POCATELLO PREDATORS BEGIN A ‘NEW ERA’ WITH A “NEW ATTITUDE”, HOWEVER, MUST RELY ON UNPROVEN QUARTERBACK TO LEAD THEM BACK TO THE PLAYOFFS IN ‘07

Team Preview by: Jared Neumeier

POCATELLO – As I mentioned in the Rhino-Raider preview, there are some teams that want to be pre-ranked #1 (or just very high) and there are some that want the lowest possible pre-rank (lets face it, a high pre-ranking does not earn you any W’s).

Well, put the Predators down for the latter.

And, about two months ago, with all of the hype and talk out of Predator camp, I was thinking that this might be the team that would be giving the Bears and Rhinos their biggest run for the title in 2007. If I was going to honor their “request”, and sandbag them a little, I would have had to do it at the expense of my integrity.

Exit Jeff Belnap.

Now, I know that Belnap did not have his greatest season last year, but I also know that Belnap was at his best… when he was calling his own plays and being the field general that he is. This may have run at odds with Predator coaching and may have lead to his un-announced retirement. As a former quarterback/play caller myself, I agree with Belnap. I asked Rhino-Raider head coach/quarterback, Dave Stireman, the same question. He agrees. The key to some quarterbacks success is that they are able to “Manage” the game their way. Trying to conform your game to the whims and philosophies of coach who doesn’t think like you… can make a quarterback like that… not themselves.

But, the 2007 Predators have a ‘new attitude” and part of that will likely be that coaches coach… and players play. Now, of course, this team is loaded with player leadership and they have gone to great lengths to identify and announce team captains. All-around athletes, Jeff May and Troy Sutton (their defensive captains) , Kelly Nebeker, Davian Brokaw and of course Travis Hobson to name a few.

Young quarterback, Jordan Peterson, Belnap’s heir apparent to Belnap, will be one of the team captains.

Peterson is a young talent… and a winner. He had great success as the starter at Highland High School, one of the best and most consistently solid high school football programs in the history of the state of Idaho. He has the tools and the background.

Peterson was roughed up pretty good against Cache Valley, tossing 5 interceptions, including several going back for scores. Don’t read too much into that… but don’t ignore it either.

The Predators’ main Achilles heel in 2006, however, was that they couldn’t rush the ball very well… nor could they stop the run very well. They were last in average yards per attempt and 9^th in rushing yards given up by their defense. I’m not terribly convinced that they improved on these problems much. Further… they were almost dead last in quarterback sacks … with only 9 for the season. I’m not certain that problem has been fixed.

This team certainly has plenty of talent, weapons, big linemen, etc. But in 2006, the sum of the parts did not add to what should have been the whole.

They finished the season with a couple of great playoff games, a dominating win over arch-rival, Idaho Falls in Idaho Falls and a spirited 35-28 loss to the eventual RMFL champion, Rhino-Raiders in Ogden. But in both of those games, Belnap and 10-year veteran and 3-time RMFL Offensive MVP, Brock Gunter, played their butts off (as well as a host of others, of course). But Belnap and Gunter are gone… It’s a new era in Pocatello football.

IF it’s going to be a better era, I’m just not ready to predict it for this season.

KEY ADDITIONS:

Brandon Peebler – Wide Receiver

Kaleb Moir – Linebacker

Jordan Peterson – Quarterback

Keith Taylor – Linebacker

Jeff Waetje – Place-kicker

David Stanislowski – Running Back

KEY LOSSES:

Brock Gunter – Wide Reciever

Jeff Belnap – Quarterback

Reggie Jackson – Running Back

Tyler Wheatley – Running Back

OFFENSE:

