Official Columbus Destroyers Thread

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

5/13/06

Destroyers coach proves his worth

Kay guides team to cusp of playoffs

Saturday, May 13, 2006

Bill Rabinowitz
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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Doug Kay knew what people were thinking last summer.
The Destroyers had hired a 69-year-old coach who had been out of the Arena Football League for a year, having been fired as defensive coordinator in his previous job.
Just another dunderhead move by the Destroyers, skeptics thought.
"I don’t blame them," Kay said.
That said, he didn’t spend much energy worrying about the doubters. He’d coached for four decades; he knew how to build a team.
And so he has. In his first year, Kay has done what five previous Destroyers coaches could not — make the team a winner, or at least not a loser.
If the Destroyers (8-7) win tonight at San Jose (9-6), they’ll finish above .500 for the first time since their inception, in Buffalo in 1999. More important, a victory — or a loss by Philadelphia — will clinch Columbus’ first playoff berth.
Kay has employed a simple formula. He attracted top-shelf assistant coaches and players and has gotten them to work as one unit.
It required a selling job to assemble the talent. Given the franchise’s sorry history, Columbus wasn’t the preferred destination of free agents.
"How can you sell a guy on a franchise that doesn’t win, even when they were the Buffalo franchise?" lineman Kelvin Kinney said.
Kinney himself was skeptical until he met with Kay, who showed him a board listing players he planned to sign.
"He said, ‘Here are the guys we’re bringing in. I want you to be a part of it,’ " Kinney recalled. "I said, ‘If you can get these guys, we are going to win.’ "
Kay was able to attract players such as quarterback John Kaleo because of his reputation. He’s regarded as a sound X’s-and-O’s coach and a straight shooter, even if his blunt manner occasionally ruffled feathers. Kay’s penchant for speaking his mind was one reason he wondered last year whether his coaching career was over.
"I don’t think anybody is happily retired," he said. "I don’t think there was anybody that cared or wanted me. That’s the truth. I’d probably (ticked) enough people off."
But Kay was exactly what the Destroyers needed. He wasn’t among the first candidates after Chris Spielman resigned, but he gradually rose to the top of the list.
"We set out for certain goals, and that was to get someone experienced in this league who can recruit and coach," team president David Paitson said. "He hit all those check marks."
Kay decided to purge the Destroyers’ roster. Only Ken Jones, Chris Janek and Brandon Hefflin remain from last year’s 2-14 team. Kay put his faith in the veterans he signed, even when it looked like they might not pan out.
Kaleo struggled most of the season, in part because of an ever-changing lineup of receivers. The past two years, the Destroyers showed little patience when quarterbacks struggled, and the ensuing revolving door doomed those seasons. But Kay stuck with Kaleo.
"The best thing he has done this year is change his ways a little bit," Kaleo said. "He’s more patient. Before, he used to maybe make changes real quick instead of letting problems work themselves out."
It’s easy to draw the inference that Kay has mellowed with age, but that shouldn’t be taken too far. Any Destroyers player would laugh if asked whether Kay is a grandfatherly presence. For one thing, he doesn’t look 70.
"I have friends who’ll say he’s got at least another 10 years of coaching in him, and I say, ‘No way, he’s 70,’ and they don’t believe me," said Kay’s wife, Dawn. "He acts like he’s 45. He takes care of himself not only mentally but physically."
Dawn has remained in Tampa, Fla., during the season with occasional visits to Columbus. But she can tell how excited her husband is about having success as a coach again.
"You can hear it in the tone of his voice more than what he says," she said.
When a team improves from two victories to at least eight, he usually becomes a candidate for coach of the year. Kay shuddered at the possibility.
"I’d turn it down," he said. "Why would I accept it? "
Part of that is his characteristic modesty. But he genuinely believes that his assistants and players deserve credit for the team’s transformation. Like many coaches, Kay dwells more on his mistakes than his successes.
But one thing is undeniable: Under Kay, the Destroyers’ successes, for the first time, will at least match their failures.
"He has done a fantastic job," Paitson said. "We go from being a nonentity in terms of performance on the field to being a playoff contender. Going from two wins to at least .500 with three returning players is quite an accomplishment."
brabinowitz@dispatch.com

