There is a strong chance he got a little change to sign and guaranteed money.

I totally agree that consistency is a big deal in the NFL. Duron Carter has the physical skills to be a No. 1 or No. 2 receiver on any NFL team, but he only delivers those skills when he is in the mood. As a consequence, he plays in the CFL

In Zylstra’s situation, he has to get noticed in camp before they can recognize his consistency. For that to happen he has to get meaningful reps in preseason games. Unless thunderbolts from Thor strikes the Vikings training camp, I don’t see it happening.

The best teams in the NFL place talent before politics. The worst are the other way around. This is true about all organizations everywhere.

One of the truest statements I have ever read, “The incompetent cannot judge competence in others.” That applies equally well to NFL teams as it does to every other organization on the planet.

Some of them no doubt is based on loss of motivation, but I think a lot of it revolves around how their confidence gets destroyed by NFL coaches who do not value them. See what DeCamillis did to Williams at the Bears camp. Before the Bears camp, Williams was the most dangerous returner in the CFL. After DeCamillis was finished with him, Williams was useless as a returner. DeCamillis as the ST coach had no influence over Williams as a receiver and he did well with Ottawa in that capacity. Speaks volumes as to the corrosive influence of NFL coaching on a CFL player.

Meh, I think he pretty much was/is. He has had more injury issues since coming back, however. Remember that his best year was only 1200 yards, so he was never a league all-star caliber player. He was more like an occasional western all-star caliber player.

There’s a lot of truth in this, but I think you do go a too far in some places. NFL teams do look for talent but politics is ALSO an issue, and sometimes a big issue, and an unknown CFL player is often going to be the victim of it.

The signing bonus or guaranteed money is key. That’s the sign that they truly like you and you have a real shot, and it can also tip the politics in your favour, if they’ve already given you money.

I think players who come back usually do regain their former level of play, but sometimes they don’t and that can be because part of their success before going down was due to the system they were playing in, and if they come back and someone else has taken their job, and they have to move on to another team, then the fit might not be as good and they may not reach the same level.