Dave’s Football Blog

Dorton Arena in Raleigh. Some call it a marvel of engineering. I call it “The Big Taco.”

This is where the action is tonight. I am being joined by my friends Albert and Dawn, who hung out with me during the NFL playoffs. You may remember Albert shouting, “Tick tock, motherfucker, tick tock!” I doubt he’ll be saying that tonight, since the Rebels don’t have much of a running game…

If I’m going to make you care about this game tonight, I should probably point you to more info about the teams:

Raleigh Rebels
2006 roster
2006 season stats

Richmond Bandits
2006 roster
2006 season stats

The QB for the Rebels is David Malino, who struggled last week in his first game back after missing three straight weeks with a broken non-throwing hand. Last week against the Augusta Spartans, Malino completed only 10 of 25 passes for 169 yards. This being indoor football, of course, Malino still had 5 TDs. His favorite target? Lavell Bailey, who has 41 catches for 802 yards and a league-best 21 TDs so far this year. Bailey also leads the AIFL in scoring average with 18.9 points per game. Arena football fans, you may see Bailey’s name on an AFL roster in a year or two.

Richmond, meanwhile, has two dangerous targets — Bryan Still (46 catches, 638 yards, 15 TDs) and Redd Thompson (41 catches, 625 yards, 16 TDs) — for QB Robbie Jenkins, who leads the AIFL in completion percentage (61.3%) and pass efficiency (105.2) and is second in the league with 245 passing yards per game. Stopping that trio will be a tall order for the Rebels’ defense tonight. I suspect it will be up to Malino and Bailey to keep pace with the Bandits’ scoring attack.

I’ll have more from the Big Taco in a little bit. Stick around. We’re not paying the band.

Folks, let me make something perfectly clear here. I don’t liveblog drafts. I liveblog games.

I don’t liveblog drafts because they’re all based on speculation. You think these kids are going to help your team. You pick them to fill a need and hope they stay healthy and develop into valued players and teammates. Ultimately, though, it’s a calculated crapshoot. I’m sure the Chargers thought picking Ryan Leaf #2 overall was a good idea at the time. Tim Biakabutuka looked like a great draft pick for the Panthers in 1996. Who would have guessed that his knees would suffer more structural damage than Ricky Williams’ brain? Don’t get me started on Ricky, either…

So no, there won’t be any live draft coverage here — plenty of post-draft analysis after the smoke clears and Mel Kiper Jr. crawls back underneath the rock from whence he came, but no live commentary. Other bloggers are doing that. I would rather provide live commentary on actual games. In fact, that’s exactly what I’m going to do tonight…

Yes, folks, I’m headed out to Raleigh tonight to see what this American Indoor Football League business is all about. The Richmond Bandits are coming to town to take on the Raleigh Rebels. Both teams are 6-2 and just one game behind the Rome Renegades in the South Division. So this game has major implications in the AIFL playoff race — assuming you give a damn, of course, and tonight, I will.

Now you may be thinking, “Dave, why the hell are you bothering to liveblog a game in a league that’s two levels down from Arena Football and probably two light years away from the NFL?”

Simply put, this is a trial run. The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming to Charlotte in December. I will be at that game, and I’m hoping to liveblog it from somewhere inside Bank of America stadium. (I will probably request press credentials, though I fully expect the Panthers to turn me down.) So I need to test out my ability to update the blog while inside the arena. I know I can liveblog games from sports bars. Can I do it from the stands?

We’re all going to find out tonight. So stop by the blog tonight and enjoy the action. If you’re in Raleigh, come on by Dorton Arena and say hey to the dork with the Treo 650. It’s only $5 to get in the door, and who knows? You might actually have fun. Hey, it’s live football. I’ll take that over a draft any day.

I want all of you out there to do me a favor.

I want you to take a good close look at this schedule. There’s a 50/50 chance that a game on this list is happening somewhere very close to you. I want you to find that game, head out to the arena, and have yourself a grand old time. Millions have been enjoying cheap minor league baseball and hockey games for years. Why not minor league football, too? Give it a try. You might actually enjoy yourself.

