Matt Parrino on Christian Wade: not on the 53 next year

[NoSaint]

6 hours ago, Alphadawg7 said:

 

That Rugby player is a heck of a lot tougher than an NFL player.  RB isn't a complex position to learn.  I mean see hole, hit hole...then try not to get tackled.  Its verbatim what Rugby is.  The major challenge is learning the language and playbook along with pass protection assignments.  Thats where NFL is substantially more complicated and takes time to learn.  But going into next camp, he will have had quite a bit of time to work on that stuff and learn it.  

 

Its going to come down to how fast he picked up those nuances because he has the physical skills, toughness, and abilities to play.  

 

Rugby gets little love here, but I can assure its a tougher and more physical game to play.  Its the worlds second largest sport behind only soccer, and while its a major college sport in the US, its never had a pro league until MLR started in 2018 and just begun their 3rd season.  Its the fastest growing sport in the world for both men and women, and by a large margin too.  

 

Having the pleasure to know so many great Rugby players, the one thing I wouldn't do is count one out like Wade.  Its an uphill battle, trying to digest all the complexities he will need to learn from language, schemes, and protections...especially in an offense as complicated as Daboll's.  But from what I have heard from Rugby players I personally know that actually know Wade, is that he is a bright guy with an extreme work ethic.  

 

Will be fun to see if he can make some noise or not in camp.

On top of all that though it’s unlearning the flow, the instincts of when and where to cut etc... how to react to a linebacker engaging his blocker will be different based on backside pursuit, safeties coming down, etc.

 

 

[Thurman#1]

5 hours ago, Shaw66 said:

Okay, Dawg, here we go again, you and me against the world.  Last year it was Duke (who I still have hopes for next season); now it's Wade.

 

You took the words right out of my mouth.  Why is it that the position that rookies can succeed in from day one is running back?    Because it's fundamentally a position that requires speed and instinctual skills.   Learn pass protection and learn to a half dozen receiving routes and you're good to go.   

 

He's clearly shown the raw physical talent.   He's had an entire training camp, preseason and regular season to work in the system.   He could have another training camp and presseason to polish what he knows.   

 

By September 1, 2020, he should have learned enough.   The question is simply whether he's good enough.    He'll have plenty of opportunity to show what he can do in preseason games.  (Well, maybe less if the preseason schedule is shortened.)  

 

Just like with Duke, I'm waiting to see what the summer brings.  

 

 

 

You ask why is it the position rookies can succeed in, and I think a part of the answer that you're ignoring is because those rookies have been playing football for years.

 

Rugby runners absolutely learn a lot of the same things in terms of open-field running, but there's no real blocking in rugby. Following and setting up blocks is a skill that nearly all Americans who play football take for granted. Rugby guys not so much. Remember that long run Wade broke on the right side where there was a defender and a blocker ahead near the goal line? Wade turned his run inside and thus was tackled before getting a TD when he should have gone directly vertical.

 

The concepts aren't that difficult, but learning to do it with that instinctive speed and decision-making that good RBs have isn't as easy as they make it look.

 

You say that all he has to do is learn pass pro. I'd argue that's no small feat. Plenty of guys never do learn that, and Wade's size, (5'7" and 190) means it's going to be physically tough for him.

 

I hope he does well. I think it's possible. But I'm right with Parrino that he's more likely to spend another year on the PS. Hope I'm wrong.

 

[NoSaint]

3 hours ago, LSHMEAB said:

I like Matt quite a bit. Knew him when he worked out here in Vegas.

 

Having said that, he has a tendency to squash the "hype" guys. He was very much opposed to the hype surrounding Duke, so I think he MAY be a bit biased here. 

 

Who knows with Wade? Probably won't work out, but crazier things have happened.

to be fair, that he was right about duke might count for him not against 

[Thurman#1]

4 hours ago, Turk71 said:

Why would a 28 year old rugby player be willing to spend half of the year practicing football for $560,000? Why??

 

 

 

Sure seemed like he was too frustrated by the English national team's unwillingness to pick him. A good buddy of mine is a Brit and when I told him the first couple of times about Wade he kept telling me that he'd never heard of the guy so he couldn't be very good. When I told him Wade was 3rd all time in tries in the Premeireship he had to go look it up.

