When Broncos safety Nick Ferguson was playing football in NFL Europe, he earned the nickname “Train Wreck” after he plowed over a teammate to make a tackle.
But growing up in Miami, Ferguson didn’t play tackle football.
“My mom didn’t let me play tackle until I was in high school,” said Ferguson, one of 11 brothers and sisters. “She didn’t want me to get hurt.”
So Ferguson bypassed Pop Warner tackle football for local flag leagues and pickup tackle games with neighborhood kids. But Ferguson said his youth football experience was more than enough to prepare him for full-contact high school games. When he arrived at Miami’s Jackson High School, strapping on the pads was not a big deal for him.
“We played a lot of sandlot ball, so we were used to tackling each other, or falling on the concrete, things of that nature,” he said. “And nine times out of 10, our flag games turned into tackle anyway. So when I got to high school, tackle football was kind of natural.”
Ferguson and his wife, Glady, are the proud parents of a 2 ½-month-old son. Six or seven years from now, if their son chooses to play football, Ferguson isn’t sure what kind of football it will be.
“I know my wife’s train of thought is to let kids play flag as long as they can,” Ferguson said. “But really, in Pop Warner, kids aren’t that big or fast. They just kind of drag each other to the ground. But when my son gets to that point, we’ll evaluate where he is. I mean, some kids develop faster than others, so maybe we wait. Maybe we have him play flag football until the sixth or seventh grade.”
