Post by Banana Cat on Jan 31, 2012 8:22:48 GMT -5
www.sedaliademocrat.com/sports/new-40605-outlaws-ready.html
New-look Outlaws ready for beefed-up APFL
January 30, 2012
By Seth Stringer / Sedalia Democrat
It’s been a busy offseason for the American Professional League, which celebrated its 10th anniversary by expanding its reach to eight teams with the inclusion of the Oklahoma Defenders, Colorado Lightning and Cheyenne Warriors this offseason.
But that hasn’t been the only change. The league regular season has expanded to 12 games, the Iowa Blackhawks are now the Council Bluffs Express, and the Mid-Missouri Outlaws ... well, they’re no longer the Outlaws of old.
No, their name hasn’t changed, nor has the State Fair venue they call home.
So what’s different?
If you ask co-owner Chad Jackson, who brought the team to Sedalia in 2007 alongside former co-owner Travis Jobe, the differences between this year’s and last year’s team are night and day. Alongside current co-owner Ethan Henson, Jackson and the Outlaws have altered their business structure in order to adapt to the professional indoor football setting.
How so?
First off, after surpassing the number of losses accrued in its first four seasons — when they went 42-6 — with a 5-7 campaign last year, the Outlaws decided they couldn’t compete with the Express and Sioux City Bandits without doling out the paychecks.
“We lost more games last year than we did in probably the first five years, so we had to make some tough decisions on how we wanted our organization to move forward,” said Jackson, whose Outlaws failed to make a title game for the first time since they started in 2007. “One of the things we decided we had to have players that were more dedicated who showed up to practice, because last year we practiced less than any team in the league.
“In that line of thinking, we decided we had to pay our players and that would give them a little more dedication.”
In the past, Outlaws players were compensated with free meals, travel, equipment and minor activities associated with the team. But configuring with league rules, which mandate that no player can make more than $75 per game or more than $200 in a week for games and outside duties associated with the marketing of the team, players will make at least $25 per game.
“We’re already a household name in the Midwest for our successes on the football field, but this definitely makes it easier to bring in better athletes,” Jackson said.
And that reasoning rang true based Jan. 16 at the Mathewson Exhibition Center, the sight of the Outlaws’ first tryout.
A record turnout of 50 athletes showed up with 43 making the initial cut. That group includes 12 defensive backs, seven wideouts, six defensive linemen, eight offensive linemen and three quarterbacks.
“We’ve got 12 defensive backs and all of them are good enough to play, but we can only play four,” Jackson said with a chuckle, realizing he’s never witnessed such depth on his team.
“With each position, we have a lot of decisions like that that need to be made, but that’s a good problem to have.”
Included in that mix are Outlaws legends Marcus James and Kyle Middleton, the latter of which will have some room to roam if he recaptures his helm as quarterback for the fifth straight year.
“What’s exciting this year is we went out and signed two O-lineman, the Brimer brothers (Seth and Micah), both of who were four-year letter winners and all-conference at Central Methodist University,” Jackson said. “They’re both 6-foot-6 from 340 to 360 pounds, so we’ve got some size on the line that’s going to protect Kyle. As (fans) saw, Kyle had to run for his life last year so once these guys became available, we went out and signed them.”
With the Brimer brothers alongside 325-pounder Tony Vaka, who’s shifting to the center spot, Middleton echoes Jackson’s enthusiasm.
“I’m going to feel very comfortable in the pocket this year,” said the Smith-Cotton graduate, who now teaches and coaches girls basketball at Tuscumbia. “Being protected by three terrific linemen, our offense has the size to do things we haven’t been able to do in the past.”
Other noteworthy additions include Derrick Doerfler, a four-time All-American kicker for Baker University in Baldwin City, Kan., and Mark Moore Jr., a former standout wideout for MidAmerica Nazarene University.
Of course, with marquee players comes a stronger focus on ensuring healthy habits, which Jackson and Henson have addressed by teaming up with Brian’s Gym and its general manager/trainer Kristin Rambo, along with working with chiropractic physician Dr. Michael Perusich, Bothwell Regional Health Center and Mike Trammell at Peak Performance Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine.
