2013 Rookie Class: Shaun Stephens, WR

Let's shift focus to the offensive side of the ball today and take a look at Shaun Stevens, WR, Prairie View A&M.

Shaun Stephens is listed as 5'9, 180 pounds. At his pro day before the 2011 draft, he ran a 4.56 40 time, with a 1.52 10 yard split, and put in a decent vertical at 32 inches. In his senior season at Prairie View A&M, he hauled in 63 catches for 859 yards and 9 touchdowns.

Here's what I like about him. Stephens is a strong receiver who plays the ball in the air extremely well, even when getting manhandled by DBs. A lot of his highlight reels are spent on catches over, around, or on top of defensive backs, which is a necessary skill in the AFL, where players are required to make catches not only over defensive backs, but on top of and over the boundary wall as well, and Stephens isn't afraid to make that kind of catch. 8 of his senior season games also featured a YPC of over 10 yards, so he's used to spending a lot of time behind defenses. These will all be good skills in the AFL.

On the other hand, Stephens comes in a little on the short side. He's a full 4 inches shorter than Jesse Schmidt, and is the shortest WR on the Barnstormers roster by 2 inches. It's hard to say how much of an effect that will have, but it's definitely a factor. The Barnstormers are carrying quite a few receivers they really like, between Thomas, Taylor, and Bowser, and they have AFL experience with Josue Paul and Darius Reynolds. Overall, I doubt Stephens will see the starting lineup, barring injury, in his first year.


2013 Rookie Class:

Kyle Nunn, OL, South Carolina
Josh Wilkins, DB, Fayetteville State
Shaun Stephens, WR, Prairie View A&M
Gershom Jordan, OL, Tennessee State
Everett Corley, DL, Midland
Brian Boemer, C, Southern Illinois
Damario Ambrose, MLB, Arkansas

Kai Brown, FB, Brown

COUNTDOWN TO AFL 2013 KICKOFF: 39 DAYS

The Iowa Barnstormers 2013 Free Agency: 1/29/2013

Alright, sorry it takes me so long to update this blog. Life gets in the way and I can't always do stuff that doesn't get me further in school or make me money. I'll try my best to keep up though.

Without further ado, let's take a look at some more signings for the 2013 Barnstormers.

Significant Signings:

Cameron McGlenn, DB (Spokane):

I'm gonna go ahead and start with Cameron McGlenn being signed to a contract...by Spokane. The Barnstormers let him walk this year, and I couldn't be happier. For every INT, McGlenn was beaten in coverage at least 5 or 6 times over the years, and it's about time the Barnstormers let this experiment rest. Maybe he'll fit better in schemes for the Shock.

Mike Lewis, DL:

The Barnstormers are returning Lewis after he spent the last two seasons playing for a dominant Utah Blaze defense. In two seasons with the Blaze, Lewis racked up 23 sacks, 8 forced fumbles, 24 tackles for a loss, and an interception. Last year, Lewis very nearly outsacked the entire Barnstormer defense, so his presence should make an immediate impact.

Jason Simpson, DB:

Easily the best DB on the roster last year, Simpson is coming off a huge 10 interception season for Iowa. He also appeared to be a leader on the defense, making tough plays when it counted, and getting the crowd involved with physical play and hard hits. He also ended the season with over 1700 yards on kick returns, and will continue to make an impact on special teams. Look for Simpson to be a leader among a young group of DBs.

John Mohring, JLB:

Anyone else remember Mohring's suspension last year for knocking out Eric Meyer? A totally inappropriate hit, deserved suspension, and all that. That aside, there's something to be said for bringing back the player who may have been the most physical player on the defense last year, with all due respect to Jason Simpson. While his tackles and turnover stats aren't necessarily the most spectacular, he's definitely someone to be paid attention on the Barnstormers defense.



Significant No Shows:

Any player, FB:

Somebody's got to come in and fill the huge hole that Rodney Filer left on this offense. His strong running aside, the offensive line was in shambles without Filer's leadership and assistance in pass blocking, so a solid blocker at the fullback position is a must have.

2013 Rookie Class:

Kyle Nunn, OL, South Carolina
Josh Wilkins, DB, Fayetteville State
Shaun Stephens, WR, Prairie View A&M
Gershom Jordan, OL, Tennessee State
Everett Corley, DL, Midland
Brian Boemer, C, Southern Illinois
Damario Ambrose, MLB, Arkansas

I'll be trying to get a write up on each of these rookies done before the start of training camp, with my final roster predictions up the day before training camp begins. That's my goal. Hold me to it!

