Time to Pack Our Bags

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Indoor football, like life, is cyclical.  Leagues come and go, teams come and go and players come and go.  The only constant is change.  Rarely is the change for the good, but it’s change nonetheless.  If we narrow our historical focus studying indoor football to the 8 man 50 yard variety played in something resembling an arena, without rebound nets, then the history only goes back to 1998.  In that time three professional leagues stand out for having any sort of longevity.  The National Indoor Football League from 2001 to 2006, United Indoor Football 2005-2008, and the second coming of the Indoor Football League 2009-present.  These leagues, as you can see, last roughly 4 to 5 years before they implode, sometimes spectacularly like the NIFL.  

Anyone like me that can handle 3^rd grade math in our heads has figured out that based on history alone, the Indoor Football league is doomed.  Couple that with the fact that the current league spread from Wisconsin to Washington state, and from South Dakota to Texas.  All that real estate and the league has only NINE teams.    The IFL have had recent press releases claiming expansion to twelve teams for the 2014 season, but I for one am not going to hold my breath.  I kind of like oxygen as it turns out.  

Throughout my last decade following indoor football and specifically the Sioux Falls Storm, I’ve met some great people, and some not so great.  Every arena has “those” fans, and “those” fans have ranged from 9 to 90 years old.  But it was one of those great fans (and the coincidence of a Storm road game and Mother’s Day) that landed me in the Hartman Arena just outside Wichita, Kansas the other night to watch former Indoor Football league member Wichita Wild take on foes from 90 miles up the road in the Salina Bombers in a Champions Indoor Football League (CPIFL) matchup.  

Ah, what it must be like to have a team only 90 miles away.  That seems like it would be a lot of fun, and it seems like it would make travel for the team cheap and easy.  It’s also an away game that the fans of a visiting team could make.    I remember the good ole days when the Storm had TWO teams in the same league as them that were less than a three hour drive away.  Those days are long gone, and given the history between ownership groups in Sioux Falls and Sioux City, likely to never happen again.  

 It’s too bad really.  Between the skyrocketing costs of travel in the IFL, and the Storm’s dominance on and off the field, owners that knew they wanted a smaller budget to get ends closer to meeting, and that actually wanted to compete jumped ship to the CPIFL.  So far, by the extraordinarily low bar set by the dozens of now defunct, or soon to be defunct leagues the CPIFL has had a phenomenal year.  The have played all of their scheduled games, and there are few of the normal shenanigans that plague leagues at this level.  

The CPIFL does a few things drastically different than the IFL.  First, player compensation is a bit more transparent than the IFL, where the claims are players only make $200 a game.   But many people doubt that every team pays their players only that.  So much so that I’m often reminded of a story Ronald Reagan is often credited with telling, about a boy with eternal optimism, that his father wanted cured.  He took him to a doctor, and the doctor took his patient into a room filled with a mountain of horse dung. "This is for you." The doctor told him. With that, the boy smiled, so wide he could have eaten a banana sideways. Excited, he raced to the top of the mountain of manure, where, with his bare hands, he began digging into the pungent heap. Baffled, the doctor and the parents looked at one another quizzically, "Son," the father asked." What in heaven's name do you think you're doing?"

"Well", the boy replied, "with all this horse dung, I figure there's got to be a pony in there somewhere!"

The CPIFL requires most of its players for live within 125 miles of their home team.  This is obviously a bit flexible, but the idea is to reduce or eliminate the costs of housing most of your 25 man roster.  The players can get reimbursed for mileage to and from practice and games.   This rule is in place so that teams focus on bringing in local talent rather than forcing them to recruit from all over.  It’s not a perfect science based of the rosters I saw, but for the most part it seems to work.  The base salary for the players game checks is also lower with $125 per game being the figure I’ve seen the most.  And, with all of this frugality, the play on the field was barely distinguishable from what I’m accustomed to in the IFL.  Perhaps we’ve wasted a lot of money trying to win games to save a fan base that really didn’t need saving. 

The league currently consists of ten teams, the Wichita Wild, Omaha Beef, Sioux City Bandits, Salina (KS) Bombers, Kansas City Renegades, Bloomington Edge, Lincoln Haymakers, Oklahoma Defenders, Kansas Koyotes, and the Mid-Missouri Outlaws.  Of these, four have spent time in the same league as the Storm in the past.  From talking with Wild fans at the pre-game tailgate it’s obvious to them that three teams are in danger of not being around next season, Mid-Missouri, Kansas (Topeka) and Kansas City all have little fan support, and are not very good on the field.  

