Post by fwp on Mar 5, 2010 16:40:25 GMT -5
www.pantagraph.com/sports/football/professional/arena/extreme/article_fb82a42a-2813-11df-894d-001cc4c03286.html
BLOOMINGTON — Quarterback Luke Drone revealed a lofty goal for the Bloomington Extreme.
“Our expectations are to win a championship; to go undefeated, make the playoffs and win the championship,” the former Illinois State standout said.
Yes, he said undefeated. But that’s the mindset a quarterback needs: intending to win every time he takes the field.
“We know it’s one game at a time. We’ve got to take care of business, execute on offense and the defense has to play hard,” Drone said after the team wrapped up training camp Thursday night at Game Time Gym II. “We’re going to give it our best and look to get better as the weeks go on.”
The fifth-year franchise opens its Indoor Football League season Saturday against the Richmond Revolution in a 7 p.m. game at U.S. Cellular Coliseum, and coach Kenton Carr believes his team has the focus to be successful.
“The one good thing about this group is they’re all very attentive. They all want to learn; they’re all very excited about being here,” said Carr. “It’s a pleasant group to be around.
“That’s what it’s about. Yeah, we’ve got to work hard but it’s also about having fun and hopefully reaching the ultimate goal, and that’s to win the championship.”
Veteran defensive lineman Quince Holman returns to the Extreme and will help lead a defense looking to offset the loss of sack leader Antonio Ficklin, who suffered a torn patella tendon last week.
“Everybody’s here and we’re ready to fight and ready to go to war,” said Holman. “Everybody here can play; even if a starter goes down the backups can help us out.”
Carr is expecting defensive back James Temple and linebacker Joe Bevis to emerge as leaders alongside Holman.
“I think the D-line is going to be stronger than people think, and our DBs are more physical this year,” said Carr. “We’ve got tremendous speed on both sides of the ball.”
On offense, Drone is expected to start for a versatile, speedy unit that includes quarterback/receiver Eric McCollom and top-flight wide receiver Harry Lewis II, who caught 94 passes for 1,355 yards and 24 touchdowns last year while playing for Lexington in arenafootball2.
“We’ve got guys that can go deep every play, and that really helps you out on offense. It really spreads people out,” said Drone, who gained indoor experience playing for af2’s Peoria franchise. “You’ve got a guy like Harry Lewis, he’s a great player and he’s got a lot of experience indoors. It’s great to have a guy like that who can see the defense and know where the holes are at.
“When you’ve got the weapons like that, it’s just a matter of getting on the same page with them because the game happens so fast. There’s not a lot of time to think, you’ve just got to react. We’ve got the weapons; we just need to bring it all together.”
BLOOMINGTON — Quarterback Luke Drone revealed a lofty goal for the Bloomington Extreme.
“Our expectations are to win a championship; to go undefeated, make the playoffs and win the championship,” the former Illinois State standout said.
Yes, he said undefeated. But that’s the mindset a quarterback needs: intending to win every time he takes the field.
“We know it’s one game at a time. We’ve got to take care of business, execute on offense and the defense has to play hard,” Drone said after the team wrapped up training camp Thursday night at Game Time Gym II. “We’re going to give it our best and look to get better as the weeks go on.”
The fifth-year franchise opens its Indoor Football League season Saturday against the Richmond Revolution in a 7 p.m. game at U.S. Cellular Coliseum, and coach Kenton Carr believes his team has the focus to be successful.
“The one good thing about this group is they’re all very attentive. They all want to learn; they’re all very excited about being here,” said Carr. “It’s a pleasant group to be around.
“That’s what it’s about. Yeah, we’ve got to work hard but it’s also about having fun and hopefully reaching the ultimate goal, and that’s to win the championship.”
Veteran defensive lineman Quince Holman returns to the Extreme and will help lead a defense looking to offset the loss of sack leader Antonio Ficklin, who suffered a torn patella tendon last week.
“Everybody’s here and we’re ready to fight and ready to go to war,” said Holman. “Everybody here can play; even if a starter goes down the backups can help us out.”
Carr is expecting defensive back James Temple and linebacker Joe Bevis to emerge as leaders alongside Holman.
“I think the D-line is going to be stronger than people think, and our DBs are more physical this year,” said Carr. “We’ve got tremendous speed on both sides of the ball.”
On offense, Drone is expected to start for a versatile, speedy unit that includes quarterback/receiver Eric McCollom and top-flight wide receiver Harry Lewis II, who caught 94 passes for 1,355 yards and 24 touchdowns last year while playing for Lexington in arenafootball2.
“We’ve got guys that can go deep every play, and that really helps you out on offense. It really spreads people out,” said Drone, who gained indoor experience playing for af2’s Peoria franchise. “You’ve got a guy like Harry Lewis, he’s a great player and he’s got a lot of experience indoors. It’s great to have a guy like that who can see the defense and know where the holes are at.
“When you’ve got the weapons like that, it’s just a matter of getting on the same page with them because the game happens so fast. There’s not a lot of time to think, you’ve just got to react. We’ve got the weapons; we just need to bring it all together.”