortcomings in experience will be further amplified, which also makes the difficulty further rise and the competition more fierce. Obviously, hope is even slimmer.
In the final analysis, the solution is to improve your competitiveness and do your best to stand out in trials. Therefore, after the draft, Lu Ke left San Francisco, returned to Los Angeles, and returned to daily training. Consistently improve your strength through daily training.
Unknowingly, life seemed to be calm again; moreover, it was still calmer than before.
The NCAA season has ended, the league has entered the offseason, and the training ground has also entered a rest period. After losing the draft, Lu Ke was the only player in the entire University of California, Los Angeles who continued to prepare for trial training. As a result, the entire stadium became empty and became Lu Ke's training ground alone.
Not only that, the school has also entered the graduation season and final season, and the students' schedules have also begun to change. There are students who stay up all night in the library, and there are students who study hard in the dormitory, and there are also students who stay up all night in the cafe. As students rush to report, the pace of the entire school begins to speed up.
Everyone was concentrating on their studies. Lu Ke, who worked tirelessly in training, also calmed down the hustle and bustle around him.
In the morning, he jogged all the way to school along a familiar route. After repeating this route for more than half a year, he had already become familiar with it. Lu Ke even knew clearly the time when each traffic light appeared - there was no way, during the running process , it’s really boring, and I need to find something to divert my attention to divergent thinking.
After passing the last traffic light, go straight along the road. After a right turn, you will enter the main driveway of the school. The wide driveway that allows six cars to travel in parallel seems extremely empty. From time to time, you can see students riding bicycles whizzing by. The sound rang in my ears for a while, and then faded away.
"Papa papa", there was a sound of running behind him, and it seemed to be accelerating. Lu Ke did not look back, but moved slightly inside and got out of the way of the main road; he guessed in his mind that a certain student was running. Running wildly, maybe sprinting to the library.
The footsteps got closer and closer, and finally echoed in Lu Ke's ears, but he never surpassed them and kept moving forward side by side.
Lu Ke turned his head and cast a signaling look, "Why don't you overtake us?" But the next second, he saw the person next to him, his eyes froze slightly, and then he burst into laughter.
In front of him is a young and energetic girl, wearing a white T-shirt top, a pair of light blue sports shorts, and a pair of black Nike running shoes. She is dressed simply without any unnecessary modifications; she has a flat belly. With a slender waist, it outlines the proud figure curve and perfect body proportions in one hand. The slender and well-proportioned legs glow with a healthy wheat-colored luster. Even if it is just an ordinary sports outfit, it still reveals Exudes a charming temperament.
Her long golden hair was tied into a high ponytail, beating lively and briskly with the rhythm of her footsteps; her white teeth gently bit her pink lips, like the blue eyes of the vast sea filled with stars. The little bits of light shone brightly in the thin and bright sunlight of the morning, and a cunning and bright smile flashed in his eyes.
Seemingly catching Lu Ke's surprised gaze and helpless smile, the girl raised her eyebrows slightly, her provocative eyes flashed past, and then she suddenly began to accelerate, and she sprinted out like an arrow. And he didn't look back, he completely increased his speed to the extreme.
Even without words, the meaning of the challenge could not be clearer.
Lu Ke laughed dumbly, without words or communication. He maintained the original speed and continued jogging for about three seconds. After watching the girl's figure gradually getting further away, he began to sprint with all his strength.
