It’s a long road to the NFL

I had the good fortune to be sent to cover the Colts/Ravens game on Saturday, and watching this game gave me a reminder of exactly how long the distance is from Division III to the NFL.

Even the highest level of Division III is still quite distant from the top pro league on the planet. Maybe it’s hard to appreciate the size of a Ray Lewis or an Adalius Thomas on paper. Todd Heap? Yeah, he’s a heap and then some. Speed? This game is played at a frenetic pace.

Those Division III players fortunate enough to have a shot at the big time have to fight all sorts of preconceptions about D-III, that’s true. It’s somewhat unfair. But they also have to conquer their own shortcomings in many cases when it comes to competing on this level. Because it’s not just the next level — it’s two or three levels up.

Good luck to Whitworth’s Michael Allan, the first D-III player to be invited to the NFL’s scouting combine since Ryan Hoag was in 2003. Good luck to former Dubuque receiver Daunta Peterson, who recently signed with the Bills and has been allocated to NFL Europe. Represent us well.

By the way, the Ravens emptied out a luxury suite to accomodate the extra media interest in this game. They didn’t seat anyone in the stands outside (though it was a decent day) or on the roof. Someone in the organization gave up their room to accomodate the media.

If only some D-III schools would do the same.