It would be nice if lining up to fill those fictitiously vacated spots would be three current IFL teams that have enjoyed strong fan support  this season with Sioux Falls, Nebraska, and Cedar Rapids.   All three of these teams fit very nicely within the confines of the current CPIFL footprint.  They also give distinct advantages to at least one other team in the league. In this fictitious league Omaha, for example, would have four teams within 3 hours.  How’s that for tidying up the travel budget?  

So here’s one fans plea.  A wish that next season is all about the fan experience, and the bottom line.  Let’s leave past transgressions in the past, and place the ego’s aside, and play by the rules for the betterment of the entire sport.  Let’s renew regional rivalries, re-kindle old hatreds, and impassion fan bases.    Let’s do this, otherwise the harsh reality is that I don’t see the Sioux Falls Storm making it over to the shiny new arena for the 2015 season.

*Please Note*
The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed herein by the the author are the author's 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.

The Curse of TexXx

2015-1-18 Update
The Packers just blew a 12 point lead in the NFc Championship Game in 3 minutes plus OT....
April 2014, TexXx visited Lambeau, again.. the Pack never had a chance...

Last night the Green Packers lost a football game in a crazy, bizarre fashion.  Sad Packer Fan Casey Lewis blames her "cursed" Clay Matthews jersey.  Then I suddenly realized.. It's all my fault.  Sorry Cheeseheads, I wasn't even thinking...

As a senior in high school the eldest son of my defensive coordinator was an assistant coach at the University of Houston during the Run & Shoot hey day... He had arranged for the seniors to watch UH play the Aggies of Texas A&M.  My buddy Anthony and I arrived late, found out way in through an administrative gate, and got led down to the field level.  walked through the actual Oilers locker room, made a right turn (Seen here at :55) and walked out of the players tunnel on to the floor of the Houston Astrodome during player warmups.  A trip and a tunnel I hoped to see again in a few weeks in the playoffs.  It was not to be.  We lost in the first round... Oh... What does that have to do with the Packers... The Oilers lost in the playoffs that season too.. To Buffalo..after being up 35-3

Fast forward to 2008.  The final season in the history of storied Texas Stadium.  As a life long Cowboys fan I had to go. I had to see the place where Danny White (odd first choice in this list, I know), Troy Aikman, Emmit Smith, Michael Irvin had played.  The tickets were bought, the plane tickets, stadium tour and hotel were booked.  Two weeks before I visit, Tony Romo breaks his thumb in a crazy, wild game in Arizona where the Cardinals won, in overtime on a blocked punt.  Backup Brad Johnson beat Tampa the day I went, but the Cowboys finished 9-7 and out of the playoffs.

Three years later, while visiting Kansas City I toured Arrowhead Stadium, the home of the then defending AFC West Champs.  Well for those that don't recall, last season the Chiefs lost running back Jamaal Charles on opening day, and slogged to a lackadaisical 7-9 record, and out of the playoffs.

Ok, now I've got Cheeseheads everywhere nervous.  and rightfully so.  In May, while in Green Bay for an indoor football game, I toured Lambeau...

2012 - *insert catchy marketing slogan here*

*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-fever
While 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.

2011-2012 Roster Moves

So, it's September first. While the Storm front office has been busy rightfully pimping their offseason projects, they have left us cold with some of the transactions. Never fear, for once the league has bailed us out, and for those of us that aren't quite as obsessed with this as I am, here are post season transactions as of today, along with the remaining 30 man playoff roster and what I think will happen to them.

*EDIT* (As I posted this the Storm announced Dixon is returning)