[GunnerBill]

6 hours ago, Alphadawg7 said:

 

That Rugby player is a heck of a lot tougher than an NFL player.  RB isn't a complex position to learn.  I mean see hole, hit hole...then try not to get tackled.  Its verbatim what Rugby is.  The major challenge is learning the language and playbook along with pass protection assignments.  Thats where NFL is substantially more complicated and takes time to learn.  But going into next camp, he will have had quite a bit of time to work on that stuff and learn it.  

 

Its going to come down to how fast he picked up those nuances because he has the physical skills, toughness, and abilities to play.  

 

Rugby gets little love here, but I can assure its a tougher and more physical game to play.  Its the worlds second largest sport behind only soccer, and while its a major college sport in the US, its never had a pro league until MLR started in 2018 and just begun their 3rd season.  Its the fastest growing sport in the world for both men and women, and by a large margin too.  

 

Having the pleasure to know so many great Rugby players, the one thing I wouldn't do is count one out like Wade.  Its an uphill battle, trying to digest all the complexities he will need to learn from language, schemes, and protections...especially in an offense as complicated as Daboll's.  But from what I have heard from Rugby players I personally know that actually know Wade, is that he is a bright guy with an extreme work ethic.  

 

Will be fun to see if he can make some noise or not in camp.

 

I have a friend who played England Sevens with Wade. He is certainly a guy with a work ethic. And he didn't do this on a whim. This decision to leave money on the table in rugby to try and make the NFL was a serious one. 

 

I still see his best shot of making the roster as being as a 3rd or 4th running back who is also a punt return guy. He played some full back in Rugby (very different from full back in football for the unacquainted) as did I back in my youth and that is literally the same as fielding punts. It is catch this ball coming out of the air and judge whether to call a mark (fair catch) or to take off dodging these big angry men running in your direction. 

[MJS]

6 hours ago, Alphadawg7 said:

 

That Rugby player is a heck of a lot tougher than an NFL player.  RB isn't a complex position to learn.  I mean see hole, hit hole...then try not to get tackled.  Its verbatim what Rugby is.  The major challenge is learning the language and playbook along with pass protection assignments.  Thats where NFL is substantially more complicated and takes time to learn.  But going into next camp, he will have had quite a bit of time to work on that stuff and learn it.  

 

Its going to come down to how fast he picked up those nuances because he has the physical skills, toughness, and abilities to play.  

 

Rugby gets little love here, but I can assure its a tougher and more physical game to play.  Its the worlds second largest sport behind only soccer, and while its a major college sport in the US, its never had a pro league until MLR started in 2018 and just begun their 3rd season.  Its the fastest growing sport in the world for both men and women, and by a large margin too.  

 

Having the pleasure to know so many great Rugby players, the one thing I wouldn't do is count one out like Wade.  Its an uphill battle, trying to digest all the complexities he will need to learn from language, schemes, and protections...especially in an offense as complicated as Daboll's.  But from what I have heard from Rugby players I personally know that actually know Wade, is that he is a bright guy with an extreme work ethic.  

 

Will be fun to see if he can make some noise or not in camp.

What metric are we using to determine which sport is tougher or more physical?

[GunnerBill]

29 minutes ago, Thurman#1 said:

 

Sure seemed like he was too frustrated by the English national team's unwillingness to pick him. A good buddy of mine is a Brit and when I told him the first couple of times about Wade he kept telling me that he'd never heard of the guy so he couldn't be very good. When I told him Wade was 3rd all time in tries in the Premeireship he had to go look it up.

 

Yea I suggest your buddy might not be much of a rugby fan. I am only a casual viewer of domestic club rugby and I knew Wade. He was also one of our very best sevens players. The reason he struggled a little bit to make the international first XV is that he is a bit one dimensional. Wade is an old school flying machine of a wing but if you look at international rugby today the majority of the best wings are more versatile guys and technically adept guys who can come inside and be offloaders and creaters as well as finishers. I do think Wade probably got a bit or a raw deal only getting one or two caps. There was a period when he couldn't get in the England team but was in the Great British Lions touring squad. 

