Watered-Down Expansion Draft Produces Three New Rush
Kevin Sheller
Tuesday January 23, 2001
“The talent pool was somewhat diluted because of free agency. Basically there were three players we wanted, and we got them,” said Chicago head coach Mike Hohensee.
Chicago traded away their 2nd round and 5th round picks to Toronto and Florida, and these trades were much more lucrative and exciting for Hohensee and his staff. For their 5th round pick, the Rush acquired FB/LB Mike Waldron from the Florida Bobcats. And from the Phantoms, the Rush signed QB Tim Carey (6-4 210, Hawaii) and FB/LB Jamie McGourty (6-1, 240, Springfield) in exchange for the 2nd round pick.
Carey played for the New England Sea Wolves in 2000 when Hohensee was head coach. When starter Chad Salisbury went down to a season-ending injury, Carey came in and played well. Other midseason injuries to key members of the 2000 Sea Wolves gave Carey a less talented team to work with, but he still excelled by throwing 33 touchdowns in only seven starts.
Hohensee has an affinity for signing players he knows well, so Carey was an easy decision. While not an athletic specimen, Carey has the decision-making skills Hohensee likes in his quarterbacks, and will challenge Jeff Loots for the starting position. However, Hohensee still maintains that Loots is the starter going into camp. QB Billy Dicken should not be forgotten in this mix. He went 19-0 with the Quad City Steamwheelers of the af2 in 2000. The Rush are not afraid to keep three quarterbacks on the roster. Hohensee did it last year with the Sea Wolves.
 Tim Carey played under Hohensee in 2000 with the New England Sea Wolves Image courtesy of Mark Canello |
Hankton is more of a pass rusher than an offensive standout, and played in a non-starting role for the Wranglers in 2000. Nonetheless, Hohensee wondered why Hankton was left unprotected in the draft and proved it by selecting him first overall. Hankton will challenge Vernon Broughton, Tony Henderson, and Anthony Hutch for a starting job on the line.
Fenison played for Hohensee in New England. The Chicago coach loves known quantities, and that was the main reason for his selection. While Fenison didn’t crack the starting lineup because he was so green on offense, he honed his skills as the 2000 season wore on. Fenison may still be somewhat raw this season, but he will have the opportunity to re-learn the fullback position rather than study it for the first time. His massive size for a fullback/linebacker could redefine the position.
Why did Chicago pick Elezovic? He has the leg strength, accuracy, and experience. And guess what? He played with Hohensee before. See the trend? Elezovic will battle it out with rocket-foot unknown Jamie Kohl.
Some might ask why the Rush passed on Orlando WR/DB Ty Law. Hohensee ranked Hankton higher on his draft board, and Law became unprotected very late. The Rush would have selected him in the 3rd round if he was still available, but Hohensee never had a chance to talk with him before the draft. So the coach didn’t feel he knew Law well enough to select him as the #1 pick overall.
Before the expansion draft began, the league planned for more than 10-rounds. After five, the Rush passed. There were no players of particular interest remaining because free agency had allowed teams to protect more of their roster than ever before. Thankfully for the Rush, free agency has made the expansion draft almost unnecessary. The signing spree isn’t over. The Rush can still add 9 players to their 40-man roster, and they are still wheeling and dealing with other unmentionable free-agents.
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.