“Chad and Ethan got us going in the right direction with a great strength and conditioning coach who’ll get us into shape and more importantly, game shape,” Middleton said. “I know last year I wasn’t in the shape I needed to be in, but this year with the way practices are set up, we’re going to fare well.”
Fittingly, all the resources, along with the marquee players, have come at a cost. But it won’t affect the fan’s pocketbooks too much.
Single-game tickets, which used to cost $5 a piece, will jump to $8. But the season-ticket package, which includes seven home games, can be purchased for $35 (or $50 with the inclusion of an Outlaws T-shirt), which factors out to the old per-game price of $5.
“It’s still cheap,” said Jackson, who acknowledged that tickets of other teams in the APFL bottom out at around $10 and can rise into the triple digits. “To get to the next level, we had to bump it up a bit to foster the professional environment we’re providing.”
After all the recruiting and organizational changes — which include the addition of Kirk Brazil as defensive coordinator, Kent Gwaltney as offensive line and defensive line coach and Jason Tallo as defensive backs coach — he believes that the Outlaws will once again be worth the price of admission.
“With the cast of players we have this year, our goal is to make the playoffs and advance to the championship game,” Jackson said. “After looking at the schedule, there’s no reason we don’t get back there again.”
The schedule includes home and road matchups with the Defenders, Lightning, Warriors, Springfield WolfPack and Kansas Koyotes, home matchups against the defending-champion Bandits and the Junction City Force, a nonleague opponent who has won the Central Plains Football League two years in a row, and a road matchup at archrival Council Bluffs.
Added up, the 13-game slate — which will start on the road March 24 against the WolfPack and could reach up to 15 games if the Outlaws finish the APFL schedule in the top four to make the playoffs — will be the most regular-season games the Outlaws have played in their five-year history. But for fans unable to get out for the games on Saturdays, Jackson says they can expect to see the players doing their fair share in the community.
“We stressed to the players when they came in that they have to be active in the community, they have to get out there and talk to kids and be visible in the school system,” Jackson said. “We want Sedalia to know our faces. We want to see our flags flying in store fronts. We want to be Sedalia’s team.”
January 30, 2012
By Seth Stringer / Sedalia Democrat
It’s been a busy offseason for the American Professional League, which celebrated its 10th anniversary by expanding its reach to eight teams with the inclusion of the Oklahoma Defenders, Colorado Lightning and Cheyenne Warriors this offseason.
But that hasn’t been the only change. The league regular season has expanded to 12 games, the Iowa Blackhawks are now the Council Bluffs Express, and the Mid-Missouri Outlaws ... well, they’re no longer the Outlaws of old.
No, their name hasn’t changed, nor has the State Fair venue they call home.
So what’s different?
If you ask co-owner Chad Jackson, who brought the team to Sedalia in 2007 alongside former co-owner Travis Jobe, the differences between this year’s and last year’s team are night and day. Alongside current co-owner Ethan Henson, Jackson and the Outlaws have altered their business structure in order to adapt to the professional indoor football setting.
How so?
First off, after surpassing the number of losses accrued in its first four seasons — when they went 42-6 — with a 5-7 campaign last year, the Outlaws decided they couldn’t compete with the Express and Sioux City Bandits without doling out the paychecks.
“We lost more games last year than we did in probably the first five years, so we had to make some tough decisions on how we wanted our organization to move forward,” said Jackson, whose Outlaws failed to make a title game for the first time since they started in 2007. “One of the things we decided we had to have players that were more dedicated who showed up to practice, because last year we practiced less than any team in the league.
“In that line of thinking, we decided we had to pay our players and that would give them a little more dedication.”
In the past, Outlaws players were compensated with free meals, travel, equipment and minor activities associated with the team. But configuring with league rules, which mandate that no player can make more than $75 per game or more than $200 in a week for games and outside duties associated with the marketing of the team, players will make at least $25 per game.
“We’re already a household name in the Midwest for our successes on the football field, but this definitely makes it easier to bring in better athletes,” Jackson said.
