Omar may be back on the Steelers Roster soon

[MACMAN]

* Injured reserve: A special category in which a team can place an injured player who is deemed a physical risk. Usually, these players require surgeries for their injuries. This player cannot return to the active roster (and play again) during that season.

* Practice squad: Each team can place five players on this squad, and they are eligible only to practice. These players are paid $4,350 a week and are free agents. Teams routinely sign players from other teams' practice squads in order to complete their 45-man active rosters when they lose players due to injury or release them due to poor performance.

* Pro-Bowler: A player who is selected by a vote of the fans, players, and coaching staffs to represent his conference in an all-star game that takes place the week after the Super Bowl. Any player chosen to play in the Pro Bowl is considered among the league's elite. The Pro Bowl is held in Hawaii.

* Restricted free agent: A player who has completed three accrued seasons and now has an expired contract. Under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement, the club basically controls what he will be paid. Most teams attempt to sign this player to a long-term contract if he's deemed a valuable starter, thus preventing him from being an unrestricted free agent in his fourth season.

* Roster reduction: Each team is allowed to open training camp with 80 players on its roster. By mid-August, teams have to cut down to 60 players. The next week, each club must cut seven more players, leaving their roster at 53. The weekend before the start of the regular season, teams must announce their active rosters of 45 players. They are allowed to retain eight inactive players.

* Rookie: A player who's on an NFL roster for the first time. A player who has played in another league, such as the CFL or Arena League, is still considered a rookie by the NFL.

* Trading period: Generally it begins in mid-February and ends on the Tuesday following the sixth regular-season game, which is usually in early October.

* Transition player: This player's club must pay him the average of the prior season's top ten salaries of players at the same position or 120 percent of the player's previous year's salary, whichever is greater. A transition player can seek a contract from another team, but his current team has seven days to match the offer and thus retain his services. A team can have no more than two transition players in the same season, as long as it doesn't also have a designated franchise player.

* Unrestricted free agent: A player who has completed four or more accrued seasons and now has an expired contract. Such a player is free to negotiate and sign a new contract with any team.

* Veteran: A player who has played at least one season in the NFL.

* Waiver system: The procedure by which a player's contract or NFL rights are made available by his current team to other teams in the league. During the procedure, the 31 other teams either file a claim to obtain the player or waive the opportunity to do so, thus the term waiver. The claiming period is typically ten days during the off-season, but from early July through December, it lasts only 24 hours. If a player is claimed by two or more teams in this period, priority is based on the inverse won-lost standing of the teams. The team with the worst record has priority. If no team selects the player, he's free to sign with any team, including his previous employer. If no one signs him, he is unemployed — technically fired from the NFL.

good stuff still looking for another tid bit to illustrate how players may go from the PS to the roster and how many times a player is allowed to go back forth before he must be singed to a perment roster spot.

this should further help
NFL playbook: Roster moves

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Daniel Mears / The Detroit News

Jason Hanson

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For $4,700, the Lions bought a one-week insurance policy for today's game against the Bears.

Remy Hamilton, a former Michigan kicker and Arena League veteran, was signed to the practice squad Friday as a possible replacement for Jason Hanson.

Hamilton's signing represents how teams use various roster designations to have 45 active players on game day.

Here are some key elements to consider regarding the practice squad and moving players up to the active roster:

• Eligibility: Only players under contract on the 53-man active roster, which is cut to 45 (plus a third quarterback) 90 minutes before kickoff on game day, can play. All players, including those on the practice squad, must be signed to the active roster by 4 p.m. Saturday.

• Pay: Practice-squad players get a minimum of $4,700 a week, and almost all are paid the minimum. If they are signed to the active roster, they are paid on a pro-rated basis at the minimum salary level of $230,000 a year. One week's pay is $13,529, based on a 17-week work schedule.

Practice-squad players are considered free agents and can be signed by any team at any time.

• Practice squad rules: Teams can have a maximum of eight players on the practice squad. The limit was increased by three in 2004. Players credited with two or more NFL seasons are ineligible. There is no restriction for age or last season in college.

• Benefits: Practice-squad players aren't eligible for pension credits, 401(k) participation and other benefits included under the collective bargaining agreement. They are covered by the master health and medical plan.