Saturday, May 13, 2006

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

5/15/06

AFL DESTROYERS

Coach spends sleepless night after collapse ends season

Monday, May 15, 2006

Bill Rabinowitz
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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A once-improbable playoff berth suddenly looked likely for the Columbus Destroyers. Then, poof, it was gone.
Needing a victory to advance to the Arena Football League postseason for the first time, Columbus had a 15-point first-half lead over the host San Jose SaberCats on Saturday night.
Then the Destroyers self-destructed in the second half. They scored only three points after halftime, and the SaberCats pulled away for a 68-47 victory, ending Columbus’ season.
"Certainly it’s disappointing," Destroyers coach Doug Kay said yesterday afternoon during a layover in Houston. "A lot of things went away in the space of an hour — the opportunity to be in the playoffs, a winning season, (finishing as the) top defensive team in the league. Everything went away inside of that hour. For some reason we couldn’t say, ‘Giddy-up,’ and we couldn’t say, ‘Whoa!’ "
By winning their previous three games, the Destroyers entered Saturday needing a loss by Philadelphia at Georgia or a victory over San Jose to qualify for the playoffs.
Philadelphia won earlier in the day, though Kay said he purposely did not learn that going into Columbus’ game. At halftime, Philadelphia’s victory looked like it would be irrelevant. Columbus led 14-0 after five minutes and 41-26 with 34 seconds left in the second quarter before settling for a 44-33 halftime lead.
San Jose (10-6) scored on the first possession of the third quarter and forced fumbles on consecutive plays before a long missed field goal attempt on Columbus’ ensuing possession. San Jose capitalized with a touchdown to take their first lead at 47-44.
The Destroyers managed only a 22-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.
Quarterback John Kaleo threw for five touchdowns but had two costly interceptions.
"We lost our initiative," Kay said. "I don’t know what happened. Some of those things you don’t know."
Kay described the locker room afterward as "desolate." He said he couldn’t sleep Saturday night before the team left the hotel at 5 a.m. Pacific time for the long flight home.
The Destroyers finished their season with an 8-8 record, best in the seven-year history of the franchise.
Asked whether there was satisfaction in that, Kay said, "Certainly there is, but it will come when we look back. It certainly doesn’t come with the frustration of the moment.
"Dreams and aspirations are there and then all of a sudden, they’re gone."
brabinowitz@dispatch.com

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

5/31/06

DESTROYERS
Brown named AFL defensive player of year

Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Bill Rabinowitz
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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Before Jerald Brown signed with the Destroyers in October, he wanted a commitment.
He spent his two seasons in the Arena Football League as a two-way player, and he wanted to concentrate on defense.
"That was the only way I was signing anywhere — if I was signing as a defensive specialist," Brown said. "I knew that’s what I am and what I can do. I knew I could be one of the best at that position."
Brown’s belief was more than validated during the season. Yesterday, the league named him the defensive player of the year.
"I’m definitely excited," Brown said. "It’s definitely God’s doing. I’m thrilled right now. I worked hard for it."
A player who asks to play only defense invites questions of masochism. Arena football, after all, is designed for offense.
"Anybody can score on the offensive side of the ball, but not everyone can stop someone on defense," Brown said. "It’s more of a challenge."
The Destroyers led the league in scoring defense most of the season before finishing second with a 44.8 average. Brown intercepted a franchiserecord 11 passes, second-most in the league. He also broke up 25 passes and had 65 tackles.
"He’s the general of our defense just as the quarterback is the general of the offense," coach Doug Kay said. "And he does it as well as anybody I’ve ever coached in the Arena Football League."
Kay had a history with many of the players he signed after becoming Destroyers coach last year, but he had not coached Brown. It didn’t take Kay long to see Brown had the mental and physical skills required to excel at such a difficult position.
"Whatever package Jerald Brown would come in, he would be a winner," Kay said. "He’s a person who loves the game. There aren’t a lot of players who really love the game, who are passionate about the game. That’s one of the things I liked about him from the start."
Brown, 25, credited his teammates for his success, particularly fellow defensive specialist Cecil Doggette, who retired after the season.
"A lot of things I did I might not have been able to do without Cecil on the front side," Brown said. "He played a big part in what I was able to do. We worked very well together."
There’s a chance Brown won’t be back. Like most arena players, he would love a crack at the NFL, and yesterday’s award might help him get a shot.
If that doesn’t happen, Brown will become a free agent because his contract with the Destroyers was for one year.
"I would love to return," Brown said. "I don’t want to start something so someone else can finish it. It all comes down to whether we can work out a deal. But I definitely want to come back. That’s my first option."
brabinowitz@dispatch.com

