WR Lewis out for season

New Orleans native tears ACL during VooDoo scrimmage

Sunday, February 10, 2008
By Brian Allee-Walsh

In a few fleeting seconds, a once-promising Arena Football League season ended less than a week into training camp for VooDoo wide receiver Derrick Lewis.

Lewis, who is considered one of the league's premier players, tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during a routine passing drill Friday and will miss the remainder of the season.

VooDoo Coach Mike Neu said Lewis, a 32-year-old native of New Orleans and former two-sport standout at Clark High School, will undergo reconstructive surgery "as soon as possible."

The news came as a shock to Neu and Lewis, who finished among the top five AFL receivers last season in receptions (139), receiving yardage (1,903) and touchdowns (41) with the now-defunct Austin Wranglers.

In two AFL seasons, one NFL Europe season and four years of trying to make it in the NFL with the Saints, Tampa Bay and Houston, Lewis never had more than a dislocated pinky.

"I didn't even know it happened," Neu said Saturday after the team's first intra-squad scrimmage of camp. "Derrick never limped. It happened on 1-on-1, and he finished the rest of practice."

Lewis watched the scrimmage from the sideline and said the injury might be cartilage-related and that he hoped to return within three to four weeks. He learned the extent of his injury a short time later from team officials.

Lewis' departure leaves a big void in the VooDoo offense, one that Neu said he hopes to fill from the current group of receivers on the roster that includes Wendall Williams, James Jordan, Sale' Key, DeAndrew Rubin and Zach Hilton, among others.

The VooDoo opens the season Feb. 29 in Los Angeles against the Avengers.

"I'm always going to look and pay attention to what's going on personnel-wise outside of our building, but at the same time, I believe in what we have here," Neu said. "I believe somebody from that group will step up. We'll all be strong. We'll all carry the load now.

"I got to stay positive, and we got to pull through this together as a team and become even stronger. That's the approach we have to take. We're going to move forward. It happened. We can't say why. But we just have to move forward."

Lewis, 6 feet 2, 185 pounds, made a name for himself with the Wranglers, catching 252 passes for 3,314 yards and 64 touchdowns in 2006 and '07. Last season, he surpassed 100 yards receiving in 11 of 16 games and had more than 200 yards in two.

On Oct. 29, Lewis signed a two-year contract with the VooDoo, hoping to resume his life and career in his hometown.

"My biggest concern is I'm worried for Derrick," Neu said. "I'm concerned from a mental and emotional standpoint. I want him to know that we're with him through thick and thin, that he's not going through this by himself.

"It's my job as a coach to make him still feel that he's a very important part of our team. That's what I got to do."

Asked if he felt the injury could end Lewis' career, Neu replied: "That's a legitimate question, but no, I don't believe so. I got to make sure he knows that. He can come back from this. He's got a great body for 32 years of age. Jerry Rice had some of his finest years in San Francisco after he had his knee injury."

VOODOO NOTES: Players are off today, and training camp resumes Monday with two morning practices. . . . Team officials activated defensive back Keon Raymond from the refused-to-report list and activated wide receiver James Jordan from the left squad list and waived defensive back Jasper Faulk.

Really sorry to hear that. That makes it three superstars that we will not have to face this season, Jimmy Fryzel (Orlando), Orshawante Bryant (Blazes) and now Derrick. :(




The third day of Orlando Predators mini-camp brought bad news to head coach Jay Gruden. Preds receiver Jimmy Fryzel is out for the season with a torn ACL and medial meniscus in his right knee. It happened early in the first session during Tuesday's mini-camp while he was running a deep fly pattern.

"My foot got stuck in," said Fryzel. "I've never had trouble with my knees. It's a huge disappointment."

Fryzel had hamstring issues last season, missing 7 games, but was on his way to what the team had hoped would be his best season to date.

"Unfortunately Jimmy had busted his tail to get in shape," said Gruden. "He's proven that last year was a fluke. He's going to be a tough guy to replace with anybody."

Fryzel finished 2007 with 55 receptions for 581 yards and eight touchdowns. In 2006, he led the team in receptions (87), receiving yards (1,108), and receiving touchdowns (23).