First-Year Starting QBs Making an Impact in 2002
Tim Parry
Tuesday May 21, 2002
Foley and Kanell are both AFL rookies – Foley signed with the New Jersey Gladiators in January and Kanell suited up for the first time with the New York Dragons that day. Though they are high-profile alumni from the NFL, they haven`t played a down for their new teams.
Of all the positions, many coaches and players say quarterback is the toughest to adjust to when leaving the outdoor game for the cramped confines of the AFL. Eric Zeier admitted he couldn`t adjust after a couple of exhibition starts with the Georgia Force. Scott Milanovich was given a shot in Tampa Bay when starter John Kaleo went down, but is back on the bench.
Of the five new AFL starting quarterbacks, only one -- Los Angeles` Tony Graziani, -- has been a starter in the NFL. Like New Jersey`s Jay McDonagh, Graziani has made some cameo appearances in the league before earning the starting nod after training camp. But Tampa Bay`s Shane Stafford, New York`s Matt Nagy and Detroit`s Drew Miller were thrown to the wolves for various reasons.
| First Year Starters: Jay McDonagh - New Jersey Matt Nagy - New York Shane Stafford - Tampa Bay Tony Graziani - Los Angeles Drew Miller - Detroit NFL Experienced Backups: Glenn Foley - New Jersey Danny Kanell - New York Scott Milanovich - Tampa Bay Eric Zeier - (Left Georgia) See current standings |
Andy Kelly of the Dallas Desperados is the Dean of AFL quarterbacks. He said that some players adjust to the indoor game quickly, while others tend to struggle.
"The reads are a little quicker, and you have to have a quick release because you don`t have as much time," Kelly said. "You don`t have five or seven steps to set it up and look around, you have to make a decision and let it go."
Kelly said he thought he made a decent adjustment when he entered the league in 1993, but discovered there was still a lot to learn.
"I still make mistakes that I know I shouldn`t make," Kelly said. "It`s a never-ending process of learning and trying to get better."
Jay McDonagh
Foley started both of New Jersey’s preseason games, but Jay McDonagh – by way of Italy, the defunct IFL, the af2, and a season as a backup with the Buffalo Destroyers– won the starting job. And it doesn’t appear he will give it up any time soon.
McDonagh did not beat out Foley because he played for Gladiators’ coach Frank Haege’s af2 Quad City Steamwheelers last season. But familiarity with Haege’s system – and a league championship – sure helped his cause.
"I think my experience in af2 helped out,” McDonagh said “Glenn is a good quarterback, but I had the benefit of being in Haege`s system for a year. Coach said it was going to be an open competition, and it was. At the same time I think he`s a very good quarterback and at this time he`s just learning the game.”
Haege said McDonagh and Foley both have the qualities needed to succeed in the AFL: They get back in the pocket quickly, are quick decision makers and have a short arm motion. But McDonagh has the fourth attribute – experience in the Arena game.
"Sometimes a guy can develop, but we wanted to try to win right away so we went with the guy we thought was better off the get go,” Haege said. “It`s very difficult to get a guy who has never played Arena Football before and stick him in there. Kurt Warner struggled his first five or six games in this league.”
McDonagh struggled with four interceptions in the Gladiators 76-69 overtime win over archrival New York. But his counterpart, Matt Nagy, had a coming out party of sorts with eight touchdown passes.
Matt Nagy
Nagy was courted, but never signed by the Dragons last season. The Delaware grad made the team as the backup. Danny Ragsdale was given the opportunity to succeed AFL legend Aaron Garcia when he signed with the NFL`s San Francisco 49ers. However, Ragsdale was waived after New York`s opening night 43-25 loss to Los Angeles.
 Matt Nagy and John Gregory Image courtesy of |
"Nagy has all the qualities Kurt Warner had. He has great feet, he`s smart, he has a lot of potential himself," said Dragons head coach John Gregory, who coached Warner when he was with the Iowa Barnstormers.
Gregory agreed with the experts – that playing quarterback in the AFL is tougher than playing at any other level in any other league.
"In most other leagues you can turn around and hand the ball off to protect your quarterback. Here there`s only three people blocking up front and the run is not a major factor," Gregory said. "The entire onus goes on the quarterback`s back. He has got to make the plays and he has got to make things go. The speed of the game is unbelievable, so it takes a special guy to play the position."
"Once you get inside the 10-yard-line, the game becomes extremely difficult because it`s so congested," Zeier said after a preseason game in Los Angeles. "That`s going to be the most difficult thing for me."
Shane Stafford
At 1-4, Tampa Bay is off to its worst start in franchise history, most likely because of growing pains at quarterback. With Kaleo out for the season, UConn grad Stafford and former XFL player Milanovich have the reigns. Stafford, in his second season with the team, has the bulk of the work.
Storm head coach Tim Marcum pulled Stafford in the third quarter of the team`s May 4 loss at Carolina and replaced him Milanovich. Marcum said it was to teach him a lesson, not to discourage the second-year player.
"There were a couple of things that happened during the course of the game where I felt that was the time," Marcum said, adding he has confidence in both players. "I think that will make a better quarterback out of Shane Stafford."
Stafford said he was surprised by the benching, but said complaining about it won`t accomplish anything.
"I don`t want to be pulled again, that`s for sure," Stafford said. "I`m going to do the best that I can to not get pulled again."
Tony Graziani
 Tony Graziani Image courtesy of Los Angeles Avengers |
That was good enough to earn a three-year contract. This season, he`s thrown 24 touchdowns and just two interceptions.
Avengers head coach Ed Hodgkiss said the former Atlanta Falcon could make all the throws in this league and has the athletic ability and size to be successful. However, he is most impressed with Graziani`s intelligence.
"When I had a chance to sit down with him and talk about what we are going to be doing here, he understood the big picture of the passing game and has the mindset to become the next great Arena Football League quarterback," Hodgkiss said. "He clearly has the intelligence level and the athletic ability to make the quick decisions and understand what`s going on."
Drew Miller
When Rickie Foggie was let go by the Detroit Fury on May 13, former BYU and University of Montana quarterback Drew Miller was thrown into the fire. He entered the game against perennial front-runner Indiana with about one full game`s worth of experience.
"He threw the ball accurately in practice and has taken a leadership role," Fury head coach Mouse Davis said of Miller. "He`s been here long enough, and he`s had a good history of being a winner. He just needs a break."
Miller lost his first start, 55-34. He completed 17-of-31 passes for 185 yards, three touchdowns and an interception.
Tim Parry is a veteran Arena Football writer whose work has appeared in several print and online publications. After coordinating AFL coverage for one website for the past three seasons, he now does the same for his own website, Football Galore.