Hey, they’re playing these games for you, football lovers. The least you can do is buy a ticket into the arena and holler at ‘em once a year…

(All times EDT)

Arena Football

Friday, 4/28
Arizona Rattlers @ Dallas Desperadoes, 8:30 PM

Saturday, 4/29
Chicago Rush @ Georgia Force, 7:00 PM
Philadelphia Soul @ New York Dragons, 7:30 PM
Kansas City Brigade @ Tampa Bay Storm, 7:30 PM
Columbus Destroyers @ Austin Wranglers, 8:00 PM
Nashville Kats @ Grand Rapids Rampage, 8:00 PM
San Jose Sabercats @ Los Angeles Avengers, 10:30 PM
Utah Blaze @ Las Vegas Gladiators, 10:30 PM

Sunday, 4/30
Orlando Predators @ Colorado Crush, 6:00 PM

AF2

Friday, 4/28
Macon Knights @ Memphis Xplorers, 8:00 PM

Saturday, 4/29
Green Bay Blizzard @ Louisville Fire, 7:00 PM
Quad City Steamwheelers @ Albany Conquest, 7:00 PM
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers @ Manchester Wolves, 7:30 PM
Birmingham Steeldogs @ South Georgia Wildcats, 7:30 PM
Florida Firecats @ Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings, 8:00 PM
Rio Grande Valley Dorados @ Tulsa Talons, 8:00 PM
Tennessee Valley Vipers @ Arkansas Twisters, 8:00 PM
Amarillo Dusters @ Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz, 8:00 PM
Bakersfield Blitz @ Stockton Lightning, 10:30 PM

Sunday, 4/30
Central Valley Coyotes @ Everett Hawks, 5:00 PM

National Indoor Football League

Friday, 4/28
Montgomery Maulers @ Osceola Football, 7:00 PM
Arkansas Stars @ RiverCity Rage, 7:00 PM
Lincoln Capitols @ Wyoming Cavalry, 7:00 PM
Fayetteville Guard @ Lakeland Thunderbolts, 7:00 PM

Saturday, 4/29
Beaumont Drillers @ Twin City Gators, 7:00 PM
Dayton Bulldogs @ Tennessee River Sharks, 7:00 PM
Tri-Cities Fever @ Billings Football, 7:05 PM
Palm Beach Phantoms @ Cincinnati Marshals, 7:30 PM

Sunday, 4/30
Big Sky Thunder @ Katy Copperheads, 3:05 PM

Monday, 5/1
Charleston Sand Sharks @ Florida Frenzy, 7:00 PM

United Indoor Football

Friday, 4/28
Fort Wayne Freedom @ Lexington Horsemen, 7:30 PM

Saturday, 4/29
Omaha Beef @ Rock River Raptors, 7:30 PM
Sioux Falls Storm @ Ohio Valley Greyhounds, 7:30 PM

Sunday, 4/30
Sioux City Bandits @ Peoria Rough Riders, 3:05 PM

American Indoor Football League

Thursday, 4/27
Richmond Bandits @ Raleigh Rebels, 7:00 PM

Saturday, 4/29
Erie Freeze @ Johnstown Riverhawks, 7:00 PM
Huntington Heroes @ Syracuse Soldiers, 7:00 PM
Steubenville Stampede @ Miami Valley Silverbacks, 7:00 PM
Augusta Spartans @ Daytona Beach Thunder, 7:00 PM
Rome Renegades @ Florence Phantoms, 7:00 PM

Do you like beef? Do you like football? Then get yourself one of these stylish Beef Football golf jackets, and you can tell the world, “Yes, I like beef, and I like football.”

Seriously, you can’t not love a team that’s got the cojones to call itself the Omaha Beef. That’s the best team name ever. You can keep your Steamwheelers and Yard Dawgz, your Sandsharks and Silverbacks. Give me a football team that’s not afraid to say, “We’re the Beef, bitches, and we’ve got the best damn cheerleaders in United Indoor Football! Omaha! What!?”

Oh, and their mascot? Sir Loin. C’mon, that’s good stuff, people.

Their next home game is Saturday, May 20, against the Bloomington Extreme. All you folks out in Nebraska need to go and support your Beef, and remember, if you catch that Beef Football Fever, the only cure… is more cowbell.

