Washington QB Ed Crouch: Every Delay is Not a Denial

In Week 3 of the AF1 season, the Washington Wolfpack found themselves, again, in an early hole. Trailing the Oregon Lightning by 22 points, they turned to a new veteran presence on the sideline. Indoor football legend Ed Crouch stepped into the game and led the team on an astounding comeback. 

“We just got to a point where last series I looked across the field and Ed looked at me,” Coach JR Wells explained. “I looked at him, and it was just a head nod of knowing it was time to go."

The next 29 points would be scored by the Wolfpack as they took the lead and never looked back. All of this happened despite only being with the team for two total days of practice. However, it’s not as if his preparation for that moment was just two days - in fact, his preparation for Oregon and the AF1 in general has been a lifetime in the making. 

From the Beginning

A lot of football players point to times in high school or college when a coach showed them what it means to play at the next level. Where they realized their work needed to take it to the next level or they wouldn’t be able to take those next steps anymore. However, for Crouch, it started long before those advanced stages. 

Crouch grew up in Miami surrounded by those who loved the game like, or at least similar, to the way that he did. Not only did they all love to play, they all loved to get the work in. So from his youth, it wasn’t just playing touch football in the park, but it was putting themselves through drills, routes, and workouts. 

“You know, we trained very hard down there in Miami from a young age - put our hours and days in,” Crouch explained. A lot of us got together, everyone lived close together in the same neighborhood, so we’d all get up together and meet up at the field and just put in work all day.”

That work was always supported by his parents, who could see the drive in young Ed from the minute he got a football into his hands. Both his dad, Ed Lavel Crouch Sr., and his mom, Tamesa Willis Reid - who is a teacher in Miami Dade County - have always served as inspiration, support and encouragement for him during his journey. 

The Next Steps

It’s one thing to be a young, driven football player with passion for the game, but it’s a different thing when you start playing others older and bigger than you. As Crouch made that leap forward at local Miramar High School, his coach saw his potential and knew he’d be able to rise to the occasion. Coach Corey Bell saw that 16-year old Crouch and decided to put the fate of his team in his hands. 

Crouch thrived in the role and held it for the next three years in high school. The success buoyed him to the next level. Again, that next level seems like a lot for most people, but for Crouch there was no learning curve thanks to the lessons taught by Bell. 

“It wasn't really no difference from high school to college because in high school, my coach was Corey Bell,” he said with certainty. “Corey Bell coached at UM, FAU, UF. So he has the experience and he just worked us like we were in college while in high school. We felt like we've been through the college process in high school with Coach Corey Bell.”

The results further prove this point as he immediately started and dominated at McPherson College. In his first year there, he’d toss 20 touchdowns in 11 games while adding 8 more on the ground. He’d go on to set all the all-time passing records for them over his four years there under the tutelage of head coach, Jeremiah Fiscus. 

An Obstacle

All that prep and hard work was on the verge of paying off in 2020. Crouch’s performance and preparation in college had scouts interested in what he could do professionally. A phone call from a Los Angeles Rams’ scout had him feeling like he was in the perfect spot, but then an unexpected obstacle got in the way. 

“When I was leaving out of college, I got a workout with the LA Rams with Steve Kazor. Then COVID came through and that stopped everything,” he said. “I found out the night before the pro day. Steve reached out to me the night before and told me my pro day was canceled. He was already in Kansas to watch me work out. So we got that call,  headed back this way and I started back training again. He was getting me ready, telling me what things he wanted to see.”

That moment would be hard for a lot of people - knowing that you were on the verge of showing an NFL team what you’re made of. Knowing all the hard work he had put in, Crouch used that as reassurance that good would come. 

“I would say it was tough, but then again, life comes with hurdles, life comes with barriers, life comes with delays,” he said. “Every delay is not a denial. So I just put my head down, tied my cleats up - kept working every day. Then, you know, and it started showing.”

While that success wouldn’t come in the NFL, he was able to start showing it in the professional ranks. The scout from the Rams helped to get him in a position where he could prove himself and continue to further his game on the field. 

“Kazor hooked me up with Coach Jenkins. John Jenkins, of [Fan Controlled Football], one of the best offensive coaches, head coach, legendary coach. They got me to the Fan Controlled Football,”  he explained. “In that year, which was my first year, I won a championship and MVP of the championship. So it was a great step coming from college. I already knew what I had to do. It was just where I had to be to get that level of, you know, I won't say greatness, but level of experience to show on the field.”

The success continued for the next couple years. He’d go on to win an Arena Football Association championship in 2022 with the Wichita Force and go to another championship, this time with Salina Liberty in the Champions Indoor Football in 2023.

Finding Washington

After all of the success, Crouch had a little bit of trouble finding a home for this season. After signing a couple of different places with no actual play to follow, he had to keep pushing. 

“I signed with the Wichita Regulators going into 2025. They folded. Then I signed with Wilkes-Barre before the season. They folded. So now it's like I'm on the fence,” he said. “I got a call from Tom [Menas] from San Antonio [Gunslingers], and he brought me in. But I was only there for a day or two because the situation was just – it was a difficult situation. I was the last quarterback they brought in, so I got in on the day of camp. I had to catch up with everything. So, you know, he put me in a situation where he had a team for me to go to, but I didn't take that step.”

After working through that situation, Crouch got the call from Washington. The Wolfpack were in the middle of their Week 2 preparations with both of their quarterback options banged up. The success was immediate - a fact that Crouch attributes to all the hiccups along the way as well as his long nights on the field. 

“Coach JR Wells called, and I got up there as soon as possible. Everything with me is just proper preparation. I was prepared even before it was my time. I wasn't discouraged or nothing. I was actually excited just to be here, to be able to be on the team for the 2025 season,” Crouch explained. “So when we caught eyes, he looked at me and he said it was time. Then, you know, I buckled up my chin strap and It was time to go.”

Being prepared has a lot to do with the people he surrounds himself with. The speed of that success, according to Crouch, can heavily be attributed to his brothers and training partners - Desmond Reid (who plays running back for Pittsburgh University), Tyler Reid and Caron Crouch (who serves as his agent). He also credits his trainer, Kasean Spencer, who schedules his workouts and plans them out for him. 

Crouch will get to show that preparation yet again as he steps on the field Thursday, April 3rd against the Billings Outlaws. That game will air on EvergreenNOW! at 10pm EST.