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Orlando Predators 2005 Preseason Prospectus

January 4, 2005 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Orlando Predators News Release


ORLANDO, Fla. (Jan. 4, 2005) -- Six weeks ago, everything seemed set for the Orlando Predators as they awaited the start of training camp. Head Coach Jay Gruden had just re-signed standout quarterback Joe Hamilton and had the full allotment of 37-players under contract for the start of 2005 training camp.

But then the defections started to happen. “AFL Kicker of the Year” Jay Taylor became the starting kicker for the Tampa Bay Bucs and performed extremely well – making his return to the Predators unlikely for 2005. The Cincinnati Bengals decided they liked Predators signee Derrick Crawford enough to re-sign him and most likely will send him to NFL-Europe this year.

Various other NFL teams asked the Predators to release several players under contract, including WR-DB Korey Banks (Washington Redskins), WR-DB Lin-J Shell (Philadelphia Eagles), DS Marcus Floyd (Carolina Panthers), OL-DL David Upchurch (San Diego Chargers), and OL-DL Charles Hill (Carolina Panthers), leaving the Predators with several holes to fill.

Still, Gruden remains positive. He believes he has the makings of an extremely good team and will begin shuttling players in to fill the available roster spots as training camp begins with a three-day mini-camp on Friday, Jan. 7; with full-scale training camp opening on Monday, Jan. 10.

“The NFL thing is sort of a two-edged sword,” Gruden said. “Obviously, it’s tough to lose guys this many guys this close to training camp, but on the other hand you don’t want to stand in any player’s way if he elects to play stadium football at the highest level. Hopefully we’ll be able to replace the players we lost with some quality guys who can come in and help our team.”

Heading into to training camp, here is an overview of the 2005 Predators:

QUARTERBACK: Orlando received a big lift when quarterback Joe Hamilton reached agreement on a new three-year deal. Hamilton had a sensational rookie season with the Predators. Despite missing almost three full games with a mid-season knee injury, Hamilton completed almost 66% of his passes (244 of 372), throwing for 2,966 yards and 57 touchdowns with just eight interceptions. He also finished in the top 10 in the AFL in rushing, running for 157 yards and eight more touchdowns. He was 10-4 as a starter. His rookie season earned Hamilton an invitation to training camp with the Indianapolis Colts, where he was listed as Peyton Manning’s back-up quarterback after training camp. But the Colts waived Hamilton after Week 2 and signed him to their practice squad. Three weeks later he was waived. Former UCF star Ryan Schneider (31 touchdown passes as a junior) will battle CFL veteran Ramon Miller (University of Arkansas) for the back-up position.

WR-DB: Dependable Bret Cooper (54 reception, 599 yards, 9 TD, 4 Interceptions) returns for his 12th Arena Football League season. Cooper is a wily veteran who has amassed more than 6,300 receiving yards and 100 receiving touchdowns during his career. Second-year Predator Michael Brown (18 tackles, 3 PD), and 3rd year AFL veteran Ernest Ross (5-11, 186) will compete for roster spots. With the loss of Shell and Banks to the NFL, Gruden may tinker with the idea of moving DS Reggie Doster to WR/DB. Doster played wide receiver as a freshman at UCF, catching 25 passes for 350 yards.

OFFENSIVE SPECIALIST: Travis McGriff, the 2003 AFL Rookie of the Year” returns for his third season. McGriff missed the majority of last season with injuries (hamstring and thumb), but still managed 13 total touchdowns in five games. Gruden is also anxious to get a look at former UCF standout Jimmy Fryzell at this position; while second year speedster Anthony Bright might also factor in. Getting more production from this position, particularly in the kick return game, will be a priority for Gruden in 2005.

WR/LB: The Predators return the best two-way player in the Arena Football League in “US ARMY Ironman of the Year” Cory Fleming to this position. A three-time selection to the “All-Arena” first team, Fleming just seems to get better with age – breaking the Predators single season records for receptions (131), yards (1,620) and touchdowns (33) last year, while remaining a force on defense and special teams. Gruden is anxious to get a peek at Justin Skaggs, a 6-2 speedster who went to camp with the Tampa Bay Bucs last year. AFL veteran Andre Cooper (Florida State) and “af2” star Leroy McFadden (Scranton-Wilkes Barre Pioneers) will compete for a roster spot at this position. Gruden may also give Skaggs a look at this position.

