2007 Season Outlook: Dallas Desperados
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The Dallas Desperados set an Arena Football League record last season by winning 13 games and finishing at 13-3. They won a playoff game for the second time in franchise history, and coach Will McClay, chief operating officer Shy Anderson, and lineman Colston Weatherington won half of the league’s individual honors.
However, a bizarre 45-28 loss to the Orlando Predators in the National Conference Championship Game ruined what had appeared to be a championship season.
The residual sting hasn’t subsided for McClay or his players, and probably won’t for much of the off-season. Weatherington said accepting his Lineman of the Year award was “kind of like a bittersweet thing” because he flew to Las Vegas as a guest, not a player.
. . . McClay believes they’ve laid the foundation for an even better year in 2007.
“We feel comfortable about where we are as a staff, where we are with the players that we have and where we are with the direction that we want to go,” said McClay, who also works in the Dallas Cowboys’ scouting department during the off-season. “And we’re excited to get back to work. You need a couple days to wind down and reflect on things. Going since Jan. 2 up until last week, that’s a hard thing.”
Shortly after the season’s conclusion, the team resigned several of its core players, including linemen Rickie Simpkins and Devin Wyman, defensive specialist Jermaine Jones, first-team All-Arena fullback/linebacker Duke Pettijohn, along with backups Josh White (FB/LB), Andrew Layton (WR/LBs) and Bobby Perry (WR/LB).
Most importantly, the team inked quarterback Clint Dolezel to a three-year extension, providing stability for a team that has started each of its seasons with a different quarterback than it had in the previous season.
Dolezel, an 11-year AFL veteran, signed with Dallas on Oct. 14, 2005, and in his first season with the club, led the Desperados to the second-best record in league history, set the league record for single-season touchdown passes (105) and became just the second quarterback in league history to top 37,000 career passing yards. One of the most prolific passers in AFL history, Dolezel enters the 2007 season second on the AFL’s all-time lists for completions, pass attempts, passing yardage and passing touchdowns.
“We had high expectations for Clint when we first signed him leading up to the 2006 season,” said Desperados Head Coach Will McClay. “While we did not accomplish our goal of winning a championship, he performed at a high level, bringing experience and leadership to the team. Clint is an integral part of our plan to win a championship and to have him for a few more years adds to the continuity of our team. He’s the type of player any coach would want because of what he does on and off the field.”
The Desperados open their season on March 4 against the New York Dragons in a game that will be featured on ABC. Dallas is scheduled to appear on ESPN/ABC four times this season:
Sunday, March 4 at New York (11:30 a.m.) ESPN on ABC (regional) Monday, March 25 at Orlando (6 p.m.) ESPN2 Monday, April 16 vs. Philadelphia (7 p.m.) ESPN2 Monday, June 25 at Colorado (9 p.m.) ESPN2
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