Broncos Interested in Australian Rugby Star?

This makes sense on so many levels when thinking of multi talented players. Inglis is a SUPER talnted player. Great with ball in his hands, and hits hard in defense.
As with all rugby and rugby league they are required to be able to be good in offense and defense.
Inglis would be a great option as a TE/ WR, and in defense, a better fit at safety or corner.
This show McD’ s ablility to think outside the box.
Rugby players bring huge upside and many skills. Consider that Ingliss is a very good punter aswell.
This is just the tip of the ice berg!

Talk about leaving no stone unturned. LOL I love that we would be looking in every nook and cranny for players that fit our team. Immpressive relentlessness by our FO.

But then them Aussies have notoriously vitriolic character lol…

If this guy wants to be an ILB for us, then sign him today.

NFL Network had its Top 10 Versatile Players list, and it pointed out how the Patriots have found success using guys like Vrabel and Brown. If Inglis is being scouted for those two positions, it seems like he’d fit the slash requirements just fine. It’s always nice to have a guy who can fill in a variety of positions in the case of an emergency.

well its certainly interesting. I remember the cowboys gave Jonah Lomu a try out a few years back. There are certainly loads of Rugby players who if they’d been born American (or Canadian) they’d be on the gridiron. hey and if the punter went down, he could probably belt an egg shaped ball 50 or 60 yards too.

Cricket is a Gentleman’s game played by Gentlemen, Rugby is a beastly game played by gentlemen. Soccer is a gentleman’s game played by beasts. Football is a beastly game played by beasts

This guys looks like a tremendous athlete, I can see the kick/punt returning aspect of his game but who knows what kind of offensive positions his talent could translate into. With his build I could see him at TE or WR. I think he would be better suited on offense due to his learning curve of how to play American football. Offensive and Defensive thinking is very different. Defense is primarily based on reaction and instinctive play with a small amount of pre-determined movement. Offense could be taught easier because most of the movement is pre-determined and doesn’t require as much instinctive movement. Plus he looks like he has some skills catching the ball and would be one hell of a guy to try and take down.

World cup winning england rugby union captain martin johnson went over to spend a day or two with the 49ers – they put him at Tight End.

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/osm/story/0,,543952,00.html

Back in the 1940’s, first black players from major schools were permitted in the NFL. Later, Dan Reeves of the LA Rams had his scout, Ernie Korval, investigate the all-black colleges. Paul Brown did the same. Vaughn Martin came down to SD from Canada last year. We have the first OL of full Chinese descent taking his shot at making the NFL this year. Given all of that, ARD, I wouldn’t be shocked to see a Japanese from the sumo world coming on as a lineman: they certainly have the toughness, size and balance even if a lot of new skills would be needed. Boydy has commented (among several others, to be fair) on the option of looking at the rugby world for future NFL players. I think that it’s a great idea, and I hope that it works out down the road.

It sounds like he’s a stud, so why not battle for him. Maybe he could be the solution to our kick-off/punt return problems. Plus, a LB! That’s a weird combo!

But I don’t think there are enough transferrable skills to play TE or WR. He’s a spectacular athelete and has all the physical tools, but they’re called skill positions for a reason

His leg to arm ratio is crazy. His legs are massive like a LB and his arms look like that of a wide receiver compared to the legs. I don’t know that he’d be good at LB because one needs a lot of upper strength and mass, but I don’t see any issue with this guy being a KR/PR and being the main gunner on kickoffs/punts. He’s fast as hell for one, and looks as if he could hit a train head on and make the train think twice. Versatility is the name of the game, and this dude looks like he could do a few things. FB (when it’s needed), backup TE, and he’d basically be in every single ST play there is. Not a bad combo.

another sport or than the one is his country’s pasttime. Like India trying to get Albert Pujols to play cricket.

HOWEVER, how incredible would he be on bubble screens.

Yes Inglis has the ability to transfer to the NFL. As do a couple of other guys I could envisage coming over. But, and its a big but which Boydy might agree with – the terminology, the formations, the adjustments etc, might just be a bit hard to handle if you aren’t starting to learn them in high school, Physical attributes aside, I think learning any position other than punter or kicker coming over form another sport, would be a bit of a tall order. No doubt he could do it physically, as could Billy Slater, Mark Gasnier, Jarrod Hayne, Brett and Josh Morris, jeeze the list is nearly endless. But tecnically? I doubt it. What do you think Boydy. How long woyuld it take to pick up linebacker terminology and adjustments for a Rugby LEAGUE centre?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJeodGCjPbc

With what is happening in the Australian Rugby League world at the moment.
The salary cap is a fairly paltry $4.1million. The Melbourne Storm, Inglis’s team, have just been caught breaching the cap over a number of years and consequently have had the last 2 premierships stripped from the as well as 3 Club Championships. In addition they have to shed about $700,000k from their current player roster. To make things worse for them they have been stripped of all competition points from this season and cannot accrue points this year whether they win or no, effectively they are out of the competition this year but still have to play every week! You can see why some League players are looking around. Some go to English Super League, some to the domestic Aussie Rules and Rugby competitions and some to the European Rugby comp, Its all about money in the end.

actually jus got back from a rugby game to read this lol. I made the transition from football to rugby but I guess the opposite can work too. I really wanna see this and hope wherever he goes it works out. Rugby players are tough as nails and they are a great time as well!!!!

Just a question, did Inglis play full games (15 including pack) or 7’s (just backs)?

And Rugby, IMO, could help football in the following ways:

Proper tackling: in rugby, you gotta wrap up and do so below the shoulders. A rugby tackle is the perfect form for a football tackle.

Kick Return. Imagine catching the ball, and then realizing u hav the other team charging u with no1 to block for u? Yea if u can return in rugby u can return in football.

This is why I can imagine hed be a great fit at LB or returner

I think this is a great idea! One, we (Manly) wouldn’t have to worry about him and two, niether would NSW. I say send him over (to denver) today. At least I will be able to cheer for him other than when he plays for the kangaroos

I have asked this question before, sure it was ANZAC day eve and i had been consuming copius quantities and the amber nectar, but i still believe that one day in the NFL we will see some plays that aren’t just “gimmics” that will contain two ladderals and not just reverses especiallywhen you have the added advantage of blockers. Sorry just can’t resist the opportunity to voice this idea…trust me it will happen Coach McD and I have already discussed it.

Greg Inglis did it again last night and scored three tries (touchdowns).

With assualt, not sure if that fits the high character type players that McDaniels preaches, maybe Boydy has some more light on what he has been accused of.

I played rugby for 3 years in high school, and it’s easier for me to see a guy like Greg making a seamless transition to the NFL. Right away his skill set would probably, be limited to kick returns, special teams, and maybe some direct snaps. After that I do not see anyway he could transition to a linebacker position, that type of tackler breaking talent might serve him better as a outside linebacker, but who knows guys get paid good money to play special teams these days, and I am sure he would excel in that area

As much as I would like to see and believe it possible, a conversion to the NFL, some things are hard to learn and require alot (H.S. – College) of training.

1.Wearing pads. I have played both codes and I must say that it takes quite awhile to get used to wearing a helmet. It has been over 20 years since I played H.S. gridiron but as i recall it wasn’t something that felt very natural to me. Limited movement and restricted vision. Not to mention getting used to the extra weight. Again I refer to the first paragraph.

2.Learning the play book. Now I’m not saying that our leauge boys are dumb i’m just saying that they aren’t the sharpest tools in the shed. How many of our guys have the educational mindset to learn an NFL playbook.. The NFL is so detailed and Rugby/League is so open and spontanious. Red 34 slant witha hitch see i can’t even begin to comprehend what they say in a huddle.How long would it take to learn the plays considering that greg has never been around gridiron terminology.

3. Diet. Where is a bloke gunna find a fairdinkum dogs eye and dead horse. burritos will kill him.

Justa couple of things to consider.

It reminds me of a scene from the movie “Necessary Roughness.”

An Australian rugby player named McKenzie makes a college team. At one practice, he refuses to wear pads and is knocked unconscious by a tackle, prompting this conversation:

Coach Gennaro: Look at that. He held onto the ball. Well, let’s wake him up and get him some pads.
Coach Rig: I don’t know, Ed. Pads might hurt his game.

who needs Rolando McClain or Donald Butler

Upon watching this guy’s highlight reels, it seems as though the article’s description of him as a potential kick return man is spot on. He appears (at least compared to the other players on the field) to have fantastic speed and obviously superior size at 6’5" 240. He’s bigger than Brandon Marshall, and quite a bit faster.

Like Downunder Thunder pointed out above, the big thing for this kid would be putting on some pads and a helmet. That shouldn’t take away from his speed too much, and I can’t say that playing football without pads is really relateable to playing football without pads your whole life then strapping some on. There is a difference, but they custom make pads nowadays, so the big thing could be the helmet.

Even so, the Broncos can’t automatically offer this kid superstardom like he has in Australian Rugby, but they can potentially offer him a bit more money in the bank.

I hope he makes it to camp for us. Possibly even a look at KR in the pre-season. I’d love to see him play in blue and orange, if nothing else just to try it out.

Go Springboks.

