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AFL I Arena Football League (1987-2008)

Kanell Makes Most of Opportunity

May 28, 2002 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I) News Release


NEW YORK (May 28, 2002) -- DANNY KANELL just wanted to play football again. The former quarterback of the New York Giants and Atlanta Falcons took a year off from the NFL to instead played some minor league baseball.

But when he pronounced to the NFL that he was ready to return to work this winter, he found a lot of teams excited but unable to sign him. The more Kanell shopped himself around, the more he heard the same refrain.

"You've been out a full year," a coach, general manager or player personnel type would tell him. "We need to see some fresh tape of you playing football."

The clincher was a meeting at the Meadowlands with Giants coach JIM FASSEL. Kanell wanted badly to return to the New York area. Fassel told him to show the world how much he was dedicated to football.

So Kanell contacted the New York Dragons of the Arena Football League (AFL). He knew that Dragons coach JOHN GREGORY was to quarterbacks what JOE PATERNO is to linebackers. Seven years ago Gregory took a raw kid named Kurt Warner, who was bagging groceries in an Iowa supermarket at the time, and turned him into one of the AFL's biggest stars. Today, Warner is a two-time NFL MVP with the St. Louis Rams. The last three seasons, Gregory mentored Dragons quarterback AARON GARCIA to All-Arena Honors. The San Francisco 49ers were so impressed with Garcia that they signed him, at age 30, to a contract.

"Coach Gregory's work with quarterbacks in his high-octane system is well-known to all of us," said Kanell.

Gregory worked out Kanell and showed the former Giant no favors. The Dragons were still looking for someone to replace Garcia and were happy with the development of former University of Delaware quarterback MATT NAGY. Despite his impressive resume, Kanell would have to earn this contract.

"I liked him right away," said Gregory. "Danny's got the arm, the feet, the head for the game. The only question was going to be whether he could pick up all the nuances of the Arena game in time. It's not easy. There's a list of guys who were solid in college and in the pros and just couldn't make the adjustment."

Kanell, however, proved to be the exception. Although he joined the Dragons two weeks into the regular season and did not receive a lot of snaps in practice in his first week with the team, Kanell was patient and used the time to learn. For the Dragons' game in New Jersey on May 18, he was named the backup behind Nagy. A week later, when the Dragons were held to just nine points in the first half of a game at Nassau Coliseum against the Detroit Fury, Gregory called his name.

With Kanell leading the way in the second half in his AFL debut, the Dragons overcame a 19-9 halftime deficit and beat Detroit, 44-37. From the moment he entered the game, Kanell's skill and poise in pressure situations stood out. He finished the game 14-for-18 for 80 yards and three touchdowns. More importantly, according to Gregory, "Danny brought a breath of fresh air" to a team that needed it badly.

For his part, Kanell acknowledged that the comeback win was a start, but that he also has a long way to go before mastering the intricacies of the AFL game.

"It was good to finally get a shot, but I have so much more to learn," said Kanell, who has been named the Dragons' starter for their next game, Saturday, June 1 against Toronto on Long Island. "I know from my time in the NFL that it's one thing to go in there in the second half to jump-start a team and completely different when you're the starter and the game is in your hands from the beginning. This is a big week for not just me, but for the team to get back into the playoff race."

Asked if he is glad that his comeback bid got off on the right foot, Kanell said, "This is not about me. I came here to play for the Dragons and to win games. That's where my entire focus is. If this leads to opportunities for me and any of my teammates, like it did for Aaron (Garcia) and (Jets receiver) KEVIN SWAYNE, that's just a bonus. Right now, we just want to give the Long Island fans a team they'll want to keep on coming out to see."

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Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from May 28, 2002


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