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Best And Worst
Of The 2001 Roanoke Steam
OK, I did this last year highlighting the brightest stars, the best moments, and weirdest stuff I could remember from the season past. So here goes for 2001. I'll start with the Steam Page MVP Awards.
Offensive Player of the Year: Lindsay Fleshman: Five games into the season, the team stood a dismal 1-4 and Steve Jerry made massive roster changes, especially offensively. Very few players were here from the beginning of the season. Fleshman was the best of the newcomers. His first game was against Rochester on May 25, where he only won league Ironman of the week. But his second game was the breakout performance. At Greensboro, Fleshman scored 6 touchdowns, 5 through the air, one on the ground. Except for a three game absence when he went to the CFL, Lindsay was the offensive star the rest of the way. The numbers will say 51 catches, 778 yards, 21 touchdowns in only 7 games, but project that over 16 games you get 117 catches, 1778 yards, and 48 touchdowns. Those numbers are all-af2 caliber and would contend for player of the year in the league.
Defensive Player of the Year: Loren Johnson: Undoubtedly the leader of the defense, LJ learned the arena game fast from his first game matchup with Richmond's Jeff Townsley. By the end of the year, opposing QBs were going to the opposite side of the field, A LOT, allowing fellow DS Corey Clark to lead the team in interceptions. Johnson still picked off 5 passes and scored on a fumble return. Some of the names he shut down include all-league caliber players Anthony Bright (JAC), Anthony Stringfield (NOR), Jeff Townsley (RIC, game 2), Antoine Calloway (CHA), and Demeco Archangel (GRE).
Special Teams Player of the Year: Josh Jones: If you asked any Steam fan what the weakest position in the 2000 Steam line up, 99% of them would have told you kicker. We tried everybody who could swing a leg and they all sucked. Every last one of them. None could even make an extra point. So having one of the best kickers in the league was a big change. Jones was solid, kicking 84% on XPs and making 12 field goals including a Steam record 50 yarder and the clutch game-winner against Jacksonville.
Ironman of the Year: Pietro Iovino: Many of the two way players on the Steam were so much better on one side of the ball (Fleshman on offense, or Mike Davis on defense) that it was hard to pick a clear winner. So I thought I would reward the guys who do the hard work in the middle of the line. Iovino played in almost every game, was a key member of the offensive line group, and recorded several sacks while playing defensively. Plus you gotta love the size of his arms. Massive. And the tattoo.
Best Game:
Jacksonville @ Roanoke
Roanoke played in a lot of great games this year, from the overall team performance in the blowout over Rochester, to the big win over a top notch opponent, Augusta. To the dramatic last second win over Greensboro and last second loss to Lincoln. But as a fan, this was the game of the year. What more could you ask for, QB Roy Johnson throwing up and down the field. Jacksonville QB Jeff McCrone matching him. The Steam defense coming up big with Loren Johnson stealing a touchdown and making a big pick in the overtime. And the overtime. The first ever in team history. Set up by a last minute Jacksonville touchdown and a rarely seen drop kick for an extra point. And Josh Jones making up for two previous misses, by drilling the game winner. If I had any game to watch again, this would be the one.
Worst Game:
Norfolk @ Roanoke
This was kind of a toss up between the opening game versus Richmond and Game 5 versus Norfolk. Richmond at least had Jeff Townsley and Bob Bees, top notch players. Norfolk had... Well they had a new coach, because the previous one got fired after starting out 0-4. The Steam played flat the whole way and lost 39-29. The lackluster play led to Steve Jerry's roster purge (remember Willie Tillman, Demetric Norwood, Mark Tisdale, Phil Wilson, and Ramon Davenport), the insertion of Al Clark at QB, the replacement of Ramon Davenport with DS Corey Clark, and many other key moves that led to the Steam success in May and June. But this game was tne snoozer of the year.
