Post by Banana Cat on Jun 15, 2012 10:38:01 GMT -5
www.argusleader.com/article/20120615/SPORTS0305/306150032/Center-Storm
Center of the Storm
Position battles have fueled a loaded defensive line to become the ...
Jun 15, 2012
Written by Matt Zimmer
Sioux Falls Stormoffensive defensive linemen Cory Johnsen, Jeremiah Price, Rachman Crable, John Eddy and Shawn Kelly, June 14, 2012 / Elisha Page / Argus Leader
Next: Saturday vs. Omaha Beef (6-7) at the Arena, 7:05 p.m. The first-place Storm (13-0) defeated the Beef 49-37 in Omaha on April 28.
As the dominant team of the Indoor Football League, competition to crack the lineup for the Sioux Falls Storm is predictably fierce.
Running back, receiver, defensive back, linebacker – basically every position outside of the one occupied by perennial MVP quarterback Chris Dixon has enough depth that no starter can feel totally comfortable with their lineup status.
That goes for the defensive line, and the weekly battle to crack the starting lineup has helped make that unit the foundation for a defense that makes Sioux Falls seem that much more unbeatable to IFL opponents.
With a new defensive coordinator in Josh Siegfried and several new faces in the lineup, members of the D-line have strived to become a unit the team could lean on. That and competition to crack the lineup has pushed them to a high level.
The 13-0 Storm allow the fewest points in the league (41.8 per game) and the second fewest yards (213.1).
Since taking over the Storm and turning them into a perennial power, coach Kurtiss Riggs has stressed the importance of the defensive line. With returning veterans Rachman Crable and Cory Johnsen and newcomers Jeremiah Price, Sean Kelly and John Eddy, the team is loaded up front.
“They’ve done a very good job this year,” said Riggs, whose team hosts the Omaha Beef (6-7) on Saturday in the regular-season finale. “They’ve been the catalyst to help us get through some of the struggles we’ve had. We’ve had so many changes in our defensive backfield, but the D-line has held us together by being consistent all year.”
Fearsome front
Crable and Johnsen are veterans of the Storm, with Johnsen second in team history with 29.5 career sacks and Crable ranking third with 27.5 (Nate Fluit is the all-time leader with 62).
Price is an Oklahoma State product acquired in a trade for receiver James Terry (now back with Sioux Falls) after posting 12.5 sacks for the Green Bay Blizzard last year. Kelly is a veteran of the IFL, having previously been named all-IFL first team while with Bloomington.
Those four have been the primary foundation of the group. Price has 62 tackles and five sacks in 2012, while Crable leads the team with 5.5 sacks to go with 49 tackles.
Kelly has four sacks and 32 tackles, and Johnsen has eight tackles and a sack in what has been an injury-plagued season.
While Kelly was out, Eddy and Sean Lemon helped pick up the slack, with Eddy making 12 tackles to go with a sack and Lemon recording two sacks and 10 tackles in three games.
“We’re veterans and we know how to handle ourselves in this league,” said Kelly, a Florida A&M alum. “These are guys that can play and know how to work together. It’s a credit to the Storm organization that they bring in quality players and get them to compete like we have.”
Compete is the key word there, because with the tight roster restrictions of the IFL, not everyone gets in the lineup, and not dressing means missing out on that week’s game check.
The Storm have carried as many as six defensive linemen on the roster, but typically dress no more than four (of which three start). The players admit it can be a tense situation to be in.
“All the guys are good enough to start,” says Johnsen, a former St. Cloud State standout. “But we only dress four, so that Thursday after practice someone gets bad news. I feel like the guys have embraced it, though.
“It’s tough for the guy who doesn’t get to dress and it’s tough on the coaches to have to make that decision, but it’s a good thing for the team.”
Finding a formula
Crable insists that there isn’t any animosity. He says the players root for each other and enjoy the fact that there are other capable players pushing them to stay at a high level.
“It’s a very competitive situation,” said Crable, a 32-year-old Ball State alum who is engaged to 10-year WNBA veteran Olympia Scott.
“But it pushes each guy to be at their best, and that’s a good thing. We’re not really in competition with each other because we all want to see the other guy do well.”
Typically indoor teams play a 3-1-4 scheme, with one linebacker and four defensive backs. Johnsen is a prototypical run-stopping nose tackle, while Kelly and Price are more outside pass rushing threats.
Crable, at 6-5 and 290 pounds, is something of a hybrid, able to excel at pass rushing and run stopping.
While most players have their niche, they all need versatility as well. When asked if the lineup is chosen based on matchups or who is playing well at the time, Riggs said both are considered.
“The matchup is important, but so is going with who’s got the hot hand, who’s been getting it done in practice,” Riggs said. “There’s been an adjustment for some of the new guys, too, because we ask them to taper back a little bit.
“Some of the other teams they may have played on let them pin their ears back and go, but we don’t always do that here. They need to fill their gaps.”
Aside from a hiccup in Tri-Cities in which Sioux Falls allowed 72 points, the defense seems to be playing its best football of the season.
Linebackers Dejuan Fulghum and Xavier Jordan have been strong contributors, and while the secondary has had some moving parts, Justin Welch, Stewart Franks and Kenny Akridge have held it together.
The consistent play of the line has allowed that to happen, and that likely just means more intense competition at that spot.