And that reasoning rang true based Jan. 16 at the Mathewson Exhibition Center, the sight of the Outlaws’ first tryout.
A record turnout of 50 athletes showed up with 43 making the initial cut. That group includes 12 defensive backs, seven wideouts, six defensive linemen, eight offensive linemen and three quarterbacks.
“We’ve got 12 defensive backs and all of them are good enough to play, but we can only play four,” Jackson said with a chuckle, realizing he’s never witnessed such depth on his team.
“With each position, we have a lot of decisions like that that need to be made, but that’s a good problem to have.”
Included in that mix are Outlaws legends Marcus James and Kyle Middleton, the latter of which will have some room to roam if he recaptures his helm as quarterback for the fifth straight year.
“What’s exciting this year is we went out and signed two O-lineman, the Brimer brothers (Seth and Micah), both of who were four-year letter winners and all-conference at Central Methodist University,” Jackson said. “They’re both 6-foot-6 from 340 to 360 pounds, so we’ve got some size on the line that’s going to protect Kyle. As (fans) saw, Kyle had to run for his life last year so once these guys became available, we went out and signed them.”
With the Brimer brothers alongside 325-pounder Tony Vaka, who’s shifting to the center spot, Middleton echoes Jackson’s enthusiasm.
“I’m going to feel very comfortable in the pocket this year,” said the Smith-Cotton graduate, who now teaches and coaches girls basketball at Tuscumbia. “Being protected by three terrific linemen, our offense has the size to do things we haven’t been able to do in the past.”
Other noteworthy additions include Derrick Doerfler, a four-time All-American kicker for Baker University in Baldwin City, Kan., and Mark Moore Jr., a former standout wideout for MidAmerica Nazarene University.
Of course, with marquee players comes a stronger focus on ensuring healthy habits, which Jackson and Henson have addressed by teaming up with Brian’s Gym and its general manager/trainer Kristin Rambo, along with working with chiropractic physician Dr. Michael Perusich, Bothwell Regional Health Center and Mike Trammell at Peak Performance Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine.
“Chad and Ethan got us going in the right direction with a great strength and conditioning coach who’ll get us into shape and more importantly, game shape,” Middleton said. “I know last year I wasn’t in the shape I needed to be in, but this year with the way practices are set up, we’re going to fare well.”
Fittingly, all the resources, along with the marquee players, have come at a cost. But it won’t affect the fan’s pocketbooks too much.
Single-game tickets, which used to cost $5 a piece, will jump to $8. But the season-ticket package, which includes seven home games, can be purchased for $35 (or $50 with the inclusion of an Outlaws T-shirt), which factors out to the old per-game price of $5.
“It’s still cheap,” said Jackson, who acknowledged that tickets of other teams in the APFL bottom out at around $10 and can rise into the triple digits. “To get to the next level, we had to bump it up a bit to foster the professional environment we’re providing.”
After all the recruiting and organizational changes — which include the addition of Kirk Brazil as defensive coordinator, Kent Gwaltney as offensive line and defensive line coach and Jason Tallo as defensive backs coach — he believes that the Outlaws will once again be worth the price of admission.
“With the cast of players we have this year, our goal is to make the playoffs and advance to the championship game,” Jackson said. “After looking at the schedule, there’s no reason we don’t get back there again.”
The schedule includes home and road matchups with the Defenders, Lightning, Warriors, Springfield WolfPack and Kansas Koyotes, home matchups against the defending-champion Bandits and the Junction City Force, a nonleague opponent who has won the Central Plains Football League two years in a row, and a road matchup at archrival Council Bluffs.
Added up, the 13-game slate — which will start on the road March 24 against the WolfPack and could reach up to 15 games if the Outlaws finish the APFL schedule in the top four to make the playoffs — will be the most regular-season games the Outlaws have played in their five-year history. But for fans unable to get out for the games on Saturdays, Jackson says they can expect to see the players doing their fair share in the community.
“We stressed to the players when they came in that they have to be active in the community, they have to get out there and talk to kids and be visible in the school system,” Jackson said. “We want Sedalia to know our faces. We want to see our flags flying in store fronts. We want to be Sedalia’s team.”