Grand Rapids Media Day 2007
Randy Snow
Saturday March 3, 2007
To say that the League’s new partnership with ESPN is a much needed shot in the arm for the Arena league is an understatement. ESPN understands Arena Football better than NBC ever did. And if the ESPN Arena Football Season Preview show, which aired on February 27th, was any indication of what fans can expect as far as coverage of the League this year, then we are all in for a real treat.
The media gathering took place at the GP Sports restaurant and sports bar in the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, just a few blocks north of the team’s home venue, the Van Andel Arena. Rampage head coach Sparky McEwen kicked things off by addressing the local media. He talked about the off season moves that were made, his expectations for the season (winning the ArenaBowl, of course) and then he ran down the list of players on this year’s roster. After that, he and several players who were present did some one-on-one interviews with the members of the media. When it was my turn, I asked Coach McEwen if he thought that the new free substitution rule would lead to lower scores. The League has always promoted itself on it’s a high scoring games.
“Personally, I think that the scores are going to drop about 10 points on average (per game),” said McEwen. “I think the quality of play is going to go up, but I do think the scoring is going to go down. For the veteran quarterbacks in this league, the scoring will go up early, but for the guys who are not veteran starters, scoring will go down tremendously.”
McEwen also said that the depth on this year’s team is the best he’s ever had since he’s been in Grand Rapids. “I’m very pleased with our depth. That’s one of the things that I’ve had a problem with the last couple years, injuries. I really didn’t have guys that could step in right away and be difference makers. We have those kinds of guys waiting in the wings now.”
Rampage starting quarterback Chad Salisbury was also there and said it has been a long off-season for him, but that he enjoyed his time in Grand Rapids. He and his family moved here last year and he has been working closely with Coach McEwen since the end of last season. “This has been a different off-season for me,” said Salisbury. “I’ve never stayed in the same town that I’ve played in before. Usually you go home (to another city), you do your thing and then January comes (and you come back). This year, I was in the coach’s office a lot watching films. It’s almost like I’ve been preparing for this season ever since about two weeks after the last game last year.”
Last fall, Salisbury was an assistant high school football coach a Byron Center as well as the head coach of the freshman football team. “It was a great experience. I had coached back in Pennsylvania and I haven’t done it for a couple of years, so it was great to get back into it. I love coaching and working with the kids.” This will be Salisbury’s eighth year in the League.
Former Detroit Lions wide receiver Herman Moore was at the media event as well. He joined the Rampage last November as a color analyst on the team’s home radio broadcasts. He will join longtime Rampage radio broadcaster Joe Parsons in the booth.
Moore said he has never actually attended an AFL game, but he has watched it quite a bit on TV. Upon arriving at the media event, Moore was introduced to some of the players that were there and he was surprised to find out that he actually knew a couple of them, wide receiver Troy Edwards, formerly of the NFL Pittsburgh Steelers, and wide receiver Scotty Anderson, a former team mate of his in Detroit. Moore played for the Lions from 1991-2001, and Anderson was a rookie during the 2001 season.
“I’m really looking forward to talking to those guys (as the season progresses) because they’re (AFL) rookies and they’re looking at this with wide eyes and wondering what to expect,” said Moore. As far as being in the broadcast booth, Moore said, “It’s going to be challenging, it’s going to be different, but it’s going to be fun.”
There have been many changes on and off the field for the Rampage this past off-season. From new players, new coaches, a new television network, a new broadcaster, new uniforms and even a new team Director of Media Relations, Alex Clark. We’ll know very soon if all the changes have been good for Grand Rapids. The team kicks off the seasons this Sunday in Denver against the Colorado Crush
Moore on Sanders
The day before the Super Bowl it was announced that former Detroit Lions tight end Charlie Sanders had been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Sanders played 10 seasons in Detroit (1968-1977) and was the Lions receiver’s coach during Herman Moore’s entire career in Detroit. Moore couldn’t be happier for his former coach.
“I was sitting at home and it was flashed across the little ticker at the bottom of the screen, the list of inductees,” said Moore. “When I saw his name it was a very good feeling because Charlie is a guy that I just felt has been slighted for quite some time, and its past due. It was great to see him finally be acknowledged for his play. Charlie was like a father to me when I played, more so than even my coach. When I came in, he was the guy who really maintained my focus. He worked with me and eventually turned me into a Pro Bowl player.” Sanders will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio this coming August.
Rampage on FSN-Detroit
The Arena Football League has also come to an agreement with Fox Sports Network to broadcast some regional games this season. While the Rampage are not on the ESPN or ABC schedule during the regular season, fans will be able to see the team on Fox Sports Detroit three time this year, twice on the road and once at home. The dates are Saturday, April 28th at the Los Angeles Avengers, Saturday, June 9th at the Chicago Rush and Saturday, June 16th at home against the Tampa Bay Storm. More games could be added to the broadcast schedule in the near future.
Randy Snow covered the Grand Rapids Rampage of the Arena Football League for ArenaFan from 2003-2008. He also covered the Fort Wayne Fusion of arenafootball2 in 2007. From 2004-2008 and in 2010, he was a member of the Arena Football League Writer’s Association and, since 2011, has been a member of the Professional Football Researchers Association. Randy lives in Kalamazoo, Michigan but will travel just about anywhere for a football game or a great football story. He runs the web site www.theworldoffootball.com and hosts a podcast with his son, Adam, called “This Week in The World of Football.”
