Post by fwp on Mar 17, 2010 19:08:22 GMT -5
www.albanyherald.com/sports/headlines/88003602.html
ALBANY — Steve Morrison knew all about Albany, N.Y., but was clueless about Albany, Ga.
“The Greyhound Bus knew where it was, and that’s all I needed,’’ said Morrison, who looked up the city online then headed to the bus station to buy a ticket to his future. “I never heard of Albany. I thought I was going to Atlanta, and now I’m in Albany.’’
Then he added: “Hey, anything to play ball. I would have gone to Japan to play ball.’’
That’s why Morrison, who grew up in the Bronx and played arena football in Nebraska and Iowa, ended up on a practice field Tuesday, running wind sprints with the Albany Panthers, Southwest Georgia’s newest arena football franchise, which will play in the Southern Indoor Football League.
Morrison, a linebacker, gets the door prize for coming from farther away than any of the Panthers, who won’t have much time to catch their breath before they open their season April 3 at home against the Columbus Lions.
There was a lot of huffing and puffing Tuesday, especially from the offensive lineman.
“It was tough on me,’’ said Desmoine Ware, an offensive guard who came all the way from Mississippi to be a member of this team. “But I know how hard I need to push myself to get where I want to be.’’
He already knows how to pivot.
Ware had just been released from the Columbus arena team and was driving back home to Okolona, Miss., when he got a phone call from Panthers coach Lucious Davis.
“I wasn’t even out of Georgia when I got the call,’’ Ware said. “He said they were looking for offensive lineman. I went home for a week, turned around and got to Albany on Monday.’’
Ware played at North Carolina A&T State but hasn’t played competitively since graduating in 2008. He felt this was his chance to start anew, so he left his job selling clothes at a Burlington Coat Factory for the lights of arena ball.
Like Morrison, Ware had no idea where Albany was on the map. And he didn’t bother to look it up online.
“I just got in my car and let the TomTom take me here,’’ Ware said of his portable GPS. “It seemed like it took forever to get here.’’
The journey from here to opening night may feel longer. The Panthers, who put this team together on the run, had 19 of an expected 32 players on the field at Albany State on Tuesday to begin the first day of conditioning. They have to cut the squad down to 23 players by 6 p.m. on March 28, and then open the season six days later.
“It’s plenty of time, because we have a lot of veterans,’’ Davis said. “Really, the hard part is out of the way. Getting them was the hard part, filling the roster. Now we just have to get everybody on the same page.’’
And get everyone in shape.
At one point Tuesday Davis was shouting to his players to pick it up, saying: “This is arena football. Everything is fast in this game. You don’t have time to wait.’’
There were no footballs, no pads, no lights, no hitting or even running routes or walking through plays. It was just running, running and more running.
“I expected them to be in better shape, but they’re working hard,’’ Davis said. “Some of them need some work, others don’t. The skilled guys looked real good, and the linebackers and fullbacks looked pretty good. We need to work with the line.’’
Overall, Davis is not only pleased but enthusiastic about his team.
“I’m extremely happy,’’ he said. “Once we get everyone in here, we’ll have our first full practice Thursday. We’ve got veterans and we’ve got young guys who look very good.’’
ALBANY — Steve Morrison knew all about Albany, N.Y., but was clueless about Albany, Ga.
“The Greyhound Bus knew where it was, and that’s all I needed,’’ said Morrison, who looked up the city online then headed to the bus station to buy a ticket to his future. “I never heard of Albany. I thought I was going to Atlanta, and now I’m in Albany.’’
Then he added: “Hey, anything to play ball. I would have gone to Japan to play ball.’’
That’s why Morrison, who grew up in the Bronx and played arena football in Nebraska and Iowa, ended up on a practice field Tuesday, running wind sprints with the Albany Panthers, Southwest Georgia’s newest arena football franchise, which will play in the Southern Indoor Football League.
Morrison, a linebacker, gets the door prize for coming from farther away than any of the Panthers, who won’t have much time to catch their breath before they open their season April 3 at home against the Columbus Lions.
There was a lot of huffing and puffing Tuesday, especially from the offensive lineman.
“It was tough on me,’’ said Desmoine Ware, an offensive guard who came all the way from Mississippi to be a member of this team. “But I know how hard I need to push myself to get where I want to be.’’
He already knows how to pivot.
Ware had just been released from the Columbus arena team and was driving back home to Okolona, Miss., when he got a phone call from Panthers coach Lucious Davis.
“I wasn’t even out of Georgia when I got the call,’’ Ware said. “He said they were looking for offensive lineman. I went home for a week, turned around and got to Albany on Monday.’’
Ware played at North Carolina A&T State but hasn’t played competitively since graduating in 2008. He felt this was his chance to start anew, so he left his job selling clothes at a Burlington Coat Factory for the lights of arena ball.
Like Morrison, Ware had no idea where Albany was on the map. And he didn’t bother to look it up online.
“I just got in my car and let the TomTom take me here,’’ Ware said of his portable GPS. “It seemed like it took forever to get here.’’
The journey from here to opening night may feel longer. The Panthers, who put this team together on the run, had 19 of an expected 32 players on the field at Albany State on Tuesday to begin the first day of conditioning. They have to cut the squad down to 23 players by 6 p.m. on March 28, and then open the season six days later.
“It’s plenty of time, because we have a lot of veterans,’’ Davis said. “Really, the hard part is out of the way. Getting them was the hard part, filling the roster. Now we just have to get everybody on the same page.’’
And get everyone in shape.
At one point Tuesday Davis was shouting to his players to pick it up, saying: “This is arena football. Everything is fast in this game. You don’t have time to wait.’’
There were no footballs, no pads, no lights, no hitting or even running routes or walking through plays. It was just running, running and more running.
“I expected them to be in better shape, but they’re working hard,’’ Davis said. “Some of them need some work, others don’t. The skilled guys looked real good, and the linebackers and fullbacks looked pretty good. We need to work with the line.’’
Overall, Davis is not only pleased but enthusiastic about his team.
“I’m extremely happy,’’ he said. “Once we get everyone in here, we’ll have our first full practice Thursday. We’ve got veterans and we’ve got young guys who look very good.’’