And He Is Out Of There!
Mary-Ann Williams
Wednesday June 6, 2001
Loots has been unhappy in Chicago for sometime now. After playing starting QB for the first three weeks, he found himself sidelined with a shoulder and arm injury. While he nursed the arm, QB Billy Dicken took over the helm, and proved he was more of a Picard than a Number One. Dicken, now 3-1 as the starter, took charge and showed Hohensee what a minor-leaguer could do in the big ring -- This left Loots on the bench, even after his injury healed.
Oklahoma coach Bob Cortese has made noise about trying to get Loots into his fold, and it seems Cortese finally found the right bargaining chip in Carlos Johnson.
Not that Chicago is going to keep Johnson. Why would they? With WR/DB Dameon Porter, OS Joe Douglass, FB/LB Jamie McGourty and WR/LB Jai Hill all playing beyond expectations, there’s not much room for another set of hands.
“I think we have the right number of receivers now,” said coach Hohensee. “No one’s complaining about not getting the ball. It’s pretty evenly distributed now.” Instead, the wily coach shifted his sights to OL/DL Mike Thornton from Toronto. “Mike played with me in New England and he’s a great player. We need him on the line.”
No kidding. With the injury list growing and more players (especially linemen) going down each week, the Rush need to shore up their depth chart on the line. Right now they’re surviving with big man OL/DL Tony Henderson out with a sore foot for anywhere from one week to five weeks. Deep bruises and strained muscles have players nursing injuries week after week. Arena Football is a tough sport and it’s the line that carries the brunt of the pain.
So, to sum up: Loots takes a trip south where he’s wanted to go since week three, traded for offensive specialist Carlos Johnson who’s now heading north, and in comes big guy Mike Thornton to protect Loots’ replacement, Dicken. Did you get all that?
The final changes have been made and it’s time for the Rush to settle in. They’re 3-1 in the last four games. Can they carry that momentum forward? Sure, they can do it. But will they?
Mary-Ann Williams lives in Chicagoland with her four children, Carter, Jackson, Jeremy, and Riley Jade. As a freelance writer, she`s written articles for the Associated Press, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel and the Daily Herald. She also serves as editor of the AFL-side of Arenafan Online, and covers the Chicago Rush.
