Another shot of the drills pic.twitter.com/4fspgWgVUO
— John Domen (@JDDsays) October 8, 2016
Passing drills here pic.twitter.com/jemZrUWwwd
— John Domen (@JDDsays) October 8, 2016
Football drills happening now. Hear about it today @WTOP pic.twitter.com/5J4YB8fOs7
— John Domen (@JDDsays) October 8, 2016
All these guys getting loose hope to impress for one of 28 roster spots. Same story for other groups just as big. pic.twitter.com/lR75D9qQSt
— John Domen (@JDDsays) October 8, 2016
Tryouts happening today at Verizon Ctr for the Arena Lg Washington Valor. Hear more this pm @WRAP_org pic.twitter.com/IWLRnW9Qhv
— John Domen (@JDDsays) October 8, 2016
WASHINGTON — The Washington Valor had about 360 shirts made up for those trying out for the squad to wear. The organization didn’t think that many would show up — but they ended up running out of shirts.
D.C.’s new Arena Football League team has only 28 roster spots to offer, and it drew a wide range of players all hoping to lay claim to one during its tryouts Saturday. Some have NFL experience, if not years of major college football under their belts. Others hadn’t played since high school.
“For a lot of these guys, it’s a realistic shot,” said head coach Dean Cokinos. “Long, short, they’re in front of us. When you’re evaluating players you do it nowadays mostly off the video. Eventually, you want to get in front of a coach or a scout. And when you do an open tryout, it kind of flips the process. The reality of it is they have a better shot because we see them first live.”
Words like that would be encouraging to Joseph Campbell of Laurel, Maryland. The 29-year-old engineer by day went to the University of Maryland Eastern Shore — a school that produced Pro Football Hall of Famer Art Shell decades ago but doesn’t have a team anymore.
“At the end of the day, there’s a lot of guys out here, there’s a lot of talent out here, but you just have to compete. You see guys running the 40s and you can tell these are college athletes,” Campbell said. “At the end of the day, it’s all about competition. If you make plays, you make one or two or three plays, you’re going to get looks.”
Quarterback David Olson is another guy hoping for a look. The South Carolina native started his college ball at Stanford, where he backed up Andrew Luck, who would eventually be drafted No. 1 overall. He finished his career at Clemson before entering the ranks of indoor football.
“I just finished my first indoor season in the CIF [Champions Indoor Football] with Wichita Force,” said Olson. “I signed there mid-season and we went 7–0 from there with me as starter and won the championship. I’ve been sending that film out, and sent it to Coach Cokinos, and he said to come up here and throw for him, so I’m really excited about it.”
He’s hoping success in the arena league will carry him to the next level.
“I love the game, but I’m also on a path trying to move up to the NFL,” Olson said. “This would be a great stepping stone.”
This is also a path that other players and coaches have taken. Redskins coach Jay Gruden played and coached in the Arena League. Former quarterback Kurt Warner got his start playing indoors before eventually becoming an MVP and Super Bowl champion.
“It’s a great opportunity for these guys,” said Cokinos. “It’s great for our team here, the Valor, our organization, for the league, really. It shows you the enthusiasm we’ve generated in a short period of time.
“This is an opportunity for everybody to find a job with us.”
