STEAMWHEELERFANS.COM TRAINING CAMP COVERAGE

Article:   Camp Report - Day 4 Date:  March 11, 2008 By:  Gary Stibolt, Staff Writer

..... The Quad City Steamwheelers 2008 season is well underway as they entered day four of their Spring Training Camp.  Coach Biladeau along with his assistance coaches, Shon King and Montrae Edwards, have camp in full swing with a compliment of talent that are fighting for one of nineteen final roster spots. It was very apparent that the guys coach Biladeau brought into camp are here to work.  That includes two guys signed to contract from the Open Tryouts they held last month.  Another guy reported today after missing an AFL roster spot.  On Sunday and Monday, the team practice has been conditioning, drills, one-on-one's, three-on-three's, and installing the playbook.  Coach King is reporting that he has his basic offensive package in and about three quarters of the defense is in as well.  Today was the first day the team ran what they call their 'Team' drills where they work 1st and 2nd team units up and down the field working the plays.  Today was also the last day without pads (helmets only up to this point). Tomorrow, the pads go on and the hitting begins.  Coach Biladeau has to have his roster trimmed to 30 on Friday.  Now that the pads will be on, we will likely start to see some separation among the players at all positions but the decisions won't be easy. It may sound like a broken record but we have a really good group of players in camp.  We have six receivers that are extremely fast and they are running great routes.  For this being the first full day of team drills, the receivers are looking very good against a group of DB's who are going to be one of the best in the league this year.  Our defensive pass rush looks like it is going to be one of the best, if not the best, we've had here.  They are getting after it and tomorrow's workout in pads, will show us a little bit more.  I am very excited about the potential we have here.  Already team chemistry is building and that is with a group of mostly new faces. Coach Biladeau said he was bringing in some quality character type guys that know how get after it and play hard-nosed football.  So far, he's right! Returning from last year are Kris Peters, J.J. Raterink, Lavar Steptor, Malik Jackson, Nik Kerr, Jesse Schmidt, and Jordan Davis.  Jack Walker, Jr. has not reported and it is unclear at this point if he will. This team has a completely different look and feel to it.  It's no longer the 'retirement club' as I've heard our previous teams characterized as recently.  Even with J.J. Raterink, Kris Peters, and the other returning vets, the team looks like it has been revamped and retooled.  Practices are focused, hard working, and quiet; no 'chirping' going on.  These guys are all business. Coach Edwards works the linemen and the FB/LB's very hard.  They get a solid workout in.  From one-on-one's, three-on-three's, and installing blocking schemes to agility, speed, and technique drills, Edwards is working these guys for 90-minutes plus conditioning and that has been without pads.  Everything steps up three or four notches on Wednesday. This year's squad looks very disciplined.  Not so much because of the garbage that happened last year and it needs to be this way but because that is the way Coach Biladeau wants it.  It's how he coaches and the guys have responded very well to the way he has laid down the law and they have a lot of respect for him.  You could tell in practice.  A couple of things that will be different this year with regards to training camp is there will be two intra-squad scrimmages.  There won't be another team coming in to practice against or with the Steamwheelers this year.  Coach Biladeau was correct when he said they aren't as productive with all the 'chirping' going on.  Another thing absent this year is the Pizza Bowl.  While there is an advantage to hitting someone else instead of each other before the regular season starts, a lot of things have to fall into place and they usually take up a considerable amount of money.  While nothing has been stated officially, the Pizza Bowl was an expensive proposition to put on and if the front office can't get it done the way it needs to be done, then it is better to pass on it than trying to do it halfway.  While it was good PR, not having it makes good fiscal since too. The first scrimmage will be this Friday.  We'll file a report on Wednesday and Friday this week.  For now, that's the report for today.  - End ..... .....

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