Live in North Carolina? Still kicking yourself for missing out on the Carolina Cobras when they played at the RBC center in Raleigh? Fear not, indoor football fan. The Raleigh Rebels are here for you.

The Rebels’ first full season in the AIFL has been a good one, too. They’re 6-2 right now, just a game behind the first-place Rome Renegades in the South Division, and they have a big game Thursday night against the defending AIFL champion Richmond Bandits, who are also 6-2. Kickoff is at 7:00 PM in Dorton Arena, that historic taco-shaped cow palace on the NC State Fairgrounds.

If you live here in the Triangle and can’t get up for a Rebels-Bandits game, then there’s just no helping you.

If you don’t live here in Triangle, though, there are a couple of NIFL teams near you that are worth seeing. The Fayetteville Guard is 5-0 to start the season, and unlike the Rebels, they actually update their web site with scores from this season’s games. The Guard plays its home games at Cumberland County Crown Coliseum, and its next home game is Saturday, May 13, against the Cincinnati Marshalls.

If you live in the Triad, though, check out the inaugural season of the Greensboro Revolution. They just broke a 3-game skid with a win against the Charleston Sandsharks last week, and they return home on Saturday, May 6, for a matchup against the Montgomery Maulers. Oh, and be nice to the Revolution Cheerleaders, because one of those girls is obviously on The Cream and The Clear, and if you disrespect her squad, she will beat you down like a laptop user at a Westwood Denny’s.

You know what? I’m tired of talking about the NFL Draft.

Until our favorite teams start making actual draft picks on Saturday, everything that isn’t an actual deal is just speculation and heresay. Besides, how important is getting drafted really? Take a look at this list of undrafted NFL players. Jake Delhomme is on that list. So are Priest Holmes, Rod Smith, Kurt Warner, Adam Vinatieri, Antonio Gates and a certain Super Bowl record-holder named… wait for it… Willie Parker.

Meanwhile, football games are taking place all around us while we aren’t looking. Players are gathering every week in arenas big and small — and, sadly, often half-empty — to do battle on abbreviated fields in the hopes that they can advance their careers or perhaps just recapture some of those old glories from their high school and college days. These guys deserve a little attention, too. Yesterday, Deadspin showed some love for Arena Football’s minor league, AF2. Other leagues deserve some love as well.

Therefore, I’ve decided to spend the next few days showcasing indoor football, both here in North Carolina and around the country. Let everyone else go nuts about that shady rental house Reggie Bush’s family moved out of. I want to talk about some football leagues that are actually playing games this week.

Did you know, for example, that in addition to the AFL and AF2, there are three, count ‘em, three indoor football leagues in season right now?

There’s the National Indoor Football League, which was created in 2000 by joining two separate leagues, and it merged with a third league in 2005. It’s now 27 teams strong and stretches from Palm Beach, FL, to Kennewick, WA, home of the Indoor Bowl V champion Tri-Cities Fever.

However, the NIFL also spawned a breakaway league, United Indoor Football, which was born in 2004 and is now in its second season. The best-known team in UIF is probably the Ohio Valley Greyhounds, which is famous for being sold in an eBay auction last November. It’s the Sioux Falls Storm, however, that won the inaugural United Bowl, beating their interstate rivals, the Sioux City Bandits, 42-37. I’m sure there’s no love lost between the Storm and the Bandits this year.

Meanwhile, the American Indoor Football League, which began life as the Atlantic Indoor Football League, is now in its second season and features 15 teams. It was supposed to be 16, but the Carolina Ghostriders, who were supposed to play in Asheville, NC, folded its tent four games into the season. The Ghostriders career record was 0-14, making it the second pro football franchise in the state to be dissolved having never won a game. (Can you guess the first? Post a comment with your answer.) A traveling team still exists called the Ghostchasers, but they’re living up to the old team’s name and legacy so far.

See? There’s plenty of football to go around, and it doesn’t involve sitting at home and playing Madden all night. There are guys out there playing professional football right now who aren’t playing for seven-figure salaries and face time on ESPN. They just love the game of football, and a few of them may even have the same NFL dreams as Reggie Bush and Vince Young. Why not find a team near you and show ‘em some love this weekend? It’ll be cheaper than going to see The Benchwarmers on a Friday night, not to mention more entertaining. Plus, you can’t buy a beer at the movie house.

