INDIANAPOLIS (AP)The creases across Brandon Crawfords forehead are a mark of his experiences.
He played college football. He survived boot camp in the Marines. He worked on an automotive parts assembly line, and hes not about to let some age-old question deter his lifelong dream.
The 33-year-old defensive end has a message for scouts: Hes not too old to play in the NFL.
I believe I have a shot at getting drafted, Crawford said this week after working out in Indy. If you turn on the film, it doesnt lie. My age might make some people put a blinder on, but I think youve got to see the film first.
Getting noticed, at Crawfords age, will be his most difficult challenge yet.
Impossible? No. NFL teams have on occasion drafted older players.
Former Florida State quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Chris Weinke(notes) was 28 when he was taken by the Carolina Panthers in 2001. In 1964, the Dallas Cowboys selected Navys Roger Staubach knowing the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback couldnt play for five years because of his military commitment. Staubach arrived at training camp in 1969 as a 27-year-old rookie and went on to have a Hall of Fame career.
Crawford, however, doesnt fit the high-profile, award-winning quarterback model. Lacking that hype, he asked the St.Vincent Sports Performance program to help him make an impression.
Of the 16 players in this years workout class in Indy, just threeIndiana safety Nick Polk, Purdue cornerback David Pender and James Madison guard Dorian Brookshave one of the coveted 329 invitations to next weeks NFL Combine.
Everyone else is still trying to prove themselves.
Boise State tight end Richie Brockel wants to show scouts his injured left foot is healthy. Indiana linebacker Will Patterson must demonstrate that hes big enough to succeed in the NFL. Former Penn State quarterback Anthony Morelli is back, looking for a second chance after getting cut by the Arizona Cardinals two years ago. Morelli, who will be 25 in June, insists hes not just older.
Ive gotten bigger, faster, stronger, Im jumping better, he said. I think the chances are pretty good, I just need to get in front of some people.
Morelli will do that next Friday in Indy when he holds a personal workout on the same day this years big-name quarterbacks, receivers and running backs are measured and take tests during the combine at Lucas Oil Stadium.
But in a numbers league, age matters, a lot.
Its why many teams avoid signing worn-down 30-year-old running backs. Its the reason once-dominant cornerbacks move to safety, or big-play receivers suddenly find themselves playing in the slot. Teams know that younger players typically have less wear and tear on their bodies, possess more speed and cost less than those 30-something veterans.
Such concerns about age could be enough to keep Morelli and Crawford off teams draft boards.
I dont think you want to draft somebody in the first round if theyre 27 years old, said Gil Brandt, a retired NFL executive who drafted Staubach and Chad Hennings out of the Air Force Academy. But if youre signing anybody as a free agent, I dont think it makes any difference. All theyre looking for is someone that can improve your football team. And there are some guys that do that when theyre 27.
Morelli and Crawford count themselve among that group.
Crawford, who grew up in Fort Wayne, Ind., learned lifes lessons the hard way.
As a high school senior, he was getting scholarship offers from mid-major schools and if football didnt work out, he still had financial aid from the 21st Century Scholar program. All that changed when he jumped into a friends car for a ride to Pizza Hut. One problem: The car was stolen, Crawford was arrested and his college dream disappeared.
After graduating in 1996, he went to work in a factory until enlisting in the Marines in 1999. Crawford got through boot camp at Camp Pendleton in California and was stationed in North Carolina during the Sept. 11 attacks.
Soon he was deciphering messages, typing up deployment orders for his friends and gaining a new perspective on life.
It made me realize that people just dont pay attention to the military and the things they do, Crawford said. People in this country dont realize how fortunate they are to sit down and watch TV or to go to the movies. It made me thankful for the things we have and to be thankful to be part of this country.
It was one reason Crawford asked Ball State to give him a second chance.
What Crawford did with the Cardinals was nothing short of remarkable. He finished his career with 39 consecutive starts, including two bowl games, and then went back to work to make the NFL.
Since football season ended in November, Crawford has added 15 to 20 pounds of lean muscle. He expects to be measured at 6-foot-3, 275 pounds, prototypical NFL size for a defensive end, at the schools March 4 pro day.
Those who know Crawford best say his greatest contributions do not show up in the numbers.
He works hard, he leads, hes got a good framework of where hes been, said Ralph Reiff, director of St.Vincents workout program. Hes added a lot to this.
Morellis career path strayed from the norm, too.
Since getting cut by the Cardinals two years ago, Morelli bided his time by working out on his own, coaching quarterbacks at Pittsburghs Plum High School and helping his uncle with construction jobs.
All the while, Morelli maintained the dream of playing football. Morellis wife finally persuaded him to move back to Indy, where hes been getting help from former NFL quarterback Jack Trudeau.
Im only 24 years old, and Ive played against a lot of these guys in college. So when it comes to age, I feel like I havent hit my peak yet, Morelli said. Im going to keep going until I exhaust all my opportunities, and if I have to go play in a lower-level league, Im going to do that until everyone tells me to give it up.
Will that desire be enough for Morelli and Crawford to overcome the perception that theyre too old?
Theyll know in a few months.
I guess its kind of like an investment and you have to look for the best return you can get from it, Crawford said. Ill let them (teams) know what my experiences have instilled in me. But you can only talk so much to people. They really have to decide is he more of a liability or more of an asset?