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During his time in the NFL, former New York Giants defensive back Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie was one of the fastest players in the entire league. Now, Rodgers-Cromartie is thriving in the American Flag Football League.
Not only that, DRC is playing on both sides of the ball. He lines up at wide receiver for the Kings of Florida in the AFFL — something he says he could have done during his NFL career.
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Rodgers-Cromartie’s speed alone makes you wonder what he could have accomplished as a pass catcher in the NFL. He’s excelled at the position in the AFFL, but did take a few snaps at the position during his time with the Arizona Cardinals.
“My first year with the Cardinals, [there were] a few times I was at wide receiver,” Rodgers-Cromartie told Giants Wire. “You know, I always tell every team I go to, I always go to the offensive coordinator and say, ‘hey, if you need a decoy, just send me deep. If you happen to throw it, you throw it. But if you need a decoy, just send me deep. I’ll take the top off somebody.’
“In my mind, I’ve always been a receiver. That’s why I always tell corners, you’ve gotta learn to turn that head and find that ball. You’ve gotta become the receiver. That’s what I was good at, just finding the ball in the air.”
It’s not an uncommon thought for many of the league’s top defensive backs.
“Every defensive back thinks he could be a wide receiver and every wide receiver thinks they could play defensive back.” AFFL CEO Jeff Lewis added.
Certainly, there is some crossover between the skills at the two positions. However, it isn’t as easy as the flip of the switch, either — which is why it is rare to see a player who is playing both defensive back and wide receiver.
As DRC continues his career in the AFFL, it will be interesting to see what other former NFL defensive backs he tries to recruit to play wide receiver in the AFFL.
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