Texas Copperheads Breaking News

[ronaldoswalt]

GET THE LATEST NEWS ON THE TEXAS COPPERHEADS --- PROMOTIONS, PLAYER INSIGHTS, ETC. -- GET ON THE COPPERHEADFANS.COM EMAIL LIST

EMAIL NAME ADDRESS PHONE , ETC TO oswalt1@houston.rr.com ASAP

[mtedora]

yay! a new TEXAS football team to root for!

[Pickle]

Any idea on when an announcement will be made regarding the the Texas Copperheads and where they'll be playing?

I've already been able to unofficially confirm the Laredo Lobos at LEC. Beaumont Drillers is another story. My sources at Ford Park aren't sure what the deal is with them.

[ronaldoswalt]

af2 meetings next week in chicago --- more info to follow

[Pickle]

So it's official now. The Texas Copperheads will be playing at the Berry Center in NW Houston as an af2 team.


http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/4265854.html

[preeths]

Quote of the day:
"We moved leagues because the NIFL was a nightmare," (Team owner and head coach Brian) Blake said.

[Reichert]

Quote of the day:
"We moved leagues because the NIFL was a nightmare," (Team owner and head coach Brian) Blake said.

I've had some back and forth email with coach Blake, and that pretty much sums it up in a nutshell. As for the Berry Center, it meets the af2 qualifications of a 192 foot long field whereas the Merrell could only place a 180 foot long field. With that said, the move is a no brainer...they had to do it to move up to af2.

As one who grew up in Katy, it's sad to see this happen, but it happened for the right reasons and it's no hard feelings from myself or as the article states the Merrell Center itself.

The staff at The Leonard noted they are open to other pro football indoor teams. Let's hope to God Shiver didn't read that as an open invitation to bring another NIFL team in there because in all honesty that team would flop in the shadow of the Copperheads, who all in all moved a whopping 15 miles.

Best of wishes to the Copperheads next year. As for the Merrell Center, I personally don't see that place as a football venue. Now for something like the NBA D-League on the other hand.....

[ronaldoswalt]

Arena football: Copperheads say hello to Cy-Fair, Berry Center
New AFL team bids farewell to Katy, former moniker


By NEIL STRATTON
Houston Chronicle

On Tuesday, Katy officially said goodbye to its first-ever professional football team. At the same time, the Cy-Fair area welcomed one.

In a move that has been in the planning stages for weeks, the Katy Copperheads announced plans to relocate to the Richard E. Berry Educational Support Center, 8877 Barker-Cypress in Cypress. The Copperheads, who will now be known as the Texas Copperheads, played their first season in the Leonard E. Merrell Center at 6301 S. Stadium Lane in Katy.

They'll not only be changing venues and names, but also affiliations. After one year as part of the National Indoor Football League, the Copperheads will play the 2007 season as a member of the Arena Football League's minor league, the AF2.

Team owner and head coach Bryan Blake said stepping up to the AF2 is a welcome change.

"We moved leagues because the NIFL was a nightmare," Blake said. "(In the AFL), we get support from the league office, and they bring us up here (to Chicago, site of an offseason convention for AFL and AF2 owners and officials), and we have three days worth of seminars that teach us how to market and how to sell tickets. It's more than them just wanting us to pay a franchise fee and that's it. They want every team to succeed."

Blake's dissatisfaction with the NIFL came to a head when the team's second-round playoff game in Rapid City, N.D., became a logistical problem of seismic proportions. Due to a series of financial and travel difficulties that Blake said was the fault of the NIFL and the Rapid City franchise, the team was forced to make the 24-hour trip just over a day before kickoff in rented vehicles, then return in similar fashion.

The Copperheads fell 60-38 to the Flying Aces.

"They say the AFL is only as strong as their weakest team," Blake said. "It's the kind of support we didn't get in the NIFL. I mean, I'm not going to have to be concerned if a team we're supposed to play is going to show up on Saturday, or if we're going to score 100 points on a team because the competition's so bad."

