Pride of Detroit
With NFL players now permitted to play in the 2028 Summer Olympics flag football event, here is our list of the best Detroit Lions players to participate.
The year is 2028 and our beloved Detroit Lions are coming off their NFL-record third straight Super Bowl victory. They’ve conquered tackle football and now have their sights on flag football, Los Angeles, and the 2028 Summer Olympics. Team USA has decided to relinquish their roster spots to “America’s New Team,” the Lions. But with only 12 spots available tough decisions have to be made.
Before we reveal the roster let’s take a look at the rules for flag football, specifically for the Olympics. While there have been some conflicting reports on roster size and positions, we will stick to one source.
USA Today put out a nice article detailing the rules. Here are a few key snippets.
According to the International Federation of American Football, the “Standard Style” of international flag football play is five-on-five, which is the format that will be implemented in the 2028 Olympics. Rather than tackling offensive players to complete a play, defenders pull a standardized flag – roughly 15 inches long by two inches wide – off of a belt worn by each player.
There are no offensive or defensive linemen on either team, and games take place on a field that is 50 yards long and 25 yards wide. Rosters will have a 12-player maximum and all teams only have players of the same gender.
Each team gets four downs to attempt to cross midfield for a new set of downs. An unsuccessful set of downs gives the ball back to the defense on its own 5-yard line. An interception gives the defense the ball at the spot the play ends following the interception.
Teams are allowed to run the ball anywhere on the field besides the five-yard areas directly bordering the end zone. Jumping and diving as the ball-carrier in any context is illegal.
Each team’s defense can have a maximum of two blitzers that may rush the quarterback directly so long as all parts of their bodies are more than seven yards from the line of scrimmage before the snap”
With the rules in hand let’s select our 12 man roster”
Skill position players are gold in flag football. Speed, agility and overall athleticism are key traits to have both evade on offense and to capture the opponents flag.
Gibbs and Jamo with that much space? Goodnight. St. Brown running routes free of a crowded middle of the field would be deadly. Spoiler: Terrion Arnold will be our only true cornerback on the team. He’s also has experience at safety, and played wide receiver in high school.
We have plenty of options at QB with our skill position players but St. Brown gets the nod...
