Rampage Out of the Gate and Ready for 2005 Season
Randy Snow
Tuesday October 5, 2004
Forty-five hopefuls showed up and were put though a series of skill and agility tests as well as several different passing drills. Everyone was timed in the 40-yard dash and the short shuttle. They were also measured in the long jump and required to bench press 225 pounds as many times as they could. A second open tryout is scheduled for October 3 for kickers and linemen. Two other tryouts are scheduled in the near future, one in Oklahoma City and another in Las Vegas.
Among the participants at the tryout was a trio of former players from nearby Grand Valley State University including Sidney Lewis, a wide receiver and defensive back who had tried out for the team last year also. Lewis played part of last season for McEwen in Oklahoma City and is hoping to get the chance to play in Grand Rapids for him this coming season as well. “He had a good relationship with all his players,” said Lewis of McEwen. “He’s strait up; he’s a player’s coach.”
Another Grand Valley State alum, newly signed QB Curt Anes, was also on hand to assist the coaching staff in running the participants through their drills. Anes signed a one-year contract with the Rampage the day before the tryout, which was the first day of the free agent signing period. The winner of the 2002 Harlon Hill Trophy, Anes has been with the Detroit Lions the past two pre-seasons and also played in NFL Europe earlier this year with the Scottish Claymores.
Another participant at the tryout was Jeffery Taff who played at Division III Lakeland College in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. This was his first tryout with an Arena team and his parents came all the way from Iron Mountain, Michigan in the Upper Peninsula just to watch him. For Taff, the speed of the game was the most noticeable difference from his previous playing experience. “It’s a notch higher, a level higher in play, definitely,” Taff said. “It’s a lot quicker. I like this style of play. I just love the game and I want to keep playing.”
When the tryout ended, McEwen was impressed with a number of those who had turned out. “It was a good group,” he said. “They were a disciplined group. The combine itself worked out pretty smoothly. They were a talented group from the standpoint that some of them may not be ready to play for the AFL level, but there were a number of them that definitely could play at the (af2) level.”
Next week
McEwen is headed to Canada to watch Michael Bishop, one of the team’s quarterbacks from last season, who is playing for the Toronto Argonauts. “I just want to spend some time with Michael because I know he is still under contract and he’s a great athlete. I’ve never met Michael, but we’ve talked quite a bit (on the phone).”
My Observation
After watching McEwen and his staff not only evaluating the players, but also teaching them some of the finer points of the Arena game during the open tryout, I came away with a renewed sense of optimism for the upcoming season. His enthusiasm and love for the game was clearly evident the entire time. Rampage fans have a right to be excited about the upcoming season.
Randy Snow covered the Grand Rapids Rampage of the Arena Football League for ArenaFan from 2003-2008. He also covered the Fort Wayne Fusion of arenafootball2 in 2007. From 2004-2008 and in 2010, he was a member of the Arena Football League Writer’s Association and, since 2011, has been a member of the Professional Football Researchers Association. Randy lives in Kalamazoo, Michigan but will travel just about anywhere for a football game or a great football story. He runs the web site www.theworldoffootball.com and hosts a podcast with his son, Adam, called “This Week in The World of Football.”
