The UFL Roster Break Down Pre-Training Camp: Issue #1 : Hartford Colonials

The UFL is finished the draft and pre-season tryout sessions for 2011. One team has completed mini-camp and we are now 56 day’s from the first kickoff of the 2011 season. This is the first of five issues going over the UFL rosters before the start of training camps in the first two weeks of July. After training camps we will issue another series of articles going over final rosters and season predictions for the 2011 season.

In this first issue we will introduce you to the current players on the Hartford Colonials roster.

First we will introduce the Offensive Unit.

LT

Adam Terry     6’8″     330lbs     Syracuse

OG

Kurt Quarterman     6’5″     348lbs     Louisville

Ricky Henry     6’4″     305lbs     Nebraska

Ryan Cave     6’4″     340lbs     Hampton

OL

Orrin Thompson     6’6″     337lbs      Duke

Kyle Calloway     6’6″     323lbs     Iowa

Cecil Newton     6’2″     310lbs     Tennessee State

Michael Ola     6’3″     302lbs     Hampton

Sergio Render     6’3″     313lbs     Virginia Tech

Jarrod Shaw     6’4″     331lbs     Tennessee

Brad Thorson     6’5″     310lbs     Kansas

Greg Isdaner     6’4″     325lbs     West Virginia

Rueben Riley     6’4″     320lbs     Michigan

Howard Barbieri     6’5″     305lbs     Rutgers

OT

Kyle Burkhart     6’4″     295lbs     Southern Miss

Peter Clifford     6’7″     312lbs     Michigan State

Just look at the offensive line talent coach Jerry Glanville has stocked in Hartford. Do you see the same message I do? All of the lineman are over 6’2″ and 300 pounds. It looks like the Colonials are looking to control the line of scrimmage. The quarterback should have the time in the pocket to throw the ball and the running backs should have lanes the size of an interstate to run through. As an old school style football fan I can’t wait to see this line in action!

QB

Jerrod Johnson     6’5″     250lbs     Texas A&M

Colt Brennan     6’3″     212lbs      Hawaii

Josh McCown     6’4″     208lbs     Sam Houston State

This quarterback competition is the one I am most excited about in the entire UFL pre-season. Jerrod Johnson was a top 5 rated quarterback in the nation prior to his injury. In an earlier interview with Jerrod he stated he is 100% and ready to show he is at the form he was prior to the injury. With his arm strength and his athletic ability to make the throws from awkward positions he is exciting to watch. Colt Brennan is an experienced NFL quarterback who should give both of his other competitors a run for their money. With his electric style of play and the ability to hit the long ball throw with accuracy Colt is a very exciting quarterback to watch play. After reading about these two we come to last years starter Josh McNown. Josh is not ready to give up the starting job without a fight. Coach Glanville has his hands full in this training camp at this position. If you’re a fan and can get to the Colonials training camp this is the battle to watch this pre-season.

RB

Andre Dixon     6’1″     209lbs     Connecticut

Phillip Tanner     6’0″     208lbs     Middle Tennessee State

Jason Davis     5’10″   242lbs     Illinois

Tory Harrison     6’1″      203lbs     Southern Miss

Kevin Jones     6’0″      225lbs     Virginia Tech

This running back group is exciting. When you look at Phillip Tanner the electric QB from Middle Tennessee State that can make play’s with his feet as well as being able to throw the ball it gives the offensive coordinator of the Colonials all kinds of options with him in the backfield. I am not sure in the ‘Wildcat’ is in the playbook of the Colonials but watch out for a few packages geared specifically for Phillip Tanner. I watched him play in college and he is ‘off the chart’! You have Dixon and Davis both good-sized backs running behind the size of the O-Line. Look for some ground and pound coming from the Colonials to open up the passing game.

FB

Asaph Schwapp     6’0″     252lbs     Notre Dame

Looks like the Colonials have a ‘linebacker’ cracking skulls in the offensive backfield. With his size if he has the hands he could be a force to reckon with on third down passing and short yardage situations. With the TE’s on the roster there are a few players who could fill in here.

