From the first time Jason Suttle stepped on the football field, it was clear he carried himself in a different manner. Bob Gingras noticed it right away.

"There's a difference in his height, his speed, his gait," said Gingras, the owner and coach of the Madison Mustangs semi-pro football team. "Every step he takes, you can tell he's a different level of player.''

Suttle is a former University of Wisconsin cornerback who spent three years in the NFL, with the Denver Broncos in 1999 and 2000 and the San Francisco 49ers in 2001. He is now a Madison firefighter.

So, what's he doing playing for free on Sundays, in front of crowds that are a fraction of the ones that used to cheer for him at Camp Randall Stadium? Good question.

Suttle, 33, has had more than a few people ask him why he's playing with the Mustangs.

"I feel good," he said. "I'm in shape. I'm healthy. So, my response is, 'Why not? I still feel like I'm 20-something.' "

Gingras has a couple of executives from Oscar Mayer, an assistant high school football coach and at least a couple of firefighters on the team. One of them persuaded Suttle to join the team.

"I think it has to do with how players view our team," Gingras said. "They say, 'This is a good team, it's well-run, it's fun, come on out.' So, Suttle came out."

Back to the future

Gingras, a Madison attorney, bought the team during the 2006 season, when it was known as the Verona Trojans. The team has been around since 1999 and competes in the Ironman Football League, which is in its 13th season.

Last year, Gingras changed the team's name to the Mustangs, trying to recapture the name recognition from the team of the same name that competed in the Central States Football League from 1964 to '74 and played its home games at Warner Park.

Gingras' team didn't even play home games until last season. This year, it will play home games at Middleton High School's Breitenbach Stadium, including tonight's season opener against the Muskego Hitmen. Tickets are $7 and will be sold at the door.

"It will be a good time. It's not a lot of practice," said Suttle, who has two young children. "I'd like for them to be able to see me play once. That will be exciting for them and exciting for me, to know they're there."

Lots of talent

The team has been a success on the field, making the playoffs the past two seasons. Last year's team finished 6-4-1 and advanced to the conference championship, one step away from the Iron Bowl.

"The most exciting thing, because we had the home-field games last year, the community knowledge of us went way up," Gingras said.

That was evident when about 100 players, from as far away as Dubuque and Fond du Lac, showed up for tryouts in January. Gingras said that was roughly double the number of players who tried out the previous year.

The Mustangs were named the league's franchise of the year in 2007. Adam Smith, a former Madison East coach, is the director of football operations and Gingras' right-hand man.

"Because Adam and I are devoted to running this in a highly professional way, I think the word spread from the players to other potential members," Gingras said. "We recruited some players from other teams."

Smith pursued James Kamoku, a former Badgers safety-linebacker who missed most of his senior season last year with a torn Achilles', before returning to play in the Outback Bowl. Kamoku was set to play before being accepted to graduate school.

Rob Tucker, a former UW tight end and long-snapper, plays defensive end for the Mustangs. He also was a member of the team last year.

Gingras hopes players like that can add to his team's credibility. He estimates about half of his roster of 60 to 65 players has college experience.

"Obviously, it's not the NFL," Suttle said of the caliber of play. "It's actually much better than I thought it would be at first. I didn't know what to expect, honestly, but there are some good players out there."

Suttle was feeling burned out when he was released by the Green Bay Packers in the 2002 preseason.

"I felt like I could play," he said. "I honestly felt like I was better than a lot of the guys I saw getting a lot more opportunities. That happens. I didn't get drafted. If I would have got drafted, I would have gotten more opportunities. It just comes down to that. That's the politics of the game."

In some ways, joining the Mustangs has rekindled the reasons Suttle always enjoyed playing the game.

"For me, it's a whole new experience, this type of football," he said. "I know it's not going to be 80,000 people there. I like the guys I'm playing with."

Football's Mallards?

Gingras said home crowds averaged about 300 last year — "but no one knew who we were."

He's hoping to get crowds closer to 1,000 this year. He has had plenty of people tell him he's nuts, including his wife, but he thinks the Mustangs can be football's version of the Madison Mallards, who proved baseball fans will show up for reasonable prices and a quality product.

Getting a player such as Suttle, with NFL experience, has been a step in that direction. Not only has Suttle lent some expertise, he has shown he can still play, according to Gingras.

"He's a class act," Gingras said. "He could act superior to everybody, but he doesn't. He fits right in. He gave the defensive backs some tips on bump-and-run coverage. They were just watching in awe.

"He does it in a way that's not egotistical, or (thinking) he's better than you. He's trying to help."