Steamwheelers Enter Season Fully Loaded
Gary Stibolt
Tuesday April 5, 2005
"I have seen that tape over and over and I can tell you we won’t play football like that," explained Frazier.
He was referring to the playoff game last year against the Louisville Fire and how the season came to a crashing halt when there was no one back to help Jeff Hewitt cover on a field goal attempt that bounced off the pipe as time expired and into the hands of a rushing Fire lineman scoring the game winning touchdown. The Steamwheelers ended their last two seasons in similar fashion.
After following the Steamwheelers daily for the past few weeks and watching them practice throughout camp, special teams is one area that Frazier is paying ‘special’ attention to. The last few years, the Steamwheelers were average at best on kickoff coverage. This year, that area of the game is getting as much attention as offense and defense. Frazier not only runs the show but he’ll take control and focus on coordinating the defense with his ‘attack-defense’ mentality while the reigns to the offense are turned over to AFL tested and assistant head coach, Steve Fickert. Joining them is AFL veteran lineman Jon Roehlk, who is in his 4th year with the Steamwheelers.
The team enters their 2005 campaign with a lot of new faces and a lot of promise. The promise comes in the form of some key returning veterans, solid experienced players, and the level of rookie talent that makes up this year’s roster. Jeff Hewitt (WR/DB) shocked everyone in November announcing he would return to play. Fred Barr (FB/LB) surprised us too announcing his return to a Steamwheelers uniform. Matt Forbes (DS) came back as did Matt Pike (QB) and Ronnie Gordon (QB) who is now with the New York Dragons in the AFL. Then just before camp, former Iowa Hawkeye and Steamwheeler lineman, Corey Brown came out of retirement to play one more year and he joins another former Hawkeye and ‘Wheelers veteran lineman, Pete Traynor. Then last week rumors started flying and now the expected return of Tim Dodge (WR/DB), who decided not to go to NFL Europe which he opted for instead of reporting to the Denver Crush (AFL).
The returning veterans give the Steamwheelers a solid core for Frazier to work with. They know what it is like to play for the Steamwheelers and what the expectations are. Those are teachings that they can pass along to new recruits this year while still anchoring a solid base for this year’s football team. Now add to that some key experienced players such as Kofi Smith (DS), Jack Walker Jr. (WR/LB), Travis Burns (OS), Torey Morris (WR/LB), and our new found Kicker, Stephen Scaldaferri. Think they’re loaded? Not yet. Add the recent signing of Nate Bell (OL/DL), AFL tested FB/LB A.J. Novak, and possibly Tyshaun Whitson (OL/DL) and you are more than halfway through the team and still no weakness to be found.
Having this core of talent and experienced players in place, we now turn to the rookies that made the squad. While they may be rookies by af2 standards because they never played in the league before, these guys are anything but rookie when it comes to talent. Patrick Hughes (OL/DL), John Culp (OL/DL), Giovanni Deloatch (OL/DL), Antonio Watson (WR/DB), and Andre Banks (WR/DB), who is out for six weeks with a broken ankle.
Now this obviously isn’t the entire roster. There are others like Billy Cook (WR/DB), Danny Thomas (WR/DB), and Brandon Graves (OL/DL) who have been around the game themselves. However, just looking at them on paper, the Steamwheelers look just as good as any other team in the league and certainly are among the top five but what matters most is getting them and their system to come together.
The Steamwheelers will open their season on Sunday in Wilkes-Barre, PA where they’ll take on a Pioneers team that edged out Oklahoma City last week 59-47. Last year, Quad City fired blanks and came away with their worst loss in history. This year they enter the season loaded with talent, promise, and a drive to win it all and it starts on Sunday.
Gary Stibolt has covered the Quad City Steamwheelers since their 2000 inaugural season. He also owns, operates and is the Chief Editor/Publisher of SteamwheelerFans.com, a website dedicated to the Steamwheelers and their fans. He coresponds for other media outlets covering arenafootball2. In addition to leading the Steamwheelers Fan Club, Gary serves as Coordinator of the National af2 Fan Club. He is married with two sons and works as an Infrastructure Analyst for Deere & Company in their Corporate Computer Center in Moline, Illinois.