Game conditions simulated at Lions camp
February 8, 2007 - World Indoor Football League 2 (WIFL 2)
Columbus Lions News Release
COLUMBUS, GA, February 8 -- Lions Head Coach Jason Gibson set up the full inflatable field tonight, which in turn brought out smiles, hard hits and great moves by his wide receivers, defensive backs and quarterbacks, who were beginning to feel the drudgery of their fourth straight session at A.J. McClung Memorial Stadium.
"We decided to make it more like true game situations by adding all four walls and putting up yard-line markers," said Gibson. "Everyone got faster, we put in tackling for the first time, and the players had so much fun running our two-minute offense. By simulating game speed, that makes for better conditioning. Players on the sidelines were fighting to go back in. There was a lot of jawing and sticking going on, the defense flew to the football, putting three helmets on the receiver on every throw," obvious pleasure showing in Gibson's tone.
Gibson praised WR Juval Winston as a "one-play wonder who just runs by people. We didn't have a receiving threat like him last year." Jarwarski Pollock's first workout was "pretty good. He's got apparent skills as North Carolina's all-time reception leader, and we got a glimpse of them tonight." The receiver with the most moves and possibly the receiving corps' best open-field runner is Tirone Morris, although "he's had ups and downs" as he works to develop consistency.
Quarterback Chinedu Okoro drew coach's compliments for his strong and accurate arm, as did Andrew McKay for developing leadership and Davon Brown for competitive and sturdy play.
ROSTER MOVES: Veteran receiver Adrian Cockfield elected to leave the team after finding it difficult to reconcile playing pro football with his daytime job in Atlanta. Gibson said "A.C. is a responsible person who realized he could no longer give the team the fulltime commitment it takes. I respect him and the outstanding arena football career he's had."
INJURIES: DB Roshard Gilyard has fluid on the left knee, and Winston is dealing with a slight hamstring pull. Neither should miss any practice time, according to the Lions' medical staff and coaches.
PLAYER PROFILE: Just a few minutes spent with Lions running back Eugene Goodman is enough to know you're meeting a remarkable young man.The 23-year-old from Smithfield, VA (near Newport News) has been through considerable adversity, and seems to be stronger and mature beyond his years.
A first-team all-Virginia tailback, safety and kick returner as a high school junior and senior, Goodman chose Liberty University in Lynchburg after having committed to Nebraska. The reasons include a chance to play offense, but more importantly, his mother's preference for Liberty's religious values and her desire that he not attend college too far from home.
At Liberty, Goodman played ahead of Samkon Gado, former Green Bay Packer and now Houston Texan runner. As a junior, he ran for more than 1,000 yards and 15 touchdowns. Starting his senior year with more than 700 yards in four games, he was on an amazing streak of nine straight 100-yard rushing games before breaking his leg and missing the rest of the season. Incredibly, down 28-3 to VMI, he scored four touchdowns in the fourth quarter of one game to pull Liberty to victory.
"I always told myself if I ever had surgery, that would be the end of football for me," said Goodman, who enjoyed playing with Lions QB Andrew McKay his last two years. "I had a rod in my leg, wasn't drafted by the NFL. But when I saw Gado on ESPN run for 173 yards for the Packers, I thought if he can do it, so can I. The amazing thing is, he was third-string at Liberty -- Dre Barnes was my backup, who's out of football now."
Goodman played semi-pro ball for the Virginia Crimson Cardinals in 2006, running for an astounding 2,500 yards and making it to the league's championship game in Orlando, where he actually filled in at quarterback. He was back to running a speedy 4.5 forty, and was made an offer by the Osceola Ghostriders, then in the National Indoor Football League. A Canadian Football League coaching friend of Jason Gibson's recommended him to the Lions' coach, and the wheels were set in motion for his contract with Columbus.
The sturdy 5'9", 205-pound back credits his fierce determination to his mother and older brother Marlin, who died of a rare heart valve separation two years ago while coaching football. "My mom, Marlin and my stepfather mostly raised me. Marlin didn't play, he lived through my career and sacrificed going to college so I could go. My mother is a Tidewater-area Wachovia Bank president. Both meant so much to me. I played two days after Marlin's death at Kent State, and ran for 106 yards. No question, that's would he would have wanted. Then I flew back for the funeral."
Goodman bared his brawny arms to reveal large tattoos of his mother on one arm and Marlin on the other, stretching across his forearms and biceps. He sounded profoundly sincere when he said "Someone has to die for another to be born," referring to his two-year-old daughter, Sierra, living in Lynchburg with her mother, Brittany Melvin, a "very Christian woman who teaches our daughter great morals. She's the best of friends to me, my strongest supporter, and plans to wait until I accomplish everything I want in football before we marry."
World Indoor Football League 2 Stories from February 8, 2007
- Game conditions simulated at Lions camp - Columbus Lions
- GhostRiders Training Camp Update - Osceola Ghostriders
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