Monthly Archives: August 2020

Scout Speak: A Little Help From My Friends

28 Friday Aug 2020

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This week, my second book, Scout Speak: Thinking & Talking About Being an NFL Evaluator, was published on Amazon. Given that it’s only been out a week, you won’t find any reviews yet, but I wanted to give you a fair shot at learning more about it. Though you might be interested, even at $12.95, I don’t want you to buy a proverbial ‘pig in a poke.’

Because a lot of friends of mine have helped me talk about the book, I wanted to turn the spotlight back on them and tout their platforms.

The State of Football Show with Ric Serritella: Monday, I was a guest with Ric along with John Murphy, Toronto Argonauts VP of Player Personnel, and Ralph Ventre, the Assistant Commissioner of the Northeast Conference. If you move to the 52nd minute of the broadcast, I discuss how and why I wrote the book, why I think it’s inspiring to anyone who is considering working in football, and what I hope to accomplish with the book. There are also a lot of great insights on football during lockdowns from John and Ralph. By the way — Ric is giving away the book next week, so make sure to tune in (Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. ET) to get your free copy.

The Beer Garden with RebelGrove.com’s Neal McCready: I’ve known Neal since before I launched Inside the League — I actually searched the Internet practically before there was Google to find Neal, who I paid to cover an Ole Miss press conference — so it’s alway a pleasure to get on a podcast with him. The first 10 minutes or so are about how I decided what the book would look like and why, I think, there’s such a fascination with NFL scouting. Added bonus: There is now a recording of my divisional and playoff picks for the 2020 NFL season, so you can easily mock me in January if I brick everything. Spoiler alert: No J.J. Watt hate in this edition.

Twitter love: A number of my friends were kind enough to tweet about their book purchases. My friend Mike Rittelman, who assembles the rosters for the College Gridiron Showcase, was one of the first to read the book (he short-circuited the paperback delay by checking it out on Kindle) and he had some kind things to say. Among others who tweeted their purchases were NYC-based attorney Dan Cassidy, a great friend and a crackerjack NFL contract advisor, and Kyle Morgan, XOS’ southwest regional scout (formerly of Arizona State’s personnel office).

There were also kind words texted from dozens of people across the scouting community which were very much appreciated.

I’ll also be on SiriusXM with Alex Marvez and Zig Fracassi Sunday at 1:35 p.m. ET (channel 88). I’ll be on for one segment, and I’d be honored if you’d join us.

If you’d still like to learn more about the book, I go into detail on several topics we cover (along with page numbers for quick reference) in today’s Friday Wrap. If you aren’t already registered for it, do that here.

 

2020 NFL Agent Exam: Passion Never Ends for Those Who Leave Business

21 Friday Aug 2020

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In today’s Friday Wrap, we present the results of a survey of almost 40 former NFLPA-certified contract advisors. We wanted to find out if they still miss the game, if they felt they got a fair shot at success, what the biggest problems they faced were, and if they’d ever consider getting certified again.

If you don’t receive the Wrap, and want to read about what the numbers told us, make sure to register for it. It comes out at 7:30 p.m. ET every Friday.

One thing I found interesting is that many of those that I reached out to completed the survey, but still had plenty to say (one even remarked that he didn’t see any place for comments, then sent me a lengthy text on the business’ challenges). The passion remains for virtually everyone who gets a taste of the game, even if that taste turned out to be a bitter one.

The responses broke mostly into three groups.

  • What they learned: “The little guy will never wins against the big fish and marketing advances,” said one. “Couple that with training costs, good luck.” Another listed the three main factors that new agents face, going into detail how “capital,” “player contact and communication,” and “understanding the team side of the equation” are all determining factors. “No amount of letter writing, text, email, etc., can persuade a team to bring a guy in for a workout,” he said. “Every team knows the availability of free agents, and the teams call when they call. The players, unfortunately, have trouble understanding that the call may not come for weeks.” Another faulted the Players Association: “To me, the biggest problem is the NFLPA, because they have the power to cure many of the problems/hurdles agents face. But they just choose to stand by and watch.”
  • How and why they miss the game: “I miss the business everyday,” said one former agent. “Wouldn’t have left if it wasn’t for my now-wife threatening due to my travel.” Another said, “I miss the relationships of the business. I met a lot of good people.” Camaraderie is always cited by people who leave the game and miss it.
  • They haven’t lost the itch: “My wife actually encouraged me to return after watching me help my daughter get a basketball scholarship. I need to do something in the game — not sure what it is. I tried to get into personnel, but most guys felt like, because of my age, I’d be a hard sell.” Said another ex-advisor, “Still wish I was in the business sometimes, but apparently it just wasn’t meant to be.

I often say that no one walks out of the game. They only leave ‘on their shields,’ most often due to threat of divorce, litigation, bankruptcy or even all of the above. It’s something to remember for everyone who aspires to work with NFL players.

