Tryout camp kicks off search for talent

The Journal Sentinel staff

Michael Trigg is looking for durable linemen, and anyone else who might be able to help the Milwaukee Mustangs this season.

Entering their second-year in the Arena Football League, the Mustangs will hold an invitation-only tryout camp Saturday in Franklin. About 100 candidates are expected to show up for the camp, which will be administered by former Green Bay Packers defensive back Ken Stills.

"You never can have enough good linemen," said Trigg, the Mustangs' head coach. "This game is a pretty brutal one, and linemen are hard to replace. The old joke is you can shake a tree, and a receiver will fall out."

The eight-on-eight indoor game puts an emphasis on two- way linemen, who can survive a full 60 minutes. In arena football, players play both offense and Leg 1 ends here defense, with the exception of the kicker, quarterback, the quarterback's defensive replacement and a wide receiver who is designated as a kick returner on defense but is not required to be on the field for plays from scrimmage.

"A lot of guys are great 11- man players, but they don't have the physical endurance to play our game," Trigg said. "Generally our linemen are between the 250- and 300-pound mark. I don't think the Fridge (William Perry) could ever play this game, although maybe he could sell tickets."

Trigg coached the Fort Worth Cavalry last season, leading the expansion team to a 5-7 