• Practice availability: The benefit to a team signing a player to the practice squad is that he can practice with the team. A veteran who is not under contract can't.

For example, Wade Richey is an experienced kicker who worked out for the Lions on Tuesday. After the workout, he could have practiced with the team only if he was under contract. That would have forced the Lions to cut somebody from the 53-player active roster.

No player had to be cut while Hamilton practiced because he was not on the 53-player roster.

• Transaction deadline: It is 4 p.m. Saturday for Sunday games.

• History: In 1999, return specialist Terry Fair was injured on Friday night. The Lions signed Desmond Howard (Michigan) on Saturday just before the deadline. On Sunday, Howard returned a punt 68 yards for a touchdown to help beat Washington 33-17.

[Globetrotter]

That is outdated.

It is an 8 man practice squad now and a 53 man roster.

[Globetrotter]

That article is incorrect. If Omar is on the PS he cant play in a regular season game. He would have to be added to the roster. He was not based off what that article said.

Yes he can

Practice squad players can be shuffled in and out of the regular roster, but another owner can take any player on the practice squad in any given week. However, that player must be active and in the starting lineup of the new owner that week. Ex.) If Jim Nantz takes Steven Jackson off Brent Jones' practice squad during a given week, Jim must then start Jackson in his next game.

http://sportsline.com/nfl/fantasy/gridiron/rules

So as it stands Bill can put one, both or neither of the QBs on his PS to the roster, if he goes with an option of taking a QB from another PS that QB must be given a roster spot for that week only at minimum to meet league rules, he can then rotate as many players as he feels from the PS to the roster each week.
thus AFIRMING the article.

The link you are referencing is dealing with a fantasy football league, not the NFL. A player has to be signed to the active roster from the practice squad in order to play. If a player from another team's practice squad is signed he has to be on the 53-man roster for the rest of the season or his rights go back to the team he was taken from.

Hilarious

[Globetrotter]

If a player from another team's practice squad is signed he has to be on the 53-man roster for the rest of the season or his rights go back to the team he was taken from.

But if he's moved from his OWN team's practice squad, how does going back and forth work? Does he go through waivers again? Or does the team just designate by a certain time each week who is on the active roster and who is designated to the practice squad?

The Practice squad is not a part of the 53 man roster. You have to be signed to the 53 man roster in order to play during a week...then yes you would need to be waived and added back to the PS.

Omar MUST be on the 53 man roster in order to play in this weeks game. MUST. He wont even be in uniform or travel with the team if he is not.

He is not even on a minimum deal now, the shift from the PS to the 53 man is a substantial raise.

[Globetrotter]

I'm not 100% sure of all the ramifications of moving back and forth between the practice squad. I do know that practice squad players make significantly less than the league minimum so in weeks where they are active I would assume they have a league minimum contract. I'm sure there is some sort of waiver process in going back to the practice squad but in a sense they are always on waivers since another team can pick them up at any time. On gameday 46 players from the 53-man roster are declared active and the other 7 are inactive for that game. This is aside from the practice squad.

I think you're right as far as pay goes. A player likely gets 1/16th of some league minimum, or whatever is written into a contract, I guess, if they appear on the active roster. A thought I just had is that waivers may be different from the practice squad as far as other teams go, where you could sign someone off waivers and put them on their own practice squad, as opposed to having to keep them on the 53 man roster if they signed them off the PS.

Soooo confusing...

While I'm not positive, I do believe you have it correct TG. Right now Omar is on the practice squad. The possible moves are:

A) Pittsburgh signs him to a league minimum contract for the 53 man roster (prorated for the # of weeks he's on the 53).
B) Another team signs him to a league minimum contract for their 53 man roster.
C) He stays on Pittsburgh's practice squad until they don't want him there.

If he is signed by Pittsburgh for their 53, they would have to again place him on waivers to put him on their practice squad. That would allow any team in the league to sign him for their active roster or practice squad right away. If he cleared waivers they could put him back on their practice squad.

If he is signed by any other NFL team off of Pittsburgh's practice squad he must remain on their 53 man roster for the remainder of the season, or he goes back to the Pittsburgh practice squad.

That is almost all entirely correct. He however needs to clear waivers for any team to add him to their practice squad. You can not pluck him off waivers and on to your practice squad.

