Minor-League Status Fades Every Day
Kevin Sheller
Wednesday May 1, 2002
This is a good thing for fans of the AFL. The league is just different enough.
Evolution: Just like evolution separated chimpanzees and orangutans, sixteen years of the AFL has helped separate professional football players. Over the years, coaches have learned who can succeed and who can’t. Some players play better when the system is fast and simple. Reads are quicker, the sidelines come quicker, and the release is quicker. Others play better with 5-step drops, more time to think, more complex schemes. Not to mention the distinct difference between playing both ways in the AFL and the intense specialization found in the NFL.
Respect: Because the two types of players are different, the potential exists for more fans and media to respect the AFL as a professional sport, rather than minor-league football. The AFL can currently brag (although they rarely do) that they employ the world’s very best two-way players. The NFL cannot. The NFL can brag (although they don’t need to) that they employ the world’s very best specialized players. Perhaps they incorrectly brag that they employ the world’s very best football players…
Longevity: If the two leagues are mostly incompatible (AFL and NFL) that means the players you’ve grown to love in one league are less likely to transition to the other. And this has been true so far. Eddie Brown, Hunkie Cooper, Barry Wagner, Andy Kelly, John Kaleo, Sam Hernandez, James Baron, and hundreds more have stayed in the AFL and made a name for themselves. While this hasn’t been necessarily a good thing for the players who want to earn more money and fame, their lengthy careers have strengthened fan interest for the long haul. The main reason minor-league sports don’t get the respect of even the hometown fans is because their favorite players are always the first to leave.
Evolution creates a unique game with unique players. Longevity creates legends, heroes, and personalities. Respect creates legitimacy.
So, while Kurt Warner put the AFL on the map with his rags-to-riches story, the rest of the AFL legends will keep the AFL on the map as a legitimate professional career for athletes and a true professional sport for the fans.
Robert Lyles
“I have always said that just because you can play in the NFL does not mean that you can play in the AFL,” said Georgia Force head coach Robert Lyles. “This game requires players to be more complete athletes. The problems I find with players going from the AFL to the NFL are the mental aspect of it. In the NFL, you have to deal with more complex coverages and reads.
“Players coming from the NFL to the AFL have problems because you don’t have the room to make the mistakes here that you do in the NFL. In Arena Football, players are more exposed. The dimensions of the field are smaller, your decisions have to be made faster, and the angles players take have to be better. On a wider field, if you take a bad angle, you can make up for that bad angle. Here if you start out bad, it’s points on the board.”
John Gregory
"Generally, if it is the line, (transitioning from the NFL to the AFL is) a huge transition,” said New York Dragons head coach John Gregory. “They have to play both offense and defense, cover kicks and block on kick returns. Most NFL lineman are not versed in it or in good enough condition."
"Receiver wise - I think players can go from the NFL to the AFL or go from the AFL to the NFL and play immediately."
"DB`s - Playing DB in the AFL is one of the toughest positions to play in all of football."
Michael Trigg
“The majority of our players that we recruit have NFL experience,” said Grand Rapids’ head coach Michael Trigg. “All players come to the AFL from the 11-man game and have each had to adapt in their expanded roles. The physical conditioning is much more demanding in the AFL due to the smaller roster and substitution limitations. However, with some work and experience, the same fundamentals used in football at every level are the same here in the AFL.
“The athleticism of the player is the key to being versatile and multi-dimensional. There are a number of athletes in the NFL that would not be effective in the AFL as there are a number of AFL athletes that would not be effective in the NFL.”
Fran Papasedero
"I don`t think being an NFL player necessarily guarantees success in the AFL,” said Orlando Predators head coach Fran Papasedero. “There`s been a lot of guys with NFL experience who either did not make it in the AFL or had a marginal impact. But keep in mind that the NFL is the highest caliber of football on the planet and generally speaking, what AFL team wouldn`t want an NFL player on its roster?"
Parity
Hoo-Boy! After week two, 75% of the teams in the AFL sit at a mediocre 1-1 record. The other four teams are undefeated or winless.
I imagine those fans who felt forlorn when their team dropped its opener are now ecstatic that things are looking up. And of course, vice-versa.
Parity makes picking winners and betting real money on games very difficult. Almost every game this weekend was a surprise to me. I only picked three winners, straight up. For the first time in 10 years, I have a losing record after the second week. Maybe it will start to make sense soon, but I have a feeling I’ll be waiting until later before I even dream of betting real money.
Oh. Is gambling still illegal? I would never bet anyway. Silly me!
Kevin Sheller ia founder of Arenafan Online and was the principal owner until 2004. Kevin graduated from the University of Akron with a degree in technical writing, and has been a member of the Arena Football Internet community since 1993. He has worked as a professional web programmer and is also the executive producer for a computer/video game company. The most recent Xbox title to his credit is called Hunter: The Reckoning.
