Swayne Returns to Familiar Grounds
Dwayne Smith
Friday April 9, 2004
Before today’s signing, Swayne was with other former New York Jets as a member of the Washington Redskins and was in their mini-camp preparing for the 2004 NFL season. Although his production has declined in each of his three seasons with the Jets, on Monday Night Football in 2003 he showed his explosiveness by catching a 27-yard pass from Chad Pennington and beating a very tough Tennessee Titan secondary.
Before going to the NFL, Swayne was one of the premier Arena Football League receivers. In three AFL seasons his numbers improved until his final 131-catch and 43-touchdown season in 2001. During that campaign Swayne tied an AFL record by scoring seven touchdowns in a single game. This Saturday, Swayne will make his debut in Columbus against the Destroyers.
The talent at wide receiver for the Dragons is well documented. Will Holder is the leader of the group with 14 scores, while Lincoln Dupree and Richmond Flowers have been great discoveries for an offense that has been on fire during the winning streak. Adding to the mix is the emergence of Cosmo DeMatteo in recent weeks and the recovery of Chris Anthony, a player the Dragons expected big contributions from this season.
Swayne has kept close contact with the team over the last couple of years, going to many games while working literally across street at the Jets’ training facility. Bringing in a player with Swayne’s experience and talent is a clear sign that New York has a singular goal to not just win a playoff game as they did in 2003, but to win the ArenaBowl.
At this time, it is unclear as to Swayne’s role during Saturday’s game in Columbus having had only two days with the team beforehand. The impact should be felt when the team returns home to face John Elway’s Colorado Crush on April 18th on NBC. Aaron Garcia will have a familiar target at his disposal that will certainly aid in his own quest to be the first quarterback to record 600 TD passes, in addition to achieving team glory this June.
Dwayne Smith covers Arena Football and the NFL for different web outlets along with providing a fantasy column to FantasyGMs.com. Dwayne has also been a contributor to other online and print outlets, including the Dallas Morning News. In 2003, he covered the NFL Draft from the Headquarters of the New York Jets.
