af2 2007 Southwest Division Preview
Published on March 25, 2007 under arenafootball2 (af2) News Release
CHICAGO - The af2's eighth season kicks off this Thursday, March 29, when the expansion Laredo Lobos host the Bakersfield Blitz. Ten more games follow on the weekend, two on Friday and eight on Saturday. Over the next week, a special team-by-team preview continues for each division. The division profiled today is the National Conference's Southwest Division, which features five teams: Bossier-Shreveport, Corpus-Christi, Laredo, Rio Grande Valley and Texas.
SOUTHWEST DIVISION
Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings (2006: 3-13)
Home Field: CenturyTel Center (12,500)
Head Coach: Jon Norris, 1st year in Bossier-Shreveport, 9-7 career regular season record
Returners: 11
Rookies Invited to Camp: 9
Key Players Lost: WR/DB Terrell Sutton, WR/DB Ricky Franklin, OL/DL Andre Reed
Key New Faces: QB Quincy Carter, WR/LB Manwell Talbert, WR/LB Marc Bacote, WR/KR Jamaal Perry, WR/DB Kendrick Walker, FB/LB Kendrick Bournes
Key Returners: WR/DB Anthony Chambers, WR/DB Phillip Geiggar, WR/DB Brandon Campbell, K Brian Hazelwood, FB/LB Charlie Myles
Burning Questions: Will Quincy Carter adjust to the Arena Football game? Can Coach Jon Norris turn the Battle Wings into a winner? Does Bossier-Shreveport have what it takes to compete for a division title?
Last Game: Loss at Oklahoma City, 66-72
Comments: The Battle Wings look primed to make a run at just their second winning campaign in the team's six-year history. New Head Coach Jon Norris, a former af2 head coach and AFL assistant, went out and added a number of af2 veterans to mesh with some key returnees. New faces to the team include WR/LBs Manwell Talbert, formerly of Albany, and Marc Bacote, who spent the past two seasons in Manchester. Talbert led the Conquest in receiving in 2006 (68 catches, 833 yards, 13 TDs) despite playing in just 10 games while Bacote ranked second on the Wolves in touchdown receptions with 19 (74 catches, 751 yards). Both players are also able to play the jack linebacker position as well. Other names to notice on offense are WR/KR Jamaal Perry and WR/DB Kendrick Walker, both veterans known for their playmaking ability. At quarterback, the Battle Wings boast a newcomer to the af2 by the name of Quincy Carter. Carter played three seasons with the Dallas Cowboys and one year with the New York Jets. He led the Cowboys to the playoffs as the team's full-time starter in 2003. During his NFL career, Carter completed 542-of-960 passes for 6,337 yards, 32 for touchdowns and rushed for 518 yards and three scores. Defensively, the team returns WR/DBs Phillip Geiggar (49.5 tackles, 4 INTs) and Brandon Campbell (20 tackles, 2 INTs) and FB/LB Charlie Myles (21.0 tackles, 5.5 for loss). All three were factors for Bossier-Shreveport a year ago. If Carter adjusts to his new surroundings, the Battle Wings appear to be in great shape in 2007.
Corpus Christi Sharks (First year in af2)
Home Field: American Bank Center (7,486)
Head Coach: Mike Trigg, 1st year in Corpus Christi
Returners: N/A
Rookies Invited to Camp: 32
Key Players Lost: N/A
Key New Faces: QB David Bowie, QB Chris Harrington, QB John De Los Santos, WR/DB Robert Franklin
Key Returners: N/A
Burning Questions: Can AFL veteran coach Mike Trigg get the Sharks to learn the Arena Football waters early? Which QB of the three in camp will rise up to claim the starter's spot?
Last Game: N/A
Comments: The Corpus Christi Sharks have a young cast of recruits, but are well equipped to learn fast thanks to an AFL veteran coach in Mike Trigg. Trigg is the only coach in the af2 that can boast having an ArenaBowl Championship (XXV) on his head coaching resume. He earned the AFL Coach of the Year Award in 2001 for his role in bringing the Grand Rapids Rampage a title. Trigg also ranks among the Top-10 in AFL history with 80 career coaching victories. He now has a new challenge in the af2. The Sharks roster is currently comprised of all rookies, so much about the team and its talent level is still unknown. What can't be questioned, however, is leadership, and with Trigg on the sidelines, the Sharks could be a dangerous first-year team.
Laredo Lobos (First year in af2)
Home Field: Laredo Entertainment Center (8,067)
Head Coach: Mark Stoute, 1st year in Laredo, 2nd year overall, 10-6 career regular season record
Returners: N/A
Rookies Invited to Camp: 29
Key Players Lost: N/A
Key New Faces: QB Daniel Forrest, WR/DB Edward Giddings, OL/DL Jovon Bush, WR/DB, Torrey Prather
Key Returners: N/A
Burning Questions: Can Mark Stoute repeat his success from his last time as a head coach in the af2 in 2003? Can QB Daniel Forrest make the successful transition from backup to starter? Will Laredo fans take to the new, better brand of football in town?
