New EA Sports jinx?

[FBPro]

http://www.easports.com/afl/news.jsp?id=cover

[JeeberD]

What am I supposed to be seeing there, aside from a picture of Arena Football players?

[Vince]

He's correlating the 'Madden Jinx' to players on the cover of the Pro Game, to the new Arena Football Video Game.

[JeeberD]

Yeah...but what does that pic have to do with a jinx? Was it taken in the Superdome or something?

[Pumpy Tudors]

John Dutton's an excellent choice for the cover. Maybe we'll get Aaron Bailey on next year's game (if they even do a game next year).

I can't wait for this game to come out in a couple of months. I love Arena Football, and even though my VooDoo will probably not be in the game, I'll play as Kansas City and go from there. It doesn't look like the game will have a franchise mode, though, so the replay value will probably be nil.

[kcchief19]

Pumpy, what can you tell me about the VooDoo? Quite a few of their players including the QB are going to be on the Kansas City Brigade. I think this city is going to get real excited about the team. They unveiled the uniforms and helmet today during an event. I'm planning on checking out a game this season.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Pumpy, what can you tell me about the VooDoo? Quite a few of their players including the QB are going to be on the Kansas City Brigade. I think this city is going to get real excited about the team. They unveiled the uniforms and helmet today during an event. I'm planning on checking out a game this season.As I type this sentence, I have not seen the complete list of former VooDoo players who are with the Brigade. I will check it out and then type in another paragraph.

[checks the roster]

The VooDoo won with defense in 2004. Last year, the defense took a few steps back, but the offense improved because they got a better quarterback. Andy Kelly is an AFL legend, and he was a big upgrade over the guy we had. The VooDoo's best offensive player, Aaron Bailey (former Indianapolis Colt and New York Jet), isn't with Kansas City, so that might hurt Kelly's numbers. If Kansas City is going to compete, the defense will need to return to its old ways. After looking at the roster, I think that's possible.

OK, now I'm about to tell you way more than you wanted to know, I'm sure. The following former VooDoo players are listed on the team's website as being part of the team, so I'll tell you a little bit about each one of them. In the VooDoo's two years in the league, I only missed two or three home games, so after having watched 16 or 17 live games (including one playoff game), I know many of the players pretty well.

Andy Kelly, QB: Leading passer in AFL history. Played with the VooDoo in 2005 only. Very accurate passer, but he has a tendency to zone in on one receiver each game. Evidently, it's worked for him in the past, but I think he needs to spread the ball around a bit more.

B.J. Cohen, OL/DL: A monster. He's a candidate for Ironman of the Year practically every year. He's a great pass rusher and he has pretty good hands, although the tight end doesn't get many opportunities in the Arena game.

Calvin Coleman, Defensive Specialist: Came on strong toward the end of last year. It took a while for the VooDoo's coach to figure out how to use him, but after that, he really stepped in and played well. Doesn't get into bad position very often when he's in coverage.

Aaron Hamilton, OL/DL: Much better as a blocker than he is as a tackler. Hustles on special teams.

James Jordan, WR/LB: Never could get into a groove with New Orleans. Probably makes a better linebacker than a receiver, but I won't be surprised if he doesn't make the Kansas City team. He's just not good enough on the offensive side of the ball, and he's too big to be a DS (defensive specialist).

Brook Miller, OL/DL: As good on the offensive line as Hamilton, but he brings defense to the table, too. Also hustles on special teams. Doesn't get as much press around the AFL as Cohen, but it's because he rarely catches passes and doesn't rack up the sacks. He still does a great job.

Dawan Moss: FB/LB: The VooDoo got really banged up at fullback last year, and Moss was basically a fill-in. Not great handling the football, but he's a decent linebacker. Not sure if he's good enough to make the team.

Denario Smalls, Defensive Specialist: True to his name, he's a small guy, but he played very big in the secondary last year. Former 49er Monty Montgomery was the star of the VooDoo defense in 2004, but Monty got too big for his britches and ended up getting run out of town. Smalls took over for him and ended up playing very well. If you try to do too much on defense in the AFL, you're setting yourself up for failure. Denario never did that. In the second half of 2005, he was really the VooDoo's best defensive player.

Calvin Spears, WR/DB: Spent much of 2004 and the early part of 2005 as a DS, but due to injuries at receiver, he was forced into a WR role. He showed that he has good hands, but he needs to learn how to run a route. He doesn't have any speed either. He's a good third receiver, though, so he'll have a place on this team. He just won't be active every week.

Dan Curran, FB/LB: Didn't play at all in 2005, and I don't know why. He was practically a poster boy for the VooDoo in 2004. He led the entire league in rushing that year. The Saints gave him a chance in preseason 2004, but they cut him and, as far as I know, he hasn't played since. He's obviously good with the football, but his defense is merely average. The one-year layoff may hurt him.

Chris Pointer, Defensive Specialist: He looked good in 2004, but after Monty Montgomery got cut in 2005, Pointer's weaknesses showed. Unlike Denario Smalls, Pointer always tries to do too much. He drops interceptions like they're hot potatoes. He had about 10 interceptions in his hands in 2004 and dropped every single one. He finally kept his hands on one in 2005, and while it got the monkey off his back, it didn't help his play. He gets beaten way too much, and he often forgets which man he's supposed to cover. He makes a lot of tackles, though, and that's going to keep him looking like a good player. He's going to hurt you more often than he helps you, though, unless he starts putting adhesive on his fingers.

Abdul-Salam Noah, OL/DL: Got some playing time in New Orleans, but he never stood out. Pretty insignificant on the offensive side of the ball. Doesn't hurt you on defense. Not sure if he's good enough to make the Brigade.

Michael Landry, OL/DL: This guy has a lot of potential. Never really made a big impression in New Orleans, but he always showed flashes of brilliance on defense. If he can impress the coaching staff, he and B.J. Cohen could make a great two-man pass rush, which is a luxury that not many AFL teams have.

Tremaine Neal, WR/LB: Second-best linebacker in VooDoo history (behind Thabiti Davis, who is not in KC) in my opinion, but injuries kept his playing time down. Pretty worthless as a receiver, but his defense makes up for it. If he's healthy, he'll help stop the short passing game because of his hustle. Unfortunately, on offense, he's just going to give Andy Kelly one more reason to focus in on one receiver, because Neal doesn't have AFL-caliber offensive skills.

Lamont Moore, WR/LB: My favorite VooDoo player. He doesn't do anything spectacular, and he wasn't even the best player on the team. He's just one of those guys who plays like he really loves being out there. In 2004, offense was his strength. He's a pretty big guy, and speed isn't his thing, but he can make a catch for you when you need it. In 2005, he learned to play some defense. He went from being an average linebacker to a pretty good one last year. It seems like he doesn't always remember the rules of playing linebacker (he was responsible for a few illegal defense penalties), but he's got a lot of hustle and knocks a lot of passes down. I told him that he was my favorite player once, and he looked genuinely shocked. Somehow, I don't think a lot of fans said that to him. I have two VooDoo caps and one football, and he's the only player I asked to autograph those things. I really hope he does well in Kansas City.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Err, sorry if that was way too much information. I typed out a lot more than I thought I would. I just really, really, really miss having an Arena team nearby. :(

[Raven]

Pumpy, do you buy every PlayStation sports game made?

It seems like every thread I read, you say "I can't wait to get this game".

[Pumpy Tudors]

Pumpy, do you buy every PlayStation sports game made?

It seems like every thread I read, you say "I can't wait to get this game".
Nah, I think you're just reading the right threads. :)

[wade moore]

Pumpy:

Not sure how much you follow other teams, but I thought I'd pose this question here just in case...

I've been TRYING to get into AFL, but it is so hard with no team nearby... but one of the main reasons I've really started to take interest is some former W&M Players that I've watched are trying out (and one having amazing success)...

Have you by chance heard anything about DROY Billy Parker and whether he was re-signed by New York? And I know LB Marques Bobo and QB Lang Campbell were trying out for teams.. any idea where I could find out there status?

[Pumpy Tudors]

Pumpy:

Not sure how much you follow other teams, but I thought I'd pose this question here just in case...

I've been TRYING to get into AFL, but it is so hard with no team nearby... but one of the main reasons I've really started to take interest is some former W&M Players that I've watched are trying out (and one having amazing success)...

Have you by chance heard anything about DROY Billy Parker and whether he was re-signed by New York? And I know LB Marques Bobo and QB Lang Campbell were trying out for teams.. any idea where I could find out there status?
Unfortunately, most of my AFL knowledge involves the Southern Division because that's where the VooDoo played. I didn't get to see the Dragons play much at all, so outside of Dragons QB Aaron Garcia, I don't know anything about them. According to arenafan.com, the Dragons signed Bobo as a defensive specialist back in October. They probably won't be making any roster changes until after Christmas, so there's no telling if he'll make the team or not. Also, Billy Parker is on the "exempt/other league" list at the moment because (according to newyorkdragons.com) he's on the Carolina Panthers practice squad. I think that it's unlikely that he will return to the Dragons, but they still hold his AFL rights. I don't know anything about Lang Campbell's status.

It is hard to stay involved as an AFL fan when there's no team nearby. The closest team to me now is in Columbus, and they're horrible. It will be hard to follow all of my favorite former VooDoo players from here, but I'll do what I can. The message boards at arenafootball.com are actually pretty active during the season, but if you don't really have an allegiance to a team or even to a division, it's kind of hard to stay interested in the boards.

Anyway, arenafootball.com is the major source for AFL information, but arenafan.com is good, too, especially if you're looking for any statistics. Now that I'm no longer near an AFL team, I guess I'll have a bit more reason to follow the entire league. I have a feeling that I'll get bombarded with Philadelphia information up here, but I'll do what I can. :)