Foley or McDonagh in New Jersey?
Marc Viquez
Wednesday April 17, 2002
Foley is making his Arena Football League debut this season and looks forward to chance to play the arena game. The former New York Jet, who last played for the Seattle Seahawks in 1998, returns to the Meadowlands and believes his quick release will suit him just fine.
"He is picking up the game quickly," said Haege. "He is doing a great job, learning the reads and the drops. He is doing really well." Foley went 24-39 for 274-yards and 2-touchdowns during his two games this preseason and finished with a 60% of his passes.
"I have always played well when I played in New Jersey, " said the Cherry Hill, N.J. native. Foley hopes to continue his success in the state, but will have another quarterback to compete with as of right now.
That quarterback is Jay McDonagh who played under Haege last season with the Quad City Steamwheelers in Arena Football 2. McDonagh made an immediate impact during his first season with 73-touchdowns for 3,822-yards. His second half performance against Indiana this pre-season was even more impressive, going 10-11 for 174-yards and 5-touchdowns.
"He is picking up where he left off last season," said Haege who will make a game-time decision on who will start the season-opener against Buffalo.
So, who will it be? The former NFL QB or the former AF2 QB? McDonagh has one year of 50-yard game under his belt and is showing signs that he will continue to flourish at the next level. Foley has NFL experience, is back home playing football, and looks to be learning the game quickly.
Last season Connell Maynor, who is now with the Carolina Cobras, was the starter and had his bangs and bruises. Also in 2001, rookie Todd Bankhead filled it nicely at times and could be a quality starter in the Arena League, but was recently released.
Either Foley or McDonagh would like to improve on the Gladiators’ pass rating (16th), offensive scoring (19th) and passing offense (18th).
The second half preseason performance by McDonagh against Indiana could be a deciding factor on Haege`s decision. It could be somewhat of a surprise if McDonagh gets the nod, however earlier in the year Haege stated that all of his quarterbacks had something to prove.
The QB situation shows that the organization has gone out and acquired some talent for this season. The receiving corps is also impressive with AFL powers OS Mike Horacek, OS James Bowden, and WR/DB Alvin Ashley debuting for New Jersey. The offensive line and receivers will make both quarterbacks` jobs a little easier in 2002.
All we can do now is wait and see who will take the first snap up in Buffalo.
A fan of the sport since 1990 Marc has covered both the New Jersey Gladiators and Cincinnati Swarm (Af2) for Arenafan Online. Marc now resides in Indianapolis after graduating with a Masters in Sports Management from Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Ind. When not at a Firebirds game Marc can be found traveling the Midwest covering sports for various Internet and print publications.
