EVERETT – Michael Tuckman adhered to a basic investment strategy when he bought a chunk of the Everett Hawks last week.
“Get in when it’s low,” Tuckman quipped minutes before kickoff at last Saturday’s arenafootball2 season finale at the Events Center.
The Hawks may never be lower than the aftermath of the meltdown against Spokane. The 65-38 loss left Everett with a final record of 6-10, a slight improvement over the 4-12 mark the team posted in its maiden af2 season in 2006.
The last game was an aberration after Everett made a decent recovery following a grim 0-4 start. The Hawks generally played well home and away in its previous 11 contests and witnessed the emergence of receiver Josh Richey and quarterback Jason Campbell as two of the league’s brightest stars.
“For the true fans we had this year, for us to come in and lay an egg like that,” Everett coach Cedric Walker said. “It’s embarrassing and we want to apologize.”
That may be the perfect starting point for the Hawks’ newly-appointed team president, Tuckman, a seasoned business professional with a hands-on management style: There’s really nowhere to go but up.
Here’s a look back at the 2007 season and a glimpse ahead.
The ‘J-twins’: After the 0-4 start Everett regrouped behind the rookie Campbell and the record-setting Richey to split 12 games.
Richey led af2 with 1,958 receiving yards, the third highest total in af2 history, and set a record by exceeding 100 yards in 10 consecutive games.
The second-year player from Northeastern State University (Okla.) ranked No. 1 in touchdown receptions (44), was No. 2 in receptions (148) and No. 2 in scoring (270 points).
Campbell finished eighth in passing efficiency (111.7) and sixth in touchdown passes (84) while completing 319-of-514 passes for 3,663 yards with 14 interceptions.
“The emergence of the ‘J’ twins was the highlight,” said receiver/linebacker Phil Goodman. “We were at the lowest of the low, but those two were resilient and we rallied around them.”
Matching bookends: One of Everett’s chief challenges in 2007 was finding defensive replacements for John Fields and Clay Harrell who moved up to the Arena Football League after starring for the Hawks in 2006.
Johnny Jackson and Chuck Jones proved to be more than able replacements.
Jackson faced cut-blocking fullbacks and tight ends on virtually every play, but set a team mark with 8.5 sacks and added three forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and 25 tackles. Jones’ numbers were nearly identical (eight sacks, four forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and 28 tackles).
The schedule: The murderous slate called for opening with four away games.
Players, coaches and team officials insisted the Hawks would bond quickly on the road and finish with a flurry at home.
Instead, it proved disastrous. The Hawks were blown out by a combined 119 points in four losses. By the time Everett limped into the Events Center for its home opener May 6 the season was a quarter of the way over and the 1,700 fans who bothered to show up surely knew their Hawks were already out of the West Division race.
The coach: Everett could have imploded at several points along the way in 2007, but the player’s hung together under rookie head coach Cedric Walker, who acknowledged the season was a “learning experience.”
After being eliminated from playoff contention Walker’s Hawks rallied to put together a franchise-record three-game winning streak in July.
Defensive end Jackson, a team leader, is likely to move up to the AFL, but if not said: “If coach Walker is here I want to come back and play for him.”
The future: Tuckman has vowed to launch a full-scale marketing plan to reach sponsors and bring in more fans in 2008.
Walker said he will aggressively recruit at small colleges throughout Washington and Oregon where a Chuck Jones (Portland State) or two surely lurks.
Walker and majority owner Sam Adams intend to retain a core group of talent from 2007, something that did not happen after 2006 when just two players – Kai Zeigler and Kelvin Wallace – returned.
Four or more players, led by Richey, could sign with AFL teams in the months ahead. Campbell, however, will likely need at least another year in af2 and next year’s team could be built around him.
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