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

6/21/06

NFL NOTEBOOK

Destroyers’ Brown gets chance to play cornerback for Chiefs

Wednesday, June 21, 2006


FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

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If Jerald Brown is on the Kansas City Chiefs’ roster when the NFL season opens, that’s when he’ll celebrate. Not now.
The Columbus Destroyers defensive specialist, recently named the Arena Football League’s defensive player of the year, has signed with the Chiefs.
For some arena league players, signing on the dotted line with an NFL team is victory enough.
"You’re always excited to get a shot with an NFL team, but it’s making the team that really matters," Brown said. "I’m trying to stick. I can’t get caught up in the emotional part of this. When I actually make the team, that’s when I’ll get emotional."
He said he did not receive a signing bonus, but he didn’t care. Kansas City offers something more valuable than a check — a real opportunity. The Chiefs’ secondary is unsettled, and Brown believes he has a realistic chance to make the team.
Patrick Surtain is the Chiefs’ only proven cornerback. Lenny Walls is the other nominal starter.
"I knew they needed DBs," Brown said. "I just have to make plays when I have the opportunity."
He did that with the Destroyers this year. In his first season as a defensive specialist, he set a franchise record with 11 interceptions, second most in the AFL. He also broke up 25 passes, fifth most in the league.
"I think it has prepared me a great deal," Brown said of his AFL experience. "I’ve always been quick, but my reaction time is a lot quicker than a lot of guys because you’ve got to cover high motion."
League rules permit receivers to run forward toward the line of scrimmage before the snap, which is prohibited in conventional football. "I played on the big field before I played on the little field," said Brown, who graduated from Glenville State in West Virginia. "It’s still football."

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

6/25/06

DESTROYERS

Long odds don’t discourage participants at open tryout

Sunday, June 25, 2006

Josh Moss
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

<!--PHOTOS--><TABLE class=phototableright align=right border=0><!-- begin large ad code --><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE align=center><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle></IMG> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=credit width=200>KYLE ROBERTSON </TD></TR><TR><TD class=credit width=200>DISPATCH </TD></TR><TR><TD class=cutline width=200>Anthony Showers traveled from Detroit to take part in the Destroyers’ open tryout. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>


William Duncan knows that he is older than most of the other participants who are waiting for the tryout to start. He cannot bolt off the line like some of the short, muscular receivers or fire the football with pinpoint accuracy like some of the quarterbacks.
But Duncan, who blocked on the offensive and defensive lines at Linden, still shows up because he shares the same goal with the rest of the participants.
"Even though I’m 36, I want to be able to put my talent on the field," Duncan said.
The Columbus Destroyers gave 60 men that opportunity yesterday at a four-hour open tryout in the Columbus Fieldhouse.
During the first part of the tryout, coaches clocked players in the 40-yard dash and 20-yard shuttle and recorded each participant’s vertical jump and maximum repetitions on the 225-pound bench press.
Then coaches made cuts, and the remaining participants performed position drills. Quarterbacks launched balls to wideouts. Fullbacks protected their "quarterback" — a tackling dummy from blitzing linebackers. Linemen such as Duncan blocked other linemen.
Offensive coordinator Ken Matous said he was looking for obvious traits such as agility, speed and strength. "But a guy can have all those things and not know a damn thing about football," he said. "We don’t have time to waste on those guys."
Each year the Destroyers hold two open tryouts. From that pool of participants, the team will invite some back to even more workouts. Matous said the Destroyers will contact about 15 or 20 of the participants yesterday for another tryout.
A player is not guaranteed a spot on the team no matter how many times a coach asks him to try out. Arena Football League rules allow teams a 20-man roster and four-man practice squad.
One athlete hoping to make it to at least another tryout was 24-year-old Steve Eastlake, a Clintonville native who played left tackle at Cincinnati.
"The NFL didn’t work out, so I’m giving this a try," Eastlake said. "I thought it would be fun to play (in Columbus) because I’m from here."
Matous admitted that it would be a long shot for any of the participants to play for the Destroyers. That did not discourage them, though. For some, it was not even their first tryout.
It was Duncan’s third.
"I want to make the NFL someday," Duncan said, sweat soaking through the gray Destroyers T-shirt he received for the $65 registration fee. "I’ll come until they say I’m too old."
sports@dispatch.com