He said the long-term health of his team depended on switching leagues.

"League stability, competition, there's a whole bunch of different reasons (for the move)," he said. "We want to be in a league that's been around for 20 years, and it's the premier indoor football league in the country."

He said he also wanted his team to spend more time in professional venues and less on the road.

"The travel (will be less) and our rivals close to us were also attractive," he said. "We have six teams in Texas, and our fans will be able to go to the road games if they want to. There's us, Corpus Christi, Laredo, Lubbock, Amarillo, and Rio Grande Valley, which I believe plays in Hidalgo. This is in close proximity to us, so we're not going to Rapid City twice or West Palm Beach.

"There's also teams in Bossier City, (La.); Tulsa, (Okla.); Oklahoma City, (Okla.) and Arkansas. Those are all teams basically in our region, all in states touching our state. It would probably even be closer to drive to Oklahoma than to Lubbock."

He said the move to the Berry Center was prompted not by cost or a dissatisfaction with the team's former home, but merely a question of dimensions.

"There was no way at all we could play (in the Merrell Center) because 180 (feet) was the max distance of the floor in the Merrell Center, and it has to be 196 feet in the AF2," he said. "You can change the width at the Merrell Center, but not the length beyond 180 feet. It's also wider. We were 80 feet wide last year, but we'll be 84-85 feet this year (in the Berry Center)."

Jim Chapman, General Manager of Facilites for the Merrell Center, said the move was expected.


"The AF2 came down here to visit our facility, their commissioner Jerry Kurz did, and my understanding is that they had a preference to be in the largest facility they could be in in this area, and the Berry Center is larger than we are," he said. "They are like 8,300 seats and we're about 5,200 when we set up in the same arrangement for the Copperheads, and so we're happy for them if they're moving up in the world."

He also didn't challenge Blake's assertion that the team would need a longer field to play by AF2 rules.



"That may be true," he said. "To be honest with you, I don't know, off the top of my head, the exact dimensions. They're probably bigger than we are, but our floor is 180 feet long and they may require a (bigger) end zone."



He said the loss of the Copperheads doesn't signal the end of professional sports in Katy. Chapman said any teams looking for a modern arena for professional competition would be welcome at the Merrell Center.



"In general, we're open to talk to anybody, really," he said. "Not just football, but any event."



All in all, Chapman said the Merrell Center is better for having had the Copperheads as its guest.



"I think the exposure was well worth it," he said of the team's one-year tenure in Katy. "We got a lot of people aware of the facility and the community certainly supported the team and rallied behind them way beyond my expectation level. The Katy area is a tight-knit society, so when there's something like that available, they're going to support it."



Chapman was careful to express that there are no hard feelings between the neighboring school districts.



"Because we're a school district and they are, we're not competing, and if we have a date that's already taken, or an event that better fits them, we'll recommend the Berry Center and vice versa," he said, "so we're certainly not in competition with them and we're happy to provide leads to them and vice versa."

[factor]

Good luck to the Copperheads and AF 2. After all, the Copperheads won 4 games the ole fashion way and the won the replacement team games and then got the forfeit victories- but hey that is good enough to place win & show in the NIFL and apparently impress AF 2. I hope they get some coaching to go along with the new arena. The Berry Centre will enjoy the action.

I am one fan that won't travel to see the second act

[TheMan65]

As a former member of the Katy Copperheads and a returning player for the new Texas Copperheads, I would like to just get a few thing straight.

One- The Katy Copperheads have not slithered away to the Berrt Center. We have just moved on to bigger and better things by moving up to the af2 league. There were no intentions of upsetting anyone with this move. This is a business for coaches owners and players like myself, and advancement is what we all look for in any business and that is what we are doing.