One does not need to look any further than the top two names of the “Key losses” list of this preview to get a feel for what kind of transition this offense will be going through in 2007. Belnap and Gunter have been MVP’s, all-stars and team leaders for the Predators all the way back to the Silverback days and their 2001 RMFL Championship. These are the kinds of players that are not easily replaced… ever. Now, for the record, even with Belnap and Gunter, its not like the Pocatello offense lit the league on fire last season. They actually finished 5^th in offense (8^th rushing, 3^rd passing) and Belnap may have had statistically his worst season, tossing a solid 17 touchdowns, but was tagged for 14 interceptions, not exactly an all-star ratio. And for the first time ever, Gunter did not lead the team in receptions/yards. Kelly Nebeker did. But what these future first ballot RMFL Hall of Famer’s did was play their best when it counted most… in the playoffs. Now, no one plays forever and getting in fresh players with energy and heart can be a good progression, even for a football team. But at the quarterback position, its not exactly a “plug and play” world. It usually takes time. 6 years ago, when Belnap was a “new” quarterback to the league, I wrote in the pre-season previews that I expected him to struggle… as all first year quarterbacks in this league seem to do; he proved me wrong. Enter former Highland High School star quarterback, Jordan Peterson, the newly acclaimed “leader” of the Predator offense. His struggles in the Cache Valley pre-season game have been highly documented… and he’ll have no drop off when he has to play the Rhino Raider blitzing defense in the opening weekend. But if this RMFL rookie can withstand this two-game “Trial by fire”… he might just be all right. Peterson will have Greg Hillary in the backfield. Hillary played off and on last year at tailback, rushing for only 76 yards on 38 carries, a horrendous 2.0 yard per carry average. However, an RMFL original star, Jared Anderson, returns to the team to join Hillary in the backfield. Anderson is a multi-threat player that was a key in their 2001 championship run. The veteran Casey Nielsen, is expected to play most of the tight end reps. Nielsen, who is perhaps most famous as a linebacker for the old Mini-Cassia Bulldawgs, has great size and blocking ability and as a pass receiver can occasionally drop the easy pass while constantly making the tough grabs. Kelly Nebeker is back as the teams primary wide out. Nebeker was good for 36 receptions for 631 yards and 7 touchdowns last year…. A rather Gunter-ian effort. With Travis Goodwin succumbing to injury, he will be joined by a new addition, Brandon Peebler. Peebler was the Madison Lionz third wide receiver in 2006, catching 16 passes for 205 yards and 5 touchdowns and is ready to step up into the #2 role for the Predators. The Pocatello offensive line may have struggled a bit with the Cache Valley Bears front 4, however, they do expect a full recovery heading into the season. Travis Hobson (6’6, 310) returns as a team captain for this unit and he will get back all-star, Eric Hancock (6’4, 300) and center, Jared Guardipee (6’2, 250). The Predators have added Jake Blair (6’2, 250) and Dan Crabtree (6’9, 280) to help fill out what they are hoping to be a 2007 strength. The Predator line, however, finished 7^th in 2006, mostly due to finishing last in run blocking, as the team only averaged 3.5 yards per rush. They were much better in pass blocking, only yielding 9 sacks all season and hope to build on that success, while springing Anderson, Hillary and new acquisition, David Stanislowski for bigger gains. Stanislowski is a 4-year veteran of the Iraq conflict and played for a championship winning Century High School (Pocatello) and might be a bit of a secret weapon on this Pocatello offense. Jeff Waetje, a former Idaho Falls Mustang kicker, joins the Predators and they expect he will bring consistency and a big time leg to their special teams. Had I to write this preview a couple of months ago, it would be a different preview. It might have included Jeff Belnap returning for his final season to “lead the charge” of a re-vamped, renewed Pocatello squad. Obviously, I’m not writing that today. I’m a bit worried about this offense. I’ll always worry when there is a young, rookie quarterback, but I also don’t know that they have the running back that can scare opponents and help the passing game. The offensive line is probably the one unit, however, I have most confidence in… and if they perform, it will make the other 6 look a lot better. Regardless, Peterson is going to have to grow up fast. Playing quarterback is like having to focus on targets while operating in a mine field. With “explosions” going on all around you, you have to step in and make a throw… never knowing when one might go off right under your feet. Peterson has played the position well for a great high school program, but semi-pro football is a clear level up… you practice a lot less and the mines are a lot bigger . Projected Offensive Rank: tie 8^th

DEFENSE:

