Phantoms Want it All
Campbell Blake
Monday March 26, 2001
“This is the first time that I have been in a camp, where I can honestly say that we have the tools to win a championship” said Stout. “Now if we can put these tools in the right place, both at a coaching and player stand point, is yet to be seen”
While most of these players have won championships and have played in bowl games while in college, very few of them have achieved that level of success as a pro. The exceptions being Pat O’Hara, Ty Law and Connell Spain who were all members of the Orlando Predators Arena Bowl Championship team in 1998. Law and O’Hara were also on the Predators championship team last year, which beat Nashville in the final.
 Ty Law broke away from Orlando to try to win it all in Toronto this season. Image courtesy of Drew Kennedy |
On paper this team looks to be very capable of winning it all. They’ve been credited as having one of the best receiving cores in the league with the likes of Damion Harrell, Kerry Brown and Law to go along with the veteran experience at quarterback that they have in Chad Salisbury and O’Hara. The Phantoms have one of the best kickers in Matt George, too. Last year in New England, George had an impressive rookie season as he connected on over 40% of his field goal attempts. With the right mix of rookies and veterans, Coach Stout is hoping that all will come together as the season goes on.
One downside to their roster is that they have a vast amount of rookies and only 4 players with more than four years of Arena Football experience. While this group of rookies has been very impressive in the eyes of Coach Stout, they have yet to prove what they can do in a game situation on an on-going basis.
Down in the trenches the Phantoms have the likes of Spain, Steven Baptiste and Frank Moore, who have the ability to protect the quarterback on one side of the ball and attack the backfield on the other. With Spain leading the way, the Phantoms have the experience necessary to dominate and win the battle of the line.
So, while on paper they have this season in the bag, there’s no real way to know what to expect until they’re on the field. And so far, they’re not quite living up to their coach’s predictions. Let’s hope that a little more time and a lot more experience playing together will tighten their game play.
Campbell Blake was a writer for ArenaFan Online during the 2001 season.
