Eric Crouch: Poster Boy for AAFL

As the Lincoln Journal Star is reporting, Eric Crouch is playing for the AAFL. After a career of being drafted, dropped, and floating around to the various non-NFL football leagues, he really seems to have found a home in the AAFL. I’ve heard him on radio stations and read his quotes in various press sources. He’s been stumping like crazy for this new league.

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As a huge fan of Eric Crouch, I personally hope that he succeeds at a professional football level. Growing up only three miles from Millard North, I watched him play football at the high school level. He sliced through defenses like butter. At Nebraska, his talent alone raised the level of our team to National Championship contention. I want to see him in person at a professional level, and I may yet get my chance if this league does well.

An athlete of his caliber at quarterback usually gets bumped around when he gets to the pros, and Crouch is no different. Two teams had him try at receiver before the Chiefs sent him off to the Europe league as a safety. He played quarterback in the Canadian Football League before finding his time at the AAFL. I used to tell my friends that Crouch was a quitter for being in so many positions and leagues, but it seems to me that he just wants to follow his dream of playing quarterback professionally. I’m sure if the NFL knocked on his door asking him to be a quarterback tomorrow, he’d be one to accept it immediately.

Two things seem to bode well for the future of the AAFL. First, there is a structure there that seemed to be missing from the XFL or USFL. Many of the board members and executives have held long-standing positions at various levels of athletics and academics. Taking what they feel is the best things from the NFL, NCAA, etc. they are putting together the “little league that could.” They’ve also got guys like Eric Crouch who have a desire to play the game so much, they’d do just about anything to get back to it one more time.