Best Team Performance:
Rochester @ Roanoke
Those Steam fans who travelled to watch the road game at Greensboro would probably disagree, but I didn't see that one and have to go with the Rochester game. At this point, after 1 1/2 years of existance, the Steam had won 6 games. But most of those were down to the wire affairs with Roanoke winning by less than a touchdown. Never had the Steam played the 4th quarter without fear in my heart that they would lose. That all changed on May 25 when the Steam finally put the complete game together and rolled Rochester 46-13. Granted Rochester was bad, but they still beat us earlier in the season. In this game, the offense clicked behind both Clark and D'Orazio (who finished the game 12 for 12 passing), and the defense harassed the Brigade into hurried throws and bad plays. In fact, we actually gave up the ball in the 4th quarter a couple of times instead of running up the score.
Worst Team Performance:
Any Game Vs Norfolk
I didn't see the road game, but judging by the box score, it looks UGLY, like the team really didn't have any heart. But I know from a fact, that the home game was UGLY. Norfolk (0-4 coming into the game) jumped to a 21-0 lead while we played awfully. The Steam made a little run in the second quarter, but never seriously threatened the Nighthawk lead. Just an ugly game, that luckily no one saw (worst attendance game of the year).
Season Long Worst Performance:
The Refs
Boy they sucked this year. Many blown calls, some atrocious penalty calls, some bad decisions (the flag on the field goal against Lincoln when the penalty, dubious at best, had no effect on the play). Probably the worst was the Charleston game, when 5 touchdowns (3 by the Steam, 2 by the Foxes) were brought back from an overuse of little yellow flags.
Play of the Year:
Loren Johnson - vs. Jacksonville
Just like last year, I'm going to have to go with a defensive play as the play of the year. In a game known for offense, offensive plays seem to be taken for granted. But a great defensive play, can be shockingly sudden, and turn a whole game around. Such is the case here. Jacksonville had taken a 2 score lead in the first half and were still clinging to a 6 point lead when they got their first possession of the second half. QB Jeff McCrone threw a short pass to all-league WR Anthony Bright. Bright juked to make the first man miss, but never saw Steam DS Loren Johnson. Johnson cleanly picked the ball right out of Bright's hands and walked untouched into the end zone to give the Steam the lead. Not only did it put us in front, it seemed to change Jacksonville's entire game play. Scrapping the short passing game which was effective in the first half, the Tomcats seemed to panic and start firing the ball deep for home run scores. Loren interecepted two of these in the second half and over time. For its shocking suddenness and the way it turn the game, this play gets our vote as Play of the Year. Honorable mention for defensive play of the year should also go to Corey Clark for his last minute interception versus Greensboro.
Offensive Play of the Year:
Matt D'Orazio to Lindsay Fleshman - vs. Augusta
On the verge of losing a large lead to the Stallions, who had cut the Steam lead to 5, the Steam went on a late fourth quarter drive. Near the endzone, D'Orazio threw a beautiful timing route to Fleshman. The defensive back never saw the quick route coming and the ball went right under his arms where Fleshman neatly snagged it for the clinching score. The play would prove important and the Stallions would score one more time as the clock wound down to make it really close. But not close enough.
Special Teams Play of the Year:
Josh Jones - vs. Jacksonville
A couple of others came close and deserve mention, Mike Davis's pooch field goal versus Augusta, and Anthony Drakeford's 4th quarter kickoff return versus Greensboro, but who can really argue against Josh Jones' game-winning, overtime field goal to beat Jacksonville. The kick gave us Win #1 on the season. Redemption for Jones too, because he barely missed a longer kick as regulation expired.
Weird Play of the Year:
Mike Davis - vs. Augusta
A true play that I don't think I've ever seen or heard of happening anywhere else in arena football. An onside field goal kick. Seriously. With the ball deep in our end of the field, Jones came on to kick a 50+ yard field goal. Instead of kicking it low and hard to try and make it, or just kicking out to allow for a return, Jones pooched it 10 yards over the rushing linemen. Mike Davis squirted out from the blocking pack and fielded the ball behind a shocked Stallion team (legal in AFL, not in NFL rules). He had only the deep man to beat, who was so shocked that he couldn't do much as Davis ran the ball 44 yards for a shocking touchdown.
