Shock open a competitive training camp

Adam Shackleford and his coaching staff have some serious depth to contend with. That’s not at all a bad thing, but it’s making the second-year Spokane Shock coach’s job real interesting right from the get-go.

“We had a staff meeting and talked,” said Shackleford after the Shock took the field for the first workout of training camp on Sunday night at the Shock practice facility.

“Usually, you say ‘alright, this kid can’t do it and that kid can’t do it,’ and we spent the meeting saying ‘who in the world are we going to cut?’ but when cuts are this tough, it means you’re doing something right.”

Sunday’s practice gave Shackleford his first glimpse at the 34 players he signed in the arenafootball2 league’s offseason – a number that will be narrowed to 22 in the coming weeks leading up to the season-opener on March 30 at Green Bay.

“Our guys really were hustling and that’s all you can really expect on that first day,” said Shackleford. “You hope that everything is going 100 miles an hour, and that’s what we got.”

In its third year as a franchise, Shackleford hopes his Shock can build on their 12-5 overall season in 2007 in which the Shock won the Western Division title for the second straight year but were ousted in the first round of the arenafootball2 playoffs by Louisville, falling short of their 2006 ArenaCup title in their expansion season.

The most interesting competition, in Shackleford’s mind, is fittingly at the positions of quarterback and wide receiver. In a league that is hugely based on offense, that’s a good sign.

The QBs include last season’s backup Justin Rummell, Derek Devine, who was in training camp with the Seattle Seahawks last season, and Nick Davila.

Also competing for the position is former Northern Arizona QB Jason Murietta, who was the Big Sky Conference MVP as a true freshman.

Two players caught Shackleford’s eye after the first day: receiver Andy Olson and Eastern Washington alumnus Brandon Keeler.

“Olson has experience in the AFL and did a good job and Keeler stood out on defense,” he said. “Everyone really did a great job, though.”

Also at camp: Katon Bethay (FB), Rico Ochoa (OL/DL) and Raul Vijil (WR), who all played last season and on the 2006 title team. Returning from 2007 are Rummell, Kelvin Dickens (WR), Anthony Brown (WR), Ryan Belcher (OL), Nygel Rogers (DB) and Devon Parks (DL).