Two-As for the "giving back to the community" I myself have done numerous public appearances, I have also done many guest appearances at local school from reading to children to interacting with activities. We were proud to be a part of the Katy community and hope that our " loyal " fans will continue to support us.

Third- I would just like to say that Bryan Blake owner and head coach is an astounding individual. The things that he has done for myself and the other players have been limitless. Coach Blake keep up the good work.

[Reichert]

There shouldn't be any bashing of the Copperheads or the new IFL organization in Katy here. Both teams will do well and both teams will have a loyal community following.

There is no reason to believe the now-af2 Copperheads moved to the Berry Center for any reasons other than the increased seating capacity and the 16-foot shortfall in length the Merrell Center had in accordance to the af2 standards. Period.

The Merrell is still going to see a better product in the upcoming season with the IFL. As previously stated on this thread the NIFL provided inferior quality of play from many opponents. Just look at all of the quality operations over there that got fed up in 2006 that took the next train available out. This means the Copperheads are no different than Billings, Osceola, Montgomery, or possibly Rapid City. It also means Bryan Blake is no fool...he knows he needs to put games on the field which are truly competitive as opposed to recruiting local semipro players to fill the uniforms of NIFL teams that won't travel (i.e. Big Sky).

Both teams will be fine, and like I've said over and over again, the only loser is Carolyn Shiver. No need to insult anyone on any side of this one except CS.

[sportznut]

Well said theman!!!! Seeya soon!

[sportsguy12]

Any move the Copperheads make away from the NIFL would be an upgrade. Sinking with the Titanic (NIFL) or cruising along on the high seas (af2) ... hmm that requires some thought.

The Copperheads owners own the team and they make decisions which they think are best for the team. You might disagree and you are allowed to. If you don't want to drive to their new home then - DON'T!

I think we've beaten the dead horse to a pulp with this one. Get some new material.

[cap]

Good luck to the Copperheads and AF 2. After all, the Copperheads won 4 games the ole fashion way and the won the replacement team games and then got the forfeit victories- but hey that is good enough to place win & show in the NIFL and apparently impress AF 2. I hope they get some coaching to go along with the new arena. The Berry Centre will enjoy the action.

I am one fan that won't travel to see the second act


BOO-HOO. You're a woman, right? I haven't seen this much crying in a long time.

Take your baggage elsewhere.

[factor]

[It also means Bryan Blake is no fool...he knows he needs to put games on the field which are truly competitive as opposed to recruiting local semipro players to fill the uniforms of NIFL teams that won't travel (i.e. Big Sky).


You can't win without coaching in the AF2 and clearly the owner in Austin needs to clean house.

[phydeaux72]

Not trying to start any crap here. But, from what I hear, things aren't going all that well in Austin. So, McGreggor may have too much on his plate with the Wranglers at this point to be worrying about what's going on with all his little af2 teams. I think he bit off way more than he could chew when he took on the mass af2 expansion, especially being that it was all done with less than 5 months before the 2007 season started. I think if the af2 had followed their usual expansion protocol, then they would be in a much better situation right now as far as their Texas teams are concerned. Trust me, I speak from experience when I say that running one, much less five, minor league team is tough enough when you have other business to run. I would hate to be in McGreggor's shoes right now.

But I could be wrong. :rolleyes:

[Big Easy]

phy, congrats on your first win. I'm rooting for you guys!

[phydeaux72]

phy, congrats on your first win. I'm rooting for you guys!

Thanks! It was a great game. Maybe you can make it to the game Sunday. If so, bring the kiddos if you got any. There will be an up & coming Disney star performing a concert afterward. Game ticket is also your concert ticket.

[Big Easy]

Thanks! It was a great game. Maybe you can make it to the game Sunday. If so, bring the kiddos if you got any. There will be an up & coming Disney star performing a concert afterward. Game ticket is also your concert ticket.

I can't come this Sunday, I have family coming in from New Orleans. I went to the first game though....and I'll most likely be at the one on 5/12.