Rampage have Kats to thank for playoff run
Chip Burch
Tuesday July 8, 2008
If there's any place to look when it comes to the Grand Rapids Rampage making the playoffs and continuing to the American Conference finals Saturday against the San Jose SaberCats, it could be in a team that doesn't exist any more.
The Rampage got a huge boost from the now-defunct Nashville Kats even before the season started.
One way the Rampage benefitted from the Kats' demise is the players the Rampage drafted in the pre-season dispersal draft. The draft, in which the remaining 17 teams were able to take who they wanted from the Kats and Austin Wranglers, saw the Rampage take four players, and all were from Nashville.
The biggest acquisition in the draft was Kenny Higgins. Higgins has been a major contributor to the Rampage being the second-highest scoring offense in the league. A favorite target of quarterback James MacPherson, Higgins went into the playoffs with 112 receptions for 1,552 yards and 34 touchdowns. He also ran 23 times for 77 yards and five more scores.
Higgins didn't disappoint in the first round of the playoffs against the Arizona Rattlers, either. He caught a team-high 12 passes for 177 yards and two more scores.
The Rampage also picked up defensive back Ahmad Hawkins in the draft. Hawkins had 97.5 tackles in 16 games with the Rampage, and he also has six interceptions in the Rampage backfield.
A lesser-known draft pick was Terrell Browden. He's lesser known because he was on injured reserve until April 17. Browden, a backup fullback, had only eight carries for 20 yards in the regular season, but three of those eight carries were for touchdowns.
The Rampage also drafted linebacker Brenden Givan, but he was released after playing in just one game. He had four assists and half a sack.
Another way the Rampage got some help from the Kats folding is that there was one less team in the American Conference. Now only two teams missed the playoffs out of the eight that were left, instead of three teams out of nine not making it to the postseason.
Had the Kats continued into the 2008 season and had an average year the Rampage might not have made the playoffs this year.
Instead, the Rampage are the only team with a sub-.500 record left in the playoffs. The Rampage should send a big thank-you to the former owners of the Kats for that.
Notes: The Rampage will be broadcast on local radio for the first time this season on Saturday. Radio station WBBL-AM will broadcast the game. ... MacPherson was named the Offensive Player of the Week for the third time this season for his 33-of-39 performance against the Rattlers Sunday.
