Really hope this kid makes the final roster

[yoe64]

A lot of hopeful rookies have overcome a lot of hardships to earn a crack at an NFL roster over the past couple of weeks, either through the draft or as undrafted free agents.
I'm sure there are a lot of rough stories out there. There probably aren't many rougher than the story of Bill Noethlich, though.
Judd Zulgad of StarTribune.com tells the story of Noethlich, a 6-7, 308-pound offensive lineman who just signed a contract with the Minnesota Vikings. He went undrafted but was invited to try out at the Vikings rookie camp. He ended up walking away with a contract.
That's the happy ending. Now let's rewind eight years.
Noethlich is 15 years old. That's when his mother died as the result of a car accident.
Depression set in for the youngster. His grades dropped. But then he sat down and had a heart-to-heart with his grandfather, who convinced him to lift himself up and try to become a football player. That's when his grandfather died.
Bill went on to college, though, and his father remarried. The new family built a house together, and they all moved in. That's when the family house burned down.
Bill continued on at college, though, studying and playing football. And that's when his sister Jennifer went into a diabetic coma, and she died.
And if triumphing over nearly unending sadness isn't enough for you, how about an underdog story on top of it? Noethlich played college ball at Southwest Minnesota State. The football they play there is nine-on-nine, which I didn't even know existed.
I'm not entirely sure how nine-on-nine football works, but I'm pretty sure that if you end up at a college where the football is nine-on-nine, the odds of you making the NFL are pretty long.
Back to the happy ending, though. Again, via StarTribune.com:
"There was just so much emotion after having something great happen to me," said Noethlich, 23. "I was hugging my parents and holding them as much as I could and enjoying this great moment, because we've had a few bad ones, that's for sure."
Said Bill's father, Dan: "You have no idea how proud we are of that kid. I don't know if you can put into words how proud you can be as a parent of somebody who has carried themselves to this level."
It would be phenomenal to see Noethlich go on to make the Vikings final roster, but that he's even come this far is downright awe-inspiring. Best of luck to him, and that entire family.

[TheDOCTORdre]

I'll be rooting for him...on a seperate note how the heck does 9 on 9 work

[bobcat4life]

I really hope he makes it in the NFL. And Ive heard of 6 man, 7on7 and 8 man football, but never 9 on 9

[yoe64]

Originally posted by TheDOCTORdre
I'll be rooting for him...on a seperate note how the heck does 9 on 9 work


Nine-man football is a type of American football played by high schools that are too small to play the usual eleven-man game. As of 2007, Minnesota, Nevada, North Dakota and South Dakota had nine man football.
The size of the playing field is often smaller in nine-man football than in eleven-man. Some states opt for a smaller, 80 yards long by 40 yards wide field (which is also used in eight-man and six-man); other states keep the field of play at 100 yards long while reducing the width to 40 yards or play on a full-sized playing field. In games played on 80-yard fields, kickoffs take place from the 20 yard line rather than from the 30 yard line.
A similar nine-man modification of Canadian football is played on 100-yard fields (as opposed to the 110-yard standard field for that sport) by small schools in the province of Saskatchewan and has been proposed, but not yet adopted, in Alberta. This format of tackle football is also now played in British Columbia community/minor football at age groups from 8 to 15 years old. It is the standard format of play for 8- and 9-year-olds.
The rules require that the offense align 4 players in the backfield and 5 on the line of scrimmage. A standard I formation has a quarterback, a fullback, a tailback and five linemen. Usually the outside linemen are a tight end and a wide receiver, but it varies by formation. The fourth player in the offensive backfield often plays as an additional wide receiver or tight end.
A common defensive formation is the 4-3-2, with four defensive linemen, three linebackers, and two defensive backs.
The games are frequently high-scoring because the number of players is reduced by more than the size of the field; thus fast players usually find more open space to run within the field of play.
Some Leagues, like the Sunday Football League in Grand Rapids, Michigan, have used 9-man football as a way of furthering their "Passion to Play". They play 16 games seasons and keep full stats. Their format differs slightly in field size, but formations are similar with the exception of a "lurker" in the deep backfield. Typically the lurker will lead the team in interceptions and spy the quarterback on the deep ball.
In France, most competitions are played nine-man : games and leagues involving 19 year old players or younger, division 3 (Le Casque d'Argent) and regional leagues. Blocking under the belt is strictly forbidden under nine-man French rules, but the field size remain the same as in eleven-man football.
The Junior division (under 18's) in Melbourne, Australia also play 9 man football. The game is played on a full sized field, with modified timing rules (10 min quarters, running clock except the last 2 minutes of each half).
In Italy there are 9 man leagues too.

[SHSBulldog00]

Wow....I will be pulling for him to make the roster.