Will Steelers be disciplined for talking to Lemon

With a broad brush.

 

According to popular opinion, we already have…

 

If anything, this episode tells us that Philly should have been on the phone with him before hand.

They may have had less than 8 minutes depending on when the decision to trade with Dallas was made.

If you move up for a guy and you want to talk to him before you draft him to ask some final questions. You should call him before you move up to get your questions answered. Because moving up to get Lemon and then drafting someone else because you found out that he sprained his MCL or something in the last week means you're kind of pooched and the trade was a mistake.

 

As I said in a previous post, I think we're both speculating about the wording in the rule. Neither of us know what the word interference means in the context of the NFL rules (which are essentially legal documents).

If they get disciplined, you will be correct.

If they don't, then I think it will suggest that you are not correct.

If your interpretation of the rules is correct, I think the rule just be "you can't talk to players before you're on the clock". But since talking to players is explicitly permitted, it seems like it would be pretty odd to have this "if a team that you don't know has interest & don't know is on the clock calls, you're SOL".

This rule says "you can talk to them, but don't interfere with the team on the clock". Which suggests that "talking to them" and "interfering with the team on the clock" can be independent things.

If the rule is the way you assume it is, then I would be surprised if someone like Billy B didn't just auto-call every prospect who might be in range of the pick to try to get a bunch of draft picks taken away from a bunch of teams. Because something as simple as running a team bot farm would give you a big competitive advantage by disadvantaging other teams.

 

I think (a) is certainly the case.

My guess is that (b) is not the case. That "interfere" is a specific "term of art" here. And as fans, we don't know what that definition is. So it's probably written well for the front office legal types that read and understand these rules (the audience for the rule book). And we aren't the target audience.

 

Yeah, I don't understand why a team would need to call a player during the middle of the draft to just talk about the weather and crap; hell maybe they are still interviewing these player off the books. Why wouldn't they have a rule that only teams that are on the clock can be calling players and the rest of the teams can be calling their agents. (See below about what some teams are doing on the phone during the middle of the draft)



Now speaking of collusion during the draft, when the Steelers called Eli Heidenrich in the 7th, Eli told them he already had committed to another NFL team!!! How the hell is that not collusion to call a kid during the middle of the draft and make a contract offer???


Steelers Fan-Favorite Draft Pick Reveals He Committed to Another Team as UDFA - Yahoo Sports
After becoming the Steelers final selection in this year’s draft, Heidenreich shared that he verbally agreed to join another NFL team as an undrafted free agent.

“There were a lot of undrafted free agent discussions going on back there,” Heidenreich told ESPN. “I actually committed to a team, and then the Steelers came in and all the emotions kind of hit me at once.”

Just imagine if his answer would have been. "I have already talked to my favorite NFL Team and they have made me a contract offer, so I am going to pass on you guys drafting me late in the 7th round but thanks anyway."

 

Every team for years have contacted players in later rounds trying to line them up for the practice squad.

I specifically remember that during the Cowher days....so I'm pretty positive that you can contact a player when you are not on the clock.


This rule seems only in place so teams can't nefariously try to block a pick by another team, but that isn't what happened here.

I'm surprised in this technological age that they can't set up some league contact system for draft day, just so all contact by every team remains Kosher.

 

Who cares?? They blew it and lost him.

 

Exactly what I was trying to say. They thought it was going to be their pick, and they didn't know Philly was going to jump ahead all of a sudden. They aren't psychic. Hell most people on here didn't notice until it was announced. Just as I was getting ready for them to say Dallas pick was in, and we were on the clock, I seen Phillies pick jump in front on the bottom of the screen.

 

This rule doesn’t make any sense. A team is trades up and you get knocked for interference?

 

My guess is that being on the phone with a prospect isn't "interference" as defined by the league for the purposes of this rule.

You are right that this rule makes no sense if being on the phone with a prospect (which the rule says you can do) counts as interference.

 

The NFL denied my suggestion that teams not be allowed to draft players the Steelers are on the phone with.

 

If Philly was originally ahead of us then I could see this rule making sense but you can’t use this rule if you moved up via a trade.