Lancaster Eagle-Gazette from Lancaster, Ohio • 27

Lancaster Eagle-Gazette, Sunday, February 8, 20047C m'oi turn I American Central Chicago Rush SI I I i 1 lJ I Lr I I'. It it GAME SYSTEM AND RULES OF THE GAME U.S Patent No. 4,911.433 GOAL POSTS 9' wide, with a Colorado Crush FIELD GOALS by placement 3 pts. by drop kick 4 pts. IM 1 OFFENSE 8 players on Held 4 players line up on line of scrimmage.

No punting. 15' high crossbar. (Na 18 12' wide 10' high crossbar) DEFENSE 8 players on field 3 players down linemen FIELD NUMBERS Detroit Fury 3 feet by 18 inches Base located 15 feet from field boundary. OUTSIDE LINES 3 inches, white. INSIDE HASHMARKS 4 12' from center of field.

TOTAL ROSTER 20 active players Four-man inactive players SCORING Touchdown 6 pts. Grand Rapids Rampage Conversion place kick -1 pt. Conversion run or pass 2 pts. Drop Kick conversion 2 pts. Failed conversion after TD, returned by defense 2 pts.

Safety 2 pts. GOALSIDE REBOUND NETS Tightly strung mesh 30' wide, 32 high. OUTSIDE HASHMARKS 13 12' from center of field. TIME OF PLAY Four 15 minute quarters Indiana Firebirds American Western PLAYING FIELD 50 yards 8-yard end zones 80' -85' wide SIDELINE BARRIERS High density foam 15 minute halftime may vary for National TV games 15 -minute overtime 25 second clock 5TS padding, 48" high. Slight variations acceptable.

PLAYING SURFACE Indoor artificial grass Graphic courtesy of Arena Football League Page design by Michael S. Johnson Uijnntj. Arizona Rattlers I d) 1 J) (L (( Los Angeles Avengers 0 7n U3L- Las Vegas Gladiators New game, ignites Columbus with spring football fever San Jose SaberCats National Eastern 2004 schedule CAROLINA COBRAS. Carolina Cobras Time 7 7 7 3 9 7 7 noon 7 3 noon 7:30 3 7 8:30 4 Date Feb. 7 Feb.

13 Feb. 21 Feb. 29 March 5 March 13 March 20 Mach 26 April 4 April 10 April 18 April 25 May 1 May 9 May 14 May 22 May 30 Opponent at Indiana CAROLINA at Philadelphia DALLAS at Arizona PHILADELPHIA at New York Bye ORLANDO NEW YORK at New Orleans TAMPA BAY at Carolina GEORGIA GRAND RAPIDS at Dallas at Las Vegas Columbus Destroyers By LANCE CRANMER Gazette Sports Writer COLUMBUS Picture a football field half as long and wide as you remember. There are no sidelines for players to catch their breath or coaches to angrily pace. Instead there are 48-inch high walls and Plexiglas serving as the only barrier between the fans and the action on the field.

Better yet, picture an ice hockey rink and add artificial grass. Like what you see? Then you're ready for the Arena Football League. At 50 feet long and 28 feet wide, the playing surface for the AFL barely resembles the traditional football field certainly not the monstrous Ohio Stadium that serves as Columbus' home for the Ohio State Buckeyes. Columbus will get its first taste of the AFL next week when the league's newest franchise, the Destroyers, plays its first home game of its inaugural season at Nationwide Arena against the Carolina Cobras on Feb. 13.

Featuring a roster of 24 players, mostly unfamiliar faces to the average sports fan, the Destroyers look to bring a new up-tempo, high-scor-: ing style of football to a city that has known the sport in its collegiate form for more than 100 years. "It's like fast-break football," said Jojo Polk, a defensive specialist for the Destroyers. "It's high scoring, ifs a tot of fun and the fans are right there on top of it to see everything." "If you go to the bathroom you can miss two touchdowns, or three," adds Coco Blalock, an offensive specialist. "You gotta take that chance but, even if you blink long, you might miss a couple points." Blalock says at an AFL game, it's no surprise to see players high-f iving fans or even being tackled off fiie playing surface and into fans' laps. "The speed of this game is unbelievable," said Blalock.

"If folks haven't been to an arena football game, this is probably one of the most exciting sporting events to go see." Polk is in his fourth year of arena ball, spending his first two in Grand Rapids and his last in Buffalo, the former home of the Destroyers franchise. "It's definitely a fan-based game," he said. "There's lots of fun involved. Lots of excitement." Last season, Polk set the Destroyers single-season record for tackles with 86.5 on a team that finished 5-11. He is one of just six players remaining from last year's team who made the transition to Columbus.

Among the most experienced players on the Mi, 4 irimTiimMiiiiiiiliiMi r'fMllt-'iTiTiTiirii it'iTiirifilfirlMiff iKiiitiritfiiriiiii D'J Dallas Desperados Robert J. MoorheadGazette Columbus Destroyers head coach Earle Bruce talks with the media Monday about the new. Arena Football League franchise in central Ohio. pecially your big guys, on their ability of rushing the passer while playing defense and then trying to protect on offense. Those are things that matter." To help the Destroyers work with their linemen this season, Jim Lachey, a former Pro Bowl offensive tackle and Super Bowl champion with the Washington Redskins, was brought in as an assistant coach.