2012 Storm Transactions

July 18th 2011
Tommy Chavis DL 6'2 255 University of Missouri Release

July 25th 2011
Myniya Smith OL 6'7 330 Southern University/NFL-Giants Release

8-11-2011
Kennith Akridge DB 6'2 200 University of Indianappolis Re-Sign
Blake Wilson WR 5'9 175 Southwest Minnesota State University Re-Sign
Hershel Dennis RB 6'0 190 University of Southern California Re-Sign
Lorne Sam QB/WR 6'4 220 UTEP/NFL-Broncos, Packers Re-Sign
Brandon Walker RB/WR 6'2 210 Washburn University Re-Sign
Donta Moore DB 6'2 215 University of Connecticut Re-Sign
Parker Douglass K 5'10 180 South Dakota State University/NFL-Saints Re-Sign
Reggie Sullivan DB 6'2 215 Johnson C. Smith University/NFL-Panthers Re-Sign
Charlie Sanders OL 6'1 325 Valdosta State University Re-Sign
Carl Sims WR 6'1 195 Western Illinois University/CFL-B.C. Lions Re-Sign
Gerald Davis OL 6'6 330 Valdosta State University Re-Sign
Rachman Crable DL 6'5 290 Ball State University Re-Sign
Lorenzo Brown WR/QB 6'1 205 University of Sioux Falls Re-Sign
Javon Jackson DB 6'2 205 Southern Utah University Re-Sign
James Jones RB 5'6 185 University of Northern Colorado Re-Sign
Jasonus Tillery RB/WR 6'0 210 Kean University Sign
Maurice Harris DE 6'2 230 Mars Hill College Sign
Myniya Smith OL 6'7 330 Southern University/ NY Giants Sign

8-15-2011
Tory Collins DL 6'3 305 Northwestern State University/NFL-Bears Sign

8-29-2011
Kadafi Tunsil DB 6'0 205 Delaware State University Re-Sign

* Please note, the status is pruely speculation on my part, call it a gut feeling or an semi-educated guess

Bazemore Michael - Questionable... Coach O'Neil has the full time reigns in Colorado now..
Bryant Terrance - re-retired
Chavis Tommy - OUT.. no way he's back in Sioux Falls next year
Crable Rachman - IN, resigned and as best I can tell working in Sioux Falls this off season.
Davis Gerald - IN Resigned Dennis Hershel - IN Resigned
Dixon Chris - Probabale, hasn't resigned, but comments I'm seeing indicate he'll be back *team announced his return via email seconds after I posted this..creepy...
Douglass Parker - IN, resigned
Franks Stewart - Questionable
Hovorka Dusty - Probabale
Jackson Jovan - IN, resigned
Johnsen Cory - Questionable
Jones Florencell "JJ" - In, resigned
Knight Tyler - Doubtful
Landry Michael - Doubtful
McIntire Brian - Probabale
Moore Donta - in, resigned
Sam Lorne - in, resigned
Sanders Charlie - in, resigned
Saterfield Tyrone - OUT.. no way he's back in Sioux Falls next year
Simmons T.J. - Doubtful
Smith Myniya - In, resigned
Sims Carl - in, resigned Sullivan Reggie
Terry James - probabale
Thomas Anthony - doubtful (I think Big Daddy will finally hang 'em up... guess we'll see)
Treasure, Sean - doubtful
Tunsil, Kadafi -in, resigned (admittadly a bit of a shock to me, might bode well for baze, stu and landry returning)
Walker, Brandon -in, resigned Wilson, Blake - in, resigned
* Brown, Lorenzo - In re-signed (was on IR at end of the season)

- New Guys -
Tory Collins DL 6'3 305 Northwestern State University/NFL-Bears Sign
- Tory has been with the alaska Wild in previous seasons..highlight clips http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38xw8MrIzmU

Maurice Harris DE 6'2 230 Mars Hill College Sign http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1X0hInOyz8

Jasonus Tillery RB/WR 6'0 210 Kean University Sign Has played previously in Wyoming - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVYA1xxLX6k

As for the league.. well that's a whole other blog... the more things change, the more they stay the same.

2011 Week One

The 2011 Sioux Falls Storm season kicked off in insanely bizarre fashion this past Friday when your Storm defeated the Kent Predators 105-71. Yes, that’s right. In the interest of time, I’ll spare you a game recap with the exception of a few random comments. The Storm offense looked smooth, and the Kent defense looked bad. The Storm defense looked decent; they gave up a TON of points, but were on the field a TON thanks to a whole host of 1 play scoring drives by the offense. I’d be happy to tell you exactly how many, but the league again has failed to bring its team statisticians up to speed on how to properly use the Pointstreak software/interface.

New Storm QB Chris Dixon looked sharper on his passes (once he got settled down) than I’ve ever seen him. It’s still a bit strange to be using Dixon’s name without some form of expletive preceding it after having watched him go all Chris Dixon on the Storm defense. In his own “Blue 5 to Red 2” blog on the Storm website Dixon says “Many may know me as the Billings Outlaws quarterback. Others may know me as ‘Enemy #1.’ ” Sports is one of the only places where “hate” and “love” are subject to change depending on the color of that players jersey, and I need go no further than NFL Sundays for you Vikings fans the last two years. Imagine having obtained Brett Favre in 1999 instead of 2009, “I’m just sayin.”

