Iowa Barnstormers Post Camp notes

Some quick notes exiting the Iowa Barnstormers camp this week:

Players to watch:

J.J. Raterink, QB:

Obviously we expect to see good things from a new QB who is a veteran of the arena league. In his time with Chicago he was extremely good at protecting the ball when it was in the air, keeping interceptions to a minimum. Barnstormers fans had a bit of an ugly flashback to last year when he fumbled on the first play of the exhibition game, a fumble that resulted in a defensive touchdown for the Rush. Hopefully this won't be something that causes problems.

Jesse Schmidt, WR:

Of course, the number one player to watch on the offense is going to be Jesse Schmidt. He pulled through with a touchdown catch in the exhibition game, and is poised to be a top five offensive threat in the league this year, and will definitely be the best offensive weapon the Barnstormers have.

Cameron McGlenn, CB:

One of the players the Barnstormers extended a contract during the exclusive free agent period,  Cameron McGlenn had an interesting rookie season for the Barnstormers. He lead the team with 9 interceptions, but also was a big part of a lot of blown coverages early in the season. If we can get more of the late season McGlenn early this year, the Barnstormers Defense will be much improved this year.


Rookie to watch:

Rodney Gnat, DE:

Gnat's college tape shows a high motor player who is physical enough to get through the line and cause turnovers, which is a playmaking effort that would be extremely good for the Stormers. If he stays motivated (and the fact that he's survived camp is a good sign), he could make the biggest rookie impact on this year's team.

Wrap Up:

The most (or least) surprising news from camp is Derrell Johnson-Koulianos' absence from the final roster. With his previous off the field issues at Iowa, and his time away from the game, I'm inclined to think it was both a football and non-football decision. In any case, the Jesse Schmidt/DJK tandem that many Stormers fans were looking forward to is not to be.

Spokane/Barnstormers preview will be up later this week.

-Shard
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