Gable Steveson

[headshuck]

Apparently Gable has never played organized football in his life. 

Yes, it’s literally discussed in the press release.

[ionel]

https://nypost.com/2024/05/31/sports/gable-stevesons-surprise-bills-signing-comes-with-wwe-diss/amp/

"Lee was baffled by that decision, and threw his arms up in a combination of disdain and confusion.

Steveson ultimately won the match in a squash."

I'm sure this is a move @Wrestleknownothing would endorse.  

 

[Wrestleknownothing]

46 minutes ago, ionel said:

https://nypost.com/2024/05/31/sports/gable-stevesons-surprise-bills-signing-comes-with-wwe-diss/amp/

"Lee was baffled by that decision, and threw his arms up in a combination of disdain and confusion.

Steveson ultimately won the match in a squash."

I'm sure this is a move @Wrestleknownothing would endorse.  

 

I only played squash once and got my ass kicked by an old man.

[headshuck]

Who wouldn’t improvise a backwards flip when the script calls for humping your opponent into the ropes?

[ionel]

1 hour ago, Wrestleknownothing said:

I only played squash once and got my ass kicked by an old man.

Squash is a most excellent sport, my favorite of the racquet/paddle sports requiring more strategy & wit (hence your old guy issue).  Also easy travel sport, just throw in racquet and shoes.  More of an international sport, I've played as far southwest as New Zealand and east as Pakistan on business travel.

That said believe the The Gable was doing something quite different.  

 

[billyhoyle]

5 hours ago, wjd said:

Actually Ward was projected as a 3rd or 4th round pick. He thought because he won the Heisman he should be a first rounder and thus chose the NBA. 

Correct. He would have been the #1 pick today, but it was a different time in the 90s with how GMs viewed qbs and what they valued. 

[1032004]

6 hours ago, ionel said:

https://nypost.com/2024/05/31/sports/gable-stevesons-surprise-bills-signing-comes-with-wwe-diss/amp/

"Lee was baffled by that decision, and threw his arms up in a combination of disdain and confusion.

Steveson ultimately won the match in a squash."

I'm sure this is a move @Wrestleknownothing would endorse.  

 

What does “winning in a squash” even mean?

 

I'm surprised you didn’t comment on how the article said Steveson won the Olympics at the 12 kg weight class.   That seems like it might be too light for the NFL 

[ionel]

19 minutes ago, 1032004 said:

What does “winning in a squash” even mean?

 

I assumed it was another fictitious move like a "pinfall" hence ref Wkn.  12kg maybe last time he played football.  

[GrandOlm]

On 5/31/2024 at 2:10 PM, mspart said:

I think the Patriots would disagree with you as Neal was highly skilled and was part of the wall of protection for the QB.   It took him some time to get there, but he had played football before, so he at least had a small head start.   Gable not so much but I hope he can transition.  That would be a great story.  

mspart

I think it's unequivocably true. You would never see an adult athlete from another sport pick up tennis and then win Wimbledon a couple years later.

Some sports are just more skill based, others require just more in general athleticism and  body types. 

[fatlaz]

Defensive Tackle is the right position for him.  It requires a quick reaction and first step, the ability to lower your level and explode from low to high.  You need to be able to use your hands to keep the o-lineman off of you.  Steveson is exactly the same size as Aaron Donald.   Obviously he doesn't have the same experience. Chances are that the Bills will not be able to be patient enough to develop him.  Also no one has any idea how fast he is, though reaction time and first step is more important to a Defensive Tackle 

[scourge165]

On 5/29/2024 at 2:49 PM, 11986 said:

I really don't recall Steve Young being that big. Height yes, weight not so much. 

I don't really recall personally, just a number I remember from that article.

I know he was similar to Favre in that he was the biggest earlier in his career. Favre was ~245 at one point, but...Young may have been 225. 

The article was no doubt hyperbole, but he was also a great athlete. Take the weight, the exact 40...I'm not sure either were accurate. 

Edited June 2 by scourge165

[BloodRound]

So do we think anyone stateside catches up to Gable on the mat if this does not pan out?  He's already been out of commission because of WWE, but pair it back with the football now, and you'd have to think this is the longest stretch of time he's been off a mat.

[Interviewed_at_Weehawken]

2 minutes ago, BloodRound said:

So do we think anyone stateside catches up to Gable on the mat if this does not pan out?  He's already been out of commission because of WWE, but pair it back with the football now, and you'd have to think this is the longest stretch of time he's been off a mat.

I think he was training freestyle on a semi regular basis with WWE.  He won't be able to do that with NFL.

[Wildcat92]

13 hours ago, scourge165 said:

I don't really recall personally, just a number I remember from that article.

I know he was similar to Favre in that he was the biggest earlier in his career. Favre was ~245 at one point, but...Young may have been 225. 

The article was no doubt hyperbole, but he was also a great athlete. Take the weight, the exact 40...I'm not sure either were accurate. 

No way was Favre 245.  At most he was 225 when he was playing.  Same for Steve Young, except I am pretty sure he wasn't even that heavy.

[gimpeltf]

8 minutes ago, Wildcat92 said:

No way was Favre 245.  At most he was 225 when he was playing.  Same for Steve Young, except I am pretty sure he wasn't even that heavy.

Google shows Favre 223 Young 215

[CHROMEBIRD]

6 hours ago, Interviewed_at_Weehawken said:

I think he was training freestyle on a semi regular basis with WWE.  He won't be able to do that with NFL.

Hard to imagine him coming back and competing cold 3 years from now. Maybe coaching. Maybe he'll be a real estate flipper. Maybe a literal flipper where he physically flips a house over, then does a backflip before renovating and selling it.

[PNWfan]

7 hours ago, Interviewed_at_Weehawken said:

I think he was training freestyle on a semi regular basis with WWE.  He won't be able to do that with NFL.

I think Gable has a smart plan. Give the NFL a try and maybe he beats the odds, makes the team, and turns into an impact player, in which case he is making a living on an NFL salary. If he doesn't make it in football, assuming no catastrophic injuries, he is most likely good enough to come back to wrestling and instantly be the top USA guy at 125kg and easily a top 3 guy in the world with his sights set on the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

[Wrestleknownothing]

15 minutes ago, PNWfan said:

I think Gable has a smart plan. Give the NFL a try and maybe he beats the odds, makes the team, and turns into an impact player, in which case he is making a living on an NFL salary. If he doesn't make it in football, assuming no catastrophic injuries, he is most likely good enough to come back to wrestling and instantly be the top USA guy at 125kg and easily a top 3 guy in the world with his sights set on the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

Makes sense to me too. If he does not make the Bills' 53 man roster and does not get signed to a practice squad, then he will still have time to wrestle this year. Though, I am not sure what the eligibility/ transfer rules are with regard to that.

[JeanGuy]

On 5/31/2024 at 3:35 PM, CHROMEBIRD said:

Gable definitely has the size, speed, and athleticism but we'll have to see if he develops the on-field IQ. It's just wild to see an NFL team take a chance on a guy who put on cleats for the first time just weeks ago. I guess I'm also surprised that his stint in the WWE hasn't seemed to have hurt his marketability.

It is funny people say that he has the athleticism, but I don't think anyone knows how athletic he is compared to guys that are the freakiest of freak athletes. The size and speed of NFL players is just different from other sports.

[PNWfan]

24 minutes ago, JeanGuy said:

It is funny people say that he has the athleticism, but I don't think anyone knows how athletic he is compared to guys that are the freakiest of freak athletes. The size and speed of NFL players is just different from other sports.

Fair point. Still, I'd be willing to bet his athleticism and quickness are on the higher end for NFL defensive tackles. Given his 5'11 height, I am guessing he will only be able to add so much weight. Likely best served as a situational pass rusher. The Aaron Donald comp is good in the sense that they are similar size (Donald was probably 20 lbs heavier than Gable, but Gable can still add weight), and have similar quickness. That quickness can make a lot of 300+ lb offensive lineman look very silly.

[neweruser69]

I'd assume he's a practice squad guy for a year and they see if anything is there. 

What he has going in his favor is his absolute ability to make other people his size look foolish through is movement, that part should translate. I have no doubts on the strength side.

Not sure if he's explosive enough for it matter though. 

[billyhoyle]

22 minutes ago, neweruser69 said:

I'd assume he's a practice squad guy for a year and they see if anything is there. 

What he has going in his favor is his absolute ability to make other people his size look foolish through is movement, that part should translate. I have no doubts on the strength side.

Not sure if he's explosive enough for it matter though. 

The problem is he’s undersized compared to NFL linemen and doesn’t know any pass rushing technique. The practice squad has limited spots, and a number of them are essentially reserves that are ready to be activated after an injury. He is a camp invite for press and because the coach likes wrestling. It’ll be a cool experience, but that’s it really. 

[headshuck]

Yeah but you probably picked #3 Derek White over true freshman Steveson in 2018.

[ionel]

52 minutes ago, headshuck said:

Yeah but you probably picked #3 Derek White over true freshman Steveson in 2018.

Who wouldn't have?  No one had heard of him.  There was a lot of hype and talk on the boards about this phenom Stevenson coming out of high school but no chatter regarding this Steveson you speak of.  

[Interviewed_at_Weehawken]

3 hours ago, billyhoyle said:

The problem is he’s undersized compared to NFL linemen and doesn’t know any pass rushing technique. The practice squad has limited spots, and a number of them are essentially reserves that are ready to be activated after an injury. He is a camp invite for press and because the coach likes wrestling. It’ll be a cool experience, but that’s it really. 

All that is true.  I think he's also going to have a really difficult time understanding what is going on around him in the trenches.  He likely thinks its going to be like playing Madden.