Brits with backs against the wall
32 teams and 53 active players in each team. If my math is correct, that’s just 1,696 spots to fight for. Narrow that down by players that have multi-year contracts, and then by each skill position, it really does narrow the chances down.
This was the challenge facing the British invasion of Lawrence Okoye, Menelik Watson and Tom Wort faced entering this year’s training camps.
The intense pressure inside camp takes its toll on even the most battle weary veteran, so how are the young Brits coping with life under the spotlight, and the glare of their respective coaches and media scrutiny?
Lawrence Okoye is arguably going to have the hardest trial of all. A complete novice in the realities of the game, he is not only having to adjust from being an upcoming Team GB Olympian, he also has the task of impressing the top brass of last year’s Super Bowl runners-up the San Francisco 49ers. Head coach Jim Harbaugh has publicly stated this week that Okoye is “not a good football player” right now.
“His next goal is to be ‘not a bad player’,” added Harbaugh. “I want him to be a bad football player because that’s really the next jump up for Lawrence Okoye.”
Okoye will get lots of pre-season reps, but looks practice squad-bound at best. That being said he will see playing time against the Denver Broncos in the Niners’ pre-season opener.
Menelik Watson has had a horrible camp so far. In fact, his camp has been non-existent.
When the Oakland Raiders camp started, he was immediately placed on the non-football injury list with a calf strain that occurred the week leading up to camp. This Wednesday, he was let off the reigns, but just after warm-up and before practice drills started he left the field in anger, cursing his way into the locker room.
“I felt good. I felt fine,” said Watson before the re-aggravation.
“I didn’t have any pain. I was aware of the situation and that I had to be careful. I’ll take a couple days, re-evaluate it, get back out there and go through the rehab process,” Watson went on to say, “Of course, this is not the way I planned on my first training camp. I’ve not even took a snap yet.”
Tom Wort didn’t even get as far as a team’s training camp gates, at least not yet.
After failing a physical due to a hamstring injury, he was waived by the Tennessee Titans.
“It’s just something silly. I’ve never hurt a hamstring, and to do it today – I’m a little frustrated about that,” he said in March.
Wort had impressed with the Oklahoma Sooners since 2009, but suffered an injury during his second 40-yard dash during OU’s Pro Day.
He moved to America from Crawley, West Sussex aged 14, where he excelled in high school leagues of Texas before some dazzling displays for the Redshirts. Now though it seems it is very much day-to-day as he waits, like so many others, for that all-important phone call.
