On Monday, the Portland Thunder finalized their roster in preparation for Opening Day on March 17th against the San Jose Sabercats. There are a lot of advantages to the roster that the Thunder have put together. There is a lot of youth; with a single step on the practice field, you can feel the enthusiasm. However, there is one aspect in which the Thunder are certainly a little light: previous Arena Football experience.
As we’ve covered in the first edition of Forging Thunder, the Thunder have no Arena Football League experience at the quarterback level. This is actually quite common for the Thunder. The majority of the team will be entering their first campaign in the AFL, including head coach Matthew Sauk who will be a head coach for the first time in the AFL, although he has been an assistant in the past.
This means that the Thunder will be turning to the veterans they do have and look to them even more for leadership. This appears to be something that the Thunder are aware of. On March 5th, just five days before training camp would end, the team traded for Samora Goodson from the New Orleans VooDoo. Goodson has had three years of experience in the AFL, including leading the San Jose Sabercats in receiving in 2012.
While Goodson may yet carve out a leadership role as the season progresses, early leaders have been found in training camp. On the defensive side of the ball, the team may turn to AFL (and NFL practice squad) veteran defensive back Eric Crocker. He played for the San Antonio Talons in 2012 before being a member of the New York Jets practice squad in 2013. The defensive backs form one of the most experienced units on the Thunder.
I spoke to Crocker on Media Day and he talked about the leadership role that the group is taking.
“We’re just coaching the younger guys up. I mean they’re good. They’re catching on a lot faster than I did my rookie year.”
Of course, Crocker isn’t alone on the defensive side of the ball with AFL experience. The most experienced players on the team are defensive backs Dwight McLean and Patrick Stoudamire; they each bring three years of experience to the table. On the defensive line, Antron Dillon brings two years of experience with the Arizona Rattlers.
The defense was looking fast and effective in training camp scrimmages so the veteran leadership appears to be helping.
On offense, while the quarterbacks are inexperienced in the AFL, there are a couple veterans to turn to besides Goodson, most of which are on the wide receiving corps. Besides Goodson, Duane Brooks and Douglas McNeil III bring previous experience. In addition, Davon Allen adds some AFL experience, coming off of 4 games in the 2013 season.
That about sums up the veteran experience of the Thunder. For all their advantages, the relative inexperience of the Thunder in the arena is something to consider. This may place added importance on the handful of veterans as they look to guide their team through a successful inaugural season.
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