MALDEN Saturday was a perfect day for football. <\/p>\n
The piercing wind whipped down Pearl Street and a thin coating of snow delicately blanketed the turf at Macdonald Stadium as more than 60 football hopefuls arrived with the same aspiration: to impress former New England Patriots running back Patrick Pass, a three-time Super Bowl champion, and his fellow coaches, also former NFL players, enough to earn a spot on the Boston Freedom Fighters roster. <\/p>\n
The team is part of the newly formed, eight-team National Spring Football League, which is intended to help players reach the established professional leagues. The other teams are the Arizona Racers, the Georgia Blaze, the Los Angeles Knights, the Rhode Island Navigators, the San Antonio Defenders, the Texas Heat Seekers, and the Virginia Beach Sting Rays. <\/p>\n
Its a developmental league for a lot of these kids, a second chance to show the NFL scouts, GMs, and owners that they have what it takes to play this game, Pass said. Were trying to give these guys the best film possible to showcase their talents. <\/p>\n
Paul Shaughnessy, a 23-year-old Malden native and Northeast Metro Tech graduate, came out to earn a spot. <\/p>\n
To play something you love and travel the country at the same time, thats the American dream, said Shaughnessy, who also was a running back at Mount Ida College from 2007 to 2010. A lot of guys in here are legitimate athletes and are excited for this opportunity. <\/p>\n
Shaughnessy is one of 38 Massachusetts natives who attended tryouts on Saturday and participated in traditional drills such as the 40-yard dash and shuttle run, as well as individual position drills. <\/p>\n
The Freedom Fighters first game is March 30 in San Antonio. According to Pass, the goal is to have a 60-man roster including 10 practice squad members set by training camp, which is scheduled to start March 4. <\/p>\n
We want someone who is coachable, and someone we dont have to teach to play the game of football all over again, Pass said. We want someone who can listen, take directions well, and play hard. <\/p>\n
The idea of locating in Boston started when Terrell Parham, the NSFLs chief executive, contacted Malden businessman Bill Spadafora and asked if he was interested in forming a team. <\/p>\n
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Football players look to earn a shot with Freedom Fighters<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" MALDEN Saturday was a perfect day for football. The piercing wind whipped down Pearl Street and a thin coating of snow delicately blanketed the turf at Macdonald Stadium as more than 60 football hopefuls arrived with the same aspiration: to impress former New England Patriots running back Patrick Pass, a three-time Super Bowl champion, and his fellow coaches, also former NFL players, enough to earn a spot on the Boston Freedom Fighters roster. The team is part of the newly formed, eight-team National Spring Football League, which is intended to help players reach the established professional leagues. Continue reading