Statesman : declared in New flag football league brings out former NFL stars

"I've played flag football since I was a kid," Johnson said. It was extremely fast."The American Flag Football League played the game June 27 in San Jose, Calif., in advance of plans by founder Jeff Lewis to launch a spring league in 2018. "It's something different," said Vick, who was attracted to the sport by watching his daughter play flag football. "You could trot 45- and 50-year-old football players out, and it would be nice to see people you remember, but it's not going to be great," Lewis said. Instead of an old-timers day, this was more of a throwback night as those three former stars headlined lineups with several former NFL players for the debut event of the American Flag Football League in hopes of showing that this sport played mostly by kids could have a future as a professional league.

Evan Rodriguez hopes flag football can help him back to the NFL

Rodriguez is one of the former NFL players who took part in the debut of the American Flag Football League in San Jose last week and was named the game's MVP after catching nine passes for 210 yards and four touchdowns from Michael Vick. Posted by Josh Alper on July 4, 2017, 11:44 AM EDTTight end Evan Rodriguez last saw action in an NFL game in 2014, but he hasn't given up all hope of returning to the league. He spent time with the Dolphins, Bills and Buccaneers after that, but has been out of the league since Tampa cut him ahead of the 2015 season. "I feel like this gave people a different view of me," Rodriguez said. He told Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times that he hopes the performance catches the eye of someone in the league who wants to take a longer look.


Rodriguez, 28, played his last NFL game with the Bucs in 2014 -- that was under Lovie Smith, who also had him as a Bears draft pick in 2012 out of Temple. Former Bucs tight end Evan Rodriguez still hopes to get another shot at the NFL, and he took an unusual path to showcase himself last month, catching four touchdown passes from Michael Vick in the inaugural game for the American Flag Football League. I'm blessed for the opportunity I had with great guys out there," said Rodriguez, who was among the Bucs' preseason cuts in 2015. "I know I was a big guy that coaches wanted to use as a physical guy with my size, and this flag football league let me take advantage of my size and show my athleticism for a big guy." "For me to get back on the field and be competitive with guys and get back in that football mindset."


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