The Alliance of American Football has suspended operations and it seems only a matter of time before the league folds. That’s a damn shame.
This news came out earlier in the week and while many football fans may not care about the AAF or even know it exists and others will be quick to joke about the upstart league’s sudden doom, we must remember that there are athletes fighting for their professional careers without much they can do other than say some prayers.
If you weren’t able to catch an AAF game, the product on the field wasn’t bad. Of course, it wasn’t on the level of the NFL, but that was to be expected. The league featured a fast-paced game which introduced new ideas to the game of football, at least one of which the NFL should swoop in and adopt.
Rather than attempting onside kicks, a team could choose to have a fourth-and-12 from their own 28-yard line in an attempt to get the ball back. But what was really cutting edge about this league was the fact that viewers at home could listen in as the replay official looked over a close call. That official would then communicate with the referee on the field and the fans at home could hear why they went with the call on the field or changed it.
There were other positives to take from the AAF, most importantly the fact that it allowed these players to continue their playing careers. NFL teams should be taking notice of several of these players and one of them should be former Los Angeles Chargers running back Kenneth Farrow.
— Kenneth Farrow II (@KennethMFarrow) April 3, 2019
Farrow helped the San Antonio Commanders to a 5-3 record in eight games and ranked third in the league with 372 rushing yards. He also ran in four touchdowns. Farrow can be a dual threat as well as he is a solid receiver out of the backfield.
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That and his determined running style helped him make the Chargers 53-man roster in 2016. He started a few games late in that season when Melvin Gordon went down with an injury. The following season, the emergence of another undrafted running back, Austin Ekeler, made Farrow expendable.
The Chargers still have Gordon and Ekeler as well as two exciting young running backs in Justin Jackson and Detrez Newsome. With solid depth in place, it still won’t hurt a thing to sign Farrow to compete in training camp and see if his AAF experience made him an even better professional player.
If the Chargers don’t want to give Farrow a shot, another team absolutely should.
On 60 career rushing attempts, Farrow ran for 192 yards. He also caught 13 passes for 70 yards in limited action during the 2016 season.