Milwaukee Bonecrushers' Bye Week Notes
April 3, 2009 - Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL)
Milwaukee Bonecrushers News Release
The Milwaukee Bonecrushers' game with the Miami Valley Silverbacks, scheduled for this Saturday night at Hobart Arena in Troy, Ohio, was postponed Tuesday night when the league and the Silverbacks decided no suitable location was available for playing the game. The game will be played at the end of the season if it has playoff implications.
As a result, the Bonecrushers have this weekend off.
ABOUT THE BONECRUSHERS (1-2)
While the Bonecrushers' play through three games in 2009 can best be described as inconsistent, sporadic success is welcome after the team had almost none in 2008. After a difficult 1-11 first-year campaign that featured multiple changes at the head coaching position, the Bonecrushers' promised they would be much improved at the start of 2009. It didn't look like it at first, though, as the Chicago Slaughter lived up to their name and dismantled the Bonecrushers, 84-24, in a disorganized season opener for Milwaukee. The team rebounded, though, and showed its potential after a bye week, easily beating the Rock River Raptors, 53-34. Carrying that momentum back to Milwaukee proved more difficult than expected, though, as the Bonecrushers failed to win their first-ever game at the U.S. Cellular Arena, dropping their home opener to the Wisconsin Wolfpack, 36-20. Neither team played well in that game and the Bonecrushers hope to use this unexpected off week to regain the form they had against Rock River.
MORE ON THE POSTPONEMENT The Silverbacks were placed in a unique situation at the start of the season. The franchise initially chose not to play in 2009 due to the lagging economy, but when the planned West Virginia Wild franchise folded just prior to the start of the season, the Silverbacks accepted an offer from the Continental Indoor Football League to resume operations and assume the Wild's planned schedule.
Hobart Arena, however, was not available to the Silverbacks for use this weekend. Thought was given to moving the contest to the U.S. Cellular Arena, but all parties wanted to make every effort to play the game in the Troy, Ohio area. When options were finally exhausted, it was too late to coordinate efforts for the U.S. Cellular Arena to be used.
"Right now, there is just not a suitable place to play the contest," said CIFL Co-founder Jeff Spitaleri on the league website. "We exhausted all of our options when it came to finding a place to play this game; it is unfortunate that we have to postpone the game, but it really is our only option."
The Bonecrushers and Silverbacks will each continue to play the remainder of their respective schedules and are set to meet Sat., May 30 in Milwaukee at 7:30 p.m.
BEST OF LUCK, MR. BELL
One of the goals of the Bonecrushers' franchise is to give its players the chance to get exposure and move to higher levels of football. That goal became a reality as Bonecrushers' star running back Randy Bell left the team this week to join the River City Rage of the Indoor Football League.
Bell was the 2008 CIFL Offensive Player of the Year for the Rock River Raptors and came to the Bonecrushers prior to the start of the 2009 season. Bell's 170 all-purpose yards in the Bonecrushers' 53-34 win over the Raptors was good enough to earn Bell the CIFL's Offensive Player of the Week award, marking the first time a Bonecrushers' player had ever earned that title.
While the Bonecrushers will miss Bell's experience, the team entered the season with depth at the running back position. Former Chicago Slaughter feature back J.R. Taylor will likely become the primary ball carrier for the Bonecrushers in Bell's absence, with JoJo Moore likely to take Bell's spot as kick returner and get more carries as well.
The Rage are based in St. Louis. The 19-team IFL features a number of teams who previously had success in the CIFL, including the last two CIFL champions, the Rochester Raiders and the Saginaw Sting.
SOMETIMES THE NUMBERS DO LIE
A quick look at the final stats sheet from the Bonecrushers' loss to the Wisconsin Wolfpack might make one believe the Bonecrushers dominated the Wolfpack. The Bonecrushers outgained the Wolfpack both on the ground (70 yards rushing compared to Wisconsin's 14) and in the air (126 to 117). The Bonecrushers also had possession of the football for four minutes and 18 seconds longer than the Wolfpack and had the game's lone sack. Penalties and turnovers were what brought the Bonecrushers down, though. The Bonecrushers were penalized 10 times for 76 yards in the loss, compared to just five penalties costing the Wolfpack 23 yards. Ronnie Gordon also threw one interception, a pick by Trey Bell in the fourth quarter. Tom Stetzer did not turn the ball over for the Wolfpack.
SAY HEY
The Wisconsin Wolfpack, aware of Shatone Powers' four-catch night against the Rock River Raptors, held Powers to just one 24-yard catch ... but could not stop alternate threat Willie Tolon. Tolon, acquired prior to the Bonecrushers' win over Rock River, caught a 22-yard touchdown pass in his first game in a âCrushers uniform, then caught five passes for 69 yards and one score in Saturday night's loss. Tolon is now second on the team in catches to J.R. Taylor with six on the season and third on the team in yards per catch with 15.2.
RUN TO DAYLIGHT
The Sat., April 11 matchup between the Bonecrushers and Wheeling Wildcats will feature the two best run-focused teams in the CIFL - on both sides of the ball. Through Week 4, the Bonecrushers sport the league's best rushing offense (69.7 yards per game) and defense (18.3). Right behind them in both categories are the Wildcats (60.0 offense/22.5 defense). Only the Chicago Slaughter have scored as many rushing touchdowns as the Bonecrushers' eight.
J.R. Taylor currently has the third-most rushing yards in the league with 69, while quarterback Ronnie Gordon has scrambled for 29, making him sixth in league rushing. Taylor and Wheeling's Rod Rutherford are tied for the league lead in rushing touchdowns with four each.
TY'N âEM DOWN
It was clear the Wolfpack were running away from Bonecrushers' linebacker Ty Myers, if even trying to run the ball at all. Myers enters this week tied for the most tackles for a loss in the league with four solo and two assists, sharing his 5.0 figure with Marion's Tom McKenzie and Chicago's Lenny Radtke. Myers' 20 tackles is the second-most in the league behind only Sidney Lewis of the Slaughter (24).
SAFETY FIRST
Milwaukee got its first safety of the season in the fourth quarter of Saturday's game when Wisconsin's Brent Allen was flagged for holding defensive lineman Sunungura Rusunuguko in the end zone.
GORDON GOES LONG
Quarterback Ronnie Gordon struggled to find a rhythm in the Wolfpack loss, but still has impressive numbers through two games. Gordon's14.9 yards per completion mark is the best in the CIFL.
THE FAN STIMULUS PACKAGE
Many fans took advantage of the Bonecrushers' Fan Stimulus Package at the team's first home game and more are expected to join them as the word spreads. Highlighting the package is news that most children age 14 and under will receive FREE ADMISSION to all Bonecrushers' home games.
Officially, two (2) children ages 14-years-old and under will be allowed free admission with the purchase of any one (1) parent or guardian ticket. Youth tickets must be requested at the time of the parent or guardian ticket purchase.
Additionally, Milwaukee-area college students presenting a current school ID, individuals on active military duty (or on leave) and seniors age 65 and older will receive a $2 discount per ticket for all available seats at the U.S. Cellular Arena for Bonecrushers' home games.
Continental Indoor Football League Stories from April 3, 2009
- Milwaukee Bonecrushers' Bye Week Notes - Milwaukee Bonecrushers
- Chicago Slaughter Teams Up with Children's Memorial Hospital - Chicago Slaughter
- Mayhem to Host Undefeated Fort Wayne this Saturday - Marion Mayhem
- Wolfpack Sign Two New Defenders - Wisconsin Wolfpack
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