So, while I cannot speak for all 4700 fans I hope are at the Storm home opener in March 14th, I can speak for myself and welcome Mr. Dixon and all of the new players who played in Billings, Wichita, La Crosse, or wherever to the Storm family.

Around the league in this second week of IFL action (Chicago and W. Texas won a week ago) the only competitive games were in Chicago where the Omaha Beef survived a scare and a short 55 yard FG attempt as time expired to hold off former QB Ben Sankey and the Slaughter 39-36. In Colorado the Ice shut out Amarillo in the 4th quarter to shock the Venom 37-26. Colorado has in one week reached half as many wins as they had in all of 2010. Late on Sunday, F.O.T (Friend of Texxx) coach Robert Fuller returned to coaching indoor football in Fairbanks, Alaska but the Grizzlies could never overcome two Wenatchee defensive touchdowns in 14 seconds early in the 3rd quarter and fell to the Venom 45-37.

2011 Storm Opening Day 30 Man Roster

#	Last Name	First Name	Position	Height	Weight	College/Experience
3	Akridge	Kennith	DB	6'1	190	University of Indianapolis
15	Bazemore	Michael	DL	6'4	265	Michigan State University
37	Bonwell	Jason	LB/DL	6'2	235	South Dakota State University
13	Brown	Lorenzo	QB	6'0	185	University of Sioux Falls
12	Chavis	Tommy	DL	6'2	255	University of Missouri
71	Davis	Gerald	OL	6'4	320	Valdosta State University
25	Dennis	Hershel	RB	5'11	195	University of Southern California
2	Dixon	Chris	QB	6'0	200	Humboldt State University
11	Douglass	Parker	K	5'10	180	South Dakota State University
6	Franks	Stewart	DB	6'3	225	Arkansas Pine Bluff
84	Hovorka	Dusty	WR	6'1	205	Sioux Falls University
24	Jackson	Jovan	DB	6'2	200	Southern Utah University
96	Johnsen	Cory	DL	6'0	315	Saint Cloud State University
8	Jones	James	RB/WR	5'6	180	University of Northern Colorado
26	Knight	Tyler	LB/DL	6'2	230	Mississippi Valley State
41	McIntire	Brian	DB	6'1	215	Wartburg College
20	Moore	Donta	DB	6'0	215	University of Connecticut
80	Phillips	Alonso	WR	6'2	205	Florida International University
53	Rouse	Kelley	LB	6'4	260	Delaware State University
55	Sanders	Charlie	OL	6'1	325	Valdosta State University
99	Saterfield	Tyrone	DL	6'2	300	University of Louisville
23	Simmons	T.J.	DB	5'9	185	University of South Dakota
75	Smith	Myniya	OL	6'7	330	Southern University/NFL-Giants
9	Terry	James	WR	6'4	190	Kansas State University
58	Thomas	Anthony	OL/DL	6'3	315	University of Arizona
1	Treasure	Sean	WR	6'1	190	Mankato State University
4	Tunsil	Kadafi	DB	6'0	200	Delaware State University
18	Ware	Eric	WR	5'9	185	University of Central Arkansas
48	Willis	Armond	DL	6'2	240	Florida International University
19	Wilson	Blake	WR	5'9	175	Southwest Minnesota State University

STORM FAN SHIRTS ARE HERE!!

The 2011 Sioux Falls Storm fan shirts arrived on my doorstep this afternoon and they’re nothing short of phenomenal.

A giant thanks to the folks at Tryon Ink, a division of The Graphic Edge for getting these made up. What’s this mean? Well if you’ve already ordered, it’s time to arrange pickup or delivery contact me at storm.football “at” sio.midco.net (making the obvious changes) or via Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/mojodcat)or twitter @bouncer_texxx

If you haven’t ordered… what are you waiting on? We’ve got an opportunity to place a second order by February 25th that should arrive just in time for the home opener on March 14th!!!!! Again, contact me via any of the above methods and I’ll get you all the details.







BLACK AND WHITE
MICROFIBER
Available in adult sizes only
XS-6XL
XS-XL $22
XXL-6XL - $25
SHOWN in size 3X

PLAIN BLACK COTTON (or 50/50 blend depending on size)
Available in Youth Medium-Adult 5XL
Youth Medium-Adult XL $15
Adult XXL-5XL $17
Adult Large Shown

Entire Gallery of Shirt Images

From 2011 Storm Fan Shirts