10 minutes with Coach Tony Wells

Published on February 4, 2005 under National Indoor Football League (NIFL)
Miami Morays News Release


They say the heart of a football team can be symbolized by the head coach, but sometimes the soul of a team lies in the individuals who don't get the publicity or accolades. Those individuals are the offensive and defensive coordinators. They have an important role in following the philosophy set by the head coach, and their preparation in the week before and the practice time they spend with the team is often the difference between a win or a loss every week.

Coming to the Morays as the Offensive Coordinator is Tony Wells, a name that some South Florida football fans might recognize. Wells spent four seasons as a standout receiver/linebacker with the Miami Hooters and Florida Bobcats from 1995 to 1998 before heading into the coaching ranks with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers last season.

With Well's recruiting connections to some prime talent and his playing time in the arena leagues, his experience and knowledge will be relied upon heavily by Coach Little to make a difference come kick-off time.

Taking some time off of setting up the Morays training camp, coach Wells sat down with miamimoraysfootball.com to discuss the upcoming season of the Miami Morays.

Question: So tell us about your general impressions of the first two tryout camps held and the level of talent that you have seen in Miami.

Tony Wells: The local talent level we have seen is something I haven't experienced as a coach. Usually it is more or less that you have to go out and recruit guys and bring them in from other states, but the talent level here is just tremendous.

We had guys just walking in off the street who might have only played a year of college that are phenoms right now. It is making it tough on me because we have 13 good receivers right now and I can only bring in 11. It will be tough to cut down those last two because everyone is so equal talent-wise.

Question: You have played in the Arena Football League and coached in a few places as well. Would you say that of all the places you have played and coached, that Miami possibly has the best talent level that you have seen?

Wells: No question. Football-wise everyone down here is just really raw, but talent-wise just to have them do the running, jumping, and testing, they are just incredible. Our first camps have been just phenomenal, and to be a coach down here is a blessing because it is so easy to recruit players.

Question: You mentioned raw a few times. Tell me about the rawness of the players. In the indoor leagues, there are players who have been playing for quite some time and it is a different game. How big are the differences between the indoor game and the professional or college games?

Wells: The biggest difference is the angles. In the outdoor game you take different angles to get to where you are going, but in the indoor game you have to shorten your angles up and make them precise. If you don't, you will end up running into a wall or run right into a defender. Everything has to be a lot faster and a lot quicker.

Kurt Warner played in the Arena League some years ago and it took him awhile to adjust. This is a guy who was an MVP and Super Bowl Champion. For a guy to just come in and earn a starting spot will be quite an accomplishment because it is so hard to adjust. But once you do adjust, it becomes easy.

Question: If you were to field a team of all raw players who have the talent but not the experience, how quickly do you think it will take for them to adjust and get to the level where they can be a cohesive squad?

Wells: I would say as a coach that you want to have a good mix of veterans and inexperienced players because the learning curve is about four games. A lot of times you see a young team in these leagues take a pounding the first four games because they don't have the experience in the beginning.

But once they get that cohesiveness and they start gelling, they can turn it around because of their talent level, but it is tough road. For me as a coach, I don't want to go into a season with rookies and a lot of inexperience because of the fact that the learning curve is at least four games.

Question: In looking at the players you have coming down here, are you worried that you might have to sign players without the experience? But also looking at the announced signings of the Florida teams, is that still a concern for you or do you think that the Florida teams are all coming in on the same playing field?

Wells: I think we are all on the same level as far as getting talent, but I think we are doing better because of the simple fact we are in Miami.

Question: So looking at the competition, and with your experience and familiarity with some players, you will be bringing in a few guys with the indoor experience. Is there anyone you want to talk about in particular?

Wells: I am bringing in a guy named J.J. McKelvey who played last year for Manchester in the af2 league. He started at Clemson and is already a phenom, and he is only going to get better. He is 6'5 and 220 and could have played basketball at Clemson. That is how talented he is.

Leroy McFadden scored 35 touchdowns for me last season in Wilkes-Barre, and he had 33 the year before. 6'3'' and 270 and now he plays receiver. He is built like a running back, and he played at Michigan State where he started before current Atlanta Falcons running back T.J. Duckett.

Ethenic Sands got some experience last year and has a championship with the Florida Fire Cats in the af2. I told him I had to sign him because he was the reason I didn't get a championship last year because he beat us up so bad.

Question: So does that mean Ethenic Sands is going to have to run extra drills?

Wells: I am going to give Ethenic so many gassers for beating us last year, that he is going to be ready to play. (laughs) But he really is a great player and one of the guys I am looking to be a strong leader on this team.

Question: What about the adjustment level for a quarterback? You talked a little bit about Kurt Warner and what he went through. Tell me what it will be like for a QB who doesn't have the experience to make that adjustment to the indoor game, and what will you be looking for in a QB?

