Richmond Raiders Insider Ticket Give Away
The Richmond Raiders Insider has two free tickets on the wall in section 1A for the Richmond Raider home game on 05/19. Send an email to coachingubigr@aol.com explaining why YOU deserve these two free tickets and the best response will be awared these wonderful seats courtesy of David Leadbetter. May the most rabid Raider fan win!
GO GO GO!
Sports Radio 910 Ignores the Richmond Raiders
Sports Radio 910 WRNL in Richmond, VA continues to ignore the Richmond Raiders. Need proof? Here we go.
1. Wes McElroy has never attended a Richmond Raider game.
2. Games are never discussed or recapped on air unless it is a Raider specific segment or game advertisment.
3. Fans are told that the listening audience does not care about indoor football.
4. The WRNL site does not list a Richmond Raiders link but does list the Kickers, Squirrels, Rams and Spiders.
Richmond Raiders Dominate Knoxville Nighthawks Again
For the second time in seven days, the Richmond Raiders completely dominated the Knoxville Nighthawks last night on the road in Knoxville, TN. The upstart Nighthwaks hosted their first home game in team history last night, after giving up an average 67 points per game in their previous two outings. The Raiders first defeated the Nighthawks in week 3 of the PIFL season winning 70-43. In their second meeting the Raiders defense played lights out, only allowing 29 points all game. Richmond would finish the contest with a final score of 80-29.
Things could not have gone better for the Raiders in week 4. The Columbus Lions fell to the Alabama Hammers at Columbus dropping the Lion's record to 2-2. With Columbus falling to 2-2 the Raiders claim sole ownership of second place in the PIFL. Albany remains undefeated at 3-0 and are the obvious team to beat. As for Columbus, who I placed at 1st in my preseason rankings, are not the team of old, and are very much beatable.
This 2012 Richmond Raider team is unlike any other the franchise has ever fielded. The offense is solid, but the defense and special teams are clearly playing at the highest level we have seen in three seasons. New kicker T.C. Stevens is reliable on field goals and extra points and has registered unos in each of his four games with the team.
The defense is making life miserable for opposing quarterbacks with six total interceptions, three of which were returned for touchdowns. Plus returning QB Antwun Young is making strides in his first full season as a starter. Last night Young was 23 of 32 for 268 yards and six touchdown passes to three different receivers. Barring a mid season melt down, the Raiders are locked in for a playoff spot for the first time in team history.
The only bright spot for Knoxville this season has been 2nd year out of Samford receiver Ryan McDaniel (pictured above). McDaniel is leading the PIFL with an average 104 yards per game and and is the #1 target for QB Tony Colston. McDaniel is very quick, tough to tackle and is a deep ball threat. With the Hammers victory last night, teams owned by Jeff Knight (Knoxville and Alabama) have a combined record of 1-5.
The PIFL is off for the Easter Holiday this week, but the Raiders return to action on April 14th against the Alabama Hammers at the Richmond Coliseum.
Follow Ruben Foster on twitter @rubenfoster or email @coachingubigr@aol.com
PIFL Press Release Raiders vs Nighthawks
Follow Ruben Foster on twitter @rubenfoster or email @coachingubigr@aol.com
Alarming Trend in Indoor Football
The professional indoor football season is in full swing, and fans are excited at the chance to see their favorite teams play at home once again. And while fans love to see their teams win, there seems to be an increase in the number of blowouts in indoor football this season. This begs the question to be asked: are blowouts harmless or hurtful to the sport?
Just this weekend there were several leagues that played games that resulted in blowouts. In the UIFL, the Cincinnati Commandos crushed the Huntington Hammer 104-12 and the Erie Exlposion rolled over the Mississippi Hound Dogs 88-34. In the AIF, the Cape Fear Heroes defeated the Maryland Reapers 92-20. In the PIFL the Richmond Raiders beat an upstart Knoxville Nighthawks 70-42 (much more respectable) and in the IFL, the struggling Reading Express fell to the Sioux Fallas Storm 75-42.
I can offer two explanations as to why we are seeing an increase in blowouts.
1. There are too many leagues spanning the same areas of the country. Taking a look at only the East Coast, there are five different professional leagues essentially covering the same territory. The AFL, IFL, AIF, PIFL and UIFL. This proliferation of leagues is diluting the talent pool of players and as leagues increase, more players are needed to fill rosters. Owners and GMs have to dig deeper to sign players that might not otherwise get a chance to play. Also, keep in mind that the SIFL which operated as one league in 2011 split off into three leagues, the PIFL, AIF and LSFL. This split vastly increased the number of teams looking for players.
2. The UIFL and AIF are using travel only teams. Travel teams are the scourge of the indoor football world. When a league is operating on a limited budget and is having a difficult time putting together solid ownership travel teams are used to fill scheduling holes. These teams have no home field and are sometimes thrown together right before a scheduled away game. The AIF is currently using two travel only teams on the East Coast, the Virginia Badgers and the Tri-State Redhawks. These teams are typically staffed with semi-pro players who dream of a shot at pro ball. Travel teams never win.
Are blowouts harmless or hurtful to indoor football?
The goal of every professional sports team is to win, and to win by the greatest margin possible, and fans pay to see games in the hopes of seeing their teams win. But as a paying fan, would seeing your team win by 80 points every game eventually wear out it's excitement? Is a late fourth quarter come from behind victory more fulfilling?