Edited February 5, 2020 by GunnerBill

[Buffalo Barbarian]

He has talent and it would be a waste to sit him again. If they dont think he can contribute to this team they should wave him and let him try some place else.

 

 

7 hours ago, SlimShady'sGhost said:

What a gig.  
 

PS for 2 seasons and collect a a nice paycheck 
 

Christian Wade signed a 2 year, $1,121,000 contract with the Buffalo Bills, including a $11,000 signing bonus, $11,000 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $560,500.
 

 

Cant blame him for that. What was he making at rugby?

 

 

[JoPoy88]

25 minutes ago, Buffalo Barbarian said:

He has talent and it would be a waste to sit him again. If they dont think he can contribute to this team they should wave him and let him try some place else.

 

 

 

Cant blame him for that. What was he making at rugby?

 

 

only $11,000 guaranteed though. No doubt Wade is taking a significant risk coming over and trying this.

 

Can’t find what he was making, but the top handful of guys in the UK make somewhere around 800,000 - 1m £ a year? Not an expert I’m sure someone can correct me on those figures. So if Wade hangs out for the full contract term he can do pretty well.

[Thurman#1]

3 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

 

Yea I suggest your buddy might not be much of a rugby fan. I am only a casual viewer of domestic club rugby and I knew Wade. He was also one of our very best sevens players. The reason he struggled a little bit to make the international first XV is that he is a bit one dimensional. Wade is an old school flying machine of a wing but if you look at international rugby today the majority of the best wings are more versatile guys and technically adept guys who can come inside and be offloaders and creaters as well as finishers. I do think Wade probably got a bit or a raw deal only getting one or two caps. There was a period when he couldn't get in the England team but was in the Great British Lions touring squad. 

 

 

He's a die-hard rugby fan, but mostly of the national team. Not much of a fan of sevens either. There are a lot of people out there like that, he says.

 

I'm not a rugby guy at all, but he is.

Edited February 5, 2020 by Thurman#1

[GunnerBill]

10 minutes ago, Thurman#1 said:

 

 

He's a die-hard rugby fan, but mostly of the national team. Not much of a fan of sevens either. There are a lot of people out there like that, he says.

 

I'm not a rugby guy at all, but he is.

 

There are a lot of people who only follow the national team, that is true. Not quite sure that equates to a die-hard.

[GunnerBill]

2 hours ago, JoPoy88 said:

only $11,000 guaranteed though. No doubt Wade is taking a significant risk coming over and trying this.

 

Can’t find what he was making, but the top handful of guys in the UK make somewhere around 800,000 - 1m £ a year? Not an expert I’m sure someone can correct me on those figures. So if Wade hangs out for the full contract term he can do pretty well.

 

It's less than that. The Premiership has a salary cap of £7m a year per club and most clubs and their squads are a little smaller than NFL rosters but not a lot smaller. £1m a year players are very few and far between. Most clubs' top earner would be in the £350k-£500k a year bracket. And Wade would not have been the top earner at Wasps. I suspect he was earning somewhere in the £100k-£200k a year range but I don't know that for certain. He'd have been a second tier contract. He walked away from money to pursue the NFL. There is no question about that. But if it works out his earning potential on an NFL roster is significantly greater.

 

EDIT: to put it in perspective my friend played for Worcester for 3 years in the Premiership (and he was a fringe starter / bench player) and earned less than I do as a civil servant. Rugby players at that level below the internationals are the equivalent of people well paid in other professions but they are not paid salaries like soccer players or NFL players that puts them just in a different ball park altogether from a normal person.

Edited February 5, 2020 by GunnerBill

[ProcessTruster]

11 hours ago, Cheektowaga Chad said:

I don't see the big deal about the tweet, saying he has a greater chance of being on the practice squad again than on a nfl roster, is true. Its also true of every current practice squad player

 

How many practice squad players end up as key contributors?

sure let him have the scout team reps at RB and save your RB depth guys for the real games.  I like it.  Beane able to expand his roster size. smart. 

