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Shutdown Corner - NFL

Shutdown Corner

Mon May 03 08:39am EDT

The Browns turn to YouTube to find able-bodied football players

By MJD

I don't know if the Browns have a guy whose job it is to sit around all day and watch YouTube videos while thinking, "Please, for the love of everything holy, let me find someone on YouTube today who might actually be able to play football." They might. It would kind of make sense.

If that guy does exist, he's doing a really good job.

He found a fellow named Joel Reinders, a strapping, 6'7", 320-lb. Canadian gent with a handlebar mustache who happens to play a little offensive tackle.

Based on that video alone, the Browns gave Reinders a call and signed him as an undrafted free agent. You know who the Browns didn't call and sign as an undrafted free agent? The guy Reinders blocks in the very first highlight.

When I said that that Reinders played a little offensive tackle, I probably should've emphasized the "little" part -- he's played exactly eight organized football games in his life.

He grew up playing hockey, as is his duty as a Canadian citizen. Being 6'7", he eventually took up basketball, and though he did play for two years at the University of Waterloo, he never truly embraced the sport. But he talked to the football coach, and the coach liked the fact that he was 6'7", and he set about teaching him to play some o-line.

Obviously, he's what teams call a "project" -- someone who's got the physical tools but likely needs a couple more years of learning before he can contribute. But Reinder obviously has the size, and there's some ability there. For a highlight reel put together in the first eight football games of a man's life, I'd say it's quite impressive. It really is an incredible story for the guy, even if it doesn't go past this. I'd love to see him make the team.

And congratulations to the Browns organization, particularly the Scouting/YouTube Perusal Department. All those endless days of wading through keyboard cat and other video oddities finally paid off.

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