FB/LB: The Predators received a pleasant surprise when Rupert Grant turned down several free agent offers to sign a new two-year deal with Orlando. Grant, considered one of the top blocking fullbacks in Arena Football, turned some heads by recording a team-record-tying 9.5 quarterback sacks in 2004, after getting no more than two sacks in any of his previous four AFL seasons. Orlando’s big question mark at this position will be FB/LB Marlon Moye-Moore. The second year player was among the league-leaders in rushing, before suffering a season-ending knee injury against Dallas in Week 12. If he returns to his 2004 form, Orlando will be solid at this position. Second-year player Idris Price and former XFL linebacker Kevin Jefferson will compete for roster spots; while lineman Doug Miller has had extensive playing time for the Predators at this position during the past two seasons and is a more than capable safety valve at FB/LB.

OL/DL: The loss of Crawford and Hill were significant blows to Gruden’s 2005 recruiting class. Still, Orlando has several talented players returning from a unit that led the Arena Football League in sacks last season. Doug Miller is an explosive and versatile player who has lined up at all six line positions, as well as fullback and linebacker during his career; while third-year starter EJ Burt continues to climb up on Orlando’s all-time sack list. The return for former Tampa Bay Bucs’ player Buck Gurley gives the Predators an extremely talented defensive line. Orlando boasts two solid centers in Justin Cleveland and Greg Krause. Cleveland gives the Predators an unusual one-two punch. A natural center, Cleveland has emerged as a very good defensive player that give you something positive on both sides of the ball. Veteran Reggie Lee is in his seventh year. A natural defensive player, Lee has evolved into a good blocker at offensive guard. Line coach Willie Fears enters the season with high-hopes that natural defensive player Cecil Caldwell will improve enough on offense to allow him more snaps in a game. AFL veteran Patrick Scott and rookie Thomas Pittman (University of Florida – Denver Broncos training camp ’04) will also compete for roster spots. Look for Gruden to bring two or three additional linemen into training camp to replace the players lost to the NFL.

DS: Again, the loss of Floyd and Banks are significant – but Orlando remains very solid at this position. Three-time “ADT Defensive Player of the Year” and the Arena Football League’s all-time leader in interceptions Kenny “The Glove” McEntyre is signed through the 2007 season. Damon Mason, a stalwart of the Predators two ArenaBowl championship teams, returned to Orlando last year after a three-year hiatus and gives the Predators some toughness in the middle of the defensive backfield. One of Gruden’s most important off-season moves may be the re-acquiring of the services of former UCF standout Reggie Doster (Detroit 2004). Doster played for Orlando for two seasons (2002-03) and had an outstanding year with the Fury last year (70 tackles, 20 PD, 2 INT). With Mason in the middle and McEntyre at wide-side corner, it will allow the Predators to move Doster to boundary corner, a position Orlando believe he will excel at.

KICKER: Replacing “AFL Kicker of the Year” Jay Taylor will be a difficult task. Taylor set Orlando Predators single season records for field goal accuracy, extra point accuracy and consecutive field goals made. That season earned him a shot with the NFL, where he replaced Martin Gramatica at Tampa Bay and performed well over the final six weeks – hitting five of six field goals and all of his extra points. That performance will probably keep Taylor in Tampa Bay and make him unavailable for 2004. Gruden has several options, including signing one of several AFL veterans currently available. He may also bring in a couple of players on three-day waivers who impressed coaches during the Predators open tryout in December.

SCHEDULE: The AFL schedule makers did Orlando no favors for the 2005 season. Last year, just eight teams (including the Predators) made the AFL playoffs and Orlando will face the other seven teams a total of nine times this year. The schedule includes match-ups with both ArenaBowl teams (Arizona and San Jose), with six of the first seven games coming against 2004 playoff teams. Orlando will enter the season with a league-record 13 consecutive seasons of finishing with a better than .500 record and 13-consecutive trips to the post-season. With this 2005 schedule and an eight-team playoff format, Gruden, his staff and players will have a difficult challenge ahead to keeping those streaks alive. “We’ll know real early what type of team we are going to have,” Gruden said. “Three of the last four seasons we have gotten out to a slow start and I think it is imperative that we avoid that this season.”

