FORT WORTH, Texas - Arena Football League players don't talk about being the next Kurt Warner anymore.
Not because Warner isn't a star in the NFL. It's just he's not the only former AFL player making an impact in the NFL. Not when there's Pittsburgh's Tommy Maddox, New Orleans' Michael Lewis, St. Louis' Andy McCollum, New England's David Patten and Atlanta's Jay Feely.
The days of the feel-good story of the AFL player making it in the NFL are long gone. More and more, the NFL is turning to the indoor game to pluck its top talent and put it on a roster, hoping to reap a Warner-like benefit from a previously unknown commodity.
"I think it's taken some time for the AFL to be legitimate in the eyes of the NFL," said quarterback Jim Kubiak, who started for the Dallas Desperados this past season and was signed to a three-year contract by the Indianapolis Colts in May. "The more people that leave the game for the NFL, the more it legitimizes itself. There are certainly a lot of guys that can play in the NFL."
The second-year Desperados are finding out what it's like to deal with losing players to NFL squads.
In 2002, lineman Bernard Holsey left late in the season, and is now with the New England Patriots. The Desperados traded for lineman R-Kal Truluck in the off-season, but he's yet to play for them because he's on the Kansas City Chiefs' roster. Kubiak set the AFL single-season passing yardage record in 2003, but could be done with the AFL if he sticks with the Colts. Rookie Will Pettis, the Desperados' best two-way player, signed with the Saints in June.
"It doesn't surprise me," said Desperados coach Joe Avezzano, formerly the Cowboys' special teams coach. "It surprises me that more don't get the opportunity because the quality of athlete in the Arena league has improved so much over the years. There are a number of athletes that can play in the NFL given the right opportunity."
The AFL provides an opportunity for players who slip through the cracks in the NFL because they've had a checkered past, played at a small school or just didn't get a chance to show what they could do. But with a national network television package and a stable of owners that includes Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, ex-Denver quarterback John Elway and Saints owner Tom Benson, the AFL is becoming more of a legitimate product.
The more recognition the league receives, the more the attention players receive and the more likely someone's going to catch the eyes of NFL scouts.
"The AFL helps players create a window of opportunity that they might not have had," Desperados president Jerry Jones Jr. said. "There are a lot of talented players out there and the more opportunities there are, the better their chances are. NBC (TV) has definitely created an awareness of the product. Scouts have a better chance of seeing the players. That's not our goal, though."
The AFL takes the approach that it is not a minor league for the NFL. Commissioner David Baker said the league is trying to create AFL stars, not NFL players, pointing out that the AFL has its own minor league, af2.
But Baker knows there's nothing he can do to prevent players from signing with NFL teams, especially when the difference in minimum salary is about $200,000.
Still, the AFL is trying to stop players from leaving for the NFL during the AFL season, like Arizona receiver Chris Horn did last season. Baker said the league is working with the players' union on a plan that would prohibit players from leaving teams during the season.
"There's no doubt we're not a secret anymore," Baker said. "It's not just that we have transitioned guys back (to the NFL), but some of them have gone back and been the best there are. Tom Jackson from ESPN said that Kurt Warner was the best story in the history of the NFL. That's not me saying that. What's been so great for us is that we're grateful for the exposure. But that's not our goal."
NFL teams seem to have a keen eye on skill-position players. AFL quarterbacks have to get rid of the ball quickly, which makes them attractive to NFL teams. Pass-catchers such as Pettis put up big numbers that draw interest, one reason there are 10 former AFL players on NFL rosters as receivers.
"Kurt Warner told me and my father that he felt like things in the NFL were going in slow motion after playing in the AFL," Jones Jr. said. "This league is set up for offensive players, especially the quarterbacks. They're getting more reps and increasing their abilities."
Players don't care about the reasons they're getting a chance to play in the NFL. They're just grateful for the opportunity the AFL gave them.
"When I first entered the Arena league, my goal was to get to the NFL," said Pettis, who was signed by the Cowboys but wound up in New Orleans when the Saints claimed his waiver rights. "I didn't want to play in the AFL for more than two years. But the AFL gave me a chance. Now I'm going to go to the NFL and hopefully make a name for myself and better publicize the AFL. It helps everyone."