In 2006, the 4-5 Predators even had a more mediocre defense during the season. Ranked 6^th overall (9^th vs. Rush, 7^th vs. Pass), this defense was not seeming to scare anyone. With the Rhino-Raiders racking up 48 sacks in 9 games, the Predators only got to opposing quarterbacks 9 times all season!! The Rhinos did that in a couple of different games. This may have had something to do with their 9^th in the league in passing defense. If you aren’t pressuring quarterbacks much, as a rule, they do seem to make better passes. So, job number one this past off-season, for this Predators defense HAD to be… figure out how to get to the quarterback more. This team has and EXCELLENT returning secondary with the teams leading tacklers, Troy Sutton (33-1/2) and Jeff May (33-1/2, 3 interceptions) back along with all-star, all-stud, Kelly Nebeker and long-time Predators star, Johnny Fisher at the cornerback positions. As a unit, the Predators only got 14 interceptions, a number that would greatly increase with better QB pressure. They also have depth with Cameron Hicks, Dustin Aldous… and, who knows, perhaps future hall of fame safety, Trent Sutton, strapping it up on occasion. The linebacker group will feature new addition, Kaleb Moir (6’3, 230), Keith Taylor (6’4, 260) and a group competing for the third spot that includes, Greg Hillary, Tommy Butler and Bill Potter. The Predators describe Moir as “a tough, aggressive kid who loves to get physical… very much a typical (Ray Lewis type) linebacker who is mean, nasty and always looking to kill”. Taylor joins the team as another ex-Madison Lion. They think Taylor, with his size, will be a great run stuffer at MLB, but they also like his ability to drop into coverage and use his height to cause problems in passing lanes. On the defensive line, Davien Brokaw (6’2, 210) , has for a long time, been one of the best players/athletes on the Predator team. However, at defensive end, his only 1 sack in 2006 was a massive underachievement for his talent. A shortfall that he MUST improve upon this season. Tory Trahant will join him on the weak side at the defensive tackle position. Trahant is 6’5” tall and 290 pounds and can do everything a defensive tackle needs to do. At press time, the Predators are saying there is a big battle for the other two defensive line spots. Likely candidates include Jason Gordan (6’2, 230), Jay Olsen (6’5, 300), Chris McEntire (6’4, 310), Steve Burch (6’6, 300) and Lance Osborne (5’10, 220). Regardless of the starters, there is no question that the Predators have added plenty of depth… on both sides of the ball. To talk about the Predator d, I’ll start by saying I really don’t see any problems with this secondary. What they need is a pass rush. If they are not able to beat the Rhino-Raiders in game one, I would suggest that they at least get some good film on the game and go back and try to reconstruct the Rhino defense… with their players. If Davian Brokaw can step up and have the kind of season he is capable of and this defensive front 7 can pressure quarterbacks and get sacks only ½ as good as the Rhino-Raiders did in ’06, this unit will have a lot of fun in 2007 and put the team right smack dab in the 2007 playoff . Projected Defensive Rank: 5^th .

INTANGIBLES AND COACHING:

Ed Peterson returns as head coach and Travis Hobson gets elevated to GM. Gary Kinghorn is back as offensive coordinator and Hobson describes this team as a team with a “new attitude”. In an official statement from Hobson, he writes, “With a new and idealistic management team (co-spearheaded by the injured WR/DB, Travis Goodwin and Hobson), the Predators have adopted a new philosophy of football and a new, higher level of goals and camaraderie. With the entire AAA being as good as they are, being the best is going to require a whole new senses of dedication and determination, let alone, a larger, deeper talent pool. Realizing that what may have worked in the past will no longer make the cut, the Predators are prepared to… return the Pocatello franchise to their championship ways.” Hobson’s statement is certainly saying all of the right things…. And I have little doubt that most of the players are pretty much buying into the need for “increased dedication”, however, I just cannot have enough confidence that this offense has the “horses” to “run the full race”. They have a couple of good receivers and Jared Anderson will probably prove pretty valuable out of the backfield, but to compete for championships in this man’s RMFL, you don’t stand your best chance using a rookie, albeit talented rookie, quarterback. Unless, that guy is the second coming of Jeff Belnap (circa 2001).

OVERALL PROJECTION: 7^th