Orlando Predators 2005 Training Camp Schedule

Date Event Site Time
January 6 Equipment and Physicals Citrus Bowl All Day
January 7 Mini Camp Session I Thunder Field 9 a.m. Mini Camp Session II Thunder Field 2 p.m.
January 8 Mini Camp Session III Thunder Field 9 a.m. Mini Camp Session IV Thunder Field 2 p.m.
January 9 Mini Camp Session V Thunder Field 9 a.m. Mini Camp Session VI Thunder Field 2 p.m.
January 10 Training Camp Opens Thunder Field 9 a.m.* Press Conference Thunder Field 12:30 p.m.
January 11 Training Camp Thunder Field 9 a.m.
January 12 Training Camp Thunder Field 9 a.m.
January 13 Training Camp Thunder Field 9 a.m.
January 14 Training Camp Thunder Field 9 a.m.
January 15 Black/Red Scrimmage Media Day Season Ticket Pick-up Party Thunder Field 9-12:30 p.m.
January 16 Training Camp Thunder Field 9 a.m.
January 17 Training Camp Thunder Field 9 a.m.
January 18 Training Camp Thunder Field 9 a.m.
January 19 Training Camp Thunder Field 9 a.m.
January 20 Training Camp Thunder Field 9 a.m.
January 21 Training Camp Thunder Field 9 a.m.
January 22 Scrimmage at Tampa Bay St. Pete Times Forum TBA
January 23 Off-Cut Down Day Citrus Bowl TBA

2005 ORLANDO PREDATORS REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE

Sunday Jan, 30 COLORADO CRUSH* TD Waterhouse Centre 12:00 pm
Thursday Feb, 03 at Arizona Rattlers* Phoenix, AZ 9:00 pm
Friday Feb, 11 TAMPA BAY STORM TD Waterhosue Centre 7:30 pm
Thursday Feb, 17 at Dallas Desperados Dallas, TX 8:30 pm
Friday Feb, 25 at Chicago Rush Chicago, IL 8:30 pm
Sunday Mar, 06 SAN JOSE SABERCATS TD Waterhouse Centre 12:00 pm
Sunday Mar, 13 at New Orleans VooDoo New Orleans, LA 3:00 pm
Saturday Mar, 19 at Georgia Force Atlanta, GA 1:00 pm
Friday Mar, 25 AUSTIN WRANGLERS TD Waterhouse Centre 7:30 pm
Sunday Apr, 03 LOS ANGELES AVENGERS* TD Waterhouse Centre 12:00 pm
Saturday Apr, 09 at Tampa Bay Storm Tampa, FL 7:30 pm
Friday Apr, 15 NEW YORK DRAGONS TD Waterhouse Centre 7:30 pm
Friday Apr, 22 GEORGIA FORCE TD Waterhouse Centre 7:30 pm
Sunday May, 01 at Philadelphia Soul Philadelphia, PA 1:00 pm
Saturday May, 07 at Austin Wranglers Austin, TX 8:30 pm
Friday May, 20 NEW ORLEANS VOODOO TD Waterhouse Centre 7:30 pm

All Times Eastern *NBC Games






















Jay Gruden
Head Coach and Director of
Football Operations

Whether as a player or as a coach, Jay Gruden’s name is synonymous with success in the Arena Football League. Beginning his sixth season as Head Coach and Director of Football Operations and his eighth season of affiliation with the Predators, Gruden has built a championship legacy during his 13-year AFL career.

Gruden arrived in Orlando prior to the start of the 1998 season, after serving one season as offensive coordinator of the Nashville Kats. In Nashville, Gruden helped lead the Kats to a 10-win season -- the most ever by an expansion team. At age 30, he became the youngest head coach in the Arena Football League when he replaced AFL coaching legend Perry Moss on Aug, 15, 1997.

Gruden’s impact on the Predators organization was immediate. In his first season, he led Orlando to a 9-5 record and a number four playoff seed. After winning a first round home playoff game against New Jersey, Gruden masterminded a 38-33 road win over Arizona to propel the Predators into ArenaBowl XII. Facing top-seeded Tampa Bay, a team that had beaten Orlando by a combined 34 points in a pair of regular season games, Gruden pulled the biggest upset in ArenaBowl history by guiding the 14-point underdog Predators to a 62-31 win as Orlando claimed its first championship

In 1999, free agency, several devastating injuries, and several other factors left the Predators struggling with a 7-6 record heading into the last game of the season. Needing a win in the season finale to make the playoffs, Gruden named third team quarterback Connell Maynor his starter. Maynor responded by leading Orlando to a win over Buffalo, as the Predators clinched the eighth and final seed.

