Pre-Game Thoughts

The Vipers face a vicious South Georgia Wildcats tonight to kick off the 2008 af2 season. South Georgia went 10-6 last season and 1-1 in the post season. It was the best season they have ever had. The Wildcats won both games against the Vipers but Travis Blanchard promises things will be different this season.

"We're focused on us," Coach Cokinos said. "We're trying to take care of ourselves and worry about what we're doing. We've got a lot of talented football players. Every guy on our 22-man roster can start. Now we've got to see how they play."

"We've already taken giant steps to change the culture around here," Cokinos said. "Now, we've got to have success on the field. We hope we can have a winning season and get to where they were before."

My prediction is Vipers 54, Wildcats 43. This looks to be an exciting game. There will be a post-game wrap-up tonight around midnight.

Vipers 2008 Roster

No.	Name	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	College	Exp.
1	Demetrius Derico	WR/DB	5-10	190	Alabama State	R
2	Agim Shabaj	WR	5-10	185	Michigan State	R
3	Desmond Foster	WR/DB	5-9	190	Alabama State	R
4	Richard Gayle	DB	6-2	218	Tennessee State	R
5	Troy Graham	DB	6-2	212	N.C. State	1
7	Travis Blanchard	WR/DB	5-11	182	Ole Miss	2
8	Pedro Holiday	WR/DB	6-2	182	Middle Tennessee State	R
9	Eric Scott	OL/DL	6-2	285	Southern Miss.	1
11	Ray Myles	FB/LB	6-0	255	UAB	R
12	Andy Hall	QB	6-3	228	Delaware	R
14	Brent Dearman	QB	6-1	210	Bethel	R
16	Nick Hayes	K	6-0	215	UAB	1
19	Gary Elliott	WR/DB	5-9	170	Midwestern State	1
21	Jasper Faulk	DB	5-11	190	Southern Miss	R
30	Tommy Harrison	FB/LB	6-0	258	Tennessee Tech	R
42	Rico Reese	OL/DL	6-2	252	Western Carolina	2
44	Lance Ancar	FB/OL	6-1	305	North Alabama	R
55	John Simmons	OL/DL	6-0	285	Delta State	R
72	Calvin Ousby	OL/DL	6-5	320	Jackson State	1
77	Willie Hall	OL	6-6	315	Middle Tennessee State	R
85	Germayle Franklin	OL/DL	6-4	328	Middle Tennessee State	R
90	Matt Webber	FB	6-1	255	Murray State	R
95	Benji McDowell	OL/DL	6-1	290	Lenoir-Rhyne	R
99	Terrance Ford	OL/DL	6-3	320	Southern Miss	R

Hall wins Vipers starting quarterback job

Andy Hall, who led Delaware to the NCAA Division I-AA national championship in 2003, spent two seasons in the National Football League with the Philadelphia Eagles. He hopes to get another shot to play in the NFL if he can put up big numbers with the Tennessee Valley Vipers.

Hall was named the starting quarterback for Saturday night when the Vipers host South Georgia at the Von Braun Center aka the Snake Pit.

"The goal was to come down here to win the job, build some film and move on," said the 27-year-old Hall. "That's the objective."

"I'm only one phone call away from the NFL. I know the reality of it because I've been there. That's how the game works. As a quarterback, you have to keep getting tape and get that experience."

Hall, who spent part of last season with the Nashville Kats, won the job over Brent Dearman, who played at Bethel College.

"Andy has a little more experience and he played in this offense last year," said Vipers coach Dean Cokinos, who coached Hall last season in Nashville. "He had the upper hand coming in. His experience and leadership pushed him to the top.

"We still think Brent is going to be a fine arena quarterback. He's going to be a starter in this league. We're fortunate to have two really good quarterbacks."

"He's a good, smart quarterback," said Gary Elliott, one of four returning players from last season's team. "He gets the ball there. He's very aware of what he's doing right now. He's a positive dude."

It should be an exciting season with a Quarterback of Hall's caliber leading the charge. He proved he nows how to lead a successful team in his time at Delaware. Getting the Vipers into the playoffs will be a great way to show the NFL scouts that he has what it takes to lead a team into the postseason.

Welcome to the Snake Pit

As I'm sure most of you reading this are aware, the Tennessee Valley Vipers, Huntsville's af2 football team, will be kicking off their season this Saturday, March 29th at the Van Braun Center (affectionately known to use fans as the Snake Pit).

I have been attending Vipers' games the past few years and decided they were great enough to deserve their own blog. This year, being my first year with season tickets, is the perfect time to start it as well. I will have access to every game from a great vantage point.

The Vipers website is: http://vipersaf2.com/

They are currently in the process of moving from an old site so it isn't completely functional as of right now. Hopefully it will be by mid-season if not sooner.

The Vipers have had a history of winning, posting records of 12-7 (with an Arena Cup loss), 15-3, 13-4, and 12-5; from 2000 until 2004. In 2005 then team owner Art Clarkson moved the Vipers to the United Indoor Football (UIF) league. The had to change their names during that season to the Tennessee Valley Raptors due to legal threats from the af2 (AFL's minor league). That season the Raptors (ugh) posted a 7-10 record. Luckily, after practically killing the team, Clarkson moved the Raptors to Rockford, Illinois. This opened up room for the af2 to start a new team in Huntsville. They would still get to keep the vacated records of the past Vipers teams. Since returning things haven't been as great for the Vipers. They posted a 3-13 record in 2006 and a 7-9 record in 2007. The improvement in wins does seem promising, however, and I fully expect the Vipers to return to the playoffs for the first time in four years. This opening weekend's game against the South Georgia Wildcats will offer good insight into how the year will go.

Thank You for reading and be sure to keep checking in on all Tennessee Valley Viper news.