Falcons lose two junior members of scouting department

In case anyone is wondering, NFL scout is not a particularly lucrative career.  It's not a high paying job, and it's extremely difficult to balance work with family life or relationships when you're spending 250+ days a year on the road.

Changes within a team's scouting department typically don't get a lot of attention. Atlanta's recent hirings of Ruston Webster and Phil Emery are exceptions simply because these gentlemen once held GM positions.  Otherwise, a hiring or departure within the scouting group typically doesn't even get a press release.  If a front office position is involved (such as DeJuan Polk leaving us to join the front office of the Jaguars), it MIGHT get noticed -  but even then it's doubtful.

With that in mind, I'd like to tip the cap to two junior members of the scouting department who are departing us this offseason.

Scott Sika (a former Ohio State walk-on at center) had spent the summer of 2012 with us as an intern, then joined us as a scouting assistant in 2013. You might remember him from "Hard Knocks" in 2014 as the staffer who had the unenviable role of "the Turk" -  the person that tells players who are about to be released that it's time to go see the coach and turn in their playbooks.

After two seasons as an assistant, Sika became a full Area scout for the team last year, focusing on college players in the northeast.

Former Wisconsin holder and backup quarterback Nate Tice (yes, he's the son of former offensive line coach Mike Tice) first worked as an intern in the scouting department for a few months in 2014 before fully joining the team as a scouting assistant that summer.  He served as a scouting assistant again last season.

The tasks of a scouting assistant include assembling film footage of potential draft prospects, assisting with organizing prospect reports and folders, and handling travel accommodations for incoming players.  They're basically scouts in training, learning from the film and reports they help assemble for a few years before being sent on the road to view the prospects first hand as full-fledged scouts.

I'd like to thank both Sika and Tice for their efforts on behalf of our favorite franchise and wish them well in their future endeavors.