Season Preview: Billings Outlaws
Published on March 14, 2007 under United Indoor Football Association (UIF) News Release
The United Indoor Football Association welcomes a champion to the league this year. The Billings Outlaws won a national championship in another league in 2006 and bring a 15-game winning streak with them to the UIF.
Outlaws Head Coach, Heron O'Neal, is impressed with how the UIF is organized compared to other leagues he's been a part of. He also likes the quality of UIF teams. "Every team is good. You look at the league last year and the last place team could almost beat a first place team. That puts you on your Ps and Qs. As a coach you want to be judged and appreciated on when you win something and that it means something instead of winning and (some will say) 'yea, but look at the teams you played.'" O'Neal feels it's going to be a great season for the entire league.
The Outlaws open on the road at Colorado, Friday, March 23rd. The 7 p.m. MDT game at the Budweiser Events Center will be the first UIF game to kickoff since the rest of Week One games are scheduled for Saturday, March 24th. Billings and Colorado look to be natural rivals because of the geography. "It's definitely going to be a big game for us," O'Neal said. He adds that if you don't win against the team you're closest too on the map, it's tough to get the better talent from that region.
Thanks to last season's championship, O'Neal hasn't had to worry much about recruiting. If anything, he had to turn some away since there were a lot of players knocking on his door looking to join a championship team.
O'Neal looks for players with mental toughness. "Sometimes (a player) could be physically the toughest guy to walk down the street, but not mentally tough. I always look for guys who can react and think quick because I'd rather have a guy that runs a 4.7 (40-yard dash) but he thinks quick than a guy that runs a 4.3 and doesn't (think quickly) because the guy running the 4.3 is running the wrong direction most of the time, not reading the things he's supposed to read."
This will be O'Neal's second season heading up the Outlaws. Fontez Jefferson joins him as Assistant Coach and Bill Briggs joins the team as Offensive Coordinator.
As Billings Gazette Sports Editor, Mike Zimmer, wrote about the Outlaws entering the season, "As they look to the future, the Billings Outlaws are taking a page out of their past," in reference to wide receiver Jason Quinn and defensive end Andy Petek returning. Quinn, 6'2, 215 lbs., has 149 touchdown catches in his seven-year indoor football career. Petek is a former University of Montana standout. Leon Moore, a 6'5, 285 lb defensive end, spent last spring in the Miami Dolphins training camp. Other returning veterans include quarterback Chris Dixon and lineman Anthony Bonner. Defensively, Travis "The King" Salter returns for another season of action.
While this will be the Outlaws' first year in the UIF, they will be renewing some past rivalries with Sioux City, Sioux Falls and Omaha as well as RiverCity.
Audio Preview: http://unitedindoorfootball.com.ismmedia.com/ISM2//MultimediaManager/1924.mp3
Tomorrow's preview: Bloomington Extreme
United Indoor Football Association Stories from March 14, 2007
- Storm Sign Two with NFL Training Camp Experience - Sioux Falls Storm
- Season Preview: Billings Outlaws - UIF
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