An IPFL Scouting Report
Mark Hodges
Monday September 17, 2001
One of these leagues is the Indoor Professional Football League (IPFL), a four-team league located in Idaho, Tennessee, Nebraska, and Missouri. Players from this league have made the jump to the AFL and have made an impact. The Ironman of Arena Bowl XV, WR/DB Demo Odems of the Grand Rapids Rampage, once played for the defunct Texas Terminators; Rampage WR/DB Ricky Ross also played in the IPFL for the Idaho Stallions. Arena Bowl runner-up Nashville has also used players from this league on their roster, including former Terminator QB James Brown.
After some research, I have come up with a list of five players that look as though they could have the talent to make AFL rosters. Please don’t confuse me with a professional scout, but the players’ stat sheets make them worthy of a look by even more professional eyes. Here is my list, in no particular order:
Troy Travis, QB, Omaha Beef (6’3”, 240 lbs., Middle Tennessee State): Easily the best quarterback in this league, and one of the most aerial. In a 14-week season, Travis completed 187 passes out of 313 attempted for 2228 yards, quite a bit for a league dedicated to the running game. In all, 44 of those passes were for touchdowns, with only four of them intercepted. Travis’ QB rating was 127.6, much higher than any of his competition. With his good height and accuracy, Travis could make a quality quarterback in the AFL.
Pat Davis, CB, Omaha Beef (5’9”, 180, Nebraska-Omaha): A local boy who did his home team proud. In the 14 games he played, Davis intercepted 12 passes and returned two of those for six points. He also broke up 12 passes and completed 56 tackles. He may be a little short, but Davis may have the tools to be a quality defensive specialist in the AFL.
James Beavers, DT, Tennessee Thundercats (6’0”, 365, Knoxville College): Easily the most dominate defensive lineman in the IPFL, Beavers sacked the quarterback 14 times and was responsible for 35 tackles, 25 for a loss. He also forced two fumbles. Beavers has a lot of the tools, but the weight he packs on his frame combined with the difficulty of two-way play for linemen in the AFL (IPFL linemen only play on one side of the ball) makes one question his stamina through an entire game. Nevertheless, he’s worthy of a look.
Craig Forman, K, Omaha Beef (6’2”, 230, Northwestern): Built more like a linebacker than a kicker, Forman was easily the best IPFL kicker. He completed 88 of his 97 point after attempts, and 33 of his 56 field goals attempts (eleven of them longer than 25 yards away). Forman scored 141 total points in the IPFL, second in the league. With the goalposts being ten feet high and 10 feet across, Forman is definitely worth a look for some of those teams who did not have a kicking game last season. You know who you are.
Brent Bardellini, WR, Tennessee Thundercats (5’10”, 185, Western Connecticut State): Bardellini was one of the few players who caught passes and returned kicks in the IPFL, making him the most versatile receiver the IPFL has to offer. In 14 games, Bardellini caught 48 passes for 611 yards and 14 touchdowns, averaging 12.7 yards a catch and 55.5 yards a game. Bardellini also returned kicks for 648 yards during the year. His all-purpose yardage totalled 114.5 yards a game, right up at the top of the stat sheets. Receivers only play one way in the IPFL so he may not be an Ironman candidate, but an offensive specialist is not out of the question, even though his stature is on the small side.
Honorable mention players who may also be worth a look include Omaha WR Quincy Kenoly (16 TDs), Tennessee WR Josh Houston (tall receiver who caught 62 passes), and St. Louis Renegades CB Cory Bennett (intercepted ten passes, returning one for a TD).
Mark Hodges was a writer for ArenaFan Online from 2001 to 2002.
