A friend of mine ask me about Nate Davis the other day as to where he was since being cut by the Colts. He suggested Nate Davis was in the Canadian Football League.
After the standard web search it turns out Davis was in the Arena Football League playing for the Kansas City Command. Keyword “was.”
Davis was let go only three games into the season on an Arena Football team. All three games were losses as the offense only scored 28 points in two of them. Scoring 28 points in Arena Football is like scoring 3 points the NFL.
Here is a quote in a press release from the team that did not mention Davis by name.
“We just felt like we had to do something,” said Command coach Danton Barto. “We weren’t scoring points and in Arena Football you’re not going to win if you can’t consistently put the ball in the end zone. When something’s not working you’ve got to move on and improve your football team.”
Apparently, Davis was cut two weeks ago on April, 3. I say apparently because even the Star Press did not publish anything on this as far as I can tell. I had no idea Davis was even in the Arena League. It seems as if this was something no one wanted to report.
Just two years ago Chris Collinsworth was comparing him to John Elway after he made this pass in a preseason game.
The fact that he could only last three games speaks for itself.
When it comes to playing professional football he is out of options.
Where can he go to play football that is lower than the AFL?
This brings us to the biggest “what if” question for Ball State football.
What if Nate Davis stays for his senior year?
The odds of him improving to the point where he could have thrived in the NFL may not be there but I am sure it would have helped. He would clearly have helped Ball State big time during a 2-10 season. Heck, if Davis plays in 2009 Stan Parrish may still be coaching your Cardinals.
Now that is a scary thought.
The moral of the story is to choose carefully who you take advice from.
I do not know who was in his ear, but I’m fairly sure no one close to him said the following statement; “Mid-major players should never come out early.”
It is clear rule to live by for MAC players. NFL teams typically downplay smaller schools in drafts. Davis only had to look at a couple of mocks to know he was not going to be in the first two rounds. If you are not in the first two rounds it is best to wait till next year. Another basic rule.
There are plenty of variables. I do not know his financial needs. Maybe he needed the money badly? Maybe he did not want to play for Stan Parrish and a makeshift offensive line?
For the sake of argument, here are some games Ball State may have won in 2009 with Davis as its QB.
North Texas, lost 20-10
New Hampshire, lost 23-16
At Army, lost 24-17
Toledo, lost 37-30
At Temple, lost 24-19
Ohio, lost 20-17
At Northern Illinois, lost 26-20
That is six games decided by a touchdown or less. Throw in what should have been a cupcake in North Texas and that is seven extra games Ball State could have won in 2009 with Davis taking snaps. Potentially a 9-3 record. Might be time to take up drinking.
Soon I will be graduating and I will be hearing a lot of advice from friends and family as to what jobs I should apply for. What I have notice so far my friends tend to tell me things I want to hear vs. my parents who are more concerned. I am sure something similar happened to Davis. People had to have told him he would be a wealthy and a famous quarterback in the NFL. Then they must have told him if he got hurt at Ball State he would get nothing.
Where were the people telling him to stay? Where were the scouts and coaches that should have been more critical? Did Ball State football simply enable the man to make a foolish decision?
Sure, Davis made some cash but at what price? It is reasonable to assume Davis would have been a higher draft pick in 2010 and may have been in a better situation than he was in San Francisco.
This is a story players throughout the MAC should take note with. For the next decade any Ball State player that is thinking about declaring for the draft early will have the warning signs left by Nate Davis to observe.
Let’s hope future Cardinals take the time to read the signs and see what they mean.
Filed under: BallStateFootball, NFL, NFLDraft |
Over The Pylon 
[…] if Nate should have returned to Ball State for his senior season. You can read Nathan’s post here, I would encourage you to read it before you continue reading this […]
I found this blog by accident on google, know its an old post but thought you’d still like some response, any response period. I’ve followed this kid around for sometime, being a 49er fan. Nothing gets 9er fans more agitated then bringing up Nate’s name. He did the right thing by going to the NFL, 49ers GM Scott did his job of scouting and found a gem in later rounds. Mike Singletary made quite a few mistakes, his treatment of Nate was his biggest. Many players wanted him as starter, a few coaches did, but Singletary left it up to Jimmy Raye (OC). Raye stuck with Alex and Singletary’s entire crew was shown the door.
After Nate left KC arena league, he played for the Amarillo Venom in a smaller Texas league. What did he do there? he won their Championship. KC did absolutely nothing with their arena league team. I watched those KC games, the WR’s were a joke there and couldn’t haul in 5 yd passes. Suprisingly, in an inferior league in Texas, they had no problem catching Nate’s bombs.
It seems in the NFL, QB’s like Kyle Boller (Oak), Jon Beck (Wash), Curtis Painter (Indy), Orlovsky (Indy) can all get plenty of chances but Nate can’t get true NFL mins just to show he’s ready??
Saw Nate play live and can’t get it out of my head how natural his talent is. I’m currently rooting for Tolzien to snatch the backup spot on 49ers because he reminds me of Nate lots. He should go to Jacksonville ASAP because I think they’ll need someone to lead, Gabbert is Grade A bust down there.