Tre Smith

lumsdenpower

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Tre Smith from Auburn have signed with the Lions of Comlombie-Britanique in CFL! He will have a chance to be the starting RB right now! That's very cool, with Josh Ranek, Jessee Lumsden the CFL prove that white player can play RB
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backrow

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well, if he wasn't gonna get a fair shot in the NFL, then it's a good choice and i am happy for him.
 

white is right

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I sometimes wonder why more running backs don't go the CFL route over the arena route to the NFL. There have been too many running backs that all but disappear when they get cut from the NFL, that can still carry the rock.......
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Gi-15

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lumsdenpower said:
Tre Smith from Auburn have signed with the Lions of Comlombie-Britanique in CFL! He will have a chance to be the starting RB right now! That's very cool, with Josh Ranek, Jessee Lumsden the CFL prove that white player can play RB
smiley4.gif


it's british colombia brother, cmon, you're from montreal aren't you? how can you be this bad writing english? lol joking with you man
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lumsdenpower

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hey in frensh that's like that
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but yeah i'm from montreal and i'm pretty bad in english lol but we are in the same case!
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Don Wassall

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white is right said:
I sometimes wonder why more running backs don't go the CFL route over the arena route to the NFL. There have been too many running backs that all but disappear when they get cut from the NFL, that can still carry the rock.......
smiley5.gif


How many white running backs from the CFL ever play in the NFL? The Steelers had one as a free agent about ten years ago (can'trecall his name)who had led the CFL in rushing the previous season. He was cut in pre-season. . . Unfortunately there aren't any routes for white running backs to take to the NFL, whether they play in Division III, or win the Doak Walker Award (Luke Staley), or play college ball in Canada (Lumsden), or play in the CFL or Arena League. All the doors are currently slammed shut.
 

white is right

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Don Wassall said:
white is right said:
I sometimes wonder why more running backs don't go the CFL route over the arena route to the NFL. There have been too many running backs that all but disappear when they get cut from the NFL, that can still carry the rock.......
smiley5.gif


How many white running backs from the CFL ever play in the NFL? The Steelers had one as a free agent about ten years ago (can't recall his name) who had led the CFL in rushing the previous season. He was cut in pre-season. . . Unfortunately there aren't any routes for white running backs to take to the NFL, whether they play in Division III, or win the Doak Walker Award (Luke Staley), or play college ball in Canada (Lumsden), or play in the CFL or Arena League. All the doors are currently slammed shut.
The list is slim to none. I can only recall Gil Fenerty who was all world in the CFL and was a 2nd string/3rd string back for New Orleans (in the late 80's early 90's). I was including black backs in that statement too, but that list is just about as sparse...
 

Don Wassall

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I'd like to see NFL and CFL teams play a few exhibition games against each other to see just how large the talent gap is or isn't. I believe the current "art" of picking NFL players is quite subjective, and that there are many football players with pro potential who never get a chance (mainly white ones but others too).


There'd have to be compromises on the different rules and field sizes, but why not? The NFL is talking about playing a number of regular season games in Europe by the end of the decade, why not also involve Canada in some way, probably the country where football is most popular outside of the U.S. (and Samoa lol).
 
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it's british colombia brother, cmon, you're from montreal aren't you? how can you be this bad writing english? lol joking with you man
smiley36.gif


That was kind of a low blow. Can you speak as well in French as lumsdenpower can in english? Probably not.

Anyway, I think this is a great opportunity for Tre. I don't think any NFL teams would give him a chance, and if Tre is as good as he was initially advertised at Auburn, then he should do very well in the CFl and get at least one more shot at the NFL. (Although it's unlikely he'll ever make it.) But at least he can be a productive player up there. Good luck Tre. ANy news on Dan Burks guys? I figured at least some team somewhere would give him an offer.
 

Quiet Speed

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Don Wassall said:
I'd like to see NFL and CFL teams play a few exhibition games against each other to see just how large the talent gap is or isn't.

