*Please Note*
The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the the author are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Sioux Falls Storm or the Indoor Football League, nor do they reflect official policies of the Sioux Falls Storm or the Indoor Football League.
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As an on again, off again sports blogger covering the winningest franchise in the sport and an indoor football addict and forum junkie for closing in on 8 years now, I’ve said a lot. Some of it on point and accurate, some of it way off base in the heat of the moment after a trade, a loss, a signing, etc. Some of it has been mindless angry ramblings about nothing of any substance. I’ve said things that people wholeheartedly agreed with, and things that people in certain positions have just laughed at, or taken personally, and I have even made a few people angry. Sometimes, those things were in the same blogs... but I digress. I’ve inadvertently made myself infamous in the tiny little circle that is indoor football, and even more infamous, perhaps even hated, inside the smaller circle that is the Sioux Falls Storm’s portion of that circle.
So at some point I said that Chris Dixon is ruining the Storm, and I meant it, but hear me out. It would be foolish to state, without any insider knowledge, that arguably the best quarterback indoor football has ever seen is actually causing any damage to one of the oldest franchises the sport has. He is, however the face of the “New Storm”.
The Storm built their tradition and first dynasty on the backs of guys who played at colleges that don’t exist anymore (Huron University, Huron, SD), local guys who played college ball in town, or just up (or down) the road a ways. I’d have to look at a stat sheet to verify this, but I’m thinking that in the 2005 UIF title game there were three starters who didn’t go to college nearby. (Mike Lawson, Ryan Terry, and Terrance Bryant)
The current Storm roster (based on goifl.com transaction reports) has a grand total of 5 guys from local and area colleges.
Cory Johnsen (St. Cloud State)
Blake Wilson (Southwest Minnesota State)
Parker Douglass (South Dakota State)
Lorenzo Brown (University of Sioux Falls)
General Parnell (South Dakota State)
Clinton Solomon (University of Iowa)
And, given the IFL’s new 25 man (down from 30) roster, I’d say it’s a long shot that Blake and General make the squad.
What this means, to me, is that the Storm have changed... when, in fact, the whole league has changed. The dynamics that move the needle these days are dramatically different than what they were 3, 5, or 7 years ago. Are these players looking to make Sioux Falls their homes? Do they want to become members of the community, or are they just transient entertainers here for a gig hoping they can become the next Fred Jackson?
Storm beat writer Matt Zimmer touched on the NBA D-League side of this same discussion here
http://mattyzimmer.tumblr.com/post/17197894952/malcolm-lee-and-the-decline-of-skyforce-feverWhile I certainly hope what has happened to the Skyforce does not happen to the Storm, it bears watching.
I’ve made no secret that I’ve traveled, a lot, to follow the Storm these past few years. I don’t wish to claim myself as their number 1 fan. I’ll reserve that title for folks who can offer more consistently positive support.
At some point, I started caring about the guys who wore the jerseys a bit more than the actual (ever changing) jerseys themselves, and that has made the travel much more worth it. I’ve gotten to visit the Oklahoma City bombing memorial (a trip I encourage everyone to make). I’ve gotten to visit Fort Collins, Colorado and met a great BBQ restaurant owner in Wichita, Kansas. I’ve had the distinct privilege of visiting such exotic locales as Grand Island, NE and Sioux City, IA and soaking up the wonderful local flavor of their fanbases.
So, having said all of that we come back to what role Dixon plays in my eyes to this team. He is without a doubt the singular most skilled quarterback to play the game to date. He has a canon for an arm and can light of unsuspecting defenses for 7 TD’s and 300 yards, or depending on the schematics of the gameplan become a game manager. He can pick up first downs with his feet, and has posterized many a defender in the process. But, he is a victim of unfortunate placement along the indoor football evolution timeline. He’s an indoor football lifer, much like those that came to the Storm before him, apparently lacking some unseen factor that’s kept them from getting real serious looks at higher levels of play.
Chris arrived with the Storm through a complicated set of circumstances that involve a tornado on father’s day, and a ruined arena in Billings, and the subsequent folding of the Outlaws franchise, and his own desire to take his football career in a new direction. He was THE arch enemy of a team he now leads. You’ll have to forgive some of us that have been really slow to warm up to him. Heck I wasn’t sold on Terrance Bryant until the end of the 2006 season, and during his and the team’s struggles in 2005 was ready to sell him on eBay.
So, yeah I’ve been critical of Chris. I’ve wondered aloud why suddenly after 13 games of brilliant play his production suddenly and dramatically dropped off. Now, I don’t have enough time to sift through game film and see if the change was a schematic one. Meaning, Coach Riggs knew his defense was so good, all we needed Dixon to do was not make mistakes and we’d win going away, so called the game accordingly. It’s completely possible that’s the case, and in that vein I applaud Dixon for being a team player, not worrying about his personal stats and playing the game Riggs called. However he himself admitted that at some point during the playoffs his house in Billings almost burned down. It would take someone not human to be able to focus 100% on football after that. So if he was a bit distracted, so be it, these things happen.
Chris has become the defacto face of the organization. He’s the marketing piece. He is the Storm. A Storm roster filled with superstars pulled from other teams like himself, and Randy Kelly and Clinton Soloman from Wichita. He’s the leader of a team with precious few guys with local ties. There is no Corey Walker, Nate Fluit, Casey Veenhof, or Austin Flyger on this team. There isn’t a Shannon Poppinga, a Mark Blackburn nor a Justin Landis on the team. We’ve had guys come through in passing, Matt Lien for example, and we still have Lorenzo Brown, Parker Douglass, and Blake Wilson… You would think from a marketing stand point landing Tyler Schulte would be huge…But I don’t run the team, and I don’t know Tyler’s plans. I do know that when local legend Jake Sharp signed up in Wichita, people came to watch him play, regardless of the Wild’s record.
So, Is Dixon ruining the Storm? In reality no, I’m sure he will lead us again to lots of wins, passing yards and touchdowns. Is he the face of a team that this fan is struggling to connect with? Definitely.
