\'Hammer\' Slams Home, Local Talent Added to \'Wheelers Roster

January 4, 2005 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Quad City Steamwheelers News Release


DAVENPORT, Iowa — Quad City Steamwheelers coach Rick Frazier vowed to have the majority of his 35-player training camp roster set by the first of the new year. He came three steps closer to that on Tuesday, when the arenafootball2 league office announced the re-assignment of veterans, wide receiver/defensive back Danny Thomas and fullback/linebacker Nick Cosentino, and the assignment of rookie wide receiver/defensive back Andre Banks. The training camp roster has now reached 27.

"I think we are getting pretty close," Frazier said of adding the trio of players and closing in on a final training camp roster. "We are still a few linemen away from where I want (the roster) to be."

Thomas returns to the Steamwheelers with some unfinished business to take care of. Last year, his season was cut short on July 10, when he suffered a knee injury in a game against his former team, Steamwheelers' former archrival, Tennessee Valley Vipers. Thomas, who has since been doing his rehab here in the Quad Cities, is itching to get back onto the field.

"We should have won it all last year and to lose to Louisville the way we did – and having to sit on the sidelines and watch it – I want to get back to 100-percent and take care of business and show I can play again at 100-percent," Thomas said.

Thomas is referring to the National Conference quarterfinal playoff loss to the Louisville Fire, which saw the Fire miss a 53-yard field goal as time expired, only to recover the ball off the net and run in it for a touchdown to win 53-48 and end the Steamwheelers season in shocking fashion.

The man who has been nicknamed the "Hammer," Thomas has spent four seasons in the af2. He has also spent time in every major professional football league.

After a standout career at Eastern Kentucky, Thomas went to training camp with the Arizona Cardinals of the NFL. After being one of the final camp cuts for the Cardinals, Thomas then spent the rest of the 1998 season on the practice squad of the Canadian Football League's Edmonton Eskimoes.

He made his Arena Football League debut the following year as he went to camp with the Grand Rapids Rampage. Despite not making the active roster with the Rampage, Thomas was still picked up by the San Francisco 49ers and spent training camp with them.

Thomas then became one of the af2's original players as a member of the Steamwheelers former archrival Tennessee Valley Vipers, the same Vipers team that lost to the Steamwheelers in the inaugural ArenaCup game in 2000.

His stellar rookie season earned him a trip back to the AFL, this time with the New Jersey Gladiators, where he first made contact with former Steamwheelers coach Rich Ingold, who was the defensive coordinator for the Gladiators at the time. On the season with the Gladiators, Thomas accounted for a 7-yard pass reception and recorded three tackles (one solo) in limited action. After an 0-7 start, the Gladiators cleaned house, which saw Thomas return to the af2 with the Vipers to finish out the 2001 season.

He then moved back up to the AFL in 2002, this time with the Dallas Desperados. He started the season on the practice squad for the first nine weeks of the season and then made his Desperados debut in Week 10 against the San Jose Sabercats. For the Desperados, he caught five passes for 70 yards and two touchdowns. On defense, he had six tackles (six solo) and had a pass breakup.

Thomas was then picked up by the Colorado Crush in the expansion draft by the Colorado Crush. Thomas spent camp with the Crush, but tore his hamstring in a pre-season scrimmage. He was cut right before the first game and picked up by the AFL's Detroit Fury. The injury acted up again and ended his 2003 AFL season.

Ingold, who took the Steamwheelers reigns in 2002, brought Thomas in with five games remaining in the Steamwheelers 2003 campaign. Thomas made an immediate impact and helped the Steamwheelers finish the regular season with 14 consecutive regular season wins and a National Conference Midwest Division title.

Thomas was then brought back by Ingold for the 2004 season. Thomas again helped the Steamwheelers to a Midwest Division crown and a playoff berth. In four years of af2 experience, Thomas' career stats account for seven rushes for 71 yards, including the Tennessee Valley single game record for the longest touchdown run with a 42-yard scamper to the end zone in his first af2 game against the Tallahassee Thunder in 2000.

Thomas, 6-foot, 200 lbs., has caught 27 passes for 332 yards and two touchdowns. He has returned nine kickoffs for an average of 21.6 yards per return, which includes two scores. On the defensive side of the ball, Thomas has 93 tackles (54 solo), seven interceptions, 23 pass deflections, five fumble recoveries, and two forced fumbles.

"He is an af2 kid who has some good numbers," Frazier said. "He is one of those guys that can play either wide receiver/linebacker, wide receiver/defensive back or with his college background he can even play defensive specialist. We'll just have to see how it works out in camp."

The 6-foot-3, 210 lbs., Banks is a familiar name in the Quad Cities. Banks, originally started his college football-playing career at the University of Northern Iowa, where he red-shirted. He then spent the next season at New Mexico State, where he played for a season prior to joining the St. Ambrose Fighting Bees.

While at the Davenport campus, Banks helped guide the 2001 Fighting Bees to their second of four straight Mid-States Football Association Midwest Division titles and four straight NAIA National Playoff berths. He led the team in receiving and scoring with 63 receptions for 924 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also rushed for 50 yards on 10 carries and three scores. Banks also led the team in kick returns with 11 for 338 yards (30.7-yard average) and a touchdown.

Frazier noticed Banks at the Steamwheelers open tryout in early December, and the coach liked what he saw. Banks is also the second player and second St. Ambrose player who has joined the Steamwheelers out of the open tryout. Offensive lineman/defensive lineman Mikey Novak was the first.

"He is a good kid. I like him," Frazier said. "He is fluid and has good hands. (In the tryout) there were not many balls on the ground. He is in some good company with all of the players we have coming in at the wide receiver position. It will be a heated competition. But it is good to add a receiver who can run, catch and has great size."

Banks is just happy to get the opportunity after being two years removed from football.

"This is pretty awesome. I have been wanting to play for two years," Banks said. "It was pretty good (to get to tryout) coming from non-NCAA Division I school. It was nice to be able to go somewhere and get a chance to get looked at."

Cosentino is an Arena Football journeyman who has been around the game since 2002. His career started at the semi-pro level with the Kane County Eagles, one of the top teams nationally in semi-pro football, where he was an all-conference fullback.

He then spent time with the Chicago Rush in training camp and was kept around throughout the season before joining the Peoria Pirates in 2003. In limited action as a Pirates' fullback/linebacker, the 6-foot-1, 250 lbs., Cosentino recorded three tackles (two solo) and had a 3-yard rush. Cosentino was then picked up by the Steamwheelers last season and spent most of the second half of the year on the 21-man roster, and only saw action in one game, but did not record any stats.

"It's great to have a home," Cosentino said of finally starting a season with the Steamwheelers. "I am just very excited."

Coesntino is one of five fullback/linebacker's that Frazier wanted to bring into camp, but the coach feels that with Cosentino's size, he will compete for a spot.

"Nick is a tough kid," Frazier said. "We had him at Grand Rapids and liked him, but there just wasn't enough space on the roster for him. He is a tough enough kid that I felt deserved a camp spot."

Players are set to report to camp on March 16, with training camp opening the following day. The 35-man roster will then have to be trimmed to 30 by March 19, and a final roster must be set by the end of training camp on March 28.



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