James Roe, SaberCats Quiet Star
Tim Ball
Thursday March 10, 2005
With his scoring abilities well documented, his defensive expertise and game-breaking plays, Roe was given the nickname "The Difference" by KNBR broadcaster and San Francisco 49er legend Keena Turner. With two championships in the least three years, Roe has certainly lived up to expectations.
Called a leader
As San Jose faces the daunting task of trying to repeat as champions with injuries to key position players OS James Hundon and DS Omarr Smith and rookies adjusting to a spot in the limelight, it will fall to players like Roe to continue to get the job done.
While neither brash nor loud, the AFL’s premier wide receiver/linebacker has led the SaberCats with quiet excellence to the height of greatness. As a polite and reserved man, Roe’s leadership speaks for itself. His ability is not showcased in third person prose, but from those closest who know him best.
SaberCats head coach Darren Arbet is no stranger to being a role model. While leading the SaberCats to those two championships, Arbet is rarely found in the spotlight and picks his players for quality of character that equals talent.
"James Roe is a fine person and brings the kind of leadership to the team you can’t coach into a player," said Arbet. "His work ethic shows on the field and it affects players around him to raise the level of their play. He’s a big part of the success of this team."
"It’s hard to put it into words just how valuable James is to the team," said quarterback Mark Grieb. "Record books and victories say one thing about how good he is, but his leadership extends from practice field to game day. "
"I owe so much to James in keeping me focused," said offensive specialist Rashied Davis. "Whether we’re at practice or in a game, he’s always the same and you can count on him to be consistent and be a winner."
Roe entered the 2005 season as San Jose’s all-time leading receiver with 100 touchdowns. A former Baltimore Raven from 1996-99, Roe was signed as a free agent with San Jose in 2000. Entering his sixth year with the SaberCats his reputation as one of the best receivers in the league is well earned.
While playing in only 12 regular season games in 2004, Roe scored 24 touchdowns (team high) and caught 75 passes for a total of 884-yards. While being a two-way player as a linebacker on defense, he totaled 25.5 tackles (a career best) and threw a pass for a touchdown in the season opener against Detroit.
Once again
Championships are not something you can win by spinning a lottery wheel and drafts usually mean you need to close a door. It’s veteran leadership that takes a team to the top and nowhere was Roe’s experience more evident than in San Jose’s second trip to the big game in three years.
In ArenaBowl XVIII, Roe caught five touchdown passes, tying a league championship record and earned the game’s prestigious Ironman Award for his offense, defense and special teams play.
Maybe more importantly, at the SaberCats year-end banquet the San Jose players elected him the teams Most Valuable Player, Offensive Player of the Year, and Ironman of the Year.
"I’m just one player on a team with a lot of talented athletes," said Roe. "I feel blessed to be on a team with guys who trust me and who put out the effort they do to keep this team playing well."
Reflecting on the rough start to the 2005 season Roe is quick to put things into a professional perspective. "We’ve had some tough losses but the resolve is there. With the exception of the game against Tampa Bay, it was mistakes in details that got us into trouble. We need to play SaberCats football which means paying attention to details."
While the last thing the league wants to see the SaberCats playing their brand of football again, it does appear that San Jose is finding the right combination of players and plays to look like the team most thought they would be.
And, with James Roe leading the SaberCats once again, "The Difference," may again, be the same thing by the end of the season.
Tim Ball is a writer in the Chicagoland area. Married and father of three, his opinions on Arena Football reflects the positive aspect of the game as a family event second to none in pro sports.
