Post by fwp on Mar 17, 2010 19:18:32 GMT -5
www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2010/mar/17/making-the-switch-former-rams-players-adjust-to/?sports
WENATCHEE — There is an undeniable difference between indoor football and the version to which most are accustomed.
Local products Dave Mott, Matt Martinez and Kolt Thompson are learning the differences first-hand.
All three are veterans of the Wenatchee Valley Rams semi-pro football team that made their way onto the Wenatchee Valley Venom’s roster, and each is adjusting to the pro indoor game in his own way.
The Venom made their final cut-down to a main 20-man roster and 10-man inactive roster Tuesday. Martinez made the active roster, while Mott and Thompson are inactives.
For Mott, a 6-foot-7 quarterback known for his strong and accurate throwing arm, he’s had to get used to the speed at which plays develop.
“It’s a bit faster, and there’s no more full three- or five-step drop,” Mott said. “There’s a smaller area to get the same work done. In the outdoor game you can get away with being a second behind or a little bit late, but in this game you can’t afford to be late because the guys are just too quick. They can travel three or four yards in half a second, and you can find yourself in a world of hurt.”
The switch is harder on a signal-caller, Mott said.
“A quarterback has to know everything,” he said. “ Now that we’ve changed numbers (players) from 11 down to eight, you have to adjust your reads. ... A lot of the reads are simplified, but at the same time more complicated because the routes can change based on what the defense gives you.”
Martinez, a former Wenatchee High standout who played at the University of Idaho, is getting used to the reduced role offensive linemen have in indoor football.
“We don’t run but a handful of times a game, so as an offensive lineman you aren’t able to get out and run and get the block,” said Martinez. “It’s just a lot of pass blocking.”
Despite that, Martinez enjoyed the first taste of competition he got, which was during The Kickoff Classic, an exhibition game between the Richmond Raiders and a team of American Indoor Football Association All-Stars on Jan. 23 in Richmond, Va.
“It was a blast,” he said. “On the first play we scored. It was crazy.”
Unlike Mott and Martinez, defensive end and Eastmont alum Kolt Thompson had in-game experience playing indoor football before the Venom came to town. Three years ago, he played a couple games with the Tri-Cities Fever under Keith Evans, then the Fever’s assistant coach and now the Venom’s head coach.
“When I went down there I was not ready for it,” Thompson said. “I was a little too small, but now I’m a lot more prepared and a lot stronger.”
Though they’re all relatively new to the game, all three players like the speed at which indoor football is played.
“It’s definitely something you have to adjust to, but I like it a lot better than outdoor football,” said Thompson. “I like the speed difference. For me, at defensive end, it’s more of a one-on-one battle.”
“To me, football is football, and playing O-line is playing O-line,” Martinez said. “ I just like how fast it is and how high-scoring the game is. You can come back so quick.”
Mott enjoys it because it’s something new.
“It’s a great opportunity for me to try something new,” he said. “It’s a little more like basketball, because it’s fast-paced. I think I’m a little hesitant because I don’t totally understand it yet, so it’s out of my comfort zone. But I’m excited about learning how to do it. It’s a different twist on football.”
While all three former Rams players made the cut, a number of other players weren’t as fortunate. Tuesday’s final cut included a lot of tough decisions, Evans said.
“It’s a numbers game,” said Evans. “We only have 20 guys going for a game, so we have to have guys that are able to do multiple things.
“It’s about players that are going to help us. When somebody goes down, we need somebody that can step in and do the job.”
WENATCHEE — There is an undeniable difference between indoor football and the version to which most are accustomed.
Local products Dave Mott, Matt Martinez and Kolt Thompson are learning the differences first-hand.
All three are veterans of the Wenatchee Valley Rams semi-pro football team that made their way onto the Wenatchee Valley Venom’s roster, and each is adjusting to the pro indoor game in his own way.
The Venom made their final cut-down to a main 20-man roster and 10-man inactive roster Tuesday. Martinez made the active roster, while Mott and Thompson are inactives.
For Mott, a 6-foot-7 quarterback known for his strong and accurate throwing arm, he’s had to get used to the speed at which plays develop.
“It’s a bit faster, and there’s no more full three- or five-step drop,” Mott said. “There’s a smaller area to get the same work done. In the outdoor game you can get away with being a second behind or a little bit late, but in this game you can’t afford to be late because the guys are just too quick. They can travel three or four yards in half a second, and you can find yourself in a world of hurt.”
The switch is harder on a signal-caller, Mott said.
“A quarterback has to know everything,” he said. “ Now that we’ve changed numbers (players) from 11 down to eight, you have to adjust your reads. ... A lot of the reads are simplified, but at the same time more complicated because the routes can change based on what the defense gives you.”
Martinez, a former Wenatchee High standout who played at the University of Idaho, is getting used to the reduced role offensive linemen have in indoor football.
“We don’t run but a handful of times a game, so as an offensive lineman you aren’t able to get out and run and get the block,” said Martinez. “It’s just a lot of pass blocking.”
Despite that, Martinez enjoyed the first taste of competition he got, which was during The Kickoff Classic, an exhibition game between the Richmond Raiders and a team of American Indoor Football Association All-Stars on Jan. 23 in Richmond, Va.
“It was a blast,” he said. “On the first play we scored. It was crazy.”
Unlike Mott and Martinez, defensive end and Eastmont alum Kolt Thompson had in-game experience playing indoor football before the Venom came to town. Three years ago, he played a couple games with the Tri-Cities Fever under Keith Evans, then the Fever’s assistant coach and now the Venom’s head coach.
“When I went down there I was not ready for it,” Thompson said. “I was a little too small, but now I’m a lot more prepared and a lot stronger.”
Though they’re all relatively new to the game, all three players like the speed at which indoor football is played.
“It’s definitely something you have to adjust to, but I like it a lot better than outdoor football,” said Thompson. “I like the speed difference. For me, at defensive end, it’s more of a one-on-one battle.”
“To me, football is football, and playing O-line is playing O-line,” Martinez said. “ I just like how fast it is and how high-scoring the game is. You can come back so quick.”
Mott enjoys it because it’s something new.
“It’s a great opportunity for me to try something new,” he said. “It’s a little more like basketball, because it’s fast-paced. I think I’m a little hesitant because I don’t totally understand it yet, so it’s out of my comfort zone. But I’m excited about learning how to do it. It’s a different twist on football.”
While all three former Rams players made the cut, a number of other players weren’t as fortunate. Tuesday’s final cut included a lot of tough decisions, Evans said.
“It’s a numbers game,” said Evans. “We only have 20 guys going for a game, so we have to have guys that are able to do multiple things.
“It’s about players that are going to help us. When somebody goes down, we need somebody that can step in and do the job.”