The thing about football is there’s never any way of knowing where and when you’ll find a talented player. The usual pools are established by this point: college football is tops, the CFL is a smaller one and there are tiny pockets over in Europe as well. The old Arena League is no more. Thus the opportunities for getting noticed by teams like the Chicago Bears are limited.
So when the American Flag Football League became a thing this year, it’s likely no one took it too seriously. It was simply a charity-driven venture featuring a mix of amateurs and older veterans long past their prime. For the most part that’s true. However, that doesn’t mean a team should simply ignore it.
There’s always a chance, no matter how minuscule that a surprising talent might emerge. If the Bears have been paying attention the past couple weeks during the AFFL tournament, they will have noticed one name sticking out for a surprising reason.
Brandon McCray could be a fascinating CB tryout for the Chicago Bears
Prior to this year, the name Brandon McCray wasn’t even a blip on football radars. The former Southern Miss alum had made his name primarily as a competitor in track. His brother Freddie did, however, play for the Denver Broncos, so football was in the genes. Nevertheless, no one took him seriously when he entered the AFFL.
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They should be now. Playing for the New Orleans Fighting Cancer, McCray has six interceptions so far this season. That’s a lot in any league, but people should know the context here. He has six and the next closest on the list of league leaders has one. In fact, McCray doubles the total of the rest of the league combined in interceptions.
The guy is all over the field. It’s hard to intercept passes when quarterbacks don’t have to worry about too much pressure in their face. The fact that McCray is consistently picking it off anyway is the sign of a guy who has a natural feel for the position of defensive back. If that weren’t enough, he also leads the league with most flags drawn. This means he’s consistently good at chasing down ball carriers.
McCray is only 27-years old. There’s still plenty of time for him to make a brief go of it in the NFL. The Bears are always in search of more help in the secondary. Why not give him a flier tryout in training camp to see if he can do something with pads on? It would be a fun story and give him a nice payday.
