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In the aftermath of a season in which general manager Steve Beans was nearly fired as a result of the poor play by the Houston Renegades, it now appears the team has rebounded and is ready to re-take the division and make a push into the postseason yet again. After 11 years of service including a bowl run last season, Kent Silvanic was fired in favor of former Louisiana Voodoo's coach, Sammie Flannery.
Flannery, 61, brings 6 years experience and a career 26-70 record with him, which resulted in a lot of anger from the Renegades fan base. "We go from a bad to worse coach??" said one recently interview fan. GM Steve Beans feels differently about the matter. "Flannery brings a defensive presence and discipline that could succeed with the right roster makeup he was never given in Louisiana"
The roster that made the IFL bowl remains largely untouched except for the huge loss as DE from future hall-of-famer Phil Miller retiring. Beans quickly worked a trade with Chicago to not only help the defensive end with 4th year Max Kolsrud (16 career sacks), but he helped shore up the running game with the talented Gerald Johnstone. Johnstone has had two 1,000+ yard seasons, and while he struggled in Chicago's recent anemic offense the last two seasons, many experts are predicting a career rejuvenation running behind a cohesive offensive line and the powerhouse passing attack Houston brings.
In training camp, Surratt looked as dangerous as ever connecting with Denning, Levine, Deforne and even rookie King. Look for last years second best passing attack to continue it's assault on the league, especially now that defenses have to also account for an established running game.
On the defensive side, things looked to be improving under head coach Flannery, and there were quotes around camp that the Renegades hope to keep opponents under the 300 point mark for the season. While a difficult task, the confidence displayed is encouraging compared to the last few seasons when the team pretty much expected another .500 style season.
Surratt spoke to the media on the last day of camp and said he was very encouraged by the progression of the roster, and he hopes to ride the momentum from the IFL bowl appearance last season. "Anything short of another division win will be a huge disappointment in Houston, and we know the other teams have improved as well so 8 wins won't cut it this year. We need to have a consistent effort through the entire year if we want to see the playoffs again, but I think it can be done this year"
The Renegades open their season on Thursday, November 8th in Lousiana where Flannery will face his former team.
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