Wells: The main thing is that in the indoor game, everything happens so much faster and everything is done more on timing than anything else. You can't really scramble in this game, because if you do, you will get knocked out. The quarterbacks have to really to really concentrate on releasing the ball and getting rid of it right away.

Whether the receiver is open or not, you have to almost be assured that the receiver will be open when the ball gets there. You can't hesitate, you can't guess, you just have to play smart football. I think that back in the day when he played, his mentality was just the outdoor game and having possession, but in this game you have to score every drive because if you don't, it is hard to stop the other team on offense.

Question: Tell me about the running game in the National Indoor Football League. The rules are set up so that it is possible to have a running game that is a little bit more like the traditional outdoor game. There are no rules that stipulate that the defense has to play with a certain amount of defenders in a set area on the field.

So with that sense of being able to have a running game, tell me about what you are looking for with your running game, and what do you need from your running backs at this level?

Wells: I think the biggest thing will be the red-zone. Red zone running will be the key because I am not a big field guy. When we are on the big field, we will be throwing the ball, but once the field gets condensed to the red-zone, there won't be a lot of room to throw the ball.

That is where the running game will come into play. You have to have guys who can make yardage on their own. I want to get a big-time runner, but he also has to be a pretty good pass-blocker.

We have a couple of guys who are real interested in coming down. One guy is a former Kansas City Chief and Leroy McFadden will play a role, and I have a guy that played for me in Wilkes-Barre named Ben Labelle that is pretty good.

Question: On a personal level, you are now working for Larry Little, a NFL Hall-of-Famer. What is that like for you to walk in the office and see Coach Little. the gravitas that is already built in with him is there, do you feel it?

Wells: You know what? He has made it real comfortable for me because he treats me like one of his family members, like a son almost. He will call me just to shoot the breeze with me and that is comforting.

In reality when I look at him, it hits me that he is a Hall-of-Famer and it awesome to be around him and hear all the stories. Listening to him talk about Donnie, as in Don Shula, or Mercury Morris and guys that I used to read about in books or hear about when I was a kid, these guys are his best friends and it is awesome.

Question: Coach Little has admitted that he has never coached at the indoor level before, but he comes from a strong career at the college level. How will you and Ray Isaac help him when it comes to adjusting to the indoor game, and what will be your role during the games?

Wells: Coach Little is a professional and he knows how to adjust. He wouldn't be in the Hall of Fame if he didn't know how to adjust. I think the biggest thing is that Coach Little is the type of coach that will let us do our thing and he is going to be the glue. We know a little bit more about indoor football, but he knows much more about football.

It still comes down to blocking and tackling and doing all the fundamental things right. He is going to adapt, he knows the rules, and he is a big part of our success. The more he learns, the better we are going to be.

Question: How much is his name helpful when it comes to recruiting players? When you tell a recruit that Larry Little is the coach, does it become that much easier for you and make a difference when it comes to getting a guy who might have gone somewhere else to play?

Wells: It really helps with linemen. When I talk to some of these guys, I tell them that they will have Coach Little and Jamie Nails coaching them. One is a Hall-of-Famer and the other is a NFL veteran, and when you have guys like that on the staff that can coach a position, it is an awesome tool. Younger guys want to be coached, they want to learn so they can get to the next level and Coach Little is definitely going to teach them and give them the discipline needed to move them up to the next level.

Question: So what it is it like working with Coach Isaac? He is a very energetic and intense guy, as well as someone who is very funny.

Wells: Ray might be one of the funniest guys I have ever met. In fact, I know he is the funniest guy I have ever met. He is also a competitor and his persona off and on the field are two different people.

On the field, we are ready to beat each other up because that is the type of competitors we both are. You have to be that way in football. We can be friends later, but on the field you have to be competitive and be enemies.

But off the field, he is the funniest guy ever. You have to watch out for him because he watching you so he can do impersonations. He does an amazing Oronde Gadsden imitation. He can do anybody. He watches and studies guys so he can imitate them.

Question: So in wrapping this up, what is your expectations for this team and what can the fans expect from this team?

Wells: When I recruit guys to come here, I recruit them on the basis of whether or not I can win a championship with them. I don't recruit them on if he is a pretty good player or because I am trying to get a position filled. I am recruiting guys to win us a championship.

Anything less is a disappointment for us. This city deserves another champion, it is a beautiful city and a great football town. Hopefully we can achieve this goal and bring one to Miami.

TIMES UP!

The Miami Morays will play in the National Indoor Football League, entering its fifth season with 21 teams located across the United States. The NIFL provides players with an opportunity to develop their skills and continue their careers in professional football.

The Miami Morays kick off a 14 game schedule in March with seven home games at the Miami Arena. For additional information about the Miami Morays, please call Mark Fischel at 305-374-8950 or visit us at www.miamimoraysfootball.com.

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National Indoor Football League Stories from February 4, 2005


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