The SaberCats have had a long and productive week of preparation so far and feel good about their transition out of training camp and into the week one of the 2013 season.

 “I think our team is starting to bond and gel. I’m excited about the game this weekend,” said Head Coach and Owner Darren Arbet.

After cutting the training camp roster down to the final 24-man roster last week, the SaberCats coaching staff is very confident with the product their putting out on the field. With only seven players returning from last season’s roster, there are a lot of new faces wearing green and gold.

Perhaps one of the most notable changes is the arrival of veteran quarterback Aaron Garcia upon the departure of 12-year SaberCats quarterback Mark Grieb. Entering his 18th season in the league, Garcia has held all-time records in numerous quarterback categories and last season he led the Talons to a 14-4 record. Garcia is accompanied by receiver Jason Willis who also spent last season in San Antonio as one of his go-to receivers. 

On the Talons roster is former SaberCats defensive playmakers DL Joe Sykes, DL Tim McGill and DB Andre Jones.  In their time spent in San Jose last season, Joe Sykes led the league in sacks and tackles for loss, Tim McGill often called for a double team against opposing offensive lines, and Andre Jones led the team in interceptions.

Coach Arbet discusses his thoughts on going up against his former players, “They’re great players and they’re going to make plays, we just have to limit how many plays they make. We brought them here last year because they were good players and Joe Sykes, Player of the Year, I mean you don’t get Player of the Year for no reason. He’s the best in the league right now.”

The SaberCats have their own set of weapons on the defense this season, with the return of Hall of Famer Clevan Thomas in the back field and all-AFL linebacker Francis Maka’s consistent and aggressive playing style back for another season. The defensive line is a little bit on the younger side but veteran Jason Stewart brings some experience along with him.

To prepare for the Talons, Jason and the defense have been, “Focusing on technique, staying hydrated, and watching a lot of film on what we do have.”

A few qualities this SaberCats defense has is “Speed, a lot of youth and great talent,” said Jason. Going up against the offensive line in every practice, Jason can share, “The SaberCats have a great offensive line, they’re clicking together.”

With a great offensive line protecting a Hall of Fame quarterback, it’s left up to the receivers to execute and put up points. Receiver Jamarko Simmons is confident that the SaberCats receiving corps will perform well on Saturday as he feels they’ve got a lot of diverse talent.

“I think we just have a variety, so you really can’t game plan us so well because any given moment we can put 6’5 Huey out there, me at 6’2, or fast Fred, or Samora who’s quick, or J Will who’s a track guy.”

“So I mean you just can’t really game plan for us and I think that’s our strength because we can just come out and play as hard as we can knowing we have an advantage,” said Jamarko.

Looking at the Talons defense, Jamarko thinks they’re going to be a competitive group.

“They have a great defensive line, they have a good secondary and a good mack. So we’ve got to come out with high intensity. We definitely have to be efficient and we have to execute each and every play and if we do that, I think we’ll be successful,” said Jamarko.  

This past week was an opportunity for the team to get on the same page before entering their first battle together. Apart from winning, Coach Arbet would like to accomplish a few things in the Alamodome this weekend, he wants his team to “Play hard, respect the game, respect each other and then see where we end up at.” 

Leanne is a freelance sports journalist residing in the San Francisco Bay Area as she finishes up her Mass Communication, Media Production B.A. at Cal State University, East Bay. This will be her second season as a correspondent covering the San Jose SaberCats.