Rochester Raiders Season Preview
April 5, 2006 - Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL)
Rochester Raiders News Release
On October 3, 2005, the Great Lakes Indoor Football League announced the Rochester Raiders, a new indoor football team to play at Rochester's ESL Sports Centre. Owner Dave McCarthy promised an exciting game on and off the field. So far, so good. The Raiders have put together what might be the GLIFL's fastest team, and the team is busy all over the place promoting the Raiders name and the exciting concept of GLIFL football to the Number One Minor League Sports City in the United States (Smith and Street's Sports Business Journal). This is the sixth in a series of six team previews; one for each team in the new Great Lakes Indoor Football League.
McCarthy has been busy promoting the team. The Raiders have pushed themselves heavily on local radio and television, and will even have games tape-delayed on UPN 18, a Rochester television station. "You have to promote to make it work," he said. The team has also promoted itself to the local corporate community, with great success. "We've sold all 51 corporate boxes," added McCarthy. "Our dasher boards are completely filled out." Always a good sign of success, the selling of that many dasher board advertisements shows a commitment to the team from the corporate community...something that also shows their confidence in the team's ability to draw fans.
The fans are a focal point for the Raiders, as well. Each game will have a Raiders-sponsored tailgate party, with three different radio stations airing from games. There will be two bands at each; one outside the arena, and one inside. Season ticket holders also have a Raiders bash party to look forward too. The centerpiece, however, is a 35-foot long pirate ship with live cannons near one of the end zones. "It's something we've never seen anyone do indoors," said GLIFL co-founder Jeff Spitaleri. "It will be exciting to see how the fans react to Dave's preparation."
Raiders head coach Dennis Greco is pleased with the on-field product as well. "The players are good, and even better for Rochester, everyone is from Section Five (Rochester area)," he said. The team's strength is certainly raw speed. WR Mo Jackson runs a 4.3 40-yard-dash, something that will even further speed up the already fast-paced GLIFL game. The receiving corps, though inexperienced, has quickly learned the indoor game, something that is necessary when opening the season against an experienced team like the NY/NJ Revolution. "Adjustments are key to winning in this game. The team that makes better adjustments will win," added Greco.
QB Omar Baker is a two-way threat, and could be the key player on the Raiders roster. He can beat teams with his arm and his legs, something that will open up holes for the rest of the offense. To help develop the team more quickly, Greco has employed a few coaches who coached with the af2 Rochester Brigade. "We must work on situations," Greco said. "Like the last minute of the half and game, short yardage, and the goal line." Experienced assistants will help make that process go more smoothly.
The defense is inexperienced, but has fared well during training camp. Players like S Jeff Richardson and S Gerald Diaz will be called upon to stop other passing games as the linemen develop. "The linemen have improved a lot during training camp," said Greco. "But they're not there yet. We have work to do." The Raiders roster is coming close to completion, but some of the starting spots will not be won until Wednesday's 19-man roster deadline.
The special teams will be solid. In addition to extremely fast players like Jackson, kicker Will Bean will be called on to give the Raiders extra scores. Bean was a 2004 third-team All American for Division III St. John Fisher in Rochester, and he will look to build on that success with the Raiders.
Rochester has been extremely busy in all facets of the game. Sure, kinks will have to be worked out with the largely inexperienced team, but the dedication the players have shown will help ease the transition to the 50-yard game. "Football is football," said Greco. "If we play the game the way it's meant to be played, it won't matter how small the field is." Time will tell, but he is probably right.
The Great Lakes Indoor Football League kicks off its inaugural season on Friday, April 7, with two games. The Raiders host the NY/NJ Revolution, while the Port Huron Pirates travel to Battle Creek to face the Crunch. The Marion Mayhem close out GLIFL Kickoff Weekend 2006 on April 8 when they host the Lehigh Valley Outlawz. For more information about the league and the Quest for Great Lakes Bowl I, please visit the GLIFL website at www.glifl.com, or contact GLIFL Director of Media Relations Josh Stein at jstein@glifl.com.
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Continental Indoor Football League Stories from April 5, 2006
- Rochester Raiders Season Preview - Rochester Raiders
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