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/football/nfl/oakland_raiders/6345374.htm
Not because Warner isn't a star in the NFL. It's just he's not the only former AFL player making an impact in the NFL. Not when there's Pittsburgh's Tommy Maddox, New Orleans' Michael Lewis, St. Louis' Andy McCollum, New England's David Patten and Atlanta's Jay Feely.
The days of the feel-good story of the AFL player making it in the NFL are long gone. More and more, the NFL is turning to the indoor game to pluck its top talent and put it on a roster, hoping to reap a Warner-like benefit from a previously unknown commodity.
"I think it's taken some time for the AFL to be legitimate in the eyes of the NFL," said quarterback Jim Kubiak, who started for the Dallas Desperados this past season and was signed to a three-year contract by the Indianapolis Colts in May. "The more people that leave the game for the NFL, the more it legitimizes itself. There are certainly a lot of guys that can play in the NFL."
The second-year Desperados are finding out what it's like to deal with losing players to NFL squads.
In 2002, lineman Bernard Holsey left late in the season, and is now with the New England Patriots. The Desperados traded for lineman R-Kal Truluck in the off-season, but he's yet to play for them because he's on the Kansas City Chiefs' roster. Kubiak set the AFL single-season passing yardage record in 2003, but could be done with the AFL if he sticks with the Colts. Rookie Will Pettis, the Desperados' best two-way player, signed with the Saints in June.
"It doesn't surprise me," said Desperados coach Joe Avezzano, formerly the Cowboys' special teams coach. "It surprises me that more don't get the opportunity because the quality of athlete in the Arena league has improved so much over the years. There are a number of athletes that can play in the NFL given the right opportunity."
The AFL provides an opportunity for players who slip through the cracks in the NFL because they've had a checkered past, played at a small school or just didn't get a chance to show what they could do. But with a national network television package and a stable of owners that includes Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, ex-Denver quarterback John Elway and Saints owner Tom Benson, the AFL is becoming more of a legitimate product.
The more recognition the league receives, the more the attention players receive and the more likely someone's going to catch the eyes of NFL scouts.
"The AFL helps players create a window of opportunity that they might not have had," Desperados president Jerry Jones Jr. said. "There are a lot of talented players out there and the more opportunities there are, the better their chances are. NBC (TV) has definitely created an awareness of the product. Scouts have a better chance of seeing the players. That's not our goal, though."
The AFL takes the approach that it is not a minor league for the NFL. Commissioner David Baker said the league is trying to create AFL stars, not NFL players, pointing out that the AFL has its own minor league, af2.
But Baker knows there's nothing he can do to prevent players from signing with NFL teams, especially when the difference in minimum salary is about $200,000.
Still, the AFL is trying to stop players from leaving for the NFL during the AFL season, like Arizona receiver Chris Horn did last season. Baker said the league is working with the players' union on a plan that would prohibit players from leaving teams during the season.
"There's no doubt we're not a secret anymore," Baker said. "It's not just that we have transitioned guys back (to the NFL), but some of them have gone back and been the best there are. Tom Jackson from ESPN said that Kurt Warner was the best story in the history of the NFL. That's not me saying that. What's been so great for us is that we're grateful for the exposure. But that's not our goal."
NFL teams seem to have a keen eye on skill-position players. AFL quarterbacks have to get rid of the ball quickly, which makes them attractive to NFL teams. Pass-catchers such as Pettis put up big numbers that draw interest, one reason there are 10 former AFL players on NFL rosters as receivers.
"Kurt Warner told me and my father that he felt like things in the NFL were going in slow motion after playing in the AFL," Jones Jr. said. "This league is set up for offensive players, especially the quarterbacks. They're getting more reps and increasing their abilities."
Players don't care about the reasons they're getting a chance to play in the NFL. They're just grateful for the opportunity the AFL gave them.
"When I first entered the Arena league, my goal was to get to the NFL," said Pettis, who was signed by the Cowboys but wound up in New Orleans when the Saints claimed his waiver rights. "I didn't want to play in the AFL for more than two years. But the AFL gave me a chance. Now I'm going to go to the NFL and hopefully make a name for myself and better publicize the AFL. It helps everyone."
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/football/nfl/oakland_raiders/6345374.htm
