This month in the AFL

by Mark Sargent
October 2, 2002 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)

Although Al Luginbill has only been at the helm for one month, the new Detroit Fury head coach has already taken a giant step toward a 2003 Arena Football League playoff birth. With the recent signing of quarterback Andy Kelly, the Fury will almost certainly improve on last season's dismal 1-13 record.

For the past nine seasons, Kelly has been one of the premier pivots in the league. During his career he has thrown for over 23,000 yards and tossed 456 scoring passes for an overall QB rating of 104. He led the expansion Dallas Desperados into the playoffs last season by completing 318 passes for 3,253 yards and 73 touchdowns.

Kelly has the ability to find his receivers very quickly and he is an extremely accurate passer. With the acquisition of the passer, Detroit should now have an important piece of the puzzle which they seemed to be missing last season.

The trade is also beneficial to Jim Kubiak, who last season held the back-up spot in Dallas. With Kelly gone, Kubiak should move up to number one. He is an excellent quarterback who had a solid 2001 rookie campaign in Buffalo. He threw for over 3,700 yards and tossed 64 touchdown passes.

For some unknown reason, however, the Destroyers gave up on him and opted to sign veteran Fred McNair for 2002. Jim Kubiak is very mobile, he has a very strong arm, and I have no doubt that given the opportunity he will become a star in the AFL.

In other news, I was very disappointed to hear that the Toronto Phantoms had folded. During their two year stint, the Phantoms compiled an overall record of 13-15, and they were always competitive on the field. Although the game was new to Canadians, it probably would have caught on if they could have seen their way clear to keep the team alive for a couple of more seasons. Perhaps they should have considered moving the team some 40 miles down the road to Hamilton. No use crying over spilt milk, as they say, so goodbye Toronto and welcome Denver.

Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from October 2, 2002

• This month in the AFL - OSC Original by Mark Sargent
• 14 Firebirds Made Eligible for Expansion - Albany/Indiana Firebirds
• Destroyers Lineman Exposed In Expansion Draft - Buffalo Destroyers
• Crush to Select from Field of 86 - AFL I

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