Where I have always seen the best fit for our League players is in positions where they can use their broken field skills. If you line someone like Inglis or Jamal Idris or Brett Morris up at fullback and then let them fade out into the flat as receivers , I think they would make plays. I think they could be pure pass rushers as well.
I just don’t think you could rely on their blocking skills at all and if they were needed to pick up a blitz your quarterback would be in trouble. These guys are great athletes with size, but really that is a dime a dozen commodity in the States.
Billy Slater / Jarred Hayne would fit the kick return role better than Inglis, as they fit the smaller/ quicker receiver mold much more closely and are great broken field runners.
I think my point is that yes we have some good athletes in the NRL but I don’t see any that would give the Broncos anything more than they could pick up in the draft or free agency. Don’t get too excited guys!!!

GI: Hey coach, how do I get fired up and play my guts out and get the whole team fired up each week knowing we will play our hearts out and not get any competition points every week.
CB: Uh, I don’t know Greg but I will call Ricky Stuart and find out for you.

That is soooo funny everyone!!!!

Why aren’t you guys over at Silver and Black where you would feel at home?

Based off everything I’ve been looking at since I first saw this post, videos, rules, differences between league and union haha it seems to me that a rugby player could succeed in the NFL at punter, or kicker. These guys are great atheletes and the game of rugby is brutal no question, but I seriously can’t see them making or taking hits in the NFL. The NFL is too fast, too big, and an entirely different style of hitting than rugby. You can say that rugby players are more tough because they don’t wear pads but helmets and shoulderpads are a weapon as well as a shield and the hardest rugby hits don’t stack up with just the hard hits that happen almost every play in the NFL. In rugby you rarely see 250 pound guys putting everything they have into the crown of their heads and driving it into the face of the guy with the ball. That’s nearly every play in the NFL and, regardless of helmets or pads, is a much much much more aggressive and harder hit. This guy wouldn’t stand a chance on defense despite his sure tackling and great strength in rugby because of the difference between wearing pads and not wearing pads. Willis Mcgahee would stiffarm this guy back to Australia without slowing down. Offensively I can’t see him as a consistant starter anywhere. At tight end he’d go up the seam in practice and it’d only take one good solid hit from Dawkins and he would be packin it up. Fullback? Just look at how hard guys like Jon Beason and Barrett Ruud and Patrick Willis especially take on 315 pound plus guards to fill holes. The thing is, the NFL is too different of a game for a lot of reasons, besides going into the mental aspect of learning schemes, the physicality, power, and form of the NFL and the brutal, finesse, and skillset of rugby is just too different to overcome. I think the only place a guy like this would succeed is at punter or kicker with the fun threat of being able to run and make the tackle on long returns. Now this is obviously just my opinion, and I really can’t claim to be a rugby expert as all I’ve really watched is the first 40 minutes or so of the last 2 league championships (Leeds beating St. Helens) and some highlights of this guy and just general rugby. But based on what I’ve seen I can’t see any rugby player making an impact outside of kicking and or punting

That I wouldn’t throw a rock at.
Coulda even been a Saint

I’m outta here. Take it easy Oz..

From watching some limited film on him, he appears to run better with the ball in hand than without. So that makes me believe he’s better suited to be a KR at first, then eventually develop into a WR. (He’s a bit too light to be a TE and making him block more would do a disservice to his receiving abilities.) When he has the ball, I love his ability to break tackles and how he is not afraid of contact. He’s a return man with the legs of a running back!

If signed by the Broncos, he should initially be limited to playing on Special Teams until he can grasp some of the offense; as o&b aussie said above, he’s never been around American Football terminology.

On the defensive side, I definitely do not see him as a LB. His center of gravity is too high and could easily be pushed out of a play because of it. To me, he’s a small, high-motor version of Jarvis Moss when you look at the physical attributes:
Moss: 6’7" 257 lbs.
Inglis: 6’ 5" 238 lbs.

So if he packed on weight, he’d be a more talented version of Moss, where his catching abilities would be wasted. That’s why I don’t see him there. He’s way too small to play D-line and way too big and tall to play in the secondary, so I’m back to ST and Offense.

I think that in time, after digesting enough of the playbook and being able to actually execute those plays in a game, he could play WR and make Vincent Jackson look like a Smurf. (=

For posting this, it has obviously brought out a few us that wouldn’t usually comment as much. I have made some new friends from this (HorseStance and mikebirty not included at this point in time). They know why. No, seriously it has been alot of fun and filled in my weekend nicely. Thanks to all of you guys.

I just think it is funny that like 30 people are commenting on this that I have never seen post on another Bronco’s thread =)

Crazy rugby guys