Steamwheelers Begin Rebuilding Roster
October 25, 2007 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Quad City Steamwheelers News Release
At the press conference announcing his promotion, new Steamwheelers head coach Troy Biladeau was very clear about his intentions for building a team. He wants players with speed, but first and foremost he wants players he is familiar with; players he is confident have the requisite skill, character and desire to be a Steamwheeler in 2008.
To that end, his first player moves of the off-season involve several of the key players from last year's Midwest Division Champions. On Tuesday, QB J.J. Raterink, WR Kris Peters and FB/LB Nick Kerr were assigned to the Steamwheelers by the af2 league office.
Raterink (6-2, 220 Wyoming) returns to spearhead an offense that finished 6th in the af2 in scoring, with an average of 54.5 points per game. His 117.5 QB rating - the af2's 3rd-highest rating in 2007 - was the 5th-highest in franchise history.
Peters (5-9, 170 Alcorn State) was every bit as explosive a player as Biladeau looks for, snagging 125 passes for 1,617 yards, giving him an average of 12.9 yards per catch and team-best 101.1 yards per game. His 41 total TDs (40 receiving, 1 fumble return) were the 3rd-highest tally in the af2.
Kerr (6-2, 290 Wisconsin-LaCrosse) started 12 games for the 'Wheelers, providing a potent 2-way threat on both offense and defense. On "O" he finished the season with 14 rushes for 28 yards and 3 TDs, and on "D" he posted 20.5 tackles (16 solo, 9 assisted), 1.5 sacks and 1 fumble recovery.
"This is a great start for us," said Biladeau. "Getting J.J., KP and Nick back was very high priority for me. With them back we've got a good part of the core of the team already. They're all veteran guys who have chemistry and familiarity with the system. We'll continue to bring back the best guys from last year, and then after November 1st [when the free agent signing period begins] we'll go get some quality players to complement them."
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