For some reason Don's idea jarred a vague memory of the old exhibition game between college all stars and the NFL champs. I was doing a search for that, and of all things up popped a page dealing with exhibition games between the CFL and NFL. And it turns out that over fifty years ago exhibitions were played with rules being change at halftime to adapt to the NFL rules. Sport historian has to appreciate this.
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There is even actual articles from Canadian newspapers recapping the games.

Excerpt from the 1961 contest:

The game was played with 12 players on the field, as is the rule in Canada. As for the other game rules, they were Canadian in first half, in particular with three downs per team per possession, and those of the NFL in second half. The 16,393 spectators present expected a true and hard played game as the "Monsters of Midway" were protecting their reputation. And, that's exactly what they got. The Bears were befuddled by the Canadian rule interpretations and this kept the game close in the first half. The Alouettes hung tough, trailing only 13 to 9. The frustration spilled over onto the playing field as a fight erupted in the second quarter clearing the benches. Two players from each side were ejected...

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Candian Football League vs National Football League
 

Gi-15

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If I recall right, I think the hamilton Ti-Cats were victorious against the bills back in the days, and are the only cfl team to ever win a game against an NFL squad.


Honestly, I think an all-starCFL team ona CFLfield could give Houston a run for their money...
 
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Quiet Speed said:
Don Wassall said:
I'd like to see NFL and CFL teams play a few exhibition games against each other to see just how large the talent gap is or isn't.

For some reason Don's idea jarred a vague memory of the old exhibition game between college all stars and the NFL champs. I was doing a search for that, and of all things up popped a page dealing with exhibition games between the CFL and NFL. And it turns out that over fifty years ago exhibitions were played with rules being change at halftime to adapt to the NFL rules. Sport historian has to appreciate this.
smiley1.gif




I don't remember exhibition games between the NFL and CFL, they didn't get much publicity. I did watch the College All-Star game, though I missed the 1963 game when the All-Stars upset the Packers.

Not many CFL players ever have gone to the NFL. The biggest "name" would probably be Jake Scott. Scott played for the Dolphins 1970-75 and Washington 1976-78.

Scott was SEC MVP in 1968 for Georgia. I recall him running a punt back 80 yards for a TD in a national TV game with Tennessee that year. The Vols scored a TD and a 2-point conversion to tie 17-17 on the game's final play.

Scott had one more year of eligibilty, but quit Georgia and played the 1969 season in Canada. He didn't like Vince Dooley choosing the Sugar Bowl over the Orange. The Dolphins picked him in the 1970 Draft and Scott went to Miami. Most of the time, when a player goes to Canada, he disappears from view.

George Allen drafted a RB named Moses Denson in the early 70s. Denson had benn a CFL RB for several years. Denson didn't do much in the NFL.
 

jaxvid

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I thought Warren Moon and Doug Flutie were CFL'ers at one time too?
 
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sport historian said:
jaxvid said:
I thought Warren Moon and Doug Flutie were CFL'ers at one time too?



I should have said that not many non-QB's have come from the CFL.
Joe Horn was cut by the CFL Baltimore Stallions before starring in the NFL.
 

backrow

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i don't think that we'll ever see Trein NFL. another wasted chance for a great white prospect at RB...
 

warrior16

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Tre won't play in the NFL and might only last a few seasons in the CFL,
but he is an amazing athlete. Look at this story from INSIDE THE AUBURN
TIGERS:

Vancouver, British Columbia--Former Auburn University running back Tre
Smith has signed a contract to play for the British Columbia Lions of the
Canadian Football League.
Smith will report to training camp on June 4th in Abbotsford, British
Columbia.

A backup to Kenny Irons, who was drafted in the second round by the
NFL's Cincinnati Bengals, Smith put up impressive numbers at Auburn's
annual NFL Pro Day after the 2006 season.

Checking in at 5-9, 193 pounds for the Pro Day, Smith had the best
vertical jump of the 17 players tested at 37 inches and the tailback was
one of the fastest in the 40-yard dash with a clocking of 4.47.

