Post by 50yardfan on Dec 23, 2010 9:15:37 GMT -5
Filling out some Christmas wish lists or finding that last-minute stocking stuffer is sometimes impossible.
Fever coach Adam Shackleford is not one those persons. He is one of the simpler ones to shop for this holiday season.
His list, or in this case, his training camp roster, has just a missing pieces as the 2011 Indoor Football League season vastly approaches.
Shackleford has signed 43 players, leaving just two roster spots to fill before his second training camp starts in February.
"I like where we're at," Shackleford said. "I feel pretty good about who we have coming in. That being said, no championships are won on paper either."
As for Shackleford's two missing pieces: he would like one more defensive lineman and another big-time offensive threat that stretch the field.
Shackleford says while he has 43 guys signed, he expects to lose a couple of the next few weeks for various reasons, mainly signing with the Arena Football League or other leagues.
"That always seems to happened, and you have to prepare yourself for things like that," he said. "But that's what we want for our guys; we want to give them the opportunity to move on."
Having a nearly-complete roster before the New Year is a stark contrast to last season where Shackleford had less than 10 players signed at this point - less than six weeks before training camp. He ended up with just 32 players at the start of training camp, limiting his available options to assemble his roster for the first few games. That was evident in the Fever's slow start to the 2010 season where it won just one of its first six games. Throughout those first five games, Shackleford steadily made roster improvements and just before the midpoint of the season, started to have things come together. The Fever won six of its final eight games of the season to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2007.
"We knew we weren't a playoff caliber-type team yet (at the beginning of the season)," Shackleford said. "This year we're pushing to compete with best from the start."
That has been evident in some of the signings Shackleford has made in this offseason:
- Re-signing quarterback Houston Lillard, who spearheaded the Fever's second-half run last season;
- Re-signing receiver Joey Hew Len and defensive back Lionell Singleton; and
- Add defensive standouts such as Freddie Harris, Jason Beauchamp, and Tez Doolittle.
That's just naming a few.
Shackleford says there will be some movement over the next couple of weeks, as he tries to refine his roster and shore up a few loose ends. And just because he has 43 guys signed, doesn't mean he's going to stop looking when he hits the magical number of 45.
"We are always looking to improve our roster and make ourselves a better football team," he said. "If we find a guy to do that, we are not going to hesitate to sign him."
So if that's the case, completing Shackleford's wish list might not be as easily as originally thought. However, while it might take a little time and just the right gift (player) to complete the list, he is very grateful for what he already has.
"We got a great bunch of guys coming in here," Shackleford said. "We got some great football players and we got some great people. I'm excited where we're at right now."
Fever coach Adam Shackleford is not one those persons. He is one of the simpler ones to shop for this holiday season.
His list, or in this case, his training camp roster, has just a missing pieces as the 2011 Indoor Football League season vastly approaches.
Shackleford has signed 43 players, leaving just two roster spots to fill before his second training camp starts in February.
"I like where we're at," Shackleford said. "I feel pretty good about who we have coming in. That being said, no championships are won on paper either."
As for Shackleford's two missing pieces: he would like one more defensive lineman and another big-time offensive threat that stretch the field.
Shackleford says while he has 43 guys signed, he expects to lose a couple of the next few weeks for various reasons, mainly signing with the Arena Football League or other leagues.
"That always seems to happened, and you have to prepare yourself for things like that," he said. "But that's what we want for our guys; we want to give them the opportunity to move on."
Having a nearly-complete roster before the New Year is a stark contrast to last season where Shackleford had less than 10 players signed at this point - less than six weeks before training camp. He ended up with just 32 players at the start of training camp, limiting his available options to assemble his roster for the first few games. That was evident in the Fever's slow start to the 2010 season where it won just one of its first six games. Throughout those first five games, Shackleford steadily made roster improvements and just before the midpoint of the season, started to have things come together. The Fever won six of its final eight games of the season to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2007.
"We knew we weren't a playoff caliber-type team yet (at the beginning of the season)," Shackleford said. "This year we're pushing to compete with best from the start."
That has been evident in some of the signings Shackleford has made in this offseason:
- Re-signing quarterback Houston Lillard, who spearheaded the Fever's second-half run last season;
- Re-signing receiver Joey Hew Len and defensive back Lionell Singleton; and
- Add defensive standouts such as Freddie Harris, Jason Beauchamp, and Tez Doolittle.
That's just naming a few.
Shackleford says there will be some movement over the next couple of weeks, as he tries to refine his roster and shore up a few loose ends. And just because he has 43 guys signed, doesn't mean he's going to stop looking when he hits the magical number of 45.
"We are always looking to improve our roster and make ourselves a better football team," he said. "If we find a guy to do that, we are not going to hesitate to sign him."
So if that's the case, completing Shackleford's wish list might not be as easily as originally thought. However, while it might take a little time and just the right gift (player) to complete the list, he is very grateful for what he already has.
"We got a great bunch of guys coming in here," Shackleford said. "We got some great football players and we got some great people. I'm excited where we're at right now."