Deadspin just posted it here. If you actually play this, you’ll be passed out before LenDale White’s name is called.

The Ron Mexico lawsuit isn’t going to trial. The woman who sued the Falcons QB for giving her herpes has settled out of court.

Great. Now I have to spend all morning talking Will Leitch off the ledge. This may involve more beer than Kevin Rose and Alex Albrecht drink in an average episode of Diggnation. I better check my credit limit first…

So I’m participating in a mock draft over at ChicagoSportsBlogs.com. Perry gathered up bloggers for every team that has a first round pick, and he’s got them making picks as if they’re the GMs for their teams. I’m playing the role of Carolina Panthers GM Marty Hurney. I’ll try to be more awkward than usual in person…

Several picks in this mock draft befuddle me. Picks 1-8 make enough sense, but the Lions taking Iowa LB Chad Greenway seems like a bit of a reach, especially with USC OT Winston Justice still on the board. I also disagree with the Broncos’ pick of Boston College DE Mathias Kiwanuka at #15. Denver’s taking a receiver there, period.

Personally, I wanted to take LenDale White, but he went off the board at #21 to the New England Patriots. That’s not a terribly surprising pick, given than Corey Dillon is wearing down, but speculation is that the Pats need more help at the cornerback position right now and will look for a decent running back in a later round.

So there are lots of directions I could go with this pick. With Ricky the Luddite signing an offer sheet with the Bears and Marlon McCree leaving for San Diego, depth in the secondary is an issue. Lots of great defensive backs are still on the board, too — Tye Hill from Clemson, Kelly Jennings from Miami, Jason Allen from Tennessee, Donte Whitner from Ohio State, and Darnell Bing from USC. (With all those guys on the board, you’d think the Pats blogger would have taken one of them.)

Depth at linebacker isn’t as much of an issue for the Panthers after signing some free agents, but Demeco Ryans from Alabama is still on the board. There’s a need for a tight end with better hands, too, but only one tight end — Vernon Davis — has been taken so far, so there’s a good bet that several quality tight ends will be available in the next round.

In the end, though, the need for another high-quality running back wins, especially given one name still sitting improbably on this board right now. So, with the 27th pick in the 2006 NFL mock draft, Dave’s Football Blog, acting as the Carolina Panthers, selects…

DeAngelo Williams, RB, Memphis.

It was a tough choice between Williams and Whitner, but if any team understands how important depth at running back is, it’s the Carolina Panthers. In 2004, Stephen Davis, DeShaun Foster, Rod Smart and two or three other running backs not named Nick Goings ended up on Injured Reserve. Last season, Davis lost his first step for good, and rookie Eric Shelton ended up on IR after a horrid preseason. Then in the playoffs, DeShaun Foster’s ankle was rolled in Chicago, and Nick Goings suffered a concussion in Seattle. Jamal Robertson was all that was left, and he wasn’t going anywhere by that point.

At first glance, Williams seems a little small (5′10″, 217 lbs.) to be John Fox’s ideal running back. He has a lot of mileage on him from his college career and doesn’t have the kind of breakaway speed and cutback ability that a healthy Foster has. The numbers, however, don’t lie. Williams rushed for 1959 yards and 18 touchdowns on 309 carries last season, an average of 6.3 yards per carry and 178 yards per game. That includes 233 yards and 3 TDs on 30 carries in the Motor City Bowl. He also had zero fumbles in his entire college career. His scouting report touts his balance, his instincts as a north-south rusher and his ability to break tackles.

I still think LenDale White is more likely to be available at this point than DeAngelo Williams. If Williams is available here, however, I see no reason why the Panthers should pass him up, even with Donte Whitner and Demeco Ryans still on the board. (Those two probably won’t be available in the real draft.) Foster is fragile, Shelton is unproven, and Goings will only take you so far. Williams is a proven commodity that could step in and help Carolina right away. That’s why I’ve chosen him in the mock draft.

So there. Now can we get on with the real draft, please?