Fans of arena football can rejoice: the sport is returning next spring after a one-year absence. The Chicago Rush will also return and will play all their games at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, IL.
The team will operate under new ownership, Chicago Gridiron, LLC, a group of Chicago-based investors. Mike Hohensee will also return as the head coach, and Ken Valdiserri, who previously worked in the front office for the Chicago Bears and the Chicago White Sox, will act as team president.
The league begins play in April 2010, but no schedule has been announced yet. For details and ticket information, visit the team’s new Web site, www.arenarush.com.
Showing posts with label Arena football. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Arena football. Show all posts
Friday, December 11, 2009
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Bears Offensive Forecast for 2008: Foggy and Uncertain
I certainly hope the Bears know what they are doing. Based on the moves they’ve made so far this off season, I really wonder what direction this team is heading.
The receiving core took a big hit recently. After releasing veteran receiver Muhsin Muhammad, who was picked up by his former team Carolina Panthers, Bernard Berrian became a free agent and signed with the NFC North rival Minnesota Vikings (Ouch – that hurts!).
While signing Marty Booker and Brandon Lloyd helps, their signings may be knee-jerk reactions to the departures of Muhammad and Berrian rather than any clear-headed strategic planning on the Bears’ part. They had to act, and act fast.
Now, Huddle Up is reporting that the Bears could also lose Rashied Davis, a restricted free agent who is getting some serious looks from Buffalo, Seattle and Kansas City. The Bears offered Davis $927,000, but they have until April 18 to match any offer from another team. If Davis does sign elsewhere, the Bears will not be compensated in return because Davis came to the team in 2005 from the Arena Football League.
The Bears haven’t done much to improve their quarterback situation either, re-signing Rex Grossman for one more season and extending Kyle Orton’s contract for another year through 2009. The two QBs will fight it out during the pre-season to see who will be the regular season starter. The Bears also traded Brian Griese to Tampa Bay for a fourth round pick in the 2009 draft. The team will likely draft a quarterback next month, a prospect that will take several years to develop.
The look and feel of this offense at this point in the year doesn’t make me feel comfortable about the prospects for the 2008 season. I still think Grossman will start next season (he has more talent and a stronger arm) but his shaky confidence and frequent injuries have cut produced inconsistent results on the field. The short-term deal for Grossman underlines that fact that there wasn’t much talent available in the free agent or trade market that was any better than what the Bears currently have. It does buy the Bears time in reassessing the talent that might become available on the market during the 2008 season. My overall outlook for the Bears next season is foggy and uncertain. There are still too many questions and not enough answers.
And the Bears haven’t even begun to address the offensive line and running back positions.
The receiving core took a big hit recently. After releasing veteran receiver Muhsin Muhammad, who was picked up by his former team Carolina Panthers, Bernard Berrian became a free agent and signed with the NFC North rival Minnesota Vikings (Ouch – that hurts!).
While signing Marty Booker and Brandon Lloyd helps, their signings may be knee-jerk reactions to the departures of Muhammad and Berrian rather than any clear-headed strategic planning on the Bears’ part. They had to act, and act fast.
Now, Huddle Up is reporting that the Bears could also lose Rashied Davis, a restricted free agent who is getting some serious looks from Buffalo, Seattle and Kansas City. The Bears offered Davis $927,000, but they have until April 18 to match any offer from another team. If Davis does sign elsewhere, the Bears will not be compensated in return because Davis came to the team in 2005 from the Arena Football League.
The Bears haven’t done much to improve their quarterback situation either, re-signing Rex Grossman for one more season and extending Kyle Orton’s contract for another year through 2009. The two QBs will fight it out during the pre-season to see who will be the regular season starter. The Bears also traded Brian Griese to Tampa Bay for a fourth round pick in the 2009 draft. The team will likely draft a quarterback next month, a prospect that will take several years to develop.
