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Receivers looking to catch on with Georgia Force

By LARRY HARTSTEIN
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 02/12/08

Even in the Arena Football League, it's hard to replace 71 touchdowns.

That's the task facing the Georgia Force, which opened practice in Flowery Branch Tuesday.

In last year's 15-3 season, which ended one game shy of the ArenaBowl, the Force fielded the league's best receiving trio: Troy Bergeron, Chris Jackson and Derek Lee.

Jackson (51 touchdowns, 1,915 receiving yards) and Lee (20 TDs) are gone. They signed free-agent deals the Force couldn't match under the $2 million salary cap. Jackson signed with Philadelphia, Lee with Columbus.

Coach Doug Plank isn't worried about his new group of unproven receivers.

"We had that same argument a year ago about the quarterback: 'What do you mean you're going to start a quarterback who's only thrown 13 passes in the Arena League?' " Plank said. "Well, Chris Greisen came out and set an all-time record with 117 touchdowns.

"All I'm saying is give our receivers a chance."

As if to prove his point in Tuesday's practice, Carl Morris reached high to snag a laser over the middle. Brent Holmes broke loose in the secondary, showing the gear that made him a three-time track All-American. They're among six receivers fighting for time alongside Bergeron.

The 6-foot-3 Morris spent time with three NFL teams and has an economics degree from Harvard. Holmes shined in last year's training camp but didn't play much because the Force were loaded at receiver.

"I feel like those guys have built a chemistry with Greisen and myself," said Bergeron, who caught 41 touchdowns and looks fully recovered from offseason knee surgery. "Carl is a vet who's been around the NFL for a while. He's a big receiver with good hands who will go up and get the ball. Brent is more of a speed-slash guy who can make big plays. He had the best camp of everybody last season, he just didn't have a spot. This is his shot, his coming-out party."

Morris and Holmes worked with Greisen throughout last season, just rarely in games.

"We all feel comfortable as a unit and that's the biggest thing," Morris said. "We're not going to put it all on one person and tell them to be Chris Jackson or Derek Lee. We're going to make our own identity."

When Bergeron missed last year's conference championship game loss to Columbus, Holmes stepped in and caught nine passes for 89 yards.

"That gave me a lot of confidence," Holmes said. "My teammates believe in me and I believe in myself."

While the Force couldn't keep Jackson or Lee, the team made a big move by picking up pass rush specialist R-Kal Truluck, who played the last six seasons in the NFL and CFL. With Truluck joining nose tackle Ernest Allen and defensive end Jermaine Smith, the Force could bring the league's fiercest pass rush.

"We still believe that pass rush is where it's at, and we invest heavily there," said director of football operations Jim Kubiak, who doubles as offensive coordinator. "If we keep those guys healthy, we're going to have a lot of chances to hit the quarterback."

Even Greisen, who called Jackson the game's best receiver, had no problem with the personnel moves.

"We'll be a little bit different as a team," he said, "but I think the changes we've made are going to help us win a championship."