Taking the NFL Agent Exam? Make Sure You Read This

14 Friday Aug 2020

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Every summer since 2012, the NFLPA has held a certification exam for aspiring contract advisors in July. That string (like so many others) was broken this year as the test was postponed earlier this year.

Will there even be an exam this year? Good question. Given that we don’t even know if there will be an NFL combine this year, when the draft will be held, or if we’ll make it through a 17-week season, whether or not an exam will be held is pretty far down the list to most. However, to those people who have waited all their lives to represent NFL players, it’s a most urgent matter.

For the ninth year, we’re offering study materials for everyone taking the exam. For the last five years or so, about 200-250 people sat for the exam. We typically work with about half the test-takers in each class, and we have a passing ratio of around 80-90 percent of our clients passing on the first try. When you figure that since 2015, only about 45 percent of each class actually passes the exam, I’ll let you do the math on our materials’ effectiveness.

Here are a few more facts.

  • There are 128 contract advisors who have at least 10 active NFL clients, and 34 of them have been certified since 2012, when we introduced our first practice exam. Of that 34, 20 (58.8 percent) used our study materials to pass. Of those certified since 2015, nine of the 10 used our exams and study guide.
  • We tabulate the leaders in draft value points each year, by agency. Basically, a firm gets points for each draftee, with a sliding number of points based on
  • Since 2007, the active top ten, in order, are CAA, Athletes First, SportFive (formerly Lagardere Sports), Independent Sports & Entertainment, Rep1 Sports, SportStars, Octagon Football, SportsTrust Advisors, Rosenhaus Sports and BC Sports. Of the 10, nine firms have agents who got certified using our materials. Several of them have multiple contract advisors who used them.
  • As of October of last year, there were 276 contract advisors still active from the last three classes (2017-19). Even with the attrition that happens every year, 176 of those still standing (58.3 percent) used our study materials to get certified. They are with agencies large and small and across the country.

If you’re one of those people who are still hoping the NFLPA holds the exam this summer, and you haven’t gotten to know us yet, please check out our study guide and two practice exams. You can read more about our materials, as well as testimonials from the past several classes, here.

Also, for more on our study materials and what we do at ITL, register for our Friday Wrap here.

Three Things for Scouts, Agents and Trainers to Monitor This Fall

07 Friday Aug 2020

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Just a few weeks ago in the Friday Wrap, we discussed the potential changes in an uncertain recruiting landscape dramatically affected by coronavirus. Just two weeks later, we are already getting answers to the questions we asked in our July 24 edition. Let’s look at the changes, make a few new points and ask a few more questions.

  • These opt-outs are a test: No matter how you feel about the merits of their decisions, players who are opting out are an experiment. Will they preserve their draft status despite not playing? When we asked active NFL scouts a few weeks back in this space, the number most came up was about 20 players who can pull this off (here are the players we’d guess can do it). We already know that top players skip the Senior Bowl by the bushel, and in recent seasons, players like Christian McCaffrey and Leonard Fournette have skipped their teams’ bowl games without a draft penalty. Will the next generation skip their last year of eligibility without effect? We’ll know in about 10 months.
  • This is another blow to the agent middle class: Based on our conversations with people in the business, the players who’ve opted out already (and the ones we’ve heard are strongly considering it) will receive full stipends through the draft. Normally, you’re looking at anywhere from $5,000-$10,000/month for four months, depending on the player and the agency. That adds $30,000-$40,000 to the pre-draft tab before you figure in training (about $20,000 conservatively, including food, residence and rental car). Agencies used to get that back in fees over the life of the first contract, but in the days of the one-percent deal (or zero) and slotted salaries post-2011 CBA, it’s all on getting to the second deal and charging three percent. There are no guarantees. It’s been a tough landscape for middle-class firms for a while now. This year — coming off a year when fewer UDFAs were signed and there were no tryout players — could be a real death blow to those who make unwise financial decisions.
  • Some combine prep facilities, as well as agencies, won’t make it to 2022: Today, the success of a combine prep facility is predicated on four things: geographical location (you pretty much better be in the Sun Belt); ability to find reasonably priced lodging (incredibly hard on short-term leases, especially in splashy settings like Miami, Phoenix and Los Angeles); what you do the other nine months of the year; and your ability to recruit and win over the top prospects, obviously. Many solid combine prep facilities have been forced to close down during the lockdowns, and that takes a huge toll when you have thin margins (and yes, most of these facilities have thin margins, despite beliefs to the contrary). The lion’s share of the players who’ll train from now until the draft will go to the top facilities, so the smaller sites won’t benefit from that. It’s going to be another tough year.

In today’s Friday Wrap, we’ll talk about what’s ahead for the scouting profession, based on hiring practices this summer. Give it a look this evening. If you still need to register, click here.