Anti-Play of the Year:
Damon Benning - Lincoln
In a late season game we had to win to make the playoffs, the Steam lost when it couldn't do something that had plagued the team since mid-season, tackle a kickoff returner. The Steam had already given up one kickoff return to Benning and seemed reluctant to give him another shot. But instead of kicking the ball deep through the end zone, or kicking out of bounds, or kicking off the scoreboard, Josh Jones tried a little squib kick that eventually found its way into Benning's hands. Two missed tackles later, Benning had another touchdown, and the Steam were on their way to losing a game they should have won.
Best Catch:
Lindsay Fleshman - vs. Augusta
As discussed before in the Offensive Play of the Year, Fleshman had a beautiful one handed grab of a Matt D'Orazio pass for his 4th touchdown of the game. And it was the gamewinner, putting the Steam ahead by more than a score late in the game.
Best Pass:
Matt D'Orazio to Anthony Drakeford - vs. Rochester
Maybe the prettiest play run by Roanoke all year long came in the second quarter of the blowout win over the Brigade. The Steam drove to midfield behind the passing of D'Orazio. On third and one, D'Orazio faked to the running back and pitched back to OS Kenan McWhorter on a reverse. McWhorter got back to the line of scrimmage or may have lost a little ground. The Steam elect to go for it on fourth down. Running a devious decoy of the play just run, D'Orazio this time faked the pitch back to McWhorter and lofted a perfect pass over the defense to a wide open Anthony Drakeford. It was part of a big quarter for the Steam and a big game for D'Orazio as he finished 12 for 12 passing.
Best Run:
Al Clark - vs. Rochester
On the first play of a series, Clark rolled out to the right from the Steam 20. Finding nothing open, he darted down the sideline, cut back into the middle at about the Brigade 20, broke one tackle and scampered into the end zone for a 30 yard scoring run. Honorable mention has to go to Clark's total fake out of a Charleston Swamp Fox defender (bringing the Fox player to his knees) as he rolled out on a scoring bootleg play. Unfortunately the Steam was called for holding and the score negated.
Best Hit:
Steam Team - vs. Rochester
The Steam was a hard hitting team, seeming at times like they enjoyed allowing opposing receivers to catch the ball, so one or two of them could punish him with a hard hit. Because of this no single hit stands out. There were no bonecrushers like last year's hit on the Birmingham Steeldog receiver. But one play that personifies this style does come to mind. Late in the first half, the Brigade had driven to the Steam goal line. On third and goal, a Brigade running back swept left. Met at the one by multiple Steam players, my lasting image was the poor guy getting knocked upside down while being pinned against the wall pads. Spurred by the goal line stuff, on 4th down, Lindsay Fleshman picked off the Brigade QB to end the threat. In terms of crushers, the Lincoln Lightning player hit on Steam DB Desmond Washington on Damon Benning's long TD reception brough oohs from the home crowd.
Best Opponent:
Damon Benning - Lincoln and Jeff Townsley - Richmond
Those two players single handedly beat the Steam in their teams respective games. Especially Benning, who had little help from his teammates. Richmond clearly was the best team we faced all year.
Best Coaching Move: Steve Jerry had some very clever plays that showed the complete lack of offensive brilliance on last years team. But his best move was clearly making the roster moves after the Norfolk game. Signing players like Lindsay Fleshman, Desmond Washington, and Sammie Choice, and activating Corey Clark and Mike Davis triggered our second half resurrgence.
Best Promotion: What promotion? The front office requests someone to look up the meaning of that word.
Worst Promotion: The fact that there was no promotion. Where were the give aways for the first 1000 people. Shirts, hats, little footballs, anything guys. Still no radio broadcast of road games (home games either, but who cares since I'm at the games). Heck pay my expenses to the game, and I'll do the radio for the road games for free.
Best Game Event: The Steamette cheerleaders. Hot. Hot. Hot. Much better than last year. And their outfits were great, no Berglund crap. I loved watching them dance in the end zone between plays.
Worst Game-time Gimmick: Frazier Hughes, aka the obnoxious guy with the mike who everyone wishes would just shut up. Go away, and let us watch the cheerleaders during the break in the action. At least they heeded my advise and dumped Sing-For-Your-Supper from last year. The only thing worse would have been Frazier singing for his supper.
