There was a time when Mike Vick and Terrell Owens were among the most exciting players to watch in the NFL. Those days may have passed, but they will each be lacing up their cleats one more time for a worthy cause. Owens and Vick will play in a charity flag football game tonight in San Jose.
The game will be played in Avaya Stadium and will serve as an exhibition to help launch the new American Flag Football League.
“When you see flag football being played at a very high level, such as these NFL stars will be playing it, and it’s positioned in public as a legitimate sport, it carries with it a lot of credibility,” Positive Coaching Alliance spokesman David Jacobson said. “Just because of the fame of these athletes, it becomes more attractive to kids. And if we can get more kids into flag football, that’s wonderful. It’s healthy.”
Owens and Vick certainly help bring the league’s exhibition a bit of name recognition, because even younger football fans are likely to know who Vick and Owens are. It wasn’t that long ago they were on a football field in the NFL, after all.
Vick and Owens will be the captains for the game. Vick’s team will include another former loudmouth wide receiver, Chad Ochocinco. Owens will be catching passes from former Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen.
The flag football league will not include kickoffs, field goals or punts. Teams will have rosters of 12 players, and playing both ways will be a key feature. That means a one-on-one matchup between T.O. and Ochocinco is required viewing.
Scoring will also be different from traditional football. Teams will get seven points automatically and can then opt to go for one, two or three points on touchdowns of 50 yards or more.
The league sounds kind of fun for a nice summer alternative, but how long something like this lasts is probably not something you will want to bet the over on. But if it gives some former NFL vets a chance to have some fun playing the game the way many of us once did on the playground, that could be fun.