“Football is a competitive game; that’s what it’s all about,” says Price. “If you can go out there and play your game and have confidence in yourself, you’ll be just fine. If you’re looking over your shoulder, you’re going to struggle. We just go out and play.”
Position battles have fueled a loaded defensive line to become the ...
Jun 15, 2012
Written by Matt Zimmer
Sioux Falls Storm
Next: Saturday vs. Omaha Beef (6-7) at the Arena, 7:05 p.m. The first-place Storm (13-0) defeated the Beef 49-37 in Omaha on April 28.
As the dominant team of the Indoor Football League, competition to crack the lineup for the Sioux Falls Storm is predictably fierce.
Running back, receiver, defensive back, linebacker – basically every position outside of the one occupied by perennial MVP quarterback Chris Dixon has enough depth that no starter can feel totally comfortable with their lineup status.
That goes for the defensive line, and the weekly battle to crack the starting lineup has helped make that unit the foundation for a defense that makes Sioux Falls seem that much more unbeatable to IFL opponents.
With a new defensive coordinator in Josh Siegfried and several new faces in the lineup, members of the D-line have strived to become a unit the team could lean on. That and competition to crack the lineup has pushed them to a high level.
The 13-0 Storm allow the fewest points in the league (41.8 per game) and the second fewest yards (213.1).
Since taking over the Storm and turning them into a perennial power, coach Kurtiss Riggs has stressed the importance of the defensive line. With returning veterans Rachman Crable and Cory Johnsen and newcomers Jeremiah Price, Sean Kelly and John Eddy, the team is loaded up front.
“They’ve done a very good job this year,” said Riggs, whose team hosts the Omaha Beef (6-7) on Saturday in the regular-season finale. “They’ve been the catalyst to help us get through some of the struggles we’ve had. We’ve had so many changes in our defensive backfield, but the D-line has held us together by being consistent all year.”
Fearsome front
Crable and Johnsen are veterans of the Storm, with Johnsen second in team history with 29.5 career sacks and Crable ranking third with 27.5 (Nate Fluit is the all-time leader with 62).
Price is an Oklahoma State product acquired in a trade for receiver James Terry (now back with Sioux Falls) after posting 12.5 sacks for the Green Bay Blizzard last year. Kelly is a veteran of the IFL, having previously been named all-IFL first team while with Bloomington.
Those four have been the primary foundation of the group. Price has 62 tackles and five sacks in 2012, while Crable leads the team with 5.5 sacks to go with 49 tackles.
Kelly has four sacks and 32 tackles, and Johnsen has eight tackles and a sack in what has been an injury-plagued season.
While Kelly was out, Eddy and Sean Lemon helped pick up the slack, with Eddy making 12 tackles to go with a sack and Lemon recording two sacks and 10 tackles in three games.
“We’re veterans and we know how to handle ourselves in this league,” said Kelly, a Florida A&M alum. “These are guys that can play and know how to work together. It’s a credit to the Storm organization that they bring in quality players and get them to compete like we have.”
Compete is the key word there, because with the tight roster restrictions of the IFL, not everyone gets in the lineup, and not dressing means missing out on that week’s game check.
The Storm have carried as many as six defensive linemen on the roster, but typically dress no more than four (of which three start). The players admit it can be a tense situation to be in.
“All the guys are good enough to start,” says Johnsen, a former St. Cloud State standout. “But we only dress four, so that Thursday after practice someone gets bad news. I feel like the guys have embraced it, though.
“It’s tough for the guy who doesn’t get to dress and it’s tough on the coaches to have to make that decision, but it’s a good thing for the team.”
Finding a formula
Crable insists that there isn’t any animosity. He says the players root for each other and enjoy the fact that there are other capable players pushing them to stay at a high level.
“It’s a very competitive situation,” said Crable, a 32-year-old Ball State alum who is engaged to 10-year WNBA veteran Olympia Scott.
“But it pushes each guy to be at their best, and that’s a good thing. We’re not really in competition with each other because we all want to see the other guy do well.”
Typically indoor teams play a 3-1-4 scheme, with one linebacker and four defensive backs. Johnsen is a prototypical run-stopping nose tackle, while Kelly and Price are more outside pass rushing threats.
Crable, at 6-5 and 290 pounds, is something of a hybrid, able to excel at pass rushing and run stopping.
While most players have their niche, they all need versatility as well. When asked if the lineup is chosen based on matchups or who is playing well at the time, Riggs said both are considered.
“The matchup is important, but so is going with who’s got the hot hand, who’s been getting it done in practice,” Riggs said. “There’s been an adjustment for some of the new guys, too, because we ask them to taper back a little bit.
“Some of the other teams they may have played on let them pin their ears back and go, but we don’t always do that here. They need to fill their gaps.”
Aside from a hiccup in Tri-Cities in which Sioux Falls allowed 72 points, the defense seems to be playing its best football of the season.
Linebackers Dejuan Fulghum and Xavier Jordan have been strong contributors, and while the secondary has had some moving parts, Justin Welch, Stewart Franks and Kenny Akridge have held it together.
The consistent play of the line has allowed that to happen, and that likely just means more intense competition at that spot.
“Football is a competitive game; that’s what it’s all about,” says Price. “If you can go out there and play your game and have confidence in yourself, you’ll be just fine. If you’re looking over your shoulder, you’re going to struggle. We just go out and play.”