The Iowa Barnstormers 2013 Schedule

The Barnstormers 2013 schedule was released today:

Sat. March 23 - Iowa @ Chicago Rush
Sat. March 30 - Iowa @ New Orleans Voodoo
Fri. April 5 - Iowa vs. Spokane Shock
Sat. April 13 - Iowa vs. Philadelphia Soul
Fri. April 19 - Iowa @ Jacksonville Sharks
Fri. April 26 - Iowa vs. Chicago Rush
Fri. May 3 - Iowa @ San Antonio Talons
Sat. May 11 - Iowa vs. New Orleans VooDoo
Sat. May 18 - Iowa @ Utah Blaze
Sat. May 25 - Iowa @ Arizona Rattlers
Sat. June 1 - Iowa vs. Tampa Bay Storm
Fri. June 7 - Iowa @ Cleveland Gladiators
Sat. June 15 - Iowa vs. San Jose Sabercats
Sat. June 22  - Iowa @ Philadelphia Soul
Sat. June 29 - Iowa vs. San Antonio Talons
Sat. July 13 - Iowa @ Orlando Predator
Sat. July 20 - Iowa vs. Utah Blaze
Sat. July 27 - Iowa vs. Arizona Rattlers

Some things of note:
1. The Barnstormers open against the Chicago Rush, and will be through both games against the Rush by week 6. The Barnstormers haven't won against the Rush since 2010, and since the AFL has returned the Barnstormers are 1-5 against the Rush. In order to get off to a strong start in the division, the Barnstormers will have to beat the Rush early.

2. The Kansas City Command are no longer a franchise. The Central division is down to three teams, which leaves the door open for a team to be shifted to the Central division. The Barnstormers have 2 games this year against the Rattlers, the Blaze, the VooDoo, and the Soul.

3. The Barnstormers finish the season with 3 of their last 5 games at Wells Fargo Arena, so they will be in a good spot to make a late season run to the playoffs.

4. Assuming the Central division is the same as last year, the Barnstormers will only play one divisional game in the last 11 weeks of the season.

5. A late bye week (week 16), also occurs after the last of the Divisional games for the Barnstormers.

Time will tell how these affect the season for the Barnstormers.

Free Agency 2012: Impact Signings

We're almost 5 days into 2012 open free agency. Time to start taking a look at the 2013 Barnstormer training camp squad.

J.J. Raterink, QB:

In the AFL, it all starts and ends with the QB. After a spectacular 93 TD - 9 INT performance last year, wrapping up Raterink for 2 years is a great move for the Barnstormers. As he builds chemistry with Mike Hohensee, the offense will continue to improve, especially if the Barnstormer coaching staff and front office can put together an offensive line that can protect him. 

Kyle Nunn, OT: 

The only rookie signed to the Barnstormer training camp roster so far, Kyle Nunn will hopefully be a part of rebuilding an offensive line that allowed 55 sacks last season. On tape, Nunn does a good job of holding the outside edge of the pocket and dictating where the defender moves him, but he does get moved. Gives the QB time to step up, but sometimes gives up position and leaves a gap where defenders can come off of other linemen. Seems to play his best football in the run game, especially sweep blocking schemes one on one against defenders. Has the potential to play well controlling the outside edge of the pocket for Raterink.

Rodney Gnat, DL:

Gnat joined the Barnstormers as a rookie in 2012, immediately earning a spot as a team captain. He recorded a team high 5 sacks in 16 games, and was a high motor presence on the DL all season. After slowing down statistically towards the end of the year, the team will need Gnat to take a huge step forward and continue to be a presence on a defensive line that only generated 14 sacks in 18 games.

Marco Thomas, WR:

After a rough start last year, Marco Thomas stepped up, producing a TD in each of the last 12 games of the season, and ending with over 1500 receiving yards and 21 TDs. On a roster that isn't incredibly likely to return star WR Jesse Schmidt, who may retire, the Barnstormers will be looking to see Thomas step up, and have given him a 2 year deal that reflects their expectations.

Significant No-Shows:

Jesse Schmidt, WR:

The star of the Barnstormers for the last 3 years, Jesse Schmidt was tabbed as a possible retirement at the end of last season. Easily the top WR in the AFL for the last 2 years, losing Schmidt would definitely be a blow to this squad.

Cameron McGlenn, DB:

A presence for the last few years in the Barnstormer secondary, Cameron McGlenn has yet to be signed to an AFL roster this year. A player who I've personally questioned many times in coverage, it will be interesting to see if the team returns McGlenn or goes in another direction. 

The entire 2012 OL:

This offensive line gave up 55 sacks in 18 games, and was a constant source of frustration to the Barnstormers, between questionable protection, depth, and injury issues. There were rumors that Linnenkohl may have been planning to step away from football, but Xavier Manuel and Cornelius Lewis are also no-shows to this point. Is this a sign that a new offensive line is incoming?

Other notable No-Shows:

Justin Mincey, DL

John Mohring, LB
Jason Simpson, DB

The FB position