Rumors Flying in Chicago
Kevin Sheller
Monday October 20, 2003
Quarterback Raymond Philyaw, whose contract expired with the Indiana Firebirds, is expected to sign on the dotted line any day now. That would spell uncertainty for the Rush’s most prolific passer in team history, Billy Dicken.
For those who wonder if Philyaw can be any more successful than Dicken, stats over the last three years would indicate that while Dicken has thrown for more TDs (182 to 168), Philyaw has a decided advantage on interceptions (only 15 to Dicken’s 44).
Let’s not forget that Philyaw had perennial all-star Eddie Brown as his go-to offensive specialist for two of those years (75 of Philyaw’s 168 TDs were thrown to “Touchdown” Brown,) while Dicken had stand-out OS Antonio Chatman to whom he launched only 52 such passes.
Don`t expect both Philyaw and Dicken to remain on the roster, as their salaries are likely to eat up too much of the cap. Trade bait, anyone?
In an effort to keep the cap down and keep James Baron for the duration of his career, the Rush are allegedly extending his contract and opening up some cap room for more free agent signings in the process. It could be that Baron is taking a pay cut to boost the team’s talent for an ArenaBowl run in 2004 or 2005.
Still many questions remain to be answered. With DS Cedric Walker traded to the Dallas Desperadoes, DS Marvin Taylor lost in the expansion draft, and WR/DB Dameon Porter sure to land anywhere other than Chicago, the Rush face the difficult task of rebuilding their entire cover secondary. Of course, the team acquired a return-threat DS in Kareem Larrimore in the trade for Walker. Sound familiar? Yes, of course it does. The Rush picked up return-marvel Anthony Derricks and cut him over a month later because he couldn’t pick up the system.
That seems to be a recurring theme in Chicago, as DS’s from other clubs can’t figure out the complexity of the Rush’s defensive scheme. Can defensive coaches expect an entirely new group of players to understand it immediately – with no preseason games? One should hope not.
Oh yeah, and the Rush have lost its very best offensive performer over the past two seasons in Chatman. His will be difficult shoes to fill, especially for Philyaw to be successful.
The free-agency phase of the 2004 season is just beginning, so anything can still happen. Nonetheless, expect a period of adjustment before the team from Chicago finds itself competing with the big boys. If Baron sticks around for a few more seasons, the Rush might be more willing to take some short-term pain for long-term gain.
Kevin Sheller ia founder of Arenafan Online and was the principal owner until 2004. Kevin graduated from the University of Akron with a degree in technical writing, and has been a member of the Arena Football Internet community since 1993. He has worked as a professional web programmer and is also the executive producer for a computer/video game company. The most recent Xbox title to his credit is called Hunter: The Reckoning.
