Chicago Avoids Rushing to Decision
Jeff Sims
Sunday February 1, 2004
During a scrimmage last weekend in Detroit, the coaching staff utilized most of the second half to evaluate some of the team’s rookies and free agents. The effort of these players in camp is making the decisions tougher on the coaching staff. Head coach Mike Hohensee commented after the scrimmage in an article on the official Rush website.
“We had some guys who we were not too sure about step up and play well,” said Hohensee. “It is going to make our decision process a lot tougher than we expected.”
The roster will need to be cut down to 24 players by Monday afternoon. Twenty spots comprise the team’s active roster while the other four positions are considered inactive. The Rush can also resign up to four players and add them to the practice squad once they have cleared waivers.
The team has brought back only 12 players from last season and devoted a lot of time during the offseason to bring more spark to an offense that averaged just over 49 points per game last season, ranked tenth in the league in scoring, thirteenth in total offense, and tenth in yards per play. Signing QB Raymond Philyaw from the Indiana Firebirds was the first step in improving a team that went 8-8 last season and was defeated by the New York Dragons, 48-45, in the first round of the playoffs.
Replacing leading receiver and return specialist Antonio Chatman, who played for the Green Bay Packers this past season, will be a difficult task. Chatman led the league last season in all-purpose yards, was second in the league in receptions, and was among the top leaders in kick return average. The Rush needs to have someone step up to fill this void. Leading the way to fill this need are offensive specialists Reggie Allen and Jeremy McDaniel. Allen most recently played in NFL Europe for the Amsterdam Admirals, but is familiar with the arena game, having played for the Buffalo Destroyers in 2001. McDaniel was the second leading receiver for the Indiana Firebirds last season and is familiar with playing with Philyaw.
Even with a focus on offense, the team does not want to lose anything on defense, where the team ranked fifth last season in scoring defense and eighth in total defense. During the offseason, the Rush signed free agent defensive specialist Corey Sawyer, who played for the champion Tampa Bay Storm. The team also traded Cedric Walker to the Dallas Desperados for defensive specialist and kick returner Kareem Larrimore.
The coaching staff has some decisions to make at the linebacker position as well. There are a total of nine players competing for a linebacker/fullback or wide receiver/linebacker position. The team returns three players from last season at these positions and has a number of others making a case for themselves during training camp, including Casey Urlacher, who is looking to make the team after trying out for the Chicago Bears last season.
All in all, the coaching staff has some tough decisions to make over the next 24 hours. But with all of the talent that is being evaluated, coach Hohensee believes that the Rush will be in good shape when they are done with the selection process. In a recent web interview with ChicagoRush.com, coach Hohensee stated they “will have a team that can go out and compete for an ArenaBowl championship this season.”
The Rush open their season at home on February 8th against the Grand Rapids Rampage.
Jeff has been writing for ArenaFan.com since 2004. Originally from New York, Jeff has been living in the Chicago area for the past ten years and is an avid football fanatic. He holds a BA in communications from Hofstra University in New York and a sports management certificate from Loyola University in Chicago.