TE

Greg Smith     6’4″     258lbs     Texas

Charles Davis     6’6″     278lbs     Purdue

Ronnie Ghent     6’2″     250lbs     Louisville

Jeff Cottam     6’6″     262lbs     Tennessee

If you have not gotten the message by now its been made clear the Colonials want size on the line. These TE’s are big and can block well. What we need to see is if the Colonials have a play maker at the position. With two TE’s at 6’6″ do they have the hands and speed to go over the middle and give the quarterbacks a huge target as a passing option? Do the TE’s on the roster have the speed, route running skills, and hands to beat any given linebacker or safety in the league? A lot of questions for the fans at this position to be answered.

WR

Ryan Grice-Mullen     5’11″     180lbs     Hawaii

Kenny Moore     5’11″     195lbs     Wake Forest

Aaron Valentin     6’1″       205lbs     Purdue

Syndric Steptoe     5’9″      200lbs     Arizona

Roren Thomas     5’11″     172lbs     Lindenwood

Shaheer McBride     6’2″      195lbs     Delaware State

Jason Chery     5’10″     185lbs     Louisiana-Lafayette

The Colonials seem to have depth at this position. I am not sure they have the ‘play maker’ required to be a top-tier passing program. Although they have a lot of players at the position only two are over 6′. It is hard to make a living in the passing game with undersized wide receivers. Lets hope they have speed and the hands to compensate for their size. Shaheer McBride on paper looks more like a TE. I am interested to see his vertical leap and speed. With his size he could be the ‘play maker’ the Colonials desperately need.

Now lets introduce the defensive unit.

CB

Chris Richards     5’11″     182lbs     Stony Brook

DB

Ryan Palmer     5’10″     177lbs     Texas

Ben Hannula     6’2″      205lbs     San Diego

Terrell Skinner     6’3″      214lbs     Maryland

Tra Battle     5’11″     181lbs     Georgia

Manny Collins     5’10″     191lbs     Rutgers

Kyle Whitehurst     6’2″       184lbs     Hampton

DC

Geoffrey Pope     5’11″     190lbs     Howard

Ahmad Carrol     5’9″       195lbs     Arkansas

DS

Brannon Condren     6’1″       208lbs    Troy

Chad Nkang     5’11″     215lbs     Elon

Jacob Patek     6’0″      207lbs     Hawaii

Antwain Spann     5’10″     195lbs     Louisana-Lafayette

John Busing     6’2″       231lbs     Miami (OH)

The defensive backfield is another position the Colonials have a lot of depth at. I have never seen an official roster listed like the Colonials have their defensive backfield listed on their website. I am not sure if it is listed the way it is to confuse the other teams in the league or if the Colonials themselves are just not sure where these players are going to play. The one thing certain is that the Colonials have great size in their defensive backfield. If the speed and ball skills equal their size it is definitely a force to reckon with in the UFL. I would not want to be a receiver or a quarterback facing this crew as it sits on paper. I am not sure whats in the water in Hartford but its clear they like their players big!

DE

Ervin Baldwin     6’2″     260lbs     Michigan State

Maurice Fountain     6’3″     262lbs     Clemson

Keith Grennan     6’4″     298lbs     Eastern Washington

Craig Marshall     6’4″     262lbs     South Florida

Chris Walker     6’3″     245lbs     Tennessee

Michale Spicer     6’3″     285lbs     Western Carolina

If you were looking at this crew with their helmets on and no names on the back of the jerseys you would think you were seeing double. They are all basically the same height and weight. It appears the Colonials have an athletic crew of defensive ends with long arms to get around the corners with speed. On paper they seem to be a quick nimble line. Look for a lot of sacks off the edges for the Colonial defense.

