Saturday, Jun. 27, 2009

Drafts back behind center tonight for Fever

By Ben Reynolds, Herald staff writer

KENNEWICK -- It took a little convincing to get Colin Drafts back to the Tri-Cities, but now that he's here, he knows he made the right choice.

"It's kind of like deja vu," the quarterback said at practice last week.

Most will remember Drafts from 2007, when he stepped in for the injured Brian Baker and nearly led the Fever to an upset of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the first round of the af2 playoffs.

It's a game he still remembers, and still looks back at as a missed opportunity.

"We should have beaten them," he recalls of the 57-54 loss.

While tonight might not be a playoff game or even a game that really means anything when it comes to the standings, Drafts is excited for the opportunity.

The veteran from Charleston Southern will make his first start in nearly two years for the Fever (1-11) when it takes on the Stockton Lightning (4-8) at Toyota Center. The Fever's lone win of the season came against the Lightning on May 9.

"I'm glad to be back," Drafts said. "I think this is a good situation."

Drafts, who was released by Amarillo earlier this year, is the Fever's fifth starting quarterback in 13 games this season. Coach Pat O'Hara hopes he is the last.

"I hope Colin can come in here and do some good things for us," said O'Hara, whose team has lost five games in a row.

Drafts stepped in last week in the second half of the Fever's 69-22 loss to top-ranked Spokane and played well. He led the Fever on four scoring drives and finished 14-of-24 for 134 yards and three touchdowns. He did throw one interception.

"He's had a good week," O'Hara said. "We've kept things pretty basic and he's coming along pretty well."

O'Hara hopes he finally found his answer at quarterback, or at least someone who can give him some sort of consistency.

The Fever has been anything but consistent on offense. Tri-Cities was shut out in the first half last week at Spokane. The week prior, the Fever was held scoreless in the first and third quarters in a home loss to Boise.

Three weeks ago, Tri-Cities scored touchdowns on its first four possessions and trailed Stockton 29-28 at halftime. The Fever then proceeded to score one second-half touchdown, that coming with just under six minutes left in the game.

"I hate to keep saying it, but we just need to be able to pitch and catch," O'Hara said.

Drafts, who played in two games for the Fever in 2007, said he learned more in six weeks in Tri-Cities than he has in the past year and a half.

That's one of the reasons he chose to come back after originally declining O'Hara's invitation to return after he was released in Amarillo.

But after talking things over with his family, he decided to make the trek back to the Northwest from his South Carolina home.

"It's all about getting in a good situation," Drafts said. "I think I made the right choice.

"I like Coach O'Hara and his philosophy."

-- NOTES: J.R. Thomas had his contract rejected by the arenafootball2 league Thursday because of an apparent workman's compensation claim by the receiver for a previous injury. O'Hara says Thomas will not play for the Fever this season. ... All tickets for tonight's game are $10, excluding the front rows.