"I couldnt play in this league as a tackle," joked Lachey. "They dont have any." The biggest difference Lachey has seen with the players is their overall size and agility. "The lineman are probably not as big and thick as they are in the NFL because they have to go both ways," said Lachey. "Some of those guys went to NFL camps and couldnt work out there, just find a way here in this league to exceL" While playing what's known as "Iron Man" football, fatigue would seem to be a factor for AFL players. Lachey, however, knows that the players should be able to handle it.

"The way they're rotating, if they've got something good going they might go a quarter straight," he said. "It's only about 85 to 90 plays a game. Ift not that big of an adjustment I tell them I went 100 and something (in the NFL) and I'm still here." (Cranmer can be reached at 772-9304 or via e-mail at lcranmernncogannett.com) And the walls often come into play. "When you play receiver, you cant worry about those boards. The boards arent going to move.

Don't get that wrong," said Blalock. "You've got to be aware of your surroundings and where you are. You cant go out there and be scared. You cant play like that and be successful." Unlike the NCAA and NFL's 11-man format, Arena League Football is 8-on-8. The only players who do not play on both sides of the ball are deemed "specialists." "On each side of the ball you get two specialists," said Blalock.

"On offense, one is a quarterback and one is a receiver who plays only offense the whole game." "You've got to be a complete team because six of the players play both ways," said Destroyers coach Earle Bruce. "That's a rather shocking development because now you pick your players, es Destroyers, Polk says it takes a different kind of athlete to excel in the AFL "You have to be an athlete, period," Polk said. "You have to be able to do everything tackle, catch, run. You have to be an athlete to come and play this game." Versatility is definitely a virtue in the AFL since several players play offense and defense. Tony Locke is a rookie for the Destroyers who will double as a receiver and defensive back.

"I was a receiver in college," said Locke, an Ur-bana native and three-year letterman at Ohio State. "Actually, playing DB is making me a better receiver because I'm learning different tendencies and things that DBs key on against receivers. "Things happen a lot faster and in a smaller area," he said. "The routes have to be a little more precise and the timing has to be a little bit better." New York Dragons Philadelphia Soul National Western Columbus an easy choice for AFL franchise Austin Wranglers that Columbus and arena football were a perfect match," said Whinham, now the Destroyers' team president. "Columbus brings the things that you look for in putting a pro team in a com f-.

Whinham Georgia Force New Orleans VooDoo Columbus, the veteran jumped at the chance. "When I heard finally that there was going to be a move from Buffalo to here," Bruce said. "I contacted some people and talked to them about arena football and my interest in it and how I think it will grow in Columbus. "They hired me, now all I have to do is win." The Destroyers make their AFL debut Saturday on the road against the Indiana Firebirds. The team's home opener will follow less than a week later when Columbus hosts the Carolina Cobras Friday, Feb.

13 at Nationwide Arena. "It seems like (fans) are excited about it," said Destroyers quarterback Ryan Vena. "They love football here. They pack 100,000 people in to watch the Buckeyes every week. If we can get 18,000 in here to watch us I think it would be great." (Cranmer can be reached at 772-9304 or via e-mail at Icranmcrnncogumiett.com) sistant coach working with the offensive line under head coach Earle Bruce, another name synonymous with football in Ohio.

Bruce coached the Buckeyes from 1979-1987 going 81-26-1 including two outright Big Ten titles and two co-championships. After his college coaching career came to an end, Bruce became a coach in the AFL during the 1993-94 season with the short-lived Cleveland Thunderbolts. He then spent one season with the St. Louis Stampede and another with the Iowa Barnstormers of AFL2. Since then, Bruce, a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, has been covering Ohio State football on the radio.

When the Blue Jackets came to Columbus four seasons ago, there was talk of interest in the city landing an AFL team. Bruce kept in constant watch of the possibilities and when the opportunity became available to return to the coaching ranks in the city all that more attractive. Along the way, the organization picked up, an influential group of Columbus, supporters in the Buckeye Legends, a grpup that includes former Ohio State greats Jim Lachey and Chris Spielman. i "When I came back from the NFL and moved back to Columbus, I wanted to be part of the community," said Lachey, a former All-Pro offensive lineman with the Washington Redskins and current radio announcer for the Buckeyes. "I wanted to be involved in pro football and the timing was right for me.

You only have Ohio State football from August to January. You've got to fill the gaps, and we're doing that right now with the Destroyers." Aside from his role with the Buckeye Legends, helping the team with marketing and research, Spielman, a former Ail-American linebacker at OSU, was named the team's Director of Football Operations. Lachey has also signed on as an as By LANCE CRANMER Gazette Sports Writer COLUMBUS Ohio's capital city is no stranger to football. Then again, the brand put on the field each fall courtesy of the Ohio State Buckeyes isnt exactly representative of Columbus' new kid in town. Welcome to the world of the Arena Football League and the city's newest marquee attraction, the Columbus Destroyers.

Originally located in Buffalo, N.Y., the Destroyers franchise picked Columbus as its new home after carefully sorting though several cities around the country. Dave Whinham operates an organization called Team Sales Co. When the franchise began its search for a new home, Whinham's company was contacted to manage the transaction. "I think the reason we were contacted to help manage a relocation and transfer at least some ownership of the team was partly due to our belief munity. Namely among those is the city's status as the largest in Ohio and it's relatively unpopulated professional sports community.

the business side, we took a look at it and said, "Who would your stif fest competition said Whinham. "I think that an arena football team would, at best, come in second place in sports marketing to the! '(National Hockey League's) Blue Jackets." Adding the availability to share a home with the Blue Jackets at the Nationwide Arena made Orlando Predators Tampa Bay Storm.