Former Canadian Football League QB scores five TD's
BY JERRY LINDQUIST
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Feb 28, 2006
AIFL
ROME 55 BANDITS 43
Maybe they were overconfident coming off a championship season. Maybe the opposition was a lot better than they expected. For whatever reason, last night's season opener was not the Richmond Bandits' finest hour.
Committing five turnovers, the Bandits dropped a 55-43 American Indoor Football League decision to the Rome (Ga.) Renegades - and a one-man gang named Marcus Brady.
The Renegades quarterback, who spent the past four years in the Canadian Football League, made his indoor debut by running for five touchdowns and passing for two.
Meanwhile, Richmond QBs Robbie Jenkins and Will Burch each were intercepted twice. Jenkins, who started and went most of the way, also fumbled the ball away on a fourth-and-1 from the Rome 1- yard line.
"We needed a wakeup call, to be honest with you," Jenkins said. "We were living on what we did last year. That was last year. I wouldn't say cocky, but I think we just felt we could come out here, go through the motions and be successful."
Some of the best moves breaking in a brand new, grass-green carpet at Richmond Coliseum belonged to Brady. The 6-0 200-pounder accounted for 312 of Rome's 355 yards. He was 23 of 36 for 286 yards and wasn't picked off.
From San Diego and a holder of a number of offensive records at Cal State-Northridge, Brady moved to Atlanta recently so his wife could attend law school at Georgia State. He has a degree in financial planning. Last night, it certainly looked like he had Richmond's defense figured out.
"No film, no scouting report. We knew they were defending champs. We knew were going to play a good team. That's about it," Brady said.
The Bandits have a large number of returning players from last year's team that lost one game. Rome, an AIFL newcomer after being runner-up in the National Indoor Football League, had mostly newcomers. It didn't matter.
Richmond last led at 23-20 before a 19-yard touchdown pass from Brady to Gerald Gales (12 catches, 165 yards, 2 TDs) gave the Renegades the lead to stay with 3:35 left in the first half.
Jenkins threw for 262 yards (20 of 27) and five touchdowns, but twice he tried to force the ball to a receiver in the end zone and was intercepted. New coach Brent Williams replaced Jenkins with Burch late in the third quarter with Rome up 39-30. And he promptly hooked up with Redd Thompson for 28 yards and six points.
But, on his next two series, Burch was intercepted on throws in which there wasn't a receiver within 10 yards. Jenkins returned to make it a 49-43 game on a 9-yard toss to Bryan Still. With 20.2 seconds remaining, as poorly as they had been playing, the Bandits still had a chance to pull it out.
But Charles Segaar's onside kick didn't travel the required 10 yards. Renegades fullback Lew Thomas ran for a too-easy 6-yard score to ice it.
"We just didn't play well, and that's hard for me to accept," Williams said. "We just didn't have the intensity to match Rome. We had that look that all the chips were going to fall for us - and they didn't."
FIRST STAR: Rome, Marcus Brady, the QB who joined the Renegades after a failed tryout with the Arena Football League's Georgia Force. Richmond, former Virginia Tech and San Diego Chargers standout wideout Bryan Still. He caught 11 passes for 133 yards and three touchdowns.
PARTING SHOTS: Charles Jones, a defensive back from Alabama, had three interceptions for Rome. . . . Veteran Lawrence Lewis had two sacks, a blocked 38-yard goal attempt and a blocked extra-point try for the Bandits. . . . "We got plenty of stops on defense, but you can't turn the ball over five times," said Bandits coach Brent Williams.
Rome ------------------------- 14 19 6 16 - 55Richmond ------------------------- 15 8 7 13 - 43
Rome - Brady 6 run (Marshall kick)
Rich - Still 17 pass from Jenkins (Segaar kick)
Rich - Rouge, Segaar
Rome - Brady 5 run (Marshall kick)
Rich - Still 6 pass from Jenkins (Segaar kick)
Rich - Rouge, Segaar
Rome - Gales 43 pass from Brady (kick failed)
Rich - Richardson 27 pass from Jenkins (Segaar kick)
Rome - Gales 19 pass from Brady (Marshall kick)
Rome - Brady 2 run (kick failed)
Rich - Richardson 20 pass from Jenkins (Segaar kick)
Rome - Brady 1 run (kick failed)
Rich - Thompson 28 pass from Burch (kick failed)
Rome - Brady 3 run (Marshall kick)
Rome - FG Marshall 31
Rich - Still 9 pass from Jenkins (Segaar kick)
Rome - Thomas 6 run (kick blocked)
A - 1,500
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Feb 28, 2006
AIFL
ROME 55 BANDITS 43
Maybe they were overconfident coming off a championship season. Maybe the opposition was a lot better than they expected. For whatever reason, last night's season opener was not the Richmond Bandits' finest hour.
Committing five turnovers, the Bandits dropped a 55-43 American Indoor Football League decision to the Rome (Ga.) Renegades - and a one-man gang named Marcus Brady.
The Renegades quarterback, who spent the past four years in the Canadian Football League, made his indoor debut by running for five touchdowns and passing for two.
Meanwhile, Richmond QBs Robbie Jenkins and Will Burch each were intercepted twice. Jenkins, who started and went most of the way, also fumbled the ball away on a fourth-and-1 from the Rome 1- yard line.
"We needed a wakeup call, to be honest with you," Jenkins said. "We were living on what we did last year. That was last year. I wouldn't say cocky, but I think we just felt we could come out here, go through the motions and be successful."
Some of the best moves breaking in a brand new, grass-green carpet at Richmond Coliseum belonged to Brady. The 6-0 200-pounder accounted for 312 of Rome's 355 yards. He was 23 of 36 for 286 yards and wasn't picked off.
From San Diego and a holder of a number of offensive records at Cal State-Northridge, Brady moved to Atlanta recently so his wife could attend law school at Georgia State. He has a degree in financial planning. Last night, it certainly looked like he had Richmond's defense figured out.
"No film, no scouting report. We knew they were defending champs. We knew were going to play a good team. That's about it," Brady said.
The Bandits have a large number of returning players from last year's team that lost one game. Rome, an AIFL newcomer after being runner-up in the National Indoor Football League, had mostly newcomers. It didn't matter.
Richmond last led at 23-20 before a 19-yard touchdown pass from Brady to Gerald Gales (12 catches, 165 yards, 2 TDs) gave the Renegades the lead to stay with 3:35 left in the first half.
Jenkins threw for 262 yards (20 of 27) and five touchdowns, but twice he tried to force the ball to a receiver in the end zone and was intercepted. New coach Brent Williams replaced Jenkins with Burch late in the third quarter with Rome up 39-30. And he promptly hooked up with Redd Thompson for 28 yards and six points.
But, on his next two series, Burch was intercepted on throws in which there wasn't a receiver within 10 yards. Jenkins returned to make it a 49-43 game on a 9-yard toss to Bryan Still. With 20.2 seconds remaining, as poorly as they had been playing, the Bandits still had a chance to pull it out.
But Charles Segaar's onside kick didn't travel the required 10 yards. Renegades fullback Lew Thomas ran for a too-easy 6-yard score to ice it.
"We just didn't play well, and that's hard for me to accept," Williams said. "We just didn't have the intensity to match Rome. We had that look that all the chips were going to fall for us - and they didn't."
FIRST STAR: Rome, Marcus Brady, the QB who joined the Renegades after a failed tryout with the Arena Football League's Georgia Force. Richmond, former Virginia Tech and San Diego Chargers standout wideout Bryan Still. He caught 11 passes for 133 yards and three touchdowns.
PARTING SHOTS: Charles Jones, a defensive back from Alabama, had three interceptions for Rome. . . . Veteran Lawrence Lewis had two sacks, a blocked 38-yard goal attempt and a blocked extra-point try for the Bandits. . . . "We got plenty of stops on defense, but you can't turn the ball over five times," said Bandits coach Brent Williams.
Rome ------------------------- 14 19 6 16 - 55Richmond ------------------------- 15 8 7 13 - 43
Rome - Brady 6 run (Marshall kick)
Rich - Still 17 pass from Jenkins (Segaar kick)
Rich - Rouge, Segaar
Rome - Brady 5 run (Marshall kick)
Rich - Still 6 pass from Jenkins (Segaar kick)
Rich - Rouge, Segaar
Rome - Gales 43 pass from Brady (kick failed)
Rich - Richardson 27 pass from Jenkins (Segaar kick)
Rome - Gales 19 pass from Brady (Marshall kick)
Rome - Brady 2 run (kick failed)
Rich - Richardson 20 pass from Jenkins (Segaar kick)
Rome - Brady 1 run (kick failed)
Rich - Thompson 28 pass from Burch (kick failed)
Rome - Brady 3 run (Marshall kick)
Rome - FG Marshall 31
Rich - Still 9 pass from Jenkins (Segaar kick)
Rome - Thomas 6 run (kick blocked)
A - 1,500
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