Game Preview: Week 1 – Thunder Host LA KISS

PORTLAND – The Portland Thunder begins its second ever AFL season with a home opener against expansion rivals, the LA KISS, at Moda Center, March 27 at 7:00 p.m. Last year both squads finished last in their respective divisions, however, 2015 begins with fresh starts for each team.

Last season, the Thunder dropped two of three against the KISS, but that one win clinched the final National Conference playoff berth for Portland with two weeks to play. That 44-31 win was on the strength of four Kyle Rowley touchdown passes, and four interceptions of former LA KISS quarterback Aaron Garcia. Rowley ended the evening with 258 yards, while WR Jamar Howard posted 126 yards, leading all receivers.

The offseason saw wholesale changes in the Thunder locker room, with the hiring of a new coaching staff, and some standout players earning their chance to play at the next level.

New Thunder head coach Mike Hohensee brings one of the longest resumes in AFL history to the Pacific Northwest. As the only person in league history to participate in all 28 seasons as either a player or coach, Hohensee provides not only the knowledge of how to build a team from the bottom up, he carries the knowledge of how to win in this league. A 2013 inductee to the AFL Hall of Fame, Mike led the Chicago Rush to the playoffs in every one of his nine seasons with the now defunct club, winning four division titles and ArenaBowl XX.

Joining Hohensee on the sidelines is a pair of coaches who have also had plenty of success in the AFL. Assistant head coach and defensive coordinator Ernesto Purnsley boasts a 17 season AFL resume, and won an ArenaBowl in 2005 as a DC for the defunct Colorado Crush. Assistant defensive/special teams coordinator Lee Johnson was most recently the head coach of the San Antonio Talons, where his 2012 roster set a mark of 11 consecutive wins, the third longest single season consecutive wins streak in AFL history. The only hold over from the Thunder’s inaugural coaching staff is arguably the soul of the team. Line coach Clay Harrell brings continuity, and fire, to this experienced staff.

Offseason personnel changes stem mainly from Thunder success stories. DB Varmah Sonie and WR Douglas McNeil III signed deals with NFL clubs. Sonie to the Browns. McNeil to the Seahawks. WR Eric Rodgers, who left the Thunder in Week 16, won a Grey Cup with the Calgary Stampeders (CFL), helping his new employers with a five catch, 108 yard performance in the title game. Filling the receiver gaps is a solid group of veterans and rookies.

Returning from last season are receivers Duane Brooks and Jamar Howard, who really began to click toward the end of 2014. Howard racked up 664 yards in just 11 appearances after joining halfway through the 2014 season, while Brooks caught 12 passes for a monstrous 152 yards against the eventual champion Arizona Rattlers in Week 19. Joining them are Martel Moore and Perez Ashford, a pair of rookie pass catchers from Northern Illinois University who have big game experience, having appeared in the 2013 BCS Orange Bowl.

Anchoring the defense is an intimidating set of second year linebackers in Brandon Tett and Bryce Peila. Peila looks to follow up a year that saw him earn spots as a finalist for Rookie of the Year, and on the All-Arena Second Team. Tett, alongside linemen KC Obi and Marquis Jackson, will look to cause disruption while rushing from the Mac position.

The changes in Los Angeles mirror some of the changes in Portland to an extent, both on and off the field. On the field, a new signal caller. Off it, a new front office, with a familiar face or two mixed in. Joe Windham, who led the Rattlers organization to three straight ArenaBowl Championships (’12-’14) is now president of the KISS.

While not spending the majority of his career in Arena Football, new KISS QB Adrian McPherson is still as passionate about the game as he was the day he arrived on the scene with the Indiana Firebirds in 2004. The veteran has five seasons of AFL experience over his curious 11 year professional career, which included stops in both the NFL and CFL. His knowledge, as well as his elusiveness, will sure up an offense that managed just 38.8 points per game in ’14, the least in the AFL a year ago. The addition of WR Thyron Lewis, who set career highs in receptions (101), yards (1525), and touchdowns (37) a year ago with the American Conference Champion Cleveland Gladiators should help too.

While KISS Head coach Bob McMillen is a familiar face to coach Hohensee, playing and coaching under Hohensee for nearly 8 years, that isn’t the intriguing reunion Thunder fans will want to keep their eyes on. Former Thunder head coach Matt Sauk is now running the offense for the KISS, and will no doubt be looking to prove his worth to bosses new and old.

Image & Content Courtesy of Portland Thunder.