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May 3, 2008 - 12:00AM
Rattlers add veteran duo for playoff run
Comments | RecommendMike Tulumello, Tribune
The last two ArenaBowls have included teams with meager 7-9 records.
That’s why the Rattlers, 4-4 at the season’s midway point, are thinking big. They believe they can make a deep playoff run by improving and by tweaking their roster.
In shooting for a long playoff run, coach Kevin Guy has brought in two new players who are set to make their debuts tonight at Los Angeles.
Tumello: How good is Campbell? See for yourself.
Dustin Barno, one of the Arena Football League’s top pass rushers, has been picked up after Colorado released him for salary-cap reasons, Guy said.
David Saunders, a receiver who has played in the league for eight years, has been picked up as well. Tampa Bay released him after some other receivers returned from the injured list.
“The teams that are wining are winning for a reason,” Guy said. “They’re happy with the guys they’ve got. The teams that are not consistent are looking to make moves and improve.
“Midseason, for me, is the best time to make those moves. The last four or five weeks, I want to be developing chemistry going into the playoffs.”
In Barno and Saunders, Guy has brought in two players who have won a title; Barno for Colorado in 2005, and Saunders for Tampa Bay in 2003.
“That’s one thing we’ve been missing in our locker room,” Guy said. “We don’t have anybody walking around with rings on their fingers.
“Both of those guys will help us from the mental standpoint, knowing the game and bringing leadership to the team.”
Barno, a defensive lineman who prefers the left end spot, could be a player who makes a difference.
He set a team record in Colorado in 2006 with six sacks.
“We got to get to the quarterback,” he said. “That’s what I’ve been brought here to do.”
Saunders said, “I bring experience to a real young team. I’ve seen a lot. I can give little pointers here and there.”
In practical terms, he said he believes he’s most useful catching passes in the red zone.
In visiting Los Angeles, the Rattlers will face an Avengers team that embarrassed them at home on March 10, in the season’s second game.
In that 65-33 loss, the Rattlers had turnover problems — the start of a near season-long dilemma — and lost quarterback Lang Campbell to an ankle injury.
They also suffered from a shortcoming that they’ve since corrected: poor pass protection.
Only center Eric Thomas remains from their starting offensive line group in that game.
In the past three games the Rattlers haven’t given up a sack.
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