Never accuse the Lehigh Valley Steelhawks of being content with the status quo.
As the Indoor Football League team prepared last week for today's 4 p.m. home opener at Stabler Arena against the Bloomington (Ill.) Edge, it made a major trade in an effort to upgrade its offense.
Coming off a disappointing 32-13 loss to the Cedar Rapids Titans, the Steelhawks went out and acquired a star quarterback in 2010 IFL League MVP Bryan Randall.
Randall is coming from the Allen (Tex.) Wranglers where he hooked up with Terrell Owens — yes, that Terrell Owens — for three touchdowns in a Week 1 game.
Having the poise and experience to make quick decisions in the condensed brand of football that is the indoor game is essential and Randall possesses those qualities.
Likewise, it's clear that the Steelhawks are going to do everything they can to avoid another dismal 4-10 season like the one they endured in their inaugural 2011 campaign.
"Complacency and mediocrity are not part of our vocabulary," said Steelhawks first-year coach Chris Thompson. "We needed to do something offensively. Bryan just got into town and began practicing with us. I think he and Dale Fink give us a great combination at the quarterback position."
Thompson said he expects Randall to see some action in the home opener, which is expected to attract the biggest crowd in the Steelhawks' two-year history, somewhere in the neighborhood of 3,500 to 4,000.
Randall was a star at Virginia Tech where he was ACC's Player of the Year in 2004 and had opportunities in the NFL with the Falcons, Buccaneers and Steelers and with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League.
Playing in the IFL for the Richmond Revolution in 2010, Randall threw for 58 touchdowns and more than 2,000 yards. He also ran for 12 touchdowns in helping the Revolution post a 13-1 record.
Going after Randall is an indication that the Steelhawks intend to win, and win immediately.
"The mission of our front office and coaching staff this year was to show the rest of the IFL that the Steelhawks will be a force to be reckoned with this season," Thompson said. "By acquiring a special talent like Bryan, we're showing our fans and our loyal partners that we intend to make good on our efforts."
Thompson's team is 1-1, which is the same record the Steelhawks had at this point last season.
But the 2011 Steelhawks lost its home opener in Week 3 and seven straight games overall before snapping out of the doldrums with a late three-game win streak.
Thompson said this is a different year and a different team with much higher expectations.
"Our defense has been doing a heck of a job so far holding other teams down, but our special teams need work and our offense hasn't played as well as it's capable of playing," Thompson said. "I've been coaching this offensive system for many years and we have the talent. We just have to come together."
The team has upgraded at most positions. One of the new stars is former Oregon defensive back Marvin Johnson, who played in the BCS national title game against Auburn just 14 months ago.
The Steelhawks also feature a distinct local flavor with three former Lehigh University players — John Kennedy, Jarard Cribbs and Matt Cohen —expected to see action on defense as well as Kutztown University product Chris Medina.
Thompson said it's important to do well on opening night when so many people will be sampling the team.
"People are going to see that we're a different organization, a different football team from last year," said Thompson, who beat the Steelhawks four times last season as the coach of the Reading Express. "We want to get our fans excited and the whole Lehigh Valley excited about this team."
Several things are being planned to create extra excitement today on what will be the first of seven home dates.
Mike Clark, the team's executive vice president, said the team has upgraded its promotions and in-game entertainment.
Before the game today, fans are invited to come out and tailgate with live music from the Birds of Prey.
A special halftime performance will feature Drummers with Attitude, a local bucket-drumming group, and lots of prizes and giveaways are planned throughout the game.
"We're pumped up and very excited as an organization," Clark said. "We're definitely expecting our biggest crowd ever and looking forward to our biggest night ever. The phones have been ringing off the hook and we don't expect them to stop until 4 o'clock on Sunday. We had about 3,100 for our opener last year and we're definitely going to top that."
Realizing you only get one chance to make a first impression, Clark said he's hoping that people will like what they see from the time they arrive until they head for the exits.
"We've made a lot of changes and we feel it's like night and day, the difference between this year and last year," Clark said. "I have to give a lot of shout outs to our staff which has really worked hard and quadrupled our number of partners and doubled the number of season-ticket holders. We've put a lot of work into make sure this is a great family experience."
April 14,Cedar Falls Titans,7 p.m.
April 28,Chicago Slaughter,7 p.m.
May 19,Omaha Beef,7 p.m.
May 26,Reading Express,,7 p.m.
June 2,Green Bay Blizzard,7 p.m.
Single-game tickets range in cost from $33 to $10. Season tickets range from $210 to $56. For info, call 610-282-3100
STEELHAWKS HOME SCHEDULE
Date,Opponent,Time
Today,Bloomington Edge,4 p.m.
Saturday,Reading Express,7 p.m.
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