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Christian Wade offers advice to Louis Rees-Zammit after NFL heartbreak
By Josh Raisey
Gloucester wing Christian Wade has said that wearing the Kansas City Chiefs badge was a “success in itself” for Louis Rees-Zammit after the former Wales wing failed to make the Super Bowl champions’ 53-man roster on Tuesday.
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After only quitting rugby union in January to join the NFL’s Internation Player Pathway programme, Rees-Zammit failed in his attempt to make the Chiefs’ NFL squad at the first time of asking after only playing three games of American football in pre-season.
The 23-year-old still has a chance of being picked up by another team in the NFL, otherwise, he will end up in the Chiefs’ practice squad, where he can still be called upon to join the active roster during the season.
Wade, who has filled the vacancy on the wing left by Rees-Zammit at Gloucester, found himself in a very similar position to the Welshman in 2019 after failing to make the Buffalo Bills’ NFL roster. That came after a pre-season in which he scored a 65-yard touchdown with his very first touch.
The former England wing went on to spend three years in the Bills’ practice squad before returning to rugby union with Racing 92.
Ahead of his return to the Gallagher Premiership, where he will be eyeing the all-time try-scoring record, Wade offered some advice to the 2021 British and Irish Lions tourist on how he can help out his team, while also explaining how differently sport works in the United States compared to Europe.
“A lot of the time people try and compare it to how sport is over here in England and Europe but there is no real comparison,” the one-cap England international said.
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“He wouldn’t have necessarily not made the team based on a bad performance or good a performance. There are a load of things that come into it that have nothing to do with him as a person or a player.
“The transition is hard for anybody, even the guys who have been playing from high school and college. The transition just is what it is. It is difficult but whatever you see on the TV and in games and selection, doesn’t really have anything to do with how hard the transition is.
“The way that the sport works, just to be in the NFL and be able to represent the badge is the goal. For him to do that is success in itself.
“Anything else he does is a bonus. Now it is up to him to try and put himself in a position to be able to contribute for as long as possible.
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“By contributing, I mean whether it is just being in the building, giving good reps in practice, getting game-time, making good plays.
“That is all everyone is trying to do, just get to the league and once they get there just try to survive. That is what it is.”
Average NFL career length is just over 3 years, and more like 2.5 years for running backs and wide receivers (like LRZ). The IPP practice squad exemption means he can't actually play for the team for one of those years. That makes things pretty challenging in terms of runway, but it's not the biggest problem.
Just like in rugby you cannot get American football experience on the practice field. No elite rugby team would select a player that has never played rugby, regardless of their natural athleticism. Ditto for NFL. So where would he get this experience in the next year or two? He'd be better of playing in a minor league somewhere, than hanging around on the Jaguars practice squad waiting for a miracle.
Wade is right. Enjoy the circus, take the pay cheque, and plan for life after your brief gridiron interlude.
I didn’t realise LRZ was right wing. You’d think that would help his cause in Kansas?
Here’s some advice.
Can this. Can it now.
This. He’s wasting his time, letting his career slip between his fingers.
I imagine, Christian Wade would like to get those wasted years back.