2006 SEPTEMBER - PRESENT ARCHIVED NEWS
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SIX SELECTED TO THE ALL STAR GAME
Thursday - October 5, 2006
The Patriots had 6 athletes selected to represent the team in the Northern versus
Southern NAFL All Star Game November 12 in Florida. The Walt Disney World Sports
Complex will be host to two NAFL All-Star games as well as two Open Games and
Three Championship games during the NAFL Championship Weekend.
Two of the nominated athletes are returning All-Stars. WR Keith Gardner will be
making his second All Star appearance after being selected in his rookie year of 2005.
DT Brad Lyon will once again be returning to the lineup after 2004 and 2005
selections. He was also an OVFL selection in 2001 and 2003 as a Fullback. In 6 NAFL
games, Lyon recorded 18 Tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles
and 3 fumble recoveries.
Joining them will be first timers Isac Roberts (RB), Justin Whitney (LB), and Roberto
Bakos (DE). Roberts ran for 572 yards on 113 carries for an average of 5.06 yards per
carry in only his second year in the league; he also added 7 catches for 70 yards.
Whitney led the team in tackles with 59 as well as 24 solo tackles as a Minor League
rookie. Bakos makes his first All-Star appearance after seven years in the Minors. He
accumulated 35 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, and four sacks.
A surprise and somewhat interesting nomination is Kareem Kellum. The nomination
is not odd because of his performance but due to the fact Kareem, a Corner Back,
was selected as a Defensive Tackle. The NAFL will review the selection to verify if he
was selected as a Defensive Back or if a third defensive lineman was voted for but an
error was made with the player's name.
All six players are official 2006 season NAFL All-Stars. Each player's designation as a
First, Second, or Honorable Mention pick will be made based on his performance
during the Championship weekend.
PLAYOFFS KICK OFF OCTOBER 7
Wednesday - October 4, 2006
The 2006 NAFL Playoffs kick off October 7th and a few familiar foes will be
representing the Great Lakes Region. The Hoosier Hurricanes are the region's
number 1 seed and receive a BYE in the opening round. Meanwhile, the second seed
belongs to the Michigan Admirals, who captured the Eastern Lakes Division
Championship with a 9-1 NAFL regular season record. The Admirals open up the
playoffs with a home game against the 7th seeded London Silverbacks. The
Silverbacks lost a close contest to the Admirals the week prior in a 24-23 down to the
wire battle. The remaining seeds are as follows 3 - Colts, 4 - Eagles, 5 - Thunder, and
6 - Fire.
HEAD COACH ART SLEIGHT RESIGNS
Tuesday, September 26 2006
Head Coach Art Sleight resigns after a disappointing 2006 season, which saw the
Patriots capture only one NAFL regular season victory. Coach Sleight listed health
reasons as one of his primary concerns looking towards the future. Sleight suffered
through a number of health related incidents during 2006 including a month absence
caused by a kidney transplant and a separate issue that resulted in two weeks of
missed practice along with the Detroit Downriver Diesel game in Flint.
Sleight's decision came at the first official team meeting following their last NAFL
regular season game. "(Team Management) were already making plans for the 2007
season and I felt it was only fair to make this decision as fast as possible" Sleight
said. "I wanted to take some time to think about it but knew my decision would be the
same a month from now as it is today."
He stated that his biggest disappointment from this season was simply "not helping
to bring more wins this year."
Jon Beecher, previously serving as the Offensive Line Coach, will hold the title of
Interim Head Coach now as well. Team management will begin an extensive
coaching staff search process, but have confirmed that Beecher will be interviewed
and highly considered for the position. "Coach Beecher did an excellent job in
Sleight's absence during the season and we feel he has many of the intangibles that
will make for an excellent Head Coach. We will meet with him this off season and both
Coach Beecher and the Patriots organization will decide if it is the best position for
both parties at the time," announced Vice-President and Director of Operations, Brad
Lyon.
Art Sleight retires after 27 years of coaching on the High School and Minor League
levels. "I am looking forward to getting the golf clubs out, finishing my hot rod, and just
relaxing."
SEASON ENDS WITH A WHIMPER
Sunday, September 24 2006
What began with a bang, ends with a whimper as the Patriots fall 26-7 to the London
Silverbacks. The Patriots opened the year with a 22-6 win over the Makos but that
proved to be their only NAFL win after a season that included four 4 point losses.
