DeBerg, Firebirds Get Their Guys
November 11, 2003 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Albany/Indiana Firebirds News Release
INDIANAPOLIS - The Indiana Firebirds announced today that they have come to terms with two of their most coveted free-agents of the 2003-04 AFL off-season. First-year Head Coach, Steve DeBerg, has gotten the quarterback and wide receiver that he has been after since being hired back in August. QB Kevin Daft, who spent last season with the San Jose Sabercats, and WR/DB Tony Simmons, a five-year veteran of the National Football League, have both come to terms with the team. The team also announced the signing of OL/DL Mike Sutton and OS Ryan Hoag.
Daft (6'2, 215) was signed by the Sabercats on April 16, 2003 following a very successful career in NFL Europe. He played two seasons in Europe, leading the Scottish Claymores to the World Bowl in 2000, while also the league in passer rating (107.3 QB rating). Daft threw for 1,231 yards that season, including nine touchdowns, completing over sixty percent of his passes. Daft was allocated to NFLEL by the Tennessee Titans after serving as the No. 3 quarterback on the Titans Super Bowl roster.
In 2002, Daft played for the Amsterdam Admirals. Allocated again by Tennessee, Daft once again was among the top-rated quarterbacks in the league completing 178-of-301 pass attempts for 1,981 yards and 15 touchdowns. The 2001 season Daft spent between the San Francisco 49ers and Atlanta Falcons, before re-joining the Titans in 2002. Daft was originally a fifth round draft pick (151st overall) by Tennessee in the 1999 NFL Draft, completing 18-of-41 attempts for 258 yards and a pair of touchdowns during three pre-season games.
"Kevin Daft was my #1 target of all the quarterbacks that I worked out," commented Head Coach DeBerg. "I think that he is the prototypical arena football quarterback. Using his combination of size, fast feet, quick release, accuracy and intelligence, my expectations and standards for him are very high at this point. I think that he has a very good chance of excelling in this game given the opportunity".
Daft left UC-Davis as the school's career record holder in passing yards (7,601), 300-yd games (11), attempts (982), completions (566), touchdowns (68) and total offense (7,696 yards). He threw a touchdown pass in each of his last 18 games, leading the Aggies to consecutive playoff appearances. Daft was a finalist for the Harlon Hill Award his senior year, given annually to the nation's top Division II player, while also being named a Daktronics Division II All-Region first-team selection. As a junior, Daft was named First-Team All-American by Football Gazette, a season which saw him set five NCAA D-II records in a playoff game against New Haven (43-for-64, 482 yards, 505 total yards).
Simmons (6'2, 215) has played five seasons in the NFL, three with the New England Patriots. In 1998, the rookie hauled in 23 passes for 474 yards (20.6 yds/rec) and three touchdowns. Eight of his receptions were good for gains of 20+ yards and 17 of them went for first downs. Simmons spent 1998-2000 with New England before they allocated him to the Barcelona Dragons (NFL Europe). Simmons earned First-Team All-NFL Europe honors and led the Dragons to a World Bowl IX appearance, a game in which he caught six passes for 227 yards, including one 58-yard touchdown. He returned to the NFL one year later, playing in seven games with the Indianapolis Colts, catching two passes for 17 yards. In 2002, Simmons saw action in four games with the New York Giants but did not record a catch.
Simmons was a record-setting receiver at the University of Wisconsin. He finished his four-year career ranked second in career receiving yards (1,991) and seventh in catches (99). Simmons is the only player in Badgers' history to record three 500-yards receiving seasons and average better than 20 yards per catch. Although his 23 touchdown catches ranks as the school's best, he finished 112 yards shy of Al Toon as the school's all-time leading receiver. While at UW, Simmons also participated in track, capturing the 1997 Big Ten outdoor 100-meter track title (10.29), laying claim as the "conference's fastest athlete". He won the 1996 conference outdoor title in the 200 (20.44) and finished second in the 100 (10.15). His 10.15 time in the 100 meters in '96 barely missed qualifying for the U.S. Olympic trials and broke a school record.
"Tony Simmons is a tremendous addition to our team," stated DeBerg. "He is a world class sprinter with outstanding size and excellent hands. He is a great NFL talent, who is still raw regarding the indoor game. I would see no reason for him not to excel in arena football".
The Firebirds have also reached agreements with two other free-agents, OL/DL Mike Sutton and OS Ryan Hoag. Sutton was the Amsterdam Admirals first selection in the 2002 NFLEL free agent draft and competed in his third NFLEL season. An All-NFL Europe League selection for the 2002 season, he finished tied for 5th in the league in sacks with 4.5 and finished the season with 29 total tackles and two forced fumbles.
In 2000, Sutton was a free agent selection of the Berlin Thunder and finished fourth on the team with 39 tackles and was second in the league with 9 sacks. Allocated to the Rhein Fire in 1999 by the Tennessee Titans and posted 19 tackles, 2.5 sacks and forced one fumble also had one interception. He signed with the Tennessee Oilers as an undrafted free agent on April 20, 1998 and saw first NFL action vs. Minnesota in 1999 when he recorded one tackle. For his three-year NFLEL career, Sutton recorded 87 tackles, 16 sacks, 3 forced fumbles and 1 interception. Sutton played in 30 games and made eight starts in his four years at LSU.
Hoag is a rookie free-agent who was ranked as one of the top wide receivers, and fastest players, in the 2003 NFL Draft. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders as the 262 overall pick in the seventh round, but was released prior to the start of the 2003 NFL season after missing a day and a half of practice with an injury. Playing at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota, where he also excelled in track for the Gusties, Hoag was a two-time All-MIAC first-team selection. For his career, he caught 144 passes for 2,232 yards and scored 29 touchdowns. He began his collegiate career as a walk-on at Wake Forest, before transferring to Gustavus Adolphus prior to the 2000 season.
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