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

7/7/06

Older player still chasing dream of youth

37-year-old joins Destroyers football tryout

Friday, July 07, 2006

Josh Moss
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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Most of the 60 participants stretch and gab about where they played college football. A few chat on cell phones or listen to iPods. Others fiddle with their laptops.
Patrick Stallworth, a 37-yearold from Columbus, struggles to make his number — 111 — stick to his navy-blue sweatpants.
Stallworth is one of the oldest participants at the Columbus Destroyers’ open tryout, held June 24 in the Columbus Fieldhouse. He competes in the 40-yard dash, 20-yard shuttle, vertical jump, bench press and position drills against participants in their 20s, such as Cole Haley, a former linebacker from Hofstra, and Steve Eastlake, a former left tackle from Cincinnati.
"Anybody has a chance to make (the team)," trainer Jamieson Giefer says. "But we do know that the body slows down regarding speed and power after age 30. The younger guys have the advantage."
The age gap doesn’t bother Stallworth. If statistics are any indication, maybe it should.
Last season, 28 was the average age of players in the Arena Football League, a year older than the average age of players in week one of the NFL season.
"It doesn’t matter how old you are," Stallworth says. "It matters what’s in your heart."
While some of the Destroyers hopefuls had sacks in high school and college, Stallworth never did. He did not make the football team as a high-school freshman, and then his father’s business went under.
"I couldn’t afford equipment," he says.
Soon after, Stallworth had a daughter. That responsibility, coupled with his family’s financial troubles, forced his love for football to the backburner. It waited there for more than 15 years.
Now his daughter is 16 and his son 5, allowing him to dedicate some time to football. He lifts weights and runs at least three times a week and plays defensive end for the Ohio Storm, a semipro team.
Stallworth, who paints and details collision cars for a living, wanted to try out for the Destroyers last October, but a pulled leg muscle kept him from performing at full strength. The Destroyers asked him to come back in June.
"There’s not a person on this staff who doesn’t understand that every person who comes to every tryout has a dream," coach Doug Kay said before the tryout. "Don’t think we don’t understand that."
The coaches split the participants into three groups, one group of linebackers, fullbacks and linemen — the big guys — and two groups of quarterbacks, receivers and defensive backs — the little guys.
Stallworth is a big guyat 6 feet, and 240 pounds. His biceps and shoulders bulge beneath his black muscle shirt. If he played for the Destroyers, he would be a fullback and a linebacker.
The big guys head to the weight room, where Stallworth dips his hands into a bowl filled with chalk. He grinds it into his palms. Then he lowers his chin toward his chest and glares at the barbell. He is ready for the 225-pound bench press.
"Who wants to go next?" the spotter asks.
Stallworth jumps onto the bench, grips the bar and begins to breathe heavily. His chest swells as he lifts the weight.
Stallworth presses 15 times with ease. At 18 repetitions, he is slowing. At 20, he is screaming.
"Come on and get it, baby!" some of the other participants shout. "Eat this up! It’s light weight! "
Stallworth forces out 22 repetitions, one of the best performances of the day. The coaches don’t seem to notice.
"They’re just numbers out here," offensive coordinator Ken Matous says.
Before position drills, the coaches review the numbers’ performances and read the list of the approximately 40 men who make the cut. Number 111 is one of the first linebackers called.
Stallworth moves with the linebackers, linemen and fullbacks to a drill that simulates a game experience. Linemen block other linemen. Fullbacks try to block Stallworth.
A coach points at him; it is Stallworth’s turn to blitz.
He digs his cleats into the turf and stares at the tackling dummy with the sa