DL

Jonas Seawright     6’6″     321lbs     North Carolina

So the Colonials have this player listed as a ‘defensive lineman’. There is no doubt in my mind this player is the nose tackle in the middle of the line. With his size the Colonials have a real gap stuffer here! This player is not going to be moved off the line easily by most centers in any league. If he can cause penetration up the middle look out for the Colonials to have a break out season as a defensive line. With the speed on the corners it going to be hard for any quarterback to escape the size and pressure of this line.

DT

Orien Harris     6’3″     308lbs     Miami

Jonathan Lewis     6’0″     304lbs     Virginia Tech

Greg Peterson     6’5″     290lbs     North Carolina Central

Colby Whitlock     6’3″     294lbs     Texas Tech

The Colonials don’t seem to have the depth at the defensive tackle position they do as the others on the team. The players they do have on the roster follow the format we have talked about during this whole review. They are tall and big! The Colonials are going to be a very hard team to run against. If the Colonials perform as good as they look on paper you might be looking at the number one run stopping and sack defense in the UFL. They definitely have a lot of upside.

LB  

Joe Mortensen     6’1″     265lbs     Kansas 

Harry Coleman     6’2″     206lbs     LSU

Erik Pederson     6’0″     221lbs     Hawaii

Clint McPeek     6’2″      220lbs    New Mexico

Frantz Joseph     6’2″     240lbs     Florida Atlantic

Andy Schantz     6’1″     223lbs     Portland State

Danny Lansanah     6’1″     259lbs     Connecticut

The Colonials once again stick with their pattern of size in the linebacker position as well. There is no doubt that the linebackers will be a help in the run and pass rush schemes of the defensive coordinator of the Colonials. The question is can these big boys cover a TE in pass coverage? Do they have the hands and ball skills for pass coverage schemes? If not the Colonials have a few players at safety that have the size and speed to cover in selected packages.

Last but not least we have the special teams skilled players. A lot of writers and reporters covering teams kind of let these players fall on the wayside. I would argue that the players I am about to introduce you are some of the most important players on the team. These players are hardly ever recognized for their plays unless they make a mistake. These players have to on point 100% of the time. There is no room for errors in these positions!

The skilled special teams positions.

LS

Jared Retkofsky     6’5″     268lbs     TCU

This player fits right in on the offensive line with his size. He has the size to not get pushed around in the blocking schemes for the punt and field goal units.

P

Jy Bond     6’3″     216lbs     No College

Jy is a punter who played in Australian Rules Football. He is a very athletic punter who is not scared to hit a player on a punt return. He played in 2010 for the Colonials and has been on a few NFL teams roster. He is on the ‘protected’ roster list for the Colonials in 2011. I am excited to see this young man play!

K

Sam Swank     6’0″     193lbs     Wake Forest

Being a fan of the ACC in college football I have seen this player kick a few times. In college he was a great special teams player. He has some NFL experience and should be a great asset to the Colonials at this key position.

Overall I would rate the skilled players on the special teams with a B rating. The only question that sticks out in my mind is the uncertainty of the punting position. In training camp maybe another punter will be brought in for some competition and the position will be proven to be secure.

I am excited to see the product Coach Glanville puts on the field August 13th, 2011 in the first game of the season against the Virginia Destroyers.

Below is a list of the coaching and training staff of the Hartford Colonials.

Jerry Glanville     Head Coach

Kurt Beathard     Running Backs Coach

Bill Bradley     Safeties

Jeff Burris     Cornerbacks

John Hastings     Strength and Conditioning

Harold Jackson     Wide Receivers

Tim Krumrie     Defensive Line

John Lovett     Special Teams

Ben Norton     Offensive Line/Special Teams Assistant/Quality Control

Turk Schonert     Quarterbacks

Jesse Thompson     Tight Ends/Special Teams Assistant

James Willis     Linebackers

Larry Zierlein     Offensive Line

Jesse Geffon     Head Athletic Trainer

The head coach always gets the immediate recognition on a team. It is important to highlight the supporting staff that work hard everyday to make the team champions on the field and off. It is behind the scenes where true champions are made!