Once again, the Predators would face impossible odds. Taking on number one seed Tampa Bay in the first round, a team that trounced Orlando by 63-37 and 47-28 margins in the regular season, Gruden led the Predators from a 10-0 deficit at halftime to a stirring 41-19 win over the Storm. One week later, Gruden became the first and only coach in Arena Football League history to lead to a number eight seed to the ArenaBowl as the Predators stunned #2 Iowa, 48-41. An outmanned Predators team fought gamely in ArenaBowl XIII, before a late touchdown by Albany squashed any chance of a second consecutive AFL title.

Gruden’s third season with the Predators was nothing short of spectacular. Racing out to a 7-0 record, the Predators grabbed the number two seed with an 11-3 mark. From there, Gruden directed three straight playoff victories in the friendly confines of the TD Waterhouse Centre, as Orlando claimed its second world championship in three seasons with a 41-38 win over the Nashville Kats.

In his fourth season, Gruden turned in perhaps one of his best coaching jobs during the regular season. Faced with both his top quarterbacks from a year ago, Gruden overcame an 0-3 start to win six consecutive games and eight of his last 11 as the Predators finished at 8-6 and kept alive its string of 10 consecutive post-season appearances.

After quarterback Craig Whelihan sustained a career-threatening knee injury in the 2001 playoffs – leaving his status for 2002 unknown, Gruden announced he was resigning as Predators Head Coach and return to the playing field as a quarterback.

After a rocky 1-4 start, the Predators would win six of their last nine games with Gruden under center to finish the campaign with a 7-7 mark. In that campaign, Gruden threw for a club record 68 touchdowns. He then guided Orlando past Buffalo (wildcard game) and New Jersey (quarterfinals) to return the Predators to the AFL semifinals for the first time since 2000. The magic would then end in a semifinal loss to eventual champion San Jose.

Gruden would then post perhaps his finest regular season in the AFL at age 36. He lead the Predators to four consecutive wins before tearing ankle ligaments against the Carolina Cobras. Orlando would go on to lose four of its next six games without Gruden. When he returned to the lineup in Week 11, the Predators would rip off six consecutive wins. As a starter, Gruden was 10-0 on the regular season with 49 touchdown passes and just two interceptions, the best TD to interception ratio in league history. With Gruden at quarterback, the Predators earned a first round bye and then defeated New York in the quarterfinals before losing to eventual champion Tampa Bay in the semifinals.

It was later learned that Gruden had played the last 12 games of the season on a broken leg and ankle, which required extensive off-season surgery. As a starter in his second stint as a player Gruden guided the Predators to 20-9 (.690) record and a pair of semifinal appearances.

After the tragic death of head coach Fran Papasedero, the Predators announced in July of 2003 that Gruden would once again retire as a player and assume his old position of Head Coach and Director of Football Operations.

In his first season back, Gruden directed the Predators to a solid 10-6 mark. That total included a league-best seven wins in the last eight games of the season and another trip to the playoffs. The 10-win season was Gruden’s third with the Predators and gave him an overall record of 53-30-0 (.639) for his AFL career.

Gruden began his AFL playing career with the Tampa Bay Storm in 1991. Over the next six seasons, he would become the most successful quarterback in Arena Football League history as the Storm would win four world titles.

As Tampa Bay’s quarterback, Gruden would throw for more than 15,000 yards and 280 touchdowns. A two-time All-Arena selection, he would capture league MVP honors in 1992 in leading Tampa Bay to a 9-1 record.

After capturing his fourth title in Tampa Bay in 1996, Gruden would retire as a player to become offensive coordinator of the expansion Nashville Kats. He was elected to the AFL Hall of Fame as a player in 2001.

For his Arena Football League career, Gruden has posted some truly remarkable numbers. As a head coach, he is 53-30 overall and ranks in the top 10 among active coaches for career wins. He ranks in the top 10 all-time in AFL history with more than 20,000 passing yards and close to 400 touchdowns. As a player, Gruden won 15 of 19 post-season starts with 4,761 passing yards and 77 touchdowns. He was 84-25 (.770) as a starting quarterback and 10-5 as an assistant coach. Counting his 53-30 mark as a head coach, Gruden takes an all-time AFL record of 147-60 (.710) into the 2005 season.

In addition to his duties with the Predators, Gruden has spent the last three years as an offensive assistant with the Tampa Bay Bucs of the NFL. In that capacity, Gruden earned a championship ring with the Bucs in 2002, his seventh championship ring in professional football.

A four-year letterwinner at the University of Louisville (1985-88), Gruden finished his career with 7,024 passing yards, completing 572 of 1049 passes for 44 touchdowns. All four stats still rank as the third best career totals in Cardinal history. As a senior, he led Louisville to an 8-3 record, the first winning season in 10 years for the Cardinals. Following graduation with a degree in Communications, Gruden spent two seasons as a graduate assistant on Coach Howard Schnellenberger’s staff.

