Shock: Catch or release?
There was a rumor going around at the Spokane Shock practice facility Thursday morning that wide receiver Andy Olson once played in a football game with a cracked rib and a punctured lung.
“No, it was just a punctured lung,” Olson clarified. “It was the first game of 2006 (against Mesa State) and it had collapsed two weeks before, but the doctor cleared me and I wanted to play – so I did.”
Olson, a Chehalis, Wash., native, is among five receivers battling for four roster positions. He quickly caught the eye of second-year Shock coach Adam Shackleford on the first day of camp. The field, which started at six, was narrowed Thursday after Daniel Robinson was cut, leaving veterans Raul Vijil, Kelvin Dickens and Anthony Brown, Olson and Patrick Bugg to compete for the four slots.
Olson, who went to Western Washington University where he set the school record for career touchdown catches (31), was with the AFL’s Georgia Force practice squad for six weeks in 2007 and was signed by the Shock in mid-December.
“I’m having a blast,” said Olson. “I love the arena game – I almost prefer it over the outdoor game. It’s a lot more fast-paced and a great game to play. I heard this was the best team (in the arenafootball2 league) to play for and I hope to make the team and have a chance at moving up (to the AFL).”
Vijil, a two-year veteran, injured his left hamstring on the first day of camp, but has been at all the practices and hopes to be back on the field by next week. The former Eastern Washington University receiver was second on the team last season in all-purpose yards (867) and scoring (16 TDs).
“Sometimes when guys get injured, other guys step up,” said Shackleford. “Raul knows when he gets back he absolutely has to compete. He’s doing everything we’re asking him to do – coming to practice still, doing rehab, watching film – the only thing he can’t do is the live reps.”
Brown, who spent half of last season with the Shock, amassing 22 receptions and three touchdowns and adding nine tackles as a defensive end, inked an AFL contract with the Utah Blaze in early November but was released during their final cuts of training camp.
“He is a tall, physical guy that can also turn around and play defense if needed,” Shackleford said of the 6-foot-6, 230-pound Brown. “He’s had a really good camp and his ability to play both ways makes him an outstanding football player.”
Dickens, who played in 11 games for Spokane last season, averaged better than 10 yards per catch with 11 total touchdowns. He is probably best remembered for hauling in the game-winning touchdown as time expired in the Shock’s May 26 home victory over Central Valley but had his best game of the season in the first round of the af2 playoffs. In the loss to Louisville, he caught a franchise-record 17 passes for 191 yards and scored two touchdowns.
Bugg, who was signed just more than a week ago, was an All-American tight end at Eastern Kentucky University, where in four years he caught 112 passes for 1,856 yards and 23 touchdowns.
“We feel like we have a lot of depth at receiver,” said Shackleford. “The reality of it is we can only keep four and right now we just don’t know who it’s going to be. Guys can’t have a bad day – sometimes a bad day gets you cut. At this point, when everybody is the same, I tell these guys they have to do something to make themselves stand out.
“These guys all have talent and this year I really think it’s going to come down to us cutting good players that can go somewhere else and still have success.”
Notes
In addition to Robinson, OL/DL Kamron Leonard was cut Thursday. Quarterback Derek Devine was cut Friday and defensive back Robert Herbert left the team for personal reasons. … Starting with Thursday’s exhibition opener in Yakima, where the Tri-City Fever will replace the Amarillo Dusters as Spokane’s opponent, the Shock and Fever will face each other four times during the exhibition and regular season. Spokane opens its regular-season schedule March 30 in Green Bay.