Griz lead the FCS with eight NFL players

[yellowstone60]

http://www.gogriz.com/news/2015/9/10/FB_0910154457.aspx

The 2015 NFL season officially gets underway this week, with each team having trimmed down its roster to the 53-player limit. After the dust settled on the last round of cuts, the Montana Grizzlies have become the best represented FCS team in the league according to STATS.com.

Out of 133 total FCS players on Week 1 NFL rosters, Montana leads the way with eight listed on a team's active roster. Two more former Griz are also listed on practice squads, and still two more either injured or knocking on the door.

"It says a lot for the environment that is created on Saturdays here that these kids are playing not only high-level football, but they are also playing in front of big crowds in a hostile environment," said Montana coach Bob Stitt.

"That prepares them to go into a situation in a preseason game in the NFL and it's not any different than what they played in on Saturday at Montana, so I think the whole environment created here helps our guys be able to handle the pressure of making a roster."

The list of former Griz players plying their trade in the NFL is a who's-who of former Montana greats.

Unique to this list, however, is the number of players who grew up playing high school football in Montana, with six of the current eight pros being products of the Last Best Place.

"Those NFL guys love Montana players because they have that blue-collar aspect to them, and they're very talented," says Stitt.


Current Griz on NFL Rosters:

Colt Anderson (Butte) – Indianapolis
Kroy Biermann (Hardin) – Atlanta
Dan Carpenter (Helena) – Buffalo
Brock Coyle (Bozeman) – Seattle
Trumaine Johnson – St. Louis
Marc Mariani (Havre) – Chicago
Chase Reynolds (Drummond) – St. Louis
Jimmy Wilson – San Diego

Not included on this list, but still in the NFL mix are four more former Grizzlies, two of which are Montana natives. Lineman Danny Kistler (Oakland) and Will Poehls (Tennessee) have signed with their respective practice squads. Jordan Tripp (Missoula) was recently waived by the Miami Dolphins, but recently worked out with the Minnesota Vikings according to ESPN.com. Zack Wagenmann (Missoula) remains on the Arizona Cardinals' Injured Reserve list.

Following behind Montana as the best-represented FCS programs in the NFL are Delaware (seven), Coastal Carolina (five) and North Dakota State (five), who are the only other schools to have more than four players on an active roster.

Parity between the FCS and FBS is usually in conversation at the beginning of the college football season. But after a wild opening week that saw Portland State upset Washington State, North Dakota knock off Wyoming, and South Dakota State take down Kansas, many believe the performance gap is closing, leading to better professional representation.

"If you took these FCS programs and gave them a few more scholarships, that's the only difference. The players, there's not that much difference in the talent level," added Coach Stitt. "There's a lot of talent, and these recruits out around the country need to know that they don't have to go to a FBS school to end up in the NFL."

The Montana Grizzlies have a bye this week before heading to Lynchburg, Va. to take on the Liberty Flames. Liberty will have its own shot at an FBS school this week as the Flames travel to Morgantown to face West Virginia.

 

[The_Real_Chief]

Trumaine Johnson (Stockton)- St. Louis
Jimmy Wilson (San Diego)- San Diego

 

[UMGriz75]

After the dust settled on the last round of cuts, the Montana Grizzlies have become the best represented FCS team in the league according to STATS.com.

You forgot to mention that the Wombats won a title in 1984, as a precursor to "the power shift" and that the "changing of the guard" in Montana happened several years ago.

 

[Grisly Fan]

It is kind of hard to believe that NDSU has won consecutive 4 NC's yet only have 5 players in the NFL. Their OL is continually lauded as the best in the FCS yet only one of the 5 is a lineman (Billy Turner playing for Miami). It doesn't seem to add up.

 

[The_Real_Chief]

It is kind of hard to believe that NDSU has won consecutive 4 NC's yet only have 5 players in the NFL. Their OL is continually lauded as the best in the FCS yet only one of the 5 is a lineman (Billy Turner playing for Miami). It doesn't seem to add up.

Easy to look good when you are bigger than everyone you play against, in NFL its all about technique, not saying their guys don't have the technique its just they don't outweigh everyone by 30 lbs every team they face. In the league EVERYONE is massive so your technique better be on point. NDSU has SEC type size on the O line

 

[Spanky]

Of course, before we were FCS, Montana had many players over the years that played pro football.

 

[bozono]

I may be mistaken but I appears coach Hauck had more players go to the nfl than the entire history of our program combined?

 

[BDizzle]

I see the Bills brought in a new kicker. I know Carpenter has been dealing with an injury. Has missed 2 FGs and 1 XP this year. Hopefully Carpenter gets healthy and regains his form.

 

[2011BisonAlumni]

It is kind of hard to believe that NDSU has won consecutive 4 NC's yet only have 5 players in the NFL. Their OL is continually lauded as the best in the FCS yet only one of the 5 is a lineman (Billy Turner playing for Miami). It doesn't seem to add up.

Easy to look good when you are bigger than everyone you play against, in NFL its all about technique, not saying their guys don't have the technique its just they don't outweigh everyone by 30 lbs every team they face. In the league EVERYONE is massive so your technique better be on point. NDSU has SEC type size on the O line

That is because to win a championship you need a team, not just one or two stud players. NDSU rarely has the biggest and best athletes , but they play physical and and very well coached.

 

[AllWeatherFan]

Thank you for mansplaining that to us.