The look and feel of this offense at this point in the year doesn’t make me feel comfortable about the prospects for the 2008 season. I still think Grossman will start next season (he has more talent and a stronger arm) but his shaky confidence and frequent injuries have cut produced inconsistent results on the field. The short-term deal for Grossman underlines that fact that there wasn’t much talent available in the free agent or trade market that was any better than what the Bears currently have. It does buy the Bears time in reassessing the talent that might become available on the market during the 2008 season. My overall outlook for the Bears next season is foggy and uncertain. There are still too many questions and not enough answers.
And the Bears haven’t even begun to address the offensive line and running back positions.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Grossman-Berrian Connection Must Stay in Tact
The Bears re-signed QB Rex Grossman to a one-year deal worth $3 million plus incentives on Saturday, which is good news or bad news depending on whether you’re a Grossman supporter or not. The good news is the Bears have not given up completely on Grossman. But a short-term deal only says the much-maligned QB must play with greater consistency if he wants to stay beyond next season. The bad news is that fans have to put up with this story line for yet another year.
But even though Grossman is signed, it means nothing if the Bears don’t re-sign wide receiver Bernard Berrian, who is also a free agent. Together, Grossman and Berrian make up one of the most electric pass play combinations in the NFL. The team needs to have both in the fold if they are going to see any kind of success in the passing game next year.
But even though Grossman is signed, it means nothing if the Bears don’t re-sign wide receiver Bernard Berrian, who is also a free agent. Together, Grossman and Berrian make up one of the most electric pass play combinations in the NFL. The team needs to have both in the fold if they are going to see any kind of success in the passing game next year.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Bears Release Tank Johnson
Chicago Bears’ released defensive tackle Tank Johnson on Monday following his arrest in Arizona last week for speeding and suspicion of drunk driving. The arrest proved to be the final straw for the Bears who have given the beleaguered Johnson the benefit of the doubt since he started having off-field problems and run-ins with the law two years ago.
* In 2005, Johnson was arrested and pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge for possession of a handgun.
* Last December when police raided his suburban Chicago home, they found six unregistered guns, which was a violation of his 2005 arrest.
* In March, he served 60 days in jail for violating his probation on the weapons charge.
* Earlier this month, the NFL suspended Johnson eight games for the upcoming season for violating its personal conduct policy.
When Johnson was released from jail in May, he claimed he had turned a corner in his personal life and was going to do everything he could to be a model NFL player and citizen. “We are upset and embarrassed by Tank’s actions last week,” Bears’ GM Jerry Angelo said in a statement released by the team. “He compromised the credibility of our organization. We made it clear to him that he had no room for error.”
Some athletes never learn.
* In 2005, Johnson was arrested and pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge for possession of a handgun.
* Last December when police raided his suburban Chicago home, they found six unregistered guns, which was a violation of his 2005 arrest.
* In March, he served 60 days in jail for violating his probation on the weapons charge.
* Earlier this month, the NFL suspended Johnson eight games for the upcoming season for violating its personal conduct policy.
When Johnson was released from jail in May, he claimed he had turned a corner in his personal life and was going to do everything he could to be a model NFL player and citizen. “We are upset and embarrassed by Tank’s actions last week,” Bears’ GM Jerry Angelo said in a statement released by the team. “He compromised the credibility of our organization. We made it clear to him that he had no room for error.”
Some athletes never learn.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Broadcast Boot Camp
Have you ever watched a football telecast with a former player doing commentary or analysis for the first time? They twitch nervously on screen while words come stammering out of their mouths like volcanic lava. Most former players making the transition to the broadcast booth have little or no broadcast training. For some former players, it can be more intimidating to face a little red light on top of a TV camera than it is facing a 300-lb. linebacker on the football field.
The NFL has introduced a new program that might change that, reports the New York Times. Known as broadcast boot camp, the program is an intensive three-day off-season seminar in which current and former players go through a series of training sessions led by top executives, producers and on-air personalities on how to analyze films and work more comfortably in front of the TV camera. The program is one of several that the league and the players’ union have introduced to help players transition into life after football.
