Fan Feature: Predators Face Season as Reigning Champs with no QB

John Klaers
Tuesday March 20, 2001

The reigning World Champion Orlando Predators will have a target on their backs this year. Unfortunately, while everyone else is aiming for that bulls-eye on the backs of the Predators, Orlando won`t have some of the arrows that brought them the championship last year. Gone is Connell Maynor, the Houdini-like escape artist who almost single-handedly saved games for Orlando in 2000. Also gone is another champion QB, Pat O`Hara. That means the Predators must defend their title with an unproven QB at the helm. With Ty Law gone to Toronto and Joe Douglass with the Chicago Rush, that leaves the Predators with Bret Cooper and Clif Dell -- two championship caliber receivers to be sure, but in this league, to win it all you really must have four "good hands" guys. Of course, that`s assuming Cooper and Dell return. It will be a tough road to hoe in the 2001 season.

Fortunately for the Predators, Jay Gruden will be returning. He is beginning his fourth year with the Predators and he has started each previous year with a different quarterback. Pat O`Hara in `98, Browning Nagle in `99, Connell Maynor in `00, and now Braniff Bonaventure in 2001 (More on the new QB in a moment). In the past three years I`ve learned to trust the head coach who I hated when he was a Tampa Bay Storm QB, but each year he`s made changes that sometimes makes me scratch my head and worry. Yet what has he done with what he`s had? Just three straight appearances in the title game.

This year it seems that my faith in Coach Gruden is going to be even more tested. Fortunately for the Predators and this faithful fan, most of the defense will be returning.

Even Joe Douglass has moved on after only one season with the champion Predators Image courtesy of Drew Kennedy

Last year Bonaventure was the third string QB for the Preds behind Maynor and O`Hara and only played one half of a game during the pre-season. He did, however, look fairly impressive in that game. So Jay Gruden says he is confident that this young quarterback can get the job done. After three years of watching the Predators Head Coach work magic, there`s no way that this fan is going to doubt him or his quarterback.

I predict that the Orlando Predators won`t be the favorites to win it all this year. With so many new faces on the roster for Orlando, teams and sports pundits everywhere will talk about the high scoring offenses of teams like Arizona and San Jose. This seems to be the case every year. Yet, steadily and quietly the Preds will gain confidence and get victories, and maybe an almost unknown bunch of football players can pull together behind a young and unproven QB to get to the big game -- all under the guidance of a young, but proven, head coach.

I wouldn`t bet against it.

 

The opinions expressed in the article above are only those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts, opinions, or official stance of ArenaFan Online or its staff, or the Arena Football League, or any AFL or af2 teams.

John Klaers Articles
Fan Perspective: Been Down so Long it Looks Like Up to Me 5/9/2001
Fan Perspective: Understanding the Rabid Fan 4/12/2001
Fan Feature: Predators Face Season as Reigning Champs with no QB 3/20/2001
Sweet Victory for the Orlando Predators 8/21/2000
Jay Gruden Finds a Way to Earn Arenabowl Appearances 8/16/2000
The Longest Running Rivalry in the AFL 8/2/2000
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