Former UConn Stars Chasing the Dream

The path to the National Football League is often fraught with obstacles and stumbling blocks for players as they try to make their way onto a 53-man roster.

For ex-UConn Huskies Deshon Foxx and Scott Lutrus, their journey has taken them to Coney Island's fairgrounds, where they currently play for the Fall Experimental Football League's Brooklyn Bolts.

The league, attempting to bill itself as the NFL's first stateside farm system, consists of three teams and is only operational from October 2nd through November 6th. Players live in hotels paid for by their agents and chow down on complimentary Applebees as a post game meal. However, despite this short time frame, the players have found it to be a useful part of their developmental experience.

"The linebacker coach for the Bolts played in the NFL for 11 years," Lutrus said in an interview after his team demolished the Hudson Valley Fort by a score of 34-9. "All these coaches have been around and their resumes are very impressive. We're very fortunate to have this coaching staff."

The blonde, burly Lutrus has bounced around from team to team since leaving UConn in 2011. He has had stints on the Jacksonville Jaguars, St. Louis Rams, and Indianapolis Colts, where he managed to stick around for three seasons, amassing seven tackles in game action over that span. Lutrus is grateful that he has made this pit stop.

"I've learned a lot here," he mused. "Every day, I just come out and try to work on fundamentals. It's a smaller group of guys and I think tonight's performance shows how hard we've been working."

Foxx is only one year out of Storrs, and the Lynchburg, Virginia native turned some eyes on the Seahawks this preseason. He appreciated the opportunity to learn from one of the NFL's best quarterbacks in Russell Wilson, even if it was just for a short amount of time.

"He is real professional, real meticulous about everything that he does," Foxx noted, speaking about the pint-sized Pro Bowl passer. "Being at my depth, being where the quarterback expects me to be. In general, being a professional is the biggest thing I learned from him."

Foxx has been a consistent target of the Bolts' quarterbacks in game action, racking up three catches for 54 yards in his first two games. He has also been practicing as a punt returner, a skill shared by the NFL wide receivers he wants to model his game after.

"I watch a lot of Antonio Brown and Desean Jackson," Foxx notes. "I've got a similar build and skill set, so those are the two guys I have as influences for my game."

As Lutrus and Foxx strive for success in Brooklyn and beyond, neither has forgotten their time in Storrs. Both had certain players on the current UConn team that had caught their eyes.

"15, (Luke) Carrezola." Lutrus answered, giving the 6 foot 3, 250 lb sophomore a shout-out. "He's a young kid, big frame, he hustles, runs hard every down. The kid's got potential."

"I like Arkeel (Newsome)," Foxx responded, a big grin on his face. "He's quick, a smaller guy but he's a tough back."