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There will be familiar faces on the sidelines and under center when the Omaha Beef opens their season Saturday night.
Well, they may not be familiar to fans around Omaha, but they'll be familiar to each other.
New Omaha coach Patrick Pimmel has named Ben Sankey as the starting quarterback for the 7 p.m. game against Sioux Falls at the Civic Auditorium. Sankey, out of Wake Forest, was the quarterback for River City a year ago, leading the Rage — then coached by Pimmel — to the IFL championship game.
He beat out Chad Schmigel to replace James McNear, the all-time leading passer in team history. Schmigel is in his third year with the Beef.
“His reads are amazingly fast,” Pimmel said of Sankey. “His knowledge of the game and the windows available are just so good. It's easy to call a play, but what he's good at is getting across what he's looking for on that play.”
Sankey, at 6-foot-3, 225-pounds, has done it on big and small fields. He won two Grey Cup titles in the Canadian Football League and has had success in two indoor football minor leagues, the UIF and IFL. He also has spent time with the NFL's Houston Texans.
But he didn't walk in and assume the starting spot was his, even with his connection to the new Omaha staff.
“I always knew there was going to be competition, no question about it,” Sankey said.
And what are the biggest challenges for a quarterback in the indoor game?
“You can make all the throws, but there's only a certain amount of time you can do it,” Sankey said. “Everyone thinks it's bomb, bomb, bomb, but you've got to learn to get the ball to guys in space and give them space. You've just got to learn to take the throws as they come.”
As for the defense, Pimmel said the addition of former University of Nebraska at Omaha linebacker Jeff Souder will bring a new level of toughness. Souder started practicing only this week after losing in his Mixed Martial Arts debut in February.
“I was shocked at how good he was,” Pimmel said. “He walked in, put the pads on and got to work. I'm real excited about Jeff.”
• NOTES: McNear was named the IFL offensive player of the week after a five-touchdown performance for Sioux City. … Saturday's game is “Faith and Family” night. The Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Beef will put on a camp before the game. It's also the first of three straight home games in four weeks to open the season for Omaha. … Former USC and UNLV quarterback Rocky Hinds will play for Colorado this season. Hinds was listed on the Omaha preseason roster and was at media day two weeks ago.
Contact the writer:
850-0781, nickrubek@hotmail.com
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