Terrance Taylor having a good year in the AFL
Doing some searching through the webs on how former Michigan players are doing and lo and behold, our own Terrance Taylor is having a pretty good year in the Arena Football League.
He plays for the Spokane Shock in Spokane, Washington. Taylor is 3rd on the team in sacks with 4, 2 punts blocked (!) and 6 total tackles with 10 assists. He has 11 starts on the year.
The Spokane Shock are tied for first in the National West Division with the Arizona Rattlers at 4-2-0.
Here are their results so far- (10-4-0 overall)
| Date | Opponent | Result |
| 3/24 | at Cleveland Gladiators | W 67-41 |
| 3/31 | at Chicago Rush | W 76-61 |
| 4/5 | at Iowa Barnstormers | W 66-43 |
| 4/12 | vs Arizona Rattlers | W 66-49 |
| 4/19 | at San Jose SaberCats | W 69-47 |
| 4/27 | vs Tampa Bay Storm | L 62-70 |
| 5/4 | at Utah Blaze | L 48-52 |
| 5/11 | vs Orlando Predators | L 82-83 |
| 5/17 | vs New Orleans VooDoo | W 65-54 |
| 5/24 | at San Antonio Talons | W 61-48 |
| 6/1 | vs San Jose SaberCats | W 75-45 |
| 6/8 | vs Jacksonville Sharks | W 76-41 |
| 6/15 | at Arizona Rattlers | L 42-59 |
| 6/21 | vs Utah Blaze | W 80-41 |
| 7/6 | at Tampa Bay Storm | |
| 7/13 | at Jacksonville Sharks | |
| 7/19 | vs San Antonio Talons | |
| 7/26 | vs Pittsburgh Power |
Looks like the defense is solid league-wide.
I live in Spokane and have seen TT play a couple of times this year. You're right in your feeling towards the defense, or lack there of. From what I gather, the goal of an arena team's defense is to just give your offense an extra possesion or two. Whether that comes from a stop (not likely) or a turnover doesn't really matter.
As for Taylor's game, not really sure, my kids got pretty excited when they saw him introduced on the big screen and that he was from Michigan. He's a big dude, that's for sure. Doesn't really look good for his NFL dreams, this is at least his second season with the Shock.
The thing I like about the arena games are seeing the guys from around the country that are still klinging to the dream. If you're a recruitnick you'll have a blast seeing guys like Ryan Perilloux, Xavier Lee, Adrian Mcpherson, Chris Davis, Rohan Davey... You'll see a trend of highly rated FSU guys on almost every team. There's a receiver on the Shock named Adron Tennell who played for Oklahoma, when they introduce him they list his highschool star ranking during his bio, (#3 WR in the class of 2006) kind of funny.
If you are not a fan of music pumped in at a level that requires ear plugs for anyone under 10, then I would suggest you stay home and try to catch a game on the NFL network. It's entertaining but not a legitimate meal for a real football appetite
Yeah they have uniformz and everything.
isn't it $400 a game?
Are there any other Michigan players in the Arena Football League?
James Rogers is on the Arizona Rattlers. Several other familiar names here:
http://www.arenafan.com/players/?type=college&college=Michigan
... though it appears no other active players from M.
$5 seats so it was under a $100 for 2 seats the whole season.
It's nearly impossible to tolerate. I would hate to play defense even if the pay was decent. They literally suffer every disadvantage.
Actually, I love it. I love watching the chaos.
Trey Wingo once said about the AFL, "That's not football, that's gladiators in plastic".
The Detroit Drive was a dynasty in the early 90s before they sadly relocated.
Just look at the chaos-
What football league will see a player dance with an umbrella with his number on it?
Or where a fan interferes with a rival team on the kickoff and players on the team the guy is a fan of high-fives him?
football so much I might have to find when the AFL is broadcast...I even crave the CFL. It's a sickness.
So much space!
I watched a game for the first time last weekend and was pleasantly surprised with how entertaining the product was, with a full stadium and riotious crowd.. It was almost as if the many technique mistakes and misplays by the players on the field made for a more active watching experience: he didn't do this he should have done that.
I'm also the proud owner of a Detroit Drive tshirt from UGP!
until I saw the collar. They should have done a wider (or more full length) shot or worn not-orange uniforms.
of how he drove all the way to Muskegon (I think that's where Taylor came from) to watch him wrestle in a H.S. heavyweight match. Then Taylor proceeds to pin the guy in something like 10 seconds or less. Taylor was an excellent high school wrestler in addition to being a top football player.
class of 95 here. still recovering from that bullshit trick kick return.
He was a great thrower in track & field too. I remember him beating a guy at my school in the discus by 30 feet and he had our school record. He's just an incredible athlete.
Geeze that 59-42 game vs Arizona was a real defensive struggle.
Not entirely sure how it works in the AFL, but here is the official announcement of Taylor's pick in the AFL draft earlier this year (HERE).
“[Terrance] Possesses excellent power and quickness and there’s a reason he was a 4th Round Draft pick. He further strengthens our defense and we’re excited to see what he can do in 2013,” said Shock General Manager Ryan Rigmaiden.
Here's an old (March 2011) article from MLive about his initial foray into the Arena Football League. To quote Taylor:
“Playing indoors is a faster game and you have to make more plays in the open field. It’s a chance for me to keep working and get better in my technique and my craft.”
It's shame he had to endure that last year under a pretty much useless defensive staff.
Good for him. Thought he was a decent player at UM, and had to deal with all of the transition issues his senior year.