The London Silverbacks opened up the game with a long passing strike by 3X All
Canadian Quarterback Chris Hessel from Western Ontario University. The touchdown
came on the first offensive play from scrimmage and London did not look back
scoring 20 straight points before the Patriots answered with a touchdown run by
Quarterback Steve Gauger in the second half. London responded with another score
of their own to win 26-7. With the victory, London secured a playoff birth in the NAFL 1
playoffs with a 7-2 record going into the last week. London faces off against the
Eastern Lakes Division Champion Michigan Admirals who enter the game at 8-1
while the Patriots end the year on a BYE week.
Though the 2006 season ends with the Patriots' second worst all time record, this
was one of the most competitive seasons for the team. Four of the season's losses
were by four points; in all four games the Patriots held the lead during the game.
Tough 16-20 and 27-31 heart breakers came at the hands of Detroit while London
captured a 10-6 win in Canada and Cleveland escaped Flint with a 6-2 score. Even
the Michigan Admirals found it a difficult task early versus the Patriots as they held a
7-3 advantage at half time before routing the team in the second half.
The end result was disappointing but the 2006 season set a great foundation to build
on for 2007.
ADMIRALS TAKE TO THE AIR FOR THEIR SEVENTH WIN
Saturday, September 16 2006
The Michigan Admirals continue to enjoy their best season ever as they capture their
seventh win. Admirals QB Jason Kinney threw for 4 of their 5 touchdowns through the
air. Matt Kessler took the quarterback helm for Genesee County and threw a 19 yard
touchdown to tight end Isaiah Brown but that was the only score the offense could
produce on the way to a 42-9 loss. Running Back Isac Roberts did provide a spark for
the Patriots with his second straight 100 yard rushing game.
Nearly 300 yards of offense was accomplished through the air for the Admirals along
with all five offensive touchdowns. The remaining score came on a kick off return by
Justin McHugh. Michigan had 360 yards of total offense for the game.
INJURIES PLAGUE THE PATRIOTS DURING 2006
Wednesday, September 6 2006
The outlook for the 2006 season was very bright until injuries piled up to key players
signed in the off season. The result is a season that has got off to an extremely rocky
1-6 start; though this includes three games lost by 4 points each (Detroit 20-16,
London 10-6, Cleveland 6-2). When you replace starters like former Cleveland Browns
Wide Receiver Jeff Klopf (Groin) or FSU Team Captain and 2 time NCAA All American
Bo Moore (DE) into the lineup that record may be considerably different.
Just how bad has the injury situation been? Against the Makos the Patriots lost
starting running back Clint Galvas for the season to an ankle injury. The following
week James Hitchcock, who replaced Clint in the starting lineup, suffered a shoulder
injury also ending his season. This also impacted the defense as Hitchcock had
earned the corner back spot opposite Steve Gauger and was also the second string
quarterback after a high school career that included a state championship at Montrose
High School. To make matters worse, 4 year Patriot veteran offensive tackle Mike
Potter also saw his season potentially come to end in Chicago.
It wasn't just the running game either. While in Chicago, Quarterback Ted Klopf
suffered a rib and lung injury closing out 2006 for him. Add in the fact that his backup
was Hitchcock and now you are looking at an offense that featured their third string
running back and quarterback leading the way in the backfield. Also, deactivated for
the season was Vincent Murphy (TE) and 2 time NCAA All American and track star
Stuart Elzy (WR) who were both projected as starters heading into the season.
The defensive line looked to be the anchor of the 2006 Patriot team until starting
defensive end Matt Kessler suffered a significant knee injury to go along with the
deactivations of Jon Wilson (DT), Chris Jordan (DT), and Bo Moore (DE). This left
Robert Bakos (NG) as the only veteran lineman for the defense until MLFN All
American Brad Lyon (DE) came out of retirement to bolster the group.
On the bright side of things, these injuries have allowed many first year Minor
Leaguers to see significant playing time. There is no question that quality minutes on
the field in game situations is the quickest way to develop a rookie. The offense is
expected to start 6 players September 10th that are in their first season while the
defense will add no less than 5. The majority of these players have experienced solid
playing time during the first 7 weeks and the coaching staff no longer views them as
rookies. "Many of our first year athletes have been on the field more than most second
and third year players with other franchises. They have received the quality snaps they
need to get rookie butterflies out of their stomach and we expect a veteran effort out of
them as well as all of our guys," said Defensive Coordinator Lyon. "Several of our
rookies have played like 5 year starters this year. We are pleased with what many of
them bring to the table game in and game out. With the talent level of these rookies
along with the quality veterans we have on this roster we expect to end the NAFL
regular season on a very high note."
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