Also the last part is wrong. If he is signed by any other teams 53 man roster he then cuts all ties to the previous team. He would have to be signed back to the practice squad. They maintain no rights over him. Howver, teams usually do sign those players back because they wanted them on the PS anyway.

[Globetrotter]

"good stuff still looking for another tid bit to illustrate how players may go from the PS to the roster and how many times a player is allowed to go back forth before he must be singed to a perment roster spot."

There is no limit to the number of times you can be sent back and forth. There is a limit to the number of years you can be on the pracitce squad.

[Rollo83]

I read today that practice squad players make $4,700 per week. That works out to $76,000 for the 16 week regular season.

[Jacobs4Heisman]

I read today that practice squad players make $4,700 per week. That works out to $76,000 for the 16 week regular season.

Wow -- how's he gonna live? He really made a terrible decision leaving school early.

[Globetrotter]

76,000<275,000

It is all relative

[Jacobs4Heisman]

76,000<275,000

It is all relative

76,000 = 76,000, which is what he would have made next year this time. Go further, and he has a much better chance at actually making a roster next year, with a year of NFL experience, than he would have next year with another year of BG experience. So in this case, 275,000 next year > 76,000 next year.

So I guess it's more accurate to say, 76,000>0, which is what he'd be making right now at BG (not counting the scholarship money). Also add in his signing bonus from his contract, and he's doing alright for himself. The people that act like he threw his life away by leaving BG a year early need to step back for a minute.

[Globetrotter]

I said a little prayer. I prayed for Omar to get opportunities.

[hammb]

Also the last part is wrong. If he is signed by any other teams 53 man roster he then cuts all ties to the previous team. He would have to be signed back to the practice squad. They maintain no rights over him. Howver, teams usually do sign those players back because they wanted them on the PS anyway.

Hmmm...are you sure they maintain NO rights? Obviously they would have to sign him back, but it was my understanding that the original team had "first dibs" so to speak. Otherwise a team could take any player off any other practice squad, put them on the 53, then cut them and sign them to their own practice squad. Essentially all practice squad players would be FAs allowed to sign with any practice squad, if htat were the case.

It usually doesn't come up, but I thought that the original team did have some sort of dibs or something to get that player back first if he again clears waivers.

[Globetrotter]

Also the last part is wrong. If he is signed by any other teams 53 man roster he then cuts all ties to the previous team. He would have to be signed back to the practice squad. They maintain no rights over him. Howver, teams usually do sign those players back because they wanted them on the PS anyway.

Hmmm...are you sure they maintain NO rights? Obviously they would have to sign him back, but it was my understanding that the original team had "first dibs" so to speak. Otherwise a team could take any player off any other practice squad, put them on the 53, then cut them and sign them to their own practice squad. Essentially all practice squad players would be FAs allowed to sign with any practice squad, if htat were the case.

It usually doesn't come up, but I thought that the original team did have some sort of dibs or something to get that player back first if he again clears waivers.

I am almost certain they have no rights. A team could do that, but in order to do that they would have to cut someone from their 53 man roster. Then they would have to know that player would not sign with another teams practice squad.

Reggie McNeal today was looking around the league before he signed on the Bengals Practice Squad. He decided it was his best option but he did not have any ties to them.

[hammb]

Reggie McNeal today was looking around the league before he signed on the Bengals Practice Squad. He decided it was his best option but he did not have any ties to them.

In his situation he had never signed with Cincy's practice squad. As such he was placed on waivers and eligible to sign with anyone's practice squad. I think that is different than signing with a PS, being pulled onto somebody's 53, and then being put back on waivers.

It's probably irrelevant, because it doesn't come up that often, and most likely Omar will get called onto Pittsburgh's 53, or he'll stay on their PS.

I will say right now that Omar is a PERFECT candidate for a stint in NFL Europe. He's young & raw. That would give him an opportunity to play some good gametime and learn a more advanced pro-style system than he would've had in BG.

If he spends a spring in NFLE, I think a year from now he'll be light year's ahead of where he'd be if he were just then entering the NFL.

[Rollo83]

In addition to the potential $76,000 if he stays on the practice squad all year, OMar also got a signing bonus of something like $150,000 as a 5th round pick.