A fellow Ball Stater washes out, probably for the last time:
MUNCIE -- Nate Davis' opportunity with the Indianapolis Colts abruptly ended two days after his chance to show the team he was capable of handling a backup position at quarterback.
The former Ball State standout was released by the Colts on Monday, 22 days after he announced he was offered a contract. Davis failed to stand out when given an chance to play in the fourth quarter of the Colts' preseason opener on Saturday.
[. . .]
He left after his junior year in 2008 to enter the NFL draft, and was selected in the fifth round in 2009 by San Francisco.
He spent 2009 on the 49ers' 53-man roster, and was designated inactive on game day for all 16 games. The 49ers released him before the regular season in 2010 and then re-signed him to their practice squad for the entire year.
San Francisco released Davis after the 2010 season, and he was picked up by Seattle. The Seahawks cut him from their practice squad after one week.
Too bad. Those of us who follow the NFL don't often think of all the kids who wash out. Davis had every reason to think he might have a shot at the big time -- he broke nearly every Ball State passing record in the three years he was there. But everybody who tries out for the NFL was a college standout, and there just aren't than many slots. According to the league's website, only 5.8 percent, or less than one in 17, of high school seniors playing football will go on the play on an NCAA team. And only 1.8 percent of the NCAA seniors will get drafted by the NFL. That translates into eight in 10,000 high school playuers making it to the NCAA. Rough.
Certainly those numbers make it seem a little worse than it is -- not all high school players try out for college, and not all college players try out for the NFL. But imagine any carsides sports that had those kinds of numbers -- only about 2 percent of those training for it in college actually making it. That would not seem to be a highly prized profession. But how many kids dream of (and are sold the dream of) making it as a star athlete?
The story notes that Davis was probably hurt by having a learning disability and having to cope with "one of the most complex offensive schemes in the NFL." Geez. You can run or you can pass, and the other team tries to figure out which you're going to do, and you try to disguise it. How damn complex does it have to be?
