Takeaways from Week Three of the AAF
The new developmental league for NFL outcasts and hopefuls is still raging on and producing exciting and quality content. For those still longing for good football and something to watch aside from college basketball, hockey or the NBA, I urge you to give the AAF a shot. You just might be pleasantly surprised and entertained. Former Third Overall Pick is Running Rampant: Former University of Alabama star and third overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft Trent Richardson has been an absolute beast in the first three weeks of the inaugural season of the AAF. After fizzling out of the NFL due to injuries, character concerns and simple inept play on the field as well as a brief stint in the CFL, he is now the starting running back for the Birmingham Iron. It seems that returning to the state where he stared in college for Nick Saban as a member of the national championship winning Crimson Tide has been the change of scenery or kick in the pants if you will that he needed to potentially revive his career. Even though he hasn’t even surpassed 200 yards through three games, he has shown all the ability that made him a top-five pick over half a decade ago. He has shown great vision, excellent feet and a knack for making plays in both the ground and passing game. Although his yards per carry isn’t eye-popping, he has been exceptional in picking up first downs and crossing the goal line for scores. His six rushing touchdowns through the first three weeks are most in the league as he is a bloodhound for the endzone whenever the team makes it to the five-yard line. All of his touchdowns have been five yards or less. Wide Receivers Struggle with Drops: While there have been several exciting plays from the receivers across the league, there have been far more plays that could have been if the balls were simply caught by their intended targets. It is evident that the tendency for drops is what ultimately led to many of these pass catchers not catching on, no pun intended, in the NFL. If these wideouts want to make it back to the majors, then they might want to adopt the old Pokémon motto “Gotta Catch ‘Em All”. Defense is Alive and Well: While many football fans have enjoyed the eruption of scoring in the NFL, a big turn off for many fans in recent years has been the excessive over-officiating when defensive players make any kind of aggressive contact with offensive players, especially went it comes to quarterbacks. However, in the AAF the refs let the players hit and get hit, even the quarterbacks. Many of the highlights that come from these games are plays being made by defenders deliver bone-crushing hits and acrobatic interceptions.
