Memphis’s Coach Barto – Focused on Business
Gary Stibolt
Friday August 26, 2005
The turn-around to this years run for the cup did not happen over night but it might appear that way when you look at the success the Xplorers have enjoyed this year. They rolled over several opponents and they won a division that perhaps was the toughest out of the four in the Deuce.
"What's funny about being Memphis, every year I think we're going to go into a weaker division but here I am, I get stuck in what seems like the hardest division every year on our side," stated a confident Danton Barto. "You know the year Tulsa left, I was like 'hey, all righty...all of Tulsa is gone' and then I get stuck with Tennessee Valley. So we're just kind of stuck and we're just use to it. We're going to be in a hard division and fight it out. On the national side, our division was the toughest there was top to bottom, obviously. The Midwest, it was brutal over there, but that also prepares you for when you get to the playoffs. A cake walk will get you to the playoffs but it might not get you to the ArenaCup. So we're use to playing in tough divisions."
The Midwest division alone had four playoff teams, Memphis, Oklahoma City, Quad City, and Amarillo and ironically the ArenaCup is being played in the final division city of Bossier City/Shreveport.
"I've told a lot of people early that I thought Amarillo was going to be a good football team. We always know Quad City is going to have a good team and Oklahoma City I knew was going to be tough. Bossier, to be honest with you, I was a little worried at first because I saw some of their players but they lost a lot of guys to the CFL. But you go there and you look at your division and you're like, 'whoa, here we go, we're going to be in a war every game' but I think that's what makes you a good football team. We go through the National Conference and it's not a cake walk. We're beating up each other every game and it can go either way any given day so I think it prepares you better."
Knowing the division and the way the teams were stacking up their rosters, coach Barto had to keep focused on the business at hand. Getting the team he wanted was going to be a tough challenge but after coming off their playoff season a year before, the transition was starting to take place. So t he foundation for the 2005 season was being built on the principle of staying focused on taking care of business.
There was a lot of attention floating around the af2 community message boards about player signings during the off season. A lot of top college players and a host of NFL tested athletes were on a list of 350 men that coach Barto started with.
"The first thing we did was hire Chris Bower as our player personnel coordinator, which might be a first in af2," explained coach Barto. "I met up with Chris and he had a list of about 350 players and we narrowed it down to about 150 young guys that we wanted to go after. It was the middle of September and we started pounding the phone trying to sign these guys. We got some of the guys we wanted obviously and there were some we didn't get but we were excited about the young guys we were signing...about what they've done in college and what they've done in the NFL. When it was all said and done, we signed thirteen guys who were in NFL camps. We knew we had a lot of talent but could we teach them and get them going in the Arena (Football) game.
The Xplorers pulled it off winning each week with a tough defense and an offensive weapon, they won the Midwest division and clinched a bye week as well as home field advantage and just like the wars they've waged in the course of the season, they battled their way into the ArenaCup VI championship game. Along with the appearance in the title game comes the distractions that you don't face during the regular season. There are special appearances, activities, and a series of meetings that take place during 'Championship Week' here in Bossier City/Shreveport not to mention travel itineraries and altered practice schedules in a single arena shared by both teams.
"I think that's our challenge, we've got to stay focused. I told the guys, you know, this is why we're here. When we have things like this, enjoy it but know why we're here. We've worked too hard to jack around and mess around to give this up. You know, we're excited. People on our team are excited to be here. We've worked hard and I'm excited to be here but when it all comes down to it, it is a football game and we've got to play the way we are capable of playing."
Staying focused on the business at hand also means focusing on Louisville whom themselves had their struggles earlier in the season but turned it around and have won their last eight games.
"You know, Louisville is peaking at the right time. I mean Matt Sauk has been unconscious. I mean the guy is playing as good as anyone I've ever seen in af2. They're playing extremely well right now and what they did going down to Florida and destroying Florida was huge! We've got our work cut out for us so it's going to be an amazing game and what I think the fans will enjoy."
As for the game itself it is already surpassing expectations and a snap hasn't even taken place yet.
"Everyone is talking about their offense versus our defense or our offense versus their defense. I don't think that is where the game is going to be won. I think it is going to be won on how we match up our offense with their defense or their defense matching up with our offense but we have the capability and we showed that at Manchester, if we play the way we're capable of, we'll be fine. But lately it seems like we can't get two halves going. We're slow out of the gate and then in the second half we play lights out. I told the guys when you get into a game of this magnitude, you know, Louisville is not going to let us back in the game. We've got to come out and play the way we're capable of right away and I'll feel good if we do that."
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.