5 players who deserve another shot in the European League of Football

There are many reasons why a player at a professional level deserves another chance in the European League of Football.

Maybe they were in the right place at the wrong time, suffered injuries, had scheme issues, were a late season acquisition, went through organizational problems, and so on and so forth. Today, we look at five players who are in line for another opportunity in the ELF. Their reasons vary, but they showed enough on tape or in the past to be excited about. Without further do, let’s get into it.

William Patterson – Wide Receiver – Rhein Fire

Patterson came in early season for the Rhein Fire and was a great contributor to the Championship run. He played from week 7 to the semifinal against Frankfurt Galaxy, unfortunately, he was unable to play in the final game due to injury. It is unclear how serious the injury was, but he showed during his time at the Fire that he is an ELF quality receiver and return specialist. It is also unclear whether he will re-sign with the Fire, as they already have an established American, although he too had injury issues this season. It would not be a surprise to see Patterson have another shot in the ELF. He has that top-level speed that so many teams lacked last season and there will be a few teams in competition for his services.

Sandro Platzgummer – Running Back – Raiders Tirol

It’s clear why Sandro deserves another chance at the fairytale return to his boyhood club. After years in the NFL, he returned to his club as a legend, from the very beginning, however, he was suffering from injuries. In week 4, Sandro suffered a season-ending knee injury that put the story on hold, in those weeks he was only able to carry the ball 13 times. Since then, he has been very open about his rehab. It remains unclear, however, if he will return to playing once he has completed the process. Of course, the decision is going to come down to how he feels and the damage he has suffered over a long period, combined with his other ventures outside of football. Let’s hope we can see Sandro at the Raiders again, at least for part of the 2024 season.

Amin Black – Linebacker – Munich Ravens

It isn’t completely clear as to why Black left the Ravens during the season. Some speculated that he was attempting to go to the XFL, USFL or CFL in this time frame but nothing has been officially confirmed. Regardless, Black was a very strong linebacker in the ELF during his time in Munich. He was one of the best tacklers league-wide and was routinely creating turnovers for the defensive unit. Teams did not traditionally have an American at linebacker in the ELF with only a select few being signed each year, Black should be, and will be, among the first names on the list for free agent linebackers. A.J. Wentland has been re-signed to the Wroclaw Panthers very recently, but Zachary Blair, Dauson Dales, Maurice Wright Jr and Amin Black are still available and are considered within the top at their respective positions.

Darrell Stewart Jr. – Wide Receiver – Stuttgart Surge

Out of all players who signed with team in the mid season who could see themselves re-signed this season, Darrell Stewart Jr has to be at the top of that list. He was the Surge offense in the playoffs. In the greatest stretch of games for a wide receiver, he accumulated the three best games of any receiver in terms of numbers in the history of the playoffs. All the top three games for yards are held by Stewart Jr,. Throw in two touchdowns in each game and that is an impeccable run of form.  A total of 545 yards and six touchdowns in those three games. That is more than many teams’ second receiver in the full regular season. The Surge will likely attempt to re-sign Stewart, but if they don’t, nearly every other team in the league will.

Tyquell Fields – Quarterback – Prague Lions

During the research for the “Prague Lions Playing General Manager” case study, the examination of each quarterback took a large amount of time. During that period, it was hard to ignore that Fields was never in a position to succeed in Prague. The Lions season was filled to the brim with stories and problems, a list too long for us to get into today. However, Fields did find success in Austria before he arrived in Czechia. He was an AFL champion with the Danube Dragons and was a lot more effective and safer with the ball. So, what happened? He came in as a late addition at quarterback, after a full season, into a team that just lost the offensive play caller, with a battered offensive line and a scheme that didn’t match his skill set. Fields did not set the world on fire when he arrived in Prague, but I advise you to watch the first drive he had against Cologne to see the flashes of potential that are there. He will get another opportunity in a European league, no doubt, but a return to the ELF is not out of the question in my mind.

In summary…

That wraps up this list of players who deserve another chance in the ELF. The degree of turnovers is something even the league has somewhat embraced with the label of “Player Carousel”, and I think this encapsulates the off-season well. Some players have already received and signed contracts, others have multiple deals on the table, and some will receive late notice calls to action. Whatever the case, I truly hope we can have all of these players back in some shape or form.

Until next time…