"My 40-time was a little faster than I had been doing in training, but I had
a little adrenalin pumping out there and I think that made me faster,"
Smith said. "My fast times had been in the high 4.4s and my slow times in
the low 4.5s."

While the 40 and vertical jump numbers were something to get excited
about, Smith was disappointed that he didn't run a very fast time in the
NFL short shuttle drill. "I usually run a 3.9 on that one, but I slipped and I
only got to run it once. I hope they put a note with the time that I
slipped."

In the longer shuttle run, a 60-yarder, Smith had no slips and felt good
about that test. "My time was a 11.1 and they told me that was really
good," he said.

Smith showed his strong legs again with a leap of 10 feet even in the
standing broad jump. He also benched 225 pounds nine times.



Former Auburn quarterback Ben Leard (left) was asked to throw passes at
pro day. He discusses that subject with Tre Smith (right) while Courtney
Taylor, who was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks, listens.

Unlike most players who go through combine and pro day tests, Smith
didn't work with a specialist for a couple of months to get him ready to
test. "I have been training on my own," he said "I like doing that better. I
am one of those guys who gets more work done when I am training by
myself."

Smith, who played in 54 games at Auburn with eight starts, rushed for
1,023 yards and 13 TDs for the Tigers, averaging 5.2 yards per carry. He
caught 27 passes for 267 yards and three scores."My 40-time was a
little faster than I had been doing in training, but I had a little adrenalin
pumping out there and I think that made me faster," Smith said. "My fast
times had been in the high 4.4s and my slow times in the low 4.5s."
 
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Don Wassall said:
I'd like to see NFL and CFL teams play a few exhibition games against each other to see just how large the talent gap is or isn't.  I believe the current "art" of picking NFL players is quite subjective, and that there are many football players with pro potential who never get a chance (mainly white ones but others too).

IMHO, the alleged gap in athleticism separating NFL players from early-camp cuts, CFLers, or even the upper 25th-percentile of the bulk of Division 1-A kids is mostly a figment of popular, sports-culture-mythology.

With the exception of rare, far-flung bell-curve specimens like Barry Sanders, alot of these "super-atheletic" NFLers are, kinesiologically (sp!) speaking, just marginally superior to the supposed also-rans in the CFL.

The (relative) exception I'd point out is at O- and D-line. American O-Line guys like Rob Murphy (very decent, if unexceptional, in the NFL) or Mo Elowonibi often come up to Canada and become dominant bigs with ease. Truly athletic monsters can manhandle guys in the CFL, but .05-second advantages in the 40 don't seem to translate to all that much. The Ricky Williams episode last season, as well as the mediocrity of guys like Andre Rison (years ago) helped in debunking the myth of "upper-tier" imports at skill positions.

Don Wassall said:
How many white running backs from the CFL ever play in the NFL? The Steelers had one as a free agent about ten years ago (can't recall his name) who had led the CFL in rushing the previous season. He was cut in pre-season

Almost sounds like you might be talking about Mark Nohra, although he was cut by the Bills and Falcons...

roster_profile_nohra_mark.jpg
...anyway, he's yet another example of a relatively pedestrian athlete proving that speed is hardly the key to producing at tailback, whatever the level of competition.
 

warrior16

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Tre decided to stay at Auburn to finish up his masters in computer
information services.

If he went pro, he would have forfieted his scholarship. Look for him to
go pro after he finishes up school. Like most whites, Tre realizes that
there is much more to life than running up and down a field. He has more
to offer the world in terms of intelligence and knows that his future
doesn't involve being lost in the caste system, like he was at Auburn.

For those who don't remember, my senior year at Auburn, we had - for
the Ga. Tech opener on ESPN (2005) - an all-white starting backfield.

Brandon Cox, TB Tre Smith and FB Jake Slaughter. Had Cox not thrown
four picks in the fourth quarter, Smith starts the whole year and we never
see Kenny Irons, the brother of "I scored a four on the Wunderlic" David
Irons.Edited by: warrior16
 
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