[whorlnut]

9 hours ago, Stank_Nasty said:

I don’t get why so many people get butt hurt when the guy is brought up. He had some really nice open field abilities and speed when he got to touch the ball. 
 

PLENTY of players have come in and proven themselves in the preseason, gotten the call up, and produced. Why do people get so bent out of shape when people think wade might be another? Where exactly would people like him to prove himself if the live action in the preseason isn’t enough? If ya got speed, then ya got speed. If you can run in space then you can run in space. 
 

im excited to see what he can do with a full year in the system and I’m not gonna count him out. 

Right. No obsession. I’d say more of an intrigue. His speed and ability to maneuver in space can’t be denied.
 

I don’t understand why people get so negative or irritated when he’s mentioned.  

Whoa, whoa, whoa...nobody is “butt hurt”. Would I be surprised if he turns into something more than a good story?  Yes. But of course I will be pleasantly surprised and happy about it. Too many people are offended when others don’t share the same opinions. I would be happy if it happened but I’m not holding my breath. 

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

10 hours ago, YoloinOhio said:

Here’s ya boy

 

 

 

Don't rag on this too much cus I'm just repeating words I heard and .... 

 

Instinct.  

Natural born talent. 

 

Words we've heard about other players.  Some guys have it others don't. 

I enjoy watching Rugby so that naturally makes me a fan of Wade.  

 

9 hours ago, Stank_Nasty said:

Right. No obsession. I’d say more of an intrigue. His speed and ability to maneuver in space can’t be denied.
 

I don’t understand why people get so negative or irritated when he’s mentioned.  

 

Intrigue is a very good word. 

 

 

Sometimes you have to consider the source.   

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

5 hours ago, MJS said:

What metric are we using to determine which sport is tougher or more physical?

 

I think the "speed" of defenders hitting in rugby may not be near that on NFL football so the impact may be far less when getting hit. 

 

Rugby players don't wear pads and helmets. 

4 hours ago, Buffalo Barbarian said:

He has talent and it would be a waste to sit him again. If they dont think he can contribute to this team they should wave him and let him try some place else.

 

 

 

Cant blame him for that. What was he making at rugby?

 

 

 

at least 3 times that per season

 

According to Wikipedia, Forbes, IMDb & Various Online resources, famous Rugby Player Christian Wade's net worth is $78 Million at the age of 28 years old. He earned the money being a professional Rugby Player. 

 

 

Wade spent the past 10 years at Wasps Rugby Football Club. He played on England's national team the British and Irish Lions.

Edited February 5, 2020 by SlimShady'sGhost

[Nihilarian]

12 hours ago, SlimShady'sGhost said:

What a gig.  
 

PS for 2 seasons and collect a a nice paycheck 
 

Christian Wade signed a 2 year, $1,121,000 contract with the Buffalo Bills, including a $11,000 signing bonus, $11,000 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $560,500.
 

Why on earth would Beane and the Buffalo Bills spend this money on someone they thought had no shot to make it?

 

So many Bills fans were also wailing about spending a 3rd round pick on Devin Singletary or getting rid of McCoy for Gore. Let's just sit back and watch what happens this season. 

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

6 minutes ago, Nihilarian said:

Why on earth would Beane and the Buffalo Bills spend this money on someone they thought had no shot to make it?

 

So many Bills fans were also wailing about spending a 3rd round pick on Devin Singletary or getting rid of McCoy for Gore. Let's just sit back and watch what happens this season. 

 

Exactly.   

2019 salary cap.   $188.2 million.    Just over a $1 Mil total. $560,500 per is nothing. 

 

2020 salary cap.  $201.2 million

 

Look at the ROI. If he can play this or next year the investment will be a good one. 

 

Edited February 5, 2020 by SlimShady'sGhost

[hemma]

Can he play ST's & beat out Senorise Perry? 

As an RB, I think he can, but if he can play STs he may have a legitimate shot to make the team.

In rugby, everyone has experience tackling.

[ALF]

Lets see how he looks in TC and preseason after 1 year here,  I'll be rooting him.