Maddox happy to be center of attention
Andrew Mason
Tuesday June 13, 2000
For New Jersey Red Dogs quarterback Tommy Maddox, that distance — the amount of space between Giants Stadium and the Continental Airlines Arena at the Meadowlands Sports Complex — represents the difference between the highest and lowest moments of his professional football odyssey.
On that Giants Stadium field in 1996, he was getting booed off the turf after one disastrous game with the New York Giants that proved a harbinger to a premature end for his NFL career. Four years later, inside the adjacent arena, he was the object of adulation as fans young and old clamored for the game MVP’s autograph following New Jersey’s 56-40 win over the Oklahoma Wranglers.
For 40 minutes following the game, a not-yet-showered Maddox kept his Sharpie busy, signing for the fans. As he signed with a smile, it was hard to discern who was happier with each signature — the fan who received it on a hat, program or t-shirt, or the player. After all, one doesn’t see many people clamoring for the attention of an insurance salesman — which Maddox was for the past three years with a company he owned, Maddox Insurance.
 Maddox struggled early but has led his team to two straight wins. Image courtesy of Drew Kennedy |
“So, I’ll stand out here and do this all night. It’s great.”
This warm post-game moment was eight weeks in the making, from his one-touchdown, two-interception initiation in Week 1 at Orlando to two weeks of struggling against the Nashville Kats and the Tampa Bay Storm, when he completed less than 50 percent of his passes. But in the Red Dogs’ last three games, including the win over the Wranglers, his numbers are the goal of any Arena quarterback — 19 touchdowns and no interceptions.
For this, Red Dogs coach Frank Mattiace credits not just Maddox’s acclamation, but that of his young cadre of receivers and linemen, which included six rookies on the active roster.
“I think he’s been playing well right from the get-go, really. I think that he feels comfortable now with the transition and the guys up front are giving him a lot better protection,” Mattiace said. “ But don’t forget, (WR/LB David) Saunders, (WR/LB Anthony) Payton, Mike Lewis … these guys are first-year players.”
Even Maddox doesn’t worry about his own progress and growing pains as he adjusts to the more claustrophobic environment.
“I don’t worry about where I am as an Arenaball player,” he said. “It’s wins and losses. Right now, I’m pretty good;, next week, I could not be so good. It’s a team deal.”
 Tommy Maddox enjoys a well-deserved bench rest after tossing the sixth of his seven touchdowns Image courtesy of Andrew Mason |
Should he continue to develop, the NFL may yet call again, taking notice of his six-season résumé as a backup in the league and his rebirth inside the walls. That’d be just fine with Maddox.
But staying in the Arena League and becoming a long-time star would be just fine, too.
“I’d love to stay in this league,” he said. “Whatever the future holds, I don’t know. If I get another NFL shot, that’d be great. But if not, this is a fun league to play in, it’s exciting and it’s growing. I definitely could see myself playing here for a long time.”
Andrew Mason was at the Tampa Bay Storm`s first home game on June 1, 1991 and has followed the game ever since. While in college, he served as content editor and co-founder of The Storm Shelter, a Web site which covered the Tampa Bay Storm on the Internet from 1996-99. He also volunteered with the team`s media relations department in 1998 and currently contributes to ColoradoCrush.com. He's covered the NFL for various on-line outlets since 1999.
