Steiner still wants another look from NFL.

The Arena Football League may be short of a lot of things: high
salaries, sold out arenas, defense and field goal attempts, but one
thing it does not lack in is dreams.

Players in the AFL are there because they still believe and still
dream the dream. They still believe that if the right opportunity with
the right coach and the right team lines up, they can play in the NFL.

One such individual is Derik Steiner.

Steiner is a multi-position player with the Arena Football League
Cleveland Gladiators. The Gladiators traveled to Philadelphia Sunday
night and left with a 68-62 win over the Soul, raising their record to
2-1.

Steiner did everything but sell popcorn during the game.

A defensive tackle in Morehead State, Steiner does not play on
defense for the Gladiators, but that’s it. Steiner is on the field for
just about everything else.

The big man plays fullback, offensive line, long snapper and goes out for passes.

The 6-foot-1, 295-pounder wears enough football hats that would make Kordell Stewart take notice.

Steiner said learning to long snap is his ticket to staying in professional football.

“When I was in grade school, my grade school coach told me if you
ever want to make a team on the field, learn how to long snap,” Steiner
said. “I never long snapped until I got to Arena Football. This is my first year in Arena 1. Last year I was up the road with
the Trenton Steel (IFL) – I played there last year and didn’t long snap.
I came here and was able to long snap. The more versatile you are in
the Arena League the better chance you have of sticking around.”

Steiner may get to do more than that.

The 25-year old from Mason, Ohio showed some moves while touching
the ball on offense six times including a nifty 21-yard catch and run
that set up a Gladiators touchdown.

Steiner showed remarkable balance, quick feet and power on the
catch. Once he was past the line, he only had the little defensive
backs to deal with. The only way they could bring Steiner down was to
grab at his ankles.

Finally 5-9, 185-pound Michaeux Robinson caught Steiner’s foot and
in the process caused him into a full flip in the air. Steiner landed
with the ball still tucked in his arm safely, his team with a first and
10 at the Soul 19-yard line.

“I got through the line clear, the quarterback had a good pass and I
just went,” Steiner said. “I’ve got to work on staying lower…everybody
is trying for my ankles, I’m 300 pounds so I don’t blame them. I’ve got
to figure out a way to do better against that (kind of technique). But
tonight it just opened up. I got great blocking from the receivers and
I just kept going down field and it worked out.”

Steiner did not come from a football powerhouse like those in the
Big Ten or SEC. Morehead State is a 1AA Non-scholarship program.
Steiner said he felt the level of play was solid in the Pioneer League
despite its NCAA status.

“There’s a lot of great completion in there, we’ve still got guy who
go to the NFL from the Pioneer League,” Steiner said with a smile. “The competition
level is up there. Just not as much as say, Ohio State or the bigger
schools like that.”

Steiner says he hopes his development as a versatile player, his
agility and long snapping skills will get noticed by an NFL scout and
let him have his chance.

His Pro Day numbers were solid: 34 reps on the 225-pound bench, vertical Jump,  27 inches, a broad Jump of  07’10”,
a 20-yard shuttle time of 4.78 and the 3-Cone Drill time of 7.86.

Steiner
says he hopes he can put together tape of his big plays for anyone
interested. It also helps that the AFL has games on the NFL Network.

“I’ll put anything anyone wants to see on film,” Steiner said “I’ll
take anything I can get. I’d really like to use this as a stepping
stone to get to the next level. Hopefully it works out if I keep
working hard and we keep winning games, pulling out tough ones like
this one. If we do some of us will go there.”

Steiner says being just over six-foot tall does not help. But he can
look at players like former Eagles center Hank Fraley who came from a 1AA
non-scholarship school (Robert Morris) and Dan Klecko from Temple who
was undersized but had a nice run to go with a few Super Bowl rings in
the NFL.

“I can’t change my height,” Steiner said with a laugh. “But I’d like to show I’ve
got heart and I’ve got skills that I’ll put out there that they can
see. “