Wednesday
27Feb
Grand Rapids Rampage Set Active Roster for 2008 Season
Wednesday, February 27, 2008 at 01:17PM MLN - THE RAW FEED - www.mlntherawfeed.com – GRAND RAPIDS – After three weeks of training camp, new head coach Steve Thonn and the rest of the Grand Rapids Rampage coaching staff have settled on their final 23-man active roster for the beginning of the 2008 Arena Football League season. The team returns only four players from last year’s squad, and features 10 AFL rookies.
Among the returning players are kicker Brian Gowins (Birmingham,
Ala.) and fullback Chris Ryan (Lake Charles, La.), who helped the
Rampage hoist the ArenaBowl XV trophy in 2001. They look to join
Arena Football veterans such as 2007 All-AFL First Team defensive
back Ahmad Hawkins (Hampton, Va.) and 2007 AFL All-Rookie Team
receiver Kenny Higgins (Long Beach, Calif.) in leading Grand Rapids
back to the playoffs for the first time since 2003.
ADVERTISEMENT Several Grand Rapids rookies are hoping to make the transition from
the outdoor game to become dominant forces in the AFL. Defensive
lineman Rahim Abdullah (Jacksonville, Fla.) enters Arena Football
having collected 35 sacks over six seasons (2002-07) in the Canadian
Football League. Meanwhile, offensive lineman Larry Turner, Jr.,
(Dayton, Ohio) joins the AFL after spending three seasons (2004-06)
protecting quarterbacks for the NFL’s St. Louis Rams.
“Altogether, I’m very happy with our roster,” said Thonn. “We’ve got
a good mix of veterans and younger guys who are picking up the game
quickly. Now we need to see how fast we can progress as a team and
how quickly it can come together.”
Included among the players cut from Grand Rapids’ 37-man training
camp roster were defensive back Chuck Wesley (East Orange, N.J.) and
quarterback Juston Wood (Portland, Ore.). Last season, Wesley set a
Rampage single-season record with 88 tackles in 16 regular-season
games. Meanwhile, Wood’s departure means that Grand Rapids will
enter the year with James MacPherson (Tucson, Ariz.) and Adrian
McPherson (Bradenton, Fla.) as its signal callers.
The Rampage also placed fullback Terrell Browden (Baton Rouge, La.),
receiver Cole Magner (Palmer, Alaska), linebacker Michael McFadden
(Saginaw, Mich.) and offensive lineman Nick Steitz (Los Banos,
Calif.) on their injured reserve list. These four players will be
eligible to be placed on Grand Rapids’ active roster for the team’s
March 30 matchup against the Los Angeles Avengers.
Grand Rapids will have two weeks to gel as a team, as it faces a
Week 1 bye to begin the year. The Rampage kick off their season on
March 10 when they welcome the defending ArenaBowl champion San Jose
SaberCats to Van Andel Arena.
Ala.) and fullback Chris Ryan (Lake Charles, La.), who helped the
Rampage hoist the ArenaBowl XV trophy in 2001. They look to join
Arena Football veterans such as 2007 All-AFL First Team defensive
back Ahmad Hawkins (Hampton, Va.) and 2007 AFL All-Rookie Team
receiver Kenny Higgins (Long Beach, Calif.) in leading Grand Rapids
back to the playoffs for the first time since 2003.
ADVERTISEMENT Several Grand Rapids rookies are hoping to make the transition from
the outdoor game to become dominant forces in the AFL. Defensive
lineman Rahim Abdullah (Jacksonville, Fla.) enters Arena Football
having collected 35 sacks over six seasons (2002-07) in the Canadian
Football League. Meanwhile, offensive lineman Larry Turner, Jr.,
(Dayton, Ohio) joins the AFL after spending three seasons (2004-06)
protecting quarterbacks for the NFL’s St. Louis Rams.
“Altogether, I’m very happy with our roster,” said Thonn. “We’ve got
a good mix of veterans and younger guys who are picking up the game
quickly. Now we need to see how fast we can progress as a team and
how quickly it can come together.”
Included among the players cut from Grand Rapids’ 37-man training
camp roster were defensive back Chuck Wesley (East Orange, N.J.) and
quarterback Juston Wood (Portland, Ore.). Last season, Wesley set a
Rampage single-season record with 88 tackles in 16 regular-season
games. Meanwhile, Wood’s departure means that Grand Rapids will
enter the year with James MacPherson (Tucson, Ariz.) and Adrian
McPherson (Bradenton, Fla.) as its signal callers.
The Rampage also placed fullback Terrell Browden (Baton Rouge, La.),
receiver Cole Magner (Palmer, Alaska), linebacker Michael McFadden
(Saginaw, Mich.) and offensive lineman Nick Steitz (Los Banos,
Calif.) on their injured reserve list. These four players will be
eligible to be placed on Grand Rapids’ active roster for the team’s
March 30 matchup against the Los Angeles Avengers.
Grand Rapids will have two weeks to gel as a team, as it faces a
Week 1 bye to begin the year. The Rampage kick off their season on
March 10 when they welcome the defending ArenaBowl champion San Jose
SaberCats to Van Andel Arena.
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