 

[The_Real_Chief]

It is kind of hard to believe that NDSU has won consecutive 4 NC's yet only have 5 players in the NFL. Their OL is continually lauded as the best in the FCS yet only one of the 5 is a lineman (Billy Turner playing for Miami). It doesn't seem to add up.

Easy to look good when you are bigger than everyone you play against, in NFL its all about technique, not saying their guys don't have the technique its just they don't outweigh everyone by 30 lbs every team they face. In the league EVERYONE is massive so your technique better be on point. NDSU has SEC type size on the O line

That is because to win a championship you need a team, not just one or two stud players. NDSU rarely has the biggest and best athletes , but they play physical and and very well coached.

I 100% percent agree with that, we used to play a similar style when Bobby Hauck was the man in charge and although Bobby could never win the big one it seemed like we were in it every year.

 

[IdaGriz01]

... That is because to win a championship you need a team, not just one or two stud players. NDSU rarely has the biggest and best athletes, but they play physical and and very well coached.

But, of course, NDSU has had both ... a few stud players surrounded by "pretty damn good" athletes who are well coached.

Oddly enough, I think this is the source of some (much?) of the optimism about the potential for the Stitt era. I can't imagine that Stitt had any stud athletes while he was at Mines. (Could be wrong, but they'd be few and far between, for sure.) And with the school's academic requirements, he could not possibly have ever had the biggest and best athletes in the conference. Yet his teams kept winning games and conference championships. Granted, his teams never won a D-II national title -- but when you get to the playoffs, you do meet teams who have stud (for that level) players and overall bigger and better athletes. Hopefully, the ability to coach'em up and to also recruit better athletes will push him over the top at the FCS level.

 

[marceagfan5]

Wow...looking at those players, you guys had some damn good teams in 2008 and 2009. I know Hauck isn't the most popular over here, but he could sure bring in the talent...wow.

 

[alabamagrizzly]

Not only do we lead the FCS, we also have as many or more players in the NFL then 63 FBS schools including Arizona, Wash St, Texas Tech, Vandy, Indiana, Syracuse, plus a couple other power 5 con schools and most of the non power 5 schools. And Bobby has recruited and coached more NFL talent at Montana then any other Griz coach.

Griz coaches with the most recruits in the NFL
http://www.egriz.com/grizboard/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=67140

NFL players by college
http://espn.go.com/nfl/college

 

[2011BisonAlumni]

... That is because to win a championship you need a team, not just one or two stud players. NDSU rarely has the biggest and best athletes, but they play physical and and very well coached.

But, of course, NDSU has had both ... a few stud players surrounded by "pretty damn good" athletes who are well coached.

Oddly enough, I think this is the source of some (much?) of the optimism about the potential for the Stitt era. I can't imagine that Stitt had any stud athletes while he was at Mines. (Could be wrong, but they'd be few and far between, for sure.) And with the school's academic requirements, he could not possibly have ever had the biggest and best athletes in the conference. Yet his teams kept winning games and conference championships. Granted, his teams never won a D-II national title -- but when you get to the playoffs, you do meet teams who have stud (for that level) players and overall bigger and better athletes. Hopefully, the ability to coach'em up and to also recruit better athletes will push him over the top at the FCS level.

There are only a few players who have gone through at NDSU who I thought were sure fire NFL talent. Without a doubt though, Wentz is the most talented NFL type player I have seen at NDSU. 6'6 235 pounds. Can run well. Very strong arm. Intelligent (4.0 student). Extremely humble and hardworking. Plays in a pro style offense. He has some flaws, but there is not a single tool he is lacking that can not be fixed.

Someone brought up NDSU having the best offensive line but few draft picks. They might have the best offensive line at the FCS, but you need to be extremely special to make it in the NFL at that position. There is a reason very few FCS lineman end up in the NFL. If you are talented enough to play in the NFL, you are usually talented enough to get a good FBS offer out of high school. Other than QB's, talented offensive lineman are arguably the most sought after recruits in the country.

 

[IdaGriz01]

... Someone brought up NDSU having the best offensive line but few draft picks. They might have the best offensive line at the FCS, but you need to be extremely special to make it in the NFL at that position. There is a reason very few FCS lineman end up in the NFL. If you are talented enough to play in the NFL, you are usually talented enough to get a good FBS offer out of high school. Other than QB's, talented offensive lineman are arguably the most sought after recruits in the country.

I agree ... and, IPO, you have to show the potential for the O-line early and -- even then -- get it honed with some years of coaching and experience against top competition.

It's interesting that it seems like D-linemen have more chance to develop from a lesser level (with coaching and physical training programs) during their college career. But, again, you have to show some potential. If you do, you get sucked up by the big FBS programs. And, with their depth, they are better able to take on a "project."

That leaves the "undiscovered gems" and "late developers" for the FCS and lower levels. Both trends, I think, show up a lot at the HBCU programs. By and large, SWAC and (to a lesser extent) MEAC schools are not especially competitive at the FCS level ... as teams. But those same schools seem to send a disproportionate number of players to the NFL. My guess is, they get a lot of guys who show a bunch of potential, but whom the "big boys" don't want -- the players being at a slightly lower lever, or for academic or other reasons. With proper motivation and coaching, they suddenly appear on NFL draft lists to surprise us with a "Mississippi Valley State" announcement as the draftee's school.