If you ask any coach, the toughest part of their job is likely cutting players. Some players might make it easy, but for the most part it's a crushing responsibility. Today is the first mandatory cut down in the NFL. Some teams may have already done this dirty work, but today everyone must be down to 80 players. The NFL increased the training camp roster size to 90 players due to the lockout. Today they have to be down to 80. Saturday will be even worse when they have to cut 27 players to get to the final roster of 53. These are the days that many dreams die. Some will get a reprieve if they are signed by another team or added to the practice squads. Some will try to stay in shape and hope for a call, perhaps play in the CFL, UFL and try again. The Steelers' All-Pro linebacker James Harrison was cut several times before he finally made a roster. He kept working and is now feared.
The NFL dreams start early in most kids. They are stars in high school. Everyone says they have it made. Some of those become stars in college. Everyone says they have it made. The jump to the NFL is incredible. The dreams can end in an instant. The increase in talent huge. The available spots are few. There is almost no margin for error. The most difficult to cut are likely those with marginal skills but endless effort. They give everything. Just to have the opportunity is really something special, but that's easy to say from this side of the fence. My high school coach had a cup of coffee with the New York Jets. I thought that was really neat.
They call him the Turk. He's often a position coach, but no player wants to see him anywhere near them around cut down day. No player wants to hear the words "the coach wants to see you and bring your playbook". HBO's "Hard Knocks" series has shown many of these scenes. I hate imagining them. I certainly hate seeing them televised. I hate cut down days. Head coaches and the players probably hate them quite a bit more.
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