I am of the midset that travel teams are a farce and take away from the integrity of the game ruining the environment of competition. It's akin to watching a division 1 college team beat up on a high school squad. Blowouts are harmful to indoor football because eventually fans will become bored and quit attending. Once fans stop filling the stands teams disappear. Just ask the former owner of the Richmond Revolution, Fairbanks Grizzlies or Ogden Knights.
Follow Ruben Foster on twitter @rubenfoster or email @coachingubigr@aol.com
LSFL and PIFL Not Meeting for Championship Game
In 2011, when the SIFL broke apart the remaining teams were tasked with finding a new home for 2012. Chad Dittman, President of the Rio Grande Valley Magic, was instrumental in creating a network of indoor football teams that all hailed from Texas. Most coming from the former SIFL and some new expansion teams.
Initially, his vision was for the Texas teams to become the Western Conference and the former East Coast SIFL teams to become the Eastern Conference. In this new proposed league, the Texas teams would only play each other during the regular season and playoffs and the Eastern teams likewise. Finally, the Champion from each Conference would then meet in an overall league Championship game at the end of the season.
But something happened along the way that would change the course of that vision. In the summer of 2011 both "conferences" ended up becoming their own league. That is, they both incorporated separately as a legal entity, with the Lone Star Football League in Texas and the Professional Indoor Football League in Tennesee. For a true, West vs East Championship game to take place they would have had to form under a single corporation. Even after both leagues were formed, there were rumors of the game still moving forward but no league officials would confirm or deny.
This week, a source close to PIFL leadership has confirmed that there will be no East vs West Championship game between the two newly formed leagues in 2012. Why the idea was ultimately squashed is anyone's guess, but I speculate it was largely due to excessive travel costs and insurance liability issues that would have arisen if the game moved forward. While it would have been exciting to see a game take place between the best of each league, it will not change the Raiders long term vision or playoff hopes.
Follow Ruben Foster on twitter @rubenfoster or email @coachingubigr@aol.com
Come Tailgating with the Richmond Raiders Insider 3/24
Do you have time to kill before the Richmond Raiders and Knoxville Nighthawks game on 3/24? Come out to the Richmond Raiders Insider official tailgating party from 5pm - 6pm. Tailgating takes place at the parking deck directly across the street from the Richmond Coliseum on 7th street (see picture below). We meet on the top deck unless its raining, if its raining we meet one floor under the top deck. Deck entry is $5 (cash only) and it opens right at 5pm. So bring your friends, some food and be ready for a good time. The only rule is no alcohol of any type due to Virginia ABC laws. Send questions via email to coachingubigr@aol.com or get me on twitter @rubenfoster
Click on the below picture to see a map. We meet in deck #2.
Richmond Raiders Tame Columbus Lions
Last night at the Richmond Coliseum, the Raiders accomplished a feat that alluded them during the entire 2011 season, they beat the Columbus Lions. But the names on the front of the jerseys were about the only similarity from last year as both teams fielded nearly completely revamped rosters. The Columbus Lions had 31 players on the roster, with 22 listed as rookies. On the Raiders roster were only seven players that wore the Raider black and blue in 2011.
Starting at Quarterback for the Raiders was Antwon Young, who first signed with Richmond late last season. Young was quick to move out of the pocket and was accurate with his passes, finishing 16-28 for 172 yards and 5 passing TD's and 52 rushing yards and 1 TD and only one interception. The ground game was much improved on last year, with FB Anthony Silvers now on the roster. Silvers (6'2" 245 lbs) ran for two touchdowns and broke from a couple of long runs. He is a big FB that was able to take a pounding, but was surprisingly fast on the run. It was also kicker T.C. Steven's first game as a Richmond Raider. The former Hampden-Sydney standout hit two UNOS and all of his extra points. Stevens proved he has a big strong leg and will do well this season.
During the offseason, the PIFL signed an agreement with the NFL to use league games as training grounds for future NFL referees. Unfortunately the officials that called the game last night made several controversial calls that upset the home team crowd. One such call resulted in a defensive touchdown for Columbus, when it should have been called a Raider safety. In addition, there were several late hits on Raider players that took place well after the whistle was blown, but were not called. The two teams were at each others throat all night, and it was obvious there is no love between the two franchises. At another point in the game, a ball was thrown into the stands and caught by a fan. An official ran over and started barking for the ball to be returned. The crowd responded, informing her politely that in indoor football the fans keep the ball. She complied and went on her way.
Even with the suspect officiating and the fights between the two teams, the Raiders came out victorious 65-58 staring the season 1-0. The Raiders have yet to make the playoffs during their first two years of play, but with the PIFL league structure they can finish as low as fourth out of six and still make the playoffs. With this roster that should not be a problem. This will be a great season for our Richmond Raiders.
Lastly, I couldn't help but notice the Papa John's pizza logo on the Raiders jersey and the Domino's pizza logo on the Lion's jersey. Maybe the "P" in PIFL stands for pizza.
The Richmond Raiders head to Albany, GA to take on the Panthers on 3/17 and are back home again against the upstart Knoxville Knighthawks on 3/24.
Follow Ruben Foster on twitter @rubenfoster or email @coachingubigr@aol.com