Fever Camp Preview WR/RB 2012

Whitehead, Kennedy Lead List of Receivers, Running Backs

There is little question that Houston Lillard made the Tri-Cities Fever offense go last season. But the humble Fever quarterback will quickly admit that a lot of his success hinged on guys around him making plays. And those guys were his receivers and running backs, all of which made highlight reel plays on a regular basis. Some of his favorite targets and biggest playmakers are back with the defending Intense Conference champions this season.

But they won’t have to do it alone as coach Adam Shackleford littered his 2012 training camp roster with an abundance of talent at receiver and running back. Returning to an offense that ranked second in the IFL in points per game last season is receiver Steven Whitehead (5-foot-8, 190 pounds) and running back Dennis Kennedy.

In the 2011 regular season, Whitehead had 58 catches for 667 yards and 10 touchdowns. But it was in the 2011 IFL playoffs where Whitehead stepped his game up to a level unmatched by anyone in the playoffs. Whitehead was first in touchdowns scored (8); first in catches (24); first in yards gained (298) and was second in the 2011 IFL playoffs in all purpose yards.

Kennedy (5-9, 215), who emerged as a solid receiver toward the end of last season, was one of the more reliable running backs in the IFL last season. In 11 regular season games, he rushed for 267 yards on 75 carries for 8 touchdowns. He also had 40 receptions for 307 yards and 9 touchdowns. The 40 receptions ranked him fourth on the team.

Another familiar name returning on offense for the Fever is receiver Giovanni Stanley, who was signed to the San Diego Chargers practice squad last year. Stanley (6-3, 225) played in just one game for the Fever, catching four passes for 26 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Fairbanks on March 12.

Other receivers signed to the 2012 training camp roster include:

Garrett Andrews (6-4, 220) is a former standout at Middle Tennessee State University, where he had 39 catches for 434 yards and five touchdowns as a senior in 2010. In 2009, he was second on the team in receptions with 35 for 530 yards and four touchdowns, and showed his big-play capabilities leading the team with seven players that went for 30 yards or more.

Desmond Tardy (6-1, 200) is a former standout at Purdue, and most recently played for the Fairbanks Grizzlies in the IFL last season. In eight games, he caught 15 passes for 260 yards and 9 touchdowns. He has spent time on the Chicago Rush roster in the Arena Football League and was in minicamp with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2009.

TeBiarus Gill (6-3, 220) played at Troy University. In his final two seasons at Troy (2009 and 2010), Gill had 99 receptions for 1159 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Travis Cobb (6-0, 180) is a former University of Arizona star that spend some time with the Chicago Bears. Cobb was one of the Wildcats top return men, returning two kickoffs for touchdowns his senior season. In 2010, he caught 26 passes for 290 yards and a touchdown.

Ed Berry (5-10, 190) started all 22 games in his career at Northern Arizona where he was named to the first-team all-Big Sky Conference in 2009 where he led the team with 75 catches for 1,075 yards and seven touchdowns.

Joining Kennedy in the backfield on the 2012 training camp roster includes:

Keith Payne (6-2, 250) who played at the University of Virginia, was a second-team all-Atlantic Coast Conference selection in 2010 and finished his career with 1,004 rushing yards. In his senior season, he led the ACC in scoring with 8.7 points per game, scoring 14 total touchdowns.

Rafael Little (6-0, 195) rushed for more than a 1,000 yards three straight seasons at the University of Kentucky and has played in the CFL as well as being signed by the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2008.