NFL Europa is done

I think most fans will care very little about the NFL closing down it’s NFL Europa (formally Europe) league.  However, I’m actually sad to see it go.  I think there are many young players that gain valuable in-game experience from their time overseas.  This game experience doesn’t happen in the states as teams provide very limited reps for reserves or rookies.  For the Broncos, we have been lucky to get both Greg Eslinger (like Ben Hamilton before him) game-speed practice time while in NFLE this year.  And one of our elder statesmen, Nick Ferguson, played for two years in NLFE where he made the All-NFL Europe League squad as a member of the Fire in 1999.  That’s only to name a few…

I understand that the league has to make a decision based on the bottom line.  And, in this case, the bottom line is well into the red (NFLE lost a reported $32 Million this year).  I also understand that the league has been working on regular season games for overseas countries including a proposal for increasing the season to 17 games.

I just think that it’s sad to loose this 15 year traditional training ground for young NFL athletes…  Call me sentimental.

NFL Official Announcement: HERE

Article on Nick Ferguson’s time in NFLE: HERE