Homecoming For Jeff Smoker
Charliy Nash
Friday May 4, 2007
Nashville Kats’ quaterback Jeff Smoker has been to the Van Andel Arena one time for a Grand Rapids Rampage game. Back then he was breaking school records while playing for Michigan State, the local hero invited to participate in the opening coin toss. On Friday night the crowd will be more hostile, but there will still be a sizeable contingent rooting for him.
“There’ll be a good 40 or 50 people there supporting me,” Smoker confirmed, “It’s nice. It’ll be good to play in front of them.” With his alma mater just over an hour drive away, there will be some familiar faces waiting for him. “I’m excited to go back to Michigan. I have a lot of fans back there. My fiancée is from Michigan so her family will be there, and probably a lot of Spartan fans, so I’m pretty excited to go back there and play.”
Taming Timon
Timon Marshall of the Rampage is on my fantasy team, so I was very happy when he scored a million points last week. This week the Katsare playing the Rampage so I’m hoping they can find a way to at least slow him down.
Kats’ head coach Pat Sperduto has a unique plan. “Try and get the [Tennessee] Titans to sign him,” he joked, “I kind of wish that when the Kansas City Chiefs worked him out last year I wish they’d kept him. He’s dynamic. He’s a guy that has 4.3 speed. He’s tough; he does so much, he covers kicks, he’s their returner, and he runs the football. The guy is probably the most underrated player in the Arena Football League.”
“You can’t really stop a guy who’s going to have that many yards,” observed defensive back Ahmad Hawkins, “You just try and contain and make him work for everything. It’s almost like playing basketball; they’re going to get their points, you just don’t want them making the big play.”
