The Rooney Rule is a joke

What about The Sehorn Rule? Each team Must scout at least 1 white cornerback a draft.

 

I'm trying to think if there is a single white cornerback or tailback in the NFL. If there is, I can't think of him.

 

There isn't one of either. Only a handful of white safeties as well (with Jim Leonhard being the only really good one), now that guys like John Lynch and Adam Archuleta are no longer in the league.

Peyton Hillis was the Broncos' feature back for a few games in 2008 due to injury, but he's played nothing but fullback this season. I'd imagine Toby Gearhart will get a shot somewhere next season.

 

Reed Doughty for the Redskins is at least a decent white safety.

 

I think anything that helps people get "into the room" is a good thing. Whether a candidate has a real shot or not, people have a habit of moving around a lot in the league and talking to each other. Say a personnel guy sits in on one of these "Rooney" interviews and is impressed enough down the line to bring the guy in when he's a GM somewhere.
The Rooney thing is about opportunity. Do some teams abuse it? Sure they do. But I imagine there are plenty of coaches, white, black, Hispanic etc., that would welcome the opportunity to interview for a head coaching job they didn't have a real shot at, just for the chance to meet decision makers and get the chance to push for a better gig.

 

The kid from Iowa - Brandon Wegher showed some promise as a white TB

 

Brian Russell of the Seahawks fulfills two of those words. Can you guess which ones?

 

But it's not just the NFL. The reason there are not more white non-quarterback skill players in the NFL is because there are so few elite ones in college.

Look at the most-recent national champion, for example. On Alabama's entire roster, there was one white scholarship player --- starting linebacker Cory Reamer --- who was not a quarterback, lineman, fullback, tight end or kicker.

Reamer was the only white starter on the defense, and he was a fifth-year senior. The player who will replace him next year will be African-American. There are a couple of back-up type white defensive linemen coming back next year, but it's unlikely Alabama will have a white starting defensive player any time soon.

 

The Seahawks cut that azz before the start of the season. I think he wound up in Jacksonville (suitable).

Magical Elf Boy Welker has lined up as a tailback, if that counts.

 

I'm still hurting from his time in the purple and gold.

And have you guys forgotten Brian Leonard? People at least say he's a tailback.

 

People forget Welker was a RB in college. I remember watching him at Texas Tech and thinking he could grow up to become Dave Meggett Jr.

 

I once had a pretty lengthy conversation with a white tailback-turned-fullback in the NFL and it was his theory that white athletes don't stand a chance anymore at becoming a tailback, cornerback or No. 1 wide receiver because they aren't even given a shot from jump street.

Most white tailbacks become fullbacks at some point in their career. Most white corners are converted to safeties. And most white wide receivers are told to bulk up and become tight ends or they become slot guys like Brandon Stokley or Wes Welker.

Of course, the guy also said the same used to exist for black quarterbacks. Most black quarterbacks used to be converted to tailbacks/receivers or cornerbacks.

I'd like to think Gerhart would have a shot at being a white "tailback" in the league, but my guess is some team will draft him and make him a fullback, like every other white tailback drafted in the last 10 years.