Wheelers notes: Injuries force adjustments
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By Craig DeVrieze | Monday, April 28, 2008 |
A pair of injuries will have a domino effect on the Steamwheelers lineup in tonight’s game in Green Bay.
Sidelined temporarily are offensive lineman Sean Kennedy and jack linebacker and leading tackler Malik Jackson.
Kennedy, who has a sprained MCL in his knee, will be replaced by Russell Monk, whose place at fullback will be filled by second-year Wheeler Nik Kerr, who was activated from the disabled list after hyper-extending an elbow in training camp.
Backing up Kerr at fullback will be defensive lineman Andrew Jilles, who could see the football
in the red zone, head coach Troy Biladeau said.
Malik Jackson, who Biladeau only would describe as “banged up,” will be replaced at jack linebacker by defensive back Lavar Stepter. Rookie defensive back David Beverly will move from backside to field corner, while rookie Jeremy Blocker gets his first start at Beverly’s old position.
“It’s time to see what Blocker can do,” said the coach.
The key to the defensive switch will be Beverly’s performance at the more demanding field corner spot. If that becomes a weakness vs. an experienced Green Bay receiving corps, Biladeau said Stepter, who played some jack last year, could return to the backfield and Blocker could be switched to linebacker.
Neither of the injured players have been placed on injured reserve, and certainly Jackson is expected to return for next week’s home game vs. Louisville. Kennedy is scheduled to undergo on MRI today on the injured knee he battled during last week’s loss to Iowa.
Fighting Iowa hangover
The Steamwheelers took the Iowa outcome exceedingly hard, and none more than quarterback J.J. Raterink.
“A lot of things came into play,’’ he said, pointing to the return of former Wheelers Tim Dodge and Jack Walker Jr. with Iowa, the Q-C crew’s chance to collect the 100th win in franchise history and a home crowd of 5,238, the biggest in over a year.
Biladeau said he instructed the team to move on at Monday’s practice.
“I told the guys, ‘Don’t let Iowa beat us twice,’ ” he said. “Don’t have a hangover effect over the next game.”
Raterink said it’s important to learn from the loss, particularly from his five-pick performance, including interceptions on the final four Q-C possessions.
“That is something I have to be smarter about, not pressing at the end,” he said. “You can’t panic in this game because so many different things can happen. I tried to throw a two-touchdown pass, which can’t happen.”
Kicker in a pickle
Q-C kicker Derek Pearson continues to work on gaining distance on his kicks.
At pickle spitting, though, he’s a champ.
After Pearson and a Steamwheelers crew that included Raterink tied in a trivia contest at the Davenport Hooter’s Restaurant on Tuesday, Pearson was summoned to help break the tie in a dill pickle spit off.
Pearson pegged his winning “ptttewey” at 15 feet. With practice, the kicker said, he might be able to spit a pickle off an af2 net.
Said Raterink: “I don’t know if I’d want to be around to see him try that.”
Around af2
-- Wilkes-Barre/Scranton pounded Peoria 74-26 in the Pirates home opener Saturday. Reportedly, it could have been worse, but Rich Ingold pulled back. “When I first came into the league and was at Quad-City, I hated Bruce Cowdrey,” Ingold told the Peoria Journal-Star. “… But I studied him, coached against him, and it’s different now. I have the utmost respect for Bruce.”
-- Cowdrey’s respect for players who drop passes? Not so much. Maurice Rumbley, assessed five Saturday drops, was among three players in this week’s wave of Cowdrey cuts, along with a pair of linemen. The Pirates signed former Western Illinois DB and kick returner Donnie Caldwell and activated Robert Garth, the veteran receiver-linebacker obtained in a trade last week.
About the Blizzard
Green Bay is playing its first game inside the Midwest Division. The Blizzard’s losses were to second-ranked Spokane at home and sixth-ranked South Georgia on the road last week. The Blizzard nipped Tennessee Valley by two points in Alabama in Game 2 and dominated Manchester 72-31 two weeks ago in Green Bay. … The Blizzard boast the league’s eighth-ranked scoring offense against Q-C’s eighth-ranked scoring D. … The Blizzard lead the league in total defense with a per-game yield of 189.5. … Coach Bob Landsee has assembled a veteran corps of receivers with Steve Gonzalez, an all-league player at Manchester a few years back, joining Blizzard standby Scott Burnoski. … Adler is the starting quarterback after being acquired two weeks ago in a trade. … The two teams split the series last year, with each winning at home. The Steamwheelers lead the series 6-4.
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