Former Eagles’ QB Ron Jaworski, now with ESPN, said in the Times article, that he wished there was a broadcast boot camp when he retired from football. “The things these guys are going to learn in three days, I learned in three years,” he said.
It’s a great idea and long overdue, not just for the NFL but also for other major sports. Most athletes love the idea of doing broadcast work but don’t have the proper training to succeed. Some do it anyway without any training, and the result is awful. If more sports leagues provided this kind of training, more athletes would be better prepared to provide lively, insightful and entertaining analysis of sports events that would be worth watching.
The NFL has introduced a new program that might change that, reports the New York Times. Known as broadcast boot camp, the program is an intensive three-day off-season seminar in which current and former players go through a series of training sessions led by top executives, producers and on-air personalities on how to analyze films and work more comfortably in front of the TV camera. The program is one of several that the league and the players’ union have introduced to help players transition into life after football.
Former Eagles’ QB Ron Jaworski, now with ESPN, said in the Times article, that he wished there was a broadcast boot camp when he retired from football. “The things these guys are going to learn in three days, I learned in three years,” he said.
It’s a great idea and long overdue, not just for the NFL but also for other major sports. Most athletes love the idea of doing broadcast work but don’t have the proper training to succeed. Some do it anyway without any training, and the result is awful. If more sports leagues provided this kind of training, more athletes would be better prepared to provide lively, insightful and entertaining analysis of sports events that would be worth watching.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Does The World Need Another Football League?
A group of investors, including Dallas Mavericks’ owner Mark Cuban, is considering the formation of a new football league to begin playing as early as next summer, according to Reuters and the New York Times. Wall Street investor Bill Hambrecht came up with the plan along with Cuban and Google Inc. exec Tim Armstrong. The United Football League would consist of eight teams located in markets that currently do not have teams, such as Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Mexico City. Games would be played on Friday nights, so they would not conflict with NFL games. The new league would compete with the NFL for players drafted below the second round in the NFL draft. Free agents and players who were cut from their NFL teams would make up the remainder of the roster.
“We think there is more demand for pro football than supply,” Cuban was qhoted in the Times. That may be true, but new leagues have formed in the past with little success. I doubt the UFL will get past one or two seasons, if they’re lucky. Besides, what’s wrong with the NFL that we have now? If fans need a football fix when the NFL season ends, they can tune in to the CFL (Canadian football), the AFL league, which plays its games through the spring, and several women’s leagues — the Independent Women’s Football League (IWFL), National Women’s Football Association (NWFA) and the Women’s Professional Football League (WPFL). Okay, so maybe the women’s leagues aren’t exactly in the same, well, league, as the NFL, CFL and AFL, they’re still football. In any case, there seems to be enough football leagues already. Does the world really need another one?
“We think there is more demand for pro football than supply,” Cuban was qhoted in the Times. That may be true, but new leagues have formed in the past with little success. I doubt the UFL will get past one or two seasons, if they’re lucky. Besides, what’s wrong with the NFL that we have now? If fans need a football fix when the NFL season ends, they can tune in to the CFL (Canadian football), the AFL league, which plays its games through the spring, and several women’s leagues — the Independent Women’s Football League (IWFL), National Women’s Football Association (NWFA) and the Women’s Professional Football League (WPFL). Okay, so maybe the women’s leagues aren’t exactly in the same, well, league, as the NFL, CFL and AFL, they’re still football. In any case, there seems to be enough football leagues already. Does the world really need another one?
Friday, December 29, 2006
ESPN Adds Arena Football to Lineup
The ESPN sports broadcasting empire continues to grow. The network has acquired national TV rights to air Arena Football games for the next five seasons beginning in 2007, as well as a minority stake in the 19-team indoor league. ESPN will air 26 games in all — 17 regular-season and nine postseason, and will add a regular Monday night telecast. The network also will have extensive multimedia rights for everything from Internet to radio to publishing to international distribution.
NBC covered the AFL games over the past four seasons, but decided not to renew when the contract expired after the 2006 season.
NBC covered the AFL games over the past four seasons, but decided not to renew when the contract expired after the 2006 season.
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