As you may know, I like to turn over rocks. If I see something obscure, I want to know more about it. One of my current obsessions is NFL Europa. The games are shown in tape-delay on NFL Network, which I happen to get on my sattelite package.
Don’t get me wrong, the games suck, and you can tell why the players are relegated there in the first place. I saw great runs destroyed by fumbling problems, and QBs blindly flinging picks. NFL Europa is for kids from big schools who need to work on their games (like former OU Sooner and Broncos RB Quentin Griffin), small-school guys who need to raise their profiles (like Kurt Warner once upon a time), and my favorites, the so-called “National Players”.
These guys are players from Germany, England, Japan… anywhere you wouldn’t expect to find American Football. And some of them are actually pretty good. Scott McCready is an Englishman who played some WR at the University of South Florida, and Noriaki Kinoshita is a pretty decent WR from Japan, who does most of his damage as a Kick Returner.
But best of all is the news contained in this press release from the “International” section of NFL.com. NFL Europa is now auditioning Chinese place kickers, including the fabulously named Ding Long. I’ve always wondered how NFL Europe finds players from such far-flung nations, and the press release makes it clear – they hunt them down, strap them to the hood of the NFL Hummer, bring them to the U.S., and then nurse them back to health:
The trio of Chinese kickers has been tracked down and nurtured by NFL Europa scouts in a bid to develop the sport of football in China, where the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks will play an exhibition game on Aug. 9. (editor’s note – not so fast, NFL International!)
Please, oh please, let Ding Long make an NFL roster… please. Rig the process if you have to, Commissioner Goodell, I beg of you!
I will disagree, I am going with former Texas kicker, Dusty Mangum.
Disgusting, to be sure, but not as exotic.
[...] • It is important that ESPN not forget Mr. Okoye. [Card Chronicle] • Torii Hunter, looking good! [Yahoo Photos] • The Bulls really just might be a ton better than the Heat. [Ronk Karkovice Fan Club] • What’s going on in the Yankees clubhouse right now. [Diamond Hoggers] • There’s a kicker named “Ding Long.” [Extrapolater] [...]
I’d have to differ…I think the NFL game has the market cornered in great kicker names…
Like: Raul Allegre
Roger Ruzek
Ali Haji-Sheikh
granted none of them are “porn star” type names…but still some classics throughout the years.
I just looked at the NFL Eourpe site, and apparently one of their referees is Shawn…Hochuli! I did some research, and he’s the son of Ed Hochuli. Here’s a picture of him from his college football days:
http://www.tsl.pomona.edu/archives/99/1105/graphics/sports01a.jpg
I beg of you to do some reconnaissance on him in NFL Europe, since I don’t get the NFL Network.
How do you say “false start” in German?
I should also point out that over 38,000 showed up for the Frankfurt Galaxy’s home opener. Considering that’s higher than the average attendance at English Premier League games, that’s pretty impressive.
I think part of what I like about Ding Long is the way it goes along with his profession. You kind of want him to Ding the ball Long, don’t you?
Are you sure this is the greatest? i don’t think so
I think what the extrapolater is trying to say is that Ding Long is the most appropriately named kicker with the last name Long. There’s definitely been some uniquely named kickers. I like Jan Stenerud. I had almost forgot about Ali Haji-Sheik. I wonder if he was related to the Iron Sheik?
[...] finally, if Ding Long is my Kicker, I want this guy as my Long Snapper. He’s clearly done the most with the [...]