Gruden hails from a football family. His father Jim is a long-time NFL assistant coach and scout with Tampa Bay and San Francisco and currently works as a consultant for the Tampa Bay Bucs; while his brother Jon is the Head Coach of the Tampa Bay Bucs.

Jay resides in Orlando during the off-season with his wife Sherry and three sons, JJ (14), Joey (10) and Jack (8).

THE GRUDEN FILE

Born: March 4, 1967, Tiffin, Ohio
High School: Chamberlain High School, Tampa, FL
College: University of Louisville
Degree: Communications
Wife: The former Sherry Harpring
Children: JJ, Joey, Jack
Hobbies: golf, basketball, video games
Playing Career: University of Louisville, QB, 1985-88
Tampa Bay (AFL), QB, 1991-96
Orlando (AFL), QB, 2002-03
Coaching Career: Graduate Assistant, Louisville, 1989-90
Offensive Coordinator, Nashville (AFL), 1997
Head Coach, Orlando (AFL), 1998-2001
Head Coach, Orlando (AFL), 2004-Present
Offensive Assistant, Tampa Bay (NFL), 2002-2004
Playing Honors: AFL Hall of Fame, 2001
Four ArenaBowl Titles, 1991-93-95-96
All-Arena 1st Team, 1992,
AFL MVP, 1992
Coaching Honors: Two AFL Championships, 1998 and 2000
Five Playoff Appearances, 1998-99-00-01-04
Three ArenaBowl Appearances, 1998-99-00
Finalist AFL Coach of the Year, 1998, 2000, 2004
NFL Super Bowl Championship 2002
Pro Titles (7): Tampa Bay Storm (4) 1991-93-95-96
Orlando Predators (2) 1998 – 2000
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1) 2002


















AFL COACHING CAREER
Year Team Position Record Pct. Comment
2004 Orlando Head Coach 10-7-0 .588 AFL Quarterfinals
2001 Orlando Head Coach 8-7-0 .533 AFL Quarterfinals
2000 Orlando Head Coach 14-3-0 .824 AFL Champions
1999 Orlando Head Coach 9-8-0 .529 ArenaBowl Runnerup
1998 Orlando Head Coach 12-5-0 .705 AFL Champions
1997 Nashville Off. Coordinator 10-5-0 .667 AFL Quarterfinals
As a Head Coach 53-30-0 .639 Two AFL Titles
As Offensive Coordinator 10-5-0 .667 Playoffs
Overall 63-35-0 .642 6 Playoff Appearances


AFL PLAYING CAREER
Regular Season
Year Team A-C-I Pct. Yards TD Sack
2003 Orlando 295-183-2 62.0 2,334 49 13
2002 Orlando 501-310-20 61.9 3,621 68 8
1996 Tampa Bay 444-275-14 61.5 3,626 70 15
1995 Tampa Bay 352-197-11 56.0 2,787 44 10
1994 Tampa Bay 368-206-12 56.8 2,597 49 22
1993 Tampa Bay 312-188-14 60.3 2,516 41 14
1992 Tampa Bay 305-189-15 62.0 2,491 50 14
1991 Tampa Bay 199-127-12 63.8 1,497 26 11
Career Totals 2779-1675-100 60.3 21,469 397 110

AFL Post Season
Year Team GP A-C-I Pct. Yards TD W-L
2003 Orlando 2 74-42-2 56.8 575 12 1-1
2002 Orlando 3 108-62-4 57.4 776 13 2-1
1996 Tampa Bay 3 99-55-3 55.5 773 14 3-0
1995 Tampa Bay 3 91-57-3 62.6 732 10 3-0
1994 Tampa Bay 1 31-19-2 61.2 208 7 0-1
1993 Tampa Bay 3 90-55-3 61.1 667 10 3-0
1992 Tampa Bay 2 62-34-3 54.8 489 3 1-1
1991 Tampa Bay 2 57-33-2 63.3 541 8 2-0
Career Totals 19 607-357-25 58.8 4,761 77 15-4


10 FOR 15
10 Training Camp Feature Story Ideas For Orlando’s 15th Season

1. Your In Good Hands With Fleming: Orlando Predators Cory Fleming has a unique off-season occupation as he owns and operates Fleming Insurance, an independent agency in Nashville. Fleming, who won the “ADT Ironman of the Year” award as Arena Football’s best two-way player last year, lists owning an All-State Agency as one of his career goals after football. (Potential Interviews We Could Arrange: Cory Fleming, Jay Gruden)

2. Predators: The Cradle of Coaches?: Maybe it would be going too far to call the Orlando Predators “The AFL Cradle of Coaches,” but at least 15 current and former Predators players have gone on to the coaching ranks, including: Chris Barber (High School), Ben Bennett (af2), Webbie Burnett (af2), Victor Floyd (High School), Rick Hamilton (AFL), Jay Gruden (AFL, NFL), Kevin Guy (AFL, af2), Bret Munsey (af2, AFL), Jerry Odom (High School, Colleges), Pat O’Hara (High School), Connell Maynor (College), Jeff Parker (College), Fred Ray (High School), Barry Wagner (College), and Herkie Walls (High School). (Potential Interviews: Ben Bennett, Chris Barber, Pat O’Hara, Gruden)

3. Local Connection: The University of Central Florida has put more Orlando Predators players in uniform (14) than any other college or university. Newcomers Jimmy Fryzell and Ryan Schneider will join veteran Bret Cooper as three UCF alumni on the Predators 2005 pre-season roster. (Potential Interviews: Gruden, Player Personnel Director Bret Munsey, Bret Cooper, Jimmy Fryzell, Ryan Schneider)

4. Can Predators Keep Streak Alive? Heading into the 2005 campaign, the Orlando Predators have had one of the most remarkable runs in Arena Football League history. The team is tied with the Tampa Bay Storm for the longest AFL franchise run in one city (both entering 15th year); with the Predators holding the league record for the most consecutive seasons with a better than .500 final record (13 straight years). In addition, the Predators have made 13 consecutive playoff appearances, one shy of the league record (14, Tampa Bay). (Potential Interviews: Gruden. Cooper, Kenny McEntyre)

5. Who’s Your Kicker? For the first time in team history, the Predators will enter training camp without at least one kicker on its preseason roster, having lost AFL Kicker of the Year Jay Taylor to the Tampa Bay Bucs. The Predators play to audition several players on three-day waivers and may also considering signing one of several veteran AFL kickers looking for employment. (Potential Interviews: Munsey, Jay Taylor)

6. The Orlando Sack Exchange: Over the last 10 seasons, the Orlando Predators have recorded more quarterback sacks than any other team in the Arena Football League. Last year was no exception, as the Predators’ 35 quarterback sacks were 12 more than any other team in the Arena Football League. Orlando returns eight players, including Rupert Grant (9.5), who accounted for 24.5 sacks of Orlando’s league-leading total. (Potential Interviews: Grant, Line Coach Willie Fears, Doug Miller)

7. Interest in Orlando Predators on Upswing: After selling out 25 consecutive home games from 1992-95. Arena expansion and other reasons led to Orlando’s season ticket base falling for several seasons – reaching a low of 5,500 in 1998. Two championships, exposure on NBC, the return of local ownership, a new commitment to the season ticket holder and several other factors have contributed to a huge resurgence in fan interest in the Orlando Predators. With almost remaining before the season opener, the Predators were closing in on the 8,000 on paid season tickets and are expected to hit the 10,000 mark by the Jan. 30 season opener. (Potential Interviews: Managing Partner Brett Bouchy, Commissioner David Baker)

8. The Best Ever? Three-time ADT Defensive Player of the Year, 5-time All-Arena, All-First 15 Year Team, and the league’s all-time leader in interceptions (54). Could Orlando’s Kenny McEntye lay claim as the top defensive player in Arena Football League history? (Potential Interviews: McEntyre, Head Coach Jay Gruden).

9. Playing Hardball? Predators’ lineman Thomas Pittman left the University of Florida after an impressive freshman year to pursue a professional baseball career. He returned two years later and went to camp with the Denver Broncos. Can the former outfielder crack the Predators line rotation? (Potential interviews: Pittman, Munsey)

10. Black and Red to Feature “Rudy”: The 2nd Annual Orlando Predators Black and Red Ball will be held on Friday, January 21 at the TD Waterhouse Centre. The Black Tie Affair will feature guest speaker Rudy Ruettiger, whose college football life at Notre Dame was chronicled in the feature film “Rudy.” Proceeds will benefit the Orlando Predators Foundation, with specific grants for the Ronald McDonald House and Conductive Education Centers of Central Florida. . (Potential Interviews: Orlando Predators Foundation Director Sylvia Bova, Bret Bouchy, Ruettiger- on day of event-)

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