Marinovich Waits; Avengers Prepared

As the Avengers arrived for their Arena Football League season opener against the Rampage, the winds of change continued to swirl around quarterback Todd Marinovich.

Marinovich, who worked out for the San Diego Chargers on Thursday, was pulled off the team plane in Chicago and had a lengthy conference call with agent Len Schulman and the Chargers, who reportedly were hoping to work out a deal before today’s NFL draft begins.

Even if Marinovich--whose previous NFL experience was with the Los Angeles Raiders in 1991-92--came to terms with San Diego, however, he still will be in an Avenger uniform as the franchise kicks off its inaugural season.

If Marinovich had been the Avengers’ starting quarterback, Friday’s events might have been more disruptive to the team’s final preparations. Scott Semptimphelter has been starter since training camp opened a month ago, and did nothing to lose the job, throwing for 254 yards and six touchdown passes with no interceptions in the team’s exhibition victories against Arizona and Oklahoma.

Coach Stan Brock said Semptimphelter would not have to play while looking over his shoulder. “Scott will play tonight as long as the game situation dictates,” he said. “I have no plans to use Todd unless the score is way out of hand.”

Then again, this is not a typical expansion team. Nineteen of the 24 roster players have Arena experience. Lineman Eric Drakes has played eight seasons and was on the 1998 Arena Bowl champion Orlando team. Linemen Joe Burgos and Rob Stanavitch are teammates for the third time in their Arena careers.

“This is very much a veteran team,” said fullback/linebacker Andy Chilcote, who’s beginning his seventh Arena season. “You won’t see a lot of rah-rah stuff here. It wouldn’t work. A lot of guys have been there and done that.”

Semptimphelter agrees.

“We’re excited for the Avengers [being the franchise’s first game] but more importantly we have a job to do--winning the football game. And that’s what we’re really focused on,” he said. “You don’t have to do a lot of hollering and screaming to be intense.”

There is a quiet confidence that radiates through the team and it isn’t likely the Avengers simply will be an automatic win for opposing teams. The players believe they can do more than compete in the Western Division.

“We still have to prove it on the field,” Drakes said. “But we feel we can be good, that anything can happen.”

Los Angeles gets a difficult test against Grand Rapids, which is beginning its third season. The Rampage was 8-7 last year and reached the playoffs, losing to eventual league champion Albany in the first round. It could have been an even better year; six of the seven losses were by a combined 16 points, and losses to Milwaukee and San Jose came on the final play.

Rampage quarterback Craig Kusick passed for 3,529 yards and 68 touchdowns last season. Thomas Bailey (133 receptions 1,578 yards, 33 TDs) and Michael Baker (102, 1,091, 17) were the first teammates to each have 100 or more receptions in a season.

“Grand Rapids has an a outstanding quarterback, two great receivers, and great offensive and defensive line play,” Brock said. “They do an excellent job of protecting their quarterback and putting pressure on your quarterback. It’s a very solid team.”

And what kind of inspirational message will Brock tell his team for its first game?

“I’ll tell them to play to the best of their ability,” Brock said. “If we do that, we’ll will have opportunity to win.”