STEAMWHEELERFANS.COM SPECIAL PLAYOFF COVERAGE

Article:  2008 Training Camp Report - Day 12                                         Date:  March 19, 2008 By:  Gary Stibolt, Staff Writer

..... Another good day of practice and now the reality is this, camp is almost over.  The af2 mandate says all rosters must be trimmed to twenty-two on Monday.  Starting line-ups are due to the league office on Wednesday at 2:00 PM.  A formal announcement on the Steamwheelers line-up can come anytime between now and then.  I would expect later than sooner as to not tip the hat too much to the Pioneers, our season opening foe. One of the great things about this camp is coach Biladeau only brought in about thirty guys in all, initially twenty-six.  Some AFL cuts and other recruits rounded out his slim camp roster.  This allowed these guys to work out together throughout the entire camp.  Guys weren't coming and going so there was a chance for team chemistry to develop especially on the field.  That has translated into better performance, that along with his philosophy of focus and discipline.  Some may argue that not bringing in the full 35 or even more (if you play it like some teams do), you limit the scope of good talent you can bring in.  But from what I've learned from coach Biladeau is that you still have to send a lot of these guys home and they all have travel costs so why put them through it.  He looked at his list of possible recruits and did a lot of homework on them.  It didn't make sense to him to bring in a guy that would likely be cut three days later.  Obviosly the risk is passing up on talent that could be better than once thought, but coach feels that risk is minimal in the greater scope of things, citing there isn't a perfect way to recruit but you can be good at it. The guys worked out again for a solid two hours and with the addition of Derek Warford, the offensive line got better.  While we are on the subject of linemen, the workout and conditioning that coach Edwards has been putting these guys through is paying off with great dividends and will only continue to get better.  On defense, Hammond Russell has been conditioning very well and brings solid pressure up the middle.  Speed, strength, and skill is a good way to describe the front defensive line.  Adam Vogel, who earned player of the year honors last year in his respective football league is also a force that brings it off the end.  I expect he'll become a household name before long.  Roy Ravanell, Andrew Jilles, and Sean Kennedy round off the defensive line with speed and agility.  They are supported by Mack linebacker Tyus Jackson who paid his dues last year with Fort Wayne and shared time with Adam Jordinson who attended the open tryouts and they solidify the front four.  For Jordinson, he has great speed and can tackle but at the Mack position he is a little guy (despite playing D-line in college) and he'll need that quickness to avoid a head-on collision with a 300 lbs. fullback. On offense, Frank McCray anchors the front line at center with newly added and NFL tested, Derrick Warford on one end and Adam Stenson on the other.  This line has improved quite a bit throughout camp and they have been supported by fullback Nik Kerr and Russ Monk who have split the reps in practice.  Russ was a product of the open tryouts held last February as well and played locally at St. Ambrose.  He started on the line but discovered versatility in the af2 is a must.  Last year, Kerr played fullback and mack linebacker. Being able to play both ways is still vital to the success of Arena Football teams.  Despite rule changes where you can have guys play one-way, injuries are a part of the game and having versatile players like Monk, Jilles, and Lavar Stepter (just to mention a few) really make this year's camp roster complete.  What the actual roster looks like come Monday is yet to be determined.  Thursday, the team will have their formal intrasquad scrimmage.  They did one last week and this one is a chance for everyone to make their case or get another solid look.  On Friday, the team will work on more special teams play.  Following Friday's practice, the fan club will cook up a hot breakfast for the team.  For now, that's the report. - End ..... .....

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