Arizona Rattlers begin IFL season as No. 1 in poll, need to finish the job
The Arizona Rattlers talk about both of their quarterbacks, not just Drew Powell, who is expected to start Friday night's Indoor Football League opener at the Quad City Steamwheelers.
But will Powell be the man who finishes come August?
The goal, as always for coach Kevin Guy and his Rattlers, is to win the championship.
They came short last year at home when they fell to the Northern Arizona Wranglers in once again heart-break fashion, 52-51, after leading for the first 59 minutes and 15 seconds of the Western Conference championship game at Footprint Center. NAZ went on to roll to its first IFL title in just its second year of existence.
Since winning the IFL title in their first year in the league in 2017, the Rattlers lost to the Sioux Falls Storm 69-68 in overtime in the IFL semifinals in 2018, lost to the Storm 56-53 in the 2019 championship game, and lost to the Massachusetts Pirates 37-34 at home in overtime in the 2021 championship game.
Last year, the Rattlers led NAZ 51-45 with less than four minutes to play and couldn't hold on, going scoreless the rest of the way. Powell was the league's MVP for the second year in a row last season. But nothing is given after the way the last two years finished.
To push Powell in camp this year, the Rattlers acquired Jorge Reyna in a trade with San Diego. In eight games of his rookie season last year, Reyna averaged a league-best 163.1 yards a game with 28 touchdowns and four interceptions.
The Rattlers traded backup quarterback Demry Croft to get Reyna.
"He's had a good camp," Guy said about Powell. "But I thought Jorge also had a great camp. I think he's right there. We're going to see this thing play out. Obviously, Drew has had two tremendous years, but we've got to get across the finish line.
"That's not 100% on Drew. But unfortunately, when you're the head coach and you're the quarterback, you're going to get too much credit sometimes, and you're going to get too much of the blame. It is what it is. He understands that it's about production."
Here are things to watch this season from the Rattlers and the rest of the league:
This year's version of NAZ
Right after the Rattlers in the preseason coaches poll is the Bay Area Panthers, who went 1-15 in their first year last year. That's like NAZ, which was rock bottom in its first year before winning it all last year due to coaching changes and smart personnel moves. The Panthers hired Darren Arbet to be the head coach this year. Arbet then surrounded himself with two championship coaches, Rob Keefe (defensive coordinator) and Dixie Wooten (offensive coordinator). That right there is enough to send the Panthers to No. 2 in the coaches poll to start this season.
Parity in the West
Guy believes the West is stacked with great quarterbacks, making for so much parity. Nate Davis returns for Duke City after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee early last season against the Rattlers.
Former Phoenix Horizon quarterback Dalton Sneed is in the mix at quarterback for the Panthers, along with Noah Johnson and D'Angelo Fulford.
The Vegas Knight Hawks made a splash by signing Tucson Sugar Skulls QB DaQuan Neal.
The Sugar Skulls added last year's Offensive Rookie of the Year Ramone Atkins to be their QB. Atkins led the Duke City Gladiators to the playoffs after Davis' injury.
"I think there is going to be a lot of parity in the Western Conference," Guy said. "It seemed like a lot of the quarterbacks moved to the Western Conference. Every game is going to be tight and we're going to have to show some mental toughness this year and execute in situational football."
More:Arizona Rattlers QB Drew Powell ready for IFL title run after disappointing 2022 ending
Filling holes
The Rattlers' biggest holes to fill come at center, running back and in the secondary, where they lost cornerback Kyree Woods after he had a big rookie season leading to opportunities in other pro leagues on the outdoor field.
Center Lamar Mady, who retired, was a leader on the field and in the locker room. Running back Shannon Brooks found other pro opportunities after his breakout rookie season.
Rookie Jager Gardner, who played at Temple, is expected to start at running back for the Rattlers.
Facing Harrington
Wide receiver/kick returner Jarrod Harrington, a fan favorite with the Rattlers, signed with Quad City in the offseason. Harrington played little for the Rattlers last season after coming back from knee surgery for a torn ACL in the 2021 playoffs, as Braxton Haley emerged as one of the best receivers in the league.
"Unfortunately, we've got rules in this league," Guy said. "Harrington was a great player for us. Unfortunately, he got hurt in the end. He had the ACL and last year he worked his butt off to come back. It's been over a year, so this year he should be fine. We wish him well. But you're allowed seven guys on your roster with four years or more experience.
"Receivers is one of those positions where you can go out and recruit and fill those spots. Some of the other positions are a little harder to find."
To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert atrichard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on Twitter@azc_obert
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona Rattlers begin IFL season Friday on road as No. 1-ranked team
