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April 25, 2005
QUARSHIE NOT DRAFTED; HEADED TO NFL EUROPE
by Sean Leahy
NEW YORK - Michael Quarshie was not drafted during Sunday’s NFL Draft, and has decided to join the Frankfurt Galaxy for the rest of the NFL Europe season. The now-free agent defensive lineman still plans to contend for a spot on an NFL roster this fall, and believes that playing in NFL Europe immediately is the best way to prove his worth to NFL scouts.
“I felt playing for Frankfurt was a great way to gain valuable playing experience,” said Quarshie, who left Monday to join his new team in Germany. “I did not feel I could pass on this opportunity.”
Quarshie, a Columbia University graduate who had called his chances of being drafted a long shot, said experience in NFL Europe is his best route to cracking an NFL roster in the 2005 season. He will have exposure to NFL teams who had not previously scouted him, and can build his skills with players and coaches familiar with the rigors of NFL life.
Several NFL teams contacted Quarshie on Sunday and offered free agent contracts to the defensive lineman, but he felt NFL Europe was a better opportunity. “After talking to my agent, we came to the conclusion that this would put me in a better situation for making an [NFL] team than simply taking one of the free agent offers I received,” he said.
Quarshie’s agent, Bob Boland, said that while signing a free agent contract would have given the defensive lineman a chance in a team’s preseason camp, it would not have guaranteed him a spot on a roster when the season begins in September. He said Quarshie will be better served playing the balance of the NFL Europe season because of the actual game experience he will gain versus mini-camp and practices he would participate in as an rookie free agent. Additionally, Quarshie, whose exposure among NFL scouts while at Columbia was limited because of the school’s small football program, will now be exposed to all 32 NFL teams who monitor prospects in the NFL Europe.
“I don’t see any downside,” said Boland. “It’s the best of all scenarios for him. He gets to play immediately – as early as this weekend – and he gets scouted by NFL teams.” His agent said Quarshie is mindful that his ultimate goal – making an NFL roster and not merely being signed as a free agent – is best achieved by proving his worth to scouts in NFL Europe.
Quarshie is eligible to play in NFL Europe because he is a Finnish citizen. He is also eligible for the NFL’s International Player Development Program, in which teams can sign international players to an extra spot on their practice squad for a full season. Last season four teams participated in a pilot program, and this year the program might expand to eight teams.
NFL Europe is currently four games into its ten game season. The Frankfurt Galaxy (1-3) are in fifth place in the six team league. Their next game is at home on Saturday night at 7 p.m. local time against the Rhein Fire.