Last Game: N/A
Comments: The Lobos are another first-year team that is led by a veteran coach in Mark Stoute. Stoute has been a head coach at both the AFL and af2 levels, and been successful at every stop. He's hoping those fortunes don't change this year in Laredo. Last year as an assistant head coach for Green Bay, Stoute helped guide the Blizzard to an ArenaCup berth. Leading the team on the field looks to be QB Daniel Forrest, a 6-foot-2, 215-pounder who spent the 2006 af2 season as a backup in Memphis. In limited action, Forrest showed promise, tossing seven touchdowns and just one interception in seven appearances. The Lobos have also brought in a number of talented rookies like WR/DB Edward Giddings, who should be one of the team's major weapons on offense. If the group of lineman and defensive backs Stoute recruited adjusts quickly, the Lobos will be a team to watch out for in 2007.
Rio Grande Valley Dorados (2006: 7-9)
Home Field: Dodge Arena (5,600)
Head Coach: Marty Hammond, 2nd year in Rio Grande Valley, 7-9 career regular season record
Returners: 9
Rookies Invited to Camp: 21
Key Players Lost: WR Dwight Counter, WR/DB Chris Canty, DB Brent Withers, OL/DL Curtis Jeter
Key New Faces: WR/DB George Williams, WR Jamaine Blalock, FB/LB Daniel Kegler
Key Returners: QB Josh Kellett, WR/LB Travis McAlpine, WR/LB Mel Long, DB Torry Joubert, OL/DL William Goodloe
Burning Questions: Can QB Josh Kellett stay healthy in 2007? Will Head Coach Marty Hammond be able to handle talented yet tumultuous receiver George Williams? Do the Dorados have what it takes to return to the playoffs?
Last Game: Loss to Spokane, 30-54
Comments: The Dorados look ready for a return to the postseason after falling just short in 2006. The team struggled through the middle part of the season without the services of veteran QB Josh Kellett. The team was 4-2 when he went down in Week 7. When Kellett returned five games later, Rio Grande Valley was 5-7. Kellett is back again in 2007 healthy and ready to go. He'll be rejoined by a strong cast of returnees in WR/LB Travis McAlpine, WR/LB Mel Long and DB Torry Joubert, just to name a few. The Dorados lost WR Dwight Counter and WR/DB Chris Canty on offense, but brought in some strong replacements in WR/DB George Williams and WR Jamaine "CoCo" Blalock. Williams ranks among the af2's all-time leaders in receiving and scoring, while Blalock comes to camp after enjoying a six-year AFL career in which he accumulated over 3,000 receiving yards and 52 total touchdowns (44 receiving, 3 rushing, 5 returns). Another key addition for the defense, which lost OL/DL Curtis Jeter, is FB/LB Daniel Kegler. Kegler is coming off a strong 2006 campaign with Bakersfield, recording 34.0 tackles, including 13.0 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks. If the offensive line is solid, the Dorados should be among the division's stronger squads.
Texas Copperheads (First year in af2)
Home Field: Berry Center (7,190)
Head Coach: Bryan Blake, 1st year with Texas
Returners: N/A
Rookies Invited to Camp: 27
Key Players Lost: N/A
Key New Faces: QB Shayne Schrader, QB Tony Ekert, LB Lawrence Taylor, Jr., K Nick Gatto, FB/LB J.J. Barnett
Key Returners: N/A
Burning Questions: How quickly can af2 rookie Coach Bryan Blake adjust to the Arena game? Will Lawrence Taylor, Jr. become the af2 equivalent of his legendary father? Can the Copperheads take a bite out of the af2 in their first season?
Last Game: N/A
Comments: The Copperheads are another young, first-year squad that includes a lot of unknowns. Head Coach Bryan Blake is not a rookie coach by any stretch, but he is new to the nuances of Arena Football. He and the organization are excited about joining the af2 and looking forward to the challenge. His training camp roster features only four players with listed af2 experience, and one of them is kicker Nick Gatto. Gatto, who has a reliable leg, scored 104 points (6-27 FGs, 86-103 PATs) for the Quad City Steamwheelers in 2005. The quarterback job is currently a three-man race between Shayne Schrader, Tony Ekert and Damone Scott. One player who was an intriguing addition to the team this past week was LB Lawrence Taylor, Jr., son of former New York Giants great Lawrence Taylor. If L.T. Jr. is half as good as his father, Blake might've found himself a keeper. The questions regarding Texas' talent will be answered early as the Copperheads begin their inaugural af2 season by hosting the defending South Division Champion Florida Firecats on April 6, then travel to Bossier-Shreveport to take on an improved Battle Wings bunch on April 14.
arenafootball2 Stories from March 25, 2007
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- af2 2007 Southwest Division Preview - af2
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