The Portland Thunder had their franchise debut Monday night, in a 64-34 losing effort to the San Jose Sabercats in the Moda Center. 8,509 people came to the Moda Center to see Portland’s first professional football team since 1985. For the most part, the game had the look that one would expect a 64-34 game to look; but there were several positive moments for the Thunder, and many more learning opportunities for the least experienced team in the league — 16 of the Thunder’s 24 players had never taken an AFL snap before this game.
First and foremost, the uniforms. The Portland Thunder unveiled their home jerseys on March 14 and they were met with a barrage of negative reviews, many including comparisons to Spiderman. I was one of those people who said negative things about the jerseys (the electricity on the sides is horrific), but now that they have been seen in-game I don’t think they are as bad as I originally thought. The black is matte, as are the helmets and pants. The Thunder also have fantastic red socks that I consider the best part of the ensemble. Hopefully they add a red or blue alternative soon. But onto the actual football…
The Thunder started the game with solid rhythm. Darron Thomas was strong in the pocket and completed several passes before running the ball in for the first touchdown in franchise history, on the first possession in franchise history. But the Sabercats were too much for the Thunder. Sabercats quarterback Russ Michna threw three touchdown passes on three of four pass attempts as the Sabercats took a commanding lead that the Thunder could not keep up with.
Despite the hype for the return of Thomas to an Oregon team, the Ducks alum shared snaps with former Idaho quarterback Nathan Enderle, who is also a rookie. Coach Matthew Sauk seemed very confident in Thomas in the preseason, but maybe this quarterback controversy will continue for weeks to come. By the end of the game, Thomas completed 11 of his 27 passes for 73 yards and one touchdown. Enderle completed 10 of his 19 passes for 96 yards. Each quarterback also rushed for a touchdown. The offensive line had a hard time in pass protection and each quarterback was under duress on most of their drop backs.
One big surprise for the Portland Thunder is the ability of receiver Duane Brooks, a second year player out of Stephen F. Austin State University. The 5’10” receiver caught seven catches for 58 yards and two touchdowns. Brooks also is the primary kick returner and he averaged 21.5 yards per return on the 50 yard play field, including a 54 yard return, where he was stopped on the one yard line after taking the ball out of the end zone. Brooks will be a valuable asset to the Thunder going forward.
The Thunder had the defense one would expect for a new team. The pass rush was largely a non-factor during the game and that led to many long passing plays. The Thunder’s defensive highlight was an interception by Bryce Peila late in the third quarter but by that point in the game, the Thunder were down by three touchdowns. The Thunder defense gave up nine touchdowns and 12.5 yards per pass completion. Hopefully the defense will get better as the season progresses and they find more rhythm.
There were also many points during the game when the players would have to ask the coaches to clarify what the plays meant. There were several plays on the television broadcast where receivers were asking the coaches to tell them their running routes instead of the coded plays. Hopefully this will be fixed with more practice, but it was unsettling to see the players not know their plays.
As a general takeaway, the Portland Thunder are a young team that will have to learn a lot before being competitive in the AFL. They drew a short straw in having to play the San Jose Sabercats in their first game; they are one of the league’s better teams. But it is games like this where a young team can learn the most. Hopefully this will translate to wins down the stretch of the season.
The Portland Thunder’s next game will be against the Iowa Barnstormers (0-1) on Monday, March 24 at the Moda Center.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
