SB Nation - Brodie Croyle

Brodie Croyle Makes Adjustment To Retirement Life

brandon_k_scott — Mon, 21 May 2012 16:40:42 -0000

After a few attempts to land a spot on an NFL roster, longtime Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Brodie Croyle made the decision to retire from the league near the end of the 2011 season.

The Arizona Cardinals had already waived him, and the Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins and Houston Texans showed no interest after his tryouts. So Croyle is moving on with life and not missing a single beat.

Croyle now works with Tuscaloosa's IngeWood Land Company. He's also pursuing an Alabama real estate license, and already a co-owner of the D1 Birmingham sports facility with Philadelphia Eagles linebacker DeMeco Ryans.

"I'm very grateful for everything football gave me," Croyle said. "I just felt it was time, and that's a mutual decision with NFL football. There's very few guys who retire on their own terms. It was a fun ride, but I'm glad to be back, glad to be doing what I'm doing."

"If somebody's looking for a hunting track, we'll try and find that for them," said Croyle, who is pursuing an Alabama real estate license. "If somebody's looking for somewhere to put some money in timber investment, we can find that as well.

"It's something I'm passionate about, something that I've always been around," added Croyle, who grew up on the 500-acre Big Oak Ranch, a home for abused or neglected children that was founded by his father and former Tide defensive end, John Croyle.

Even though Croyle was never a star by any means, these days it's good to see NFL players retire and have a really good grasp of what to do with themselves after football.

Read more about the Chiefs at Arrowhead Pride.

Matt Cassel's Appendectomy Means Heavy Dose Of Jamaal Charles, Thomas Jones

Joel Thorman — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 22:25:26 -0000

If you've been playing Matt Cassel in fantasy football then you've been pretty lucky over the last month. Cassel, who struggled mightily early in the season, earned the AFC offensive player of the month award for November and has shown he's capable of putting up big numbers while minimizing his mistakes.

That's the good news. Now here's the bad news: Cassel underwent an appendectomy on Wednesday and appears unlikely to play on Sunday against the Chargers.

Replacing him will be Brodie Croyle who has yet to play this year. That should tell you right away that the Chiefs will likely turn it up a notch in the running game.

The Chiefs boast the league's best rushing attack in Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones so, if you own either of those players, this is the week to start them. The Chiefs will have to throw the ball obviously but they'll likely prefer to focus on the run game as much as possible.

Croyle last started Week 1 of the 2009 season against the Baltimore Ravens completing 16-of-24 passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns. Croyle likely isn't worth a start this week unless you're desperate.

2011 NFL Draft: The Cardinals Should Tank Hard And Draft A Quarterback

Shaun Al-Shatti — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 21:18:38 -0000

When I saw the first mock drafts already starting to come out, I couldn't help but think about this situation that we somehow find ourselves in.

So the Arizona Cardinals are 3-6. They have three quarterbacks -- none of which would start on any other team in this league (except maybe the heartbreakingly bad Carolina Panthers). And they just got smashed at home against a Seahawks team that, regardless of what their record says, sucks.

With Sunday's disappointment in the books, the realization is becoming clear that the towel may have already been thrown in for the year.

The question must be asked, how exactly do the Cardinals brass plan to dig themselves out of this situation? The classic fall-back plan that's been discussed throughout the past few months has been Donovan McNabb, and now that's gone. Who else is out there?

We all know Whisenhunt would never go for Vick, but the rest of 2011 free agent class is filled with Derek Anderson-esque names. Trent Edwards, Shaun Hill, Brodie Croyle -- none of these guys could be viable signal-callers for a playoff contender.

In reality, barring some sort of miraculous offseason trade, this situation really only has one feasible outcome if the Cardinals are planning to return to relevance within the next couple years. As painful as it would be to watch, and as much as I selfishly don't want to see it happen, they need to bottom out -- and they need to bottom out hard.

The Cardinals have seven games left. Let's say they lose to the Chiefs, the Rams, the 49ers (at least once), the Cowboys, and the Broncos -- all of which could feasibly happen at this point -- the Cardinals would end up either 4-12 or 5-11. With the insane parity going around the NFL this year, either of those records probably ends up ranking towards the absolute bottom of the league.

What does that bring besides frustration and resentment? A top-five pick and a potential franchise quarterback.

Not to long ago, that wasn't a guaranteed safe bet. You hear it all the time: for all the Peyton Mannings of the world, there are just as many Ryan Leafs.

But in recent history, with the influx of pro-style offenses flourishing in college football, this new generation of quarterbacks has been more reliable than any before them.

Just take a look. It worked for the ‘10 Rams (Bradford). It worked for the '09 Bucs (Freeman) and the '09 Jets (Sanchez). It worked for the '08 Falcons (Ryan) and the '08 Ravens (Flacco).

These teams are all set for years to come at the most important position in football. In retrospect, do you think the fan-bases would like to trade in their franchise quarterback to make that one 4-12 season an 8-8 one? Absolutely not. As a sports fan, existing as the team that always floats in mediocrity is the worst possible fate of all.

With so many viable options coming out of the 2011 draft class -- Luck, Locker, Ponder, Stanzi, Mallett (possibly) -- it only makes sense for the Cardinals to jump into the new era. Would you rather watch two years of Kellen Clemens or a possible decade with an exciting, young talent?

As much as I hate seeing these outrageous losses week in and week out, if it means 10 years of relevance -- and the first legitimate long-term quarterback in team history -- then sign me up.