Wheelers Mid-Season Check-In

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IFL Quad City Steamwheelers

Wheelers Mid-Season Check-In

May 27, 2025 - Indoor Football League (IFL)
Quad City Steamwheelers News Release


As the Indoor Football League season heads into Week 10 of the 2025 season, it is now a perfect time to see where the Quad City Steamwheelers sit at the midpoint of their season.

Preseason Expectations

Before we examine their current situation, let's consider the league's expectations for the sQUAD going into this season.

Heading into this season, the Wheelers were coming off of an 8-9 season in which the team snuck into the playoffs as the number four seed, but lost in their only playoff game against the top-ranked Green Bay Blizzard. In the IFL's Preseason Power Rankings released before the first game of the season, the Steamwheelers were slotted in at number ten and number five in the Eastern Conference. Despite big additions in the off-season, such as signing former-IFL MVP Daquan Neal at quarterback to bolster their offense, the team was still not as highly thought of as others and needed to prove itself.

In the league's Week One Quarterback Power Rankings, which were also released before the team's first game, Neal was slotted in at number eight overall and number four in the Eastern Conference.

Alongside bringing in Neal, the team retained key pieces such as Veteran wide receiver Keyvan Rudd, young gun receiver Jordan Vesey, offensive linemen Joe Krall, and Ivory Scott Jr. On the defensive side of the ball, defensive lineman KeShaun Moore and linebacker Bubba Arslanian, as well as defensive backs Trey Smith and veteran Malik Duncan.

Where Are They Now

Entering a week 10 bye week, the team currently has a 6-2 record, with all of its games against Eastern Conference opponents. After a commanding 6-0 start, including huge wins over Green Bay on opening night, back-to-back big wins against the Barnstormers, and an overtime victory on the road at Fishers, quarterback Daquan Neal was sidelined with an injury. With Neal on the sidelines, the Wheelers' offense has not been able to produce like it once has. Quad City has dropped its last two games versus Green Bay and at home versus Tulsa, despite a strong performance from quarterback Demry Croft.

"Sitting here at the halfway point, I can say that I'm pretty happy with the team and the potential of where we can go," Head coach Cory Ross said, "Defensively the effort is there tremendously and the stops that we create truly help us offensively. We have to keep finding ways to get stops and we will be in every game we play. Offensively we have played pretty darn good on the goaline and in the red zone. One year ago, we struggled inside ten yards and this season we have been pretty good at closing drives, so we have to keep that up moving forward."

Despite the losses, the sQUAD still sits in first place in the Eastern Conference, a place the team has been for most, if not all, of the season to this point, but with their grasp weakening. With huge conference games coming up against Tulsa in week 11 and Jacksonville in week 14, the Steamwheelers will continue to get chances to regain their grip on the conference as the season progresses. In the IFL's newly released Week Ten Power Rankings, Quad City clocked in at number five, dropping three spots since the last poll after their second consecutive loss. Despite the drop in the polls from the previous few weeks, it is still an improvement from the pre-season poll and head coach Cory Ross knows that despite what others think of the team, they will be able to compete no matter what.

"I've always said respect is earned not given," Ross said. "These guys continue to show that they can play against any team and put up one heck of a fight. We have to get healthy and continue to show what we are capable of."

In the league's midseason quarterback Power Ranking released on May 15, Neal was slotted in at number two, a meteoric rise from the preseason poll, where he was number eight. His rise is largely due to his stellar play and ability to carry the Wheeler offense if they need a spark. Through six games of the season, Neal has thrown for 692 yards, 21 touchdowns and only three interceptions with a 46.3% completion percentage, while also adding 262 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground

In points per game, the Steamwheelers' offense ranks fifth, with 43 points per game, a slight fall from a few weeks ago, but also ranks third in total points with 344. Despite being eleventh in the league with only 199 yards per game, the offense's 42 total touchdowns are fourth best in the league. The strength of the Wheelers' offense is the rushing game, where the offense averages the second-most rushing yards per game with 103.6 per game, and fourth in rushing touchdowns with 22.

On the defensive side, the Steamwheelers' defense is tied for second best in the league on yards given up per play with only 4.5 per play, but ultimately has given up 215.5 yards per game, which is the fifth highest in the league. While only giving up four sacks on the season, which is tied for the third best, the Wheelers lead the league with ten total sacks. One of the biggest strengths for the Quad City is forcing turnovers, and despite now ranking third with ten interceptions, the defense is second in the league in fumbles forced with six and tied for first in fumbles recovered with seven. Despite that, the defense has struggled to force turnovers in its past two games, another factor that has played a part in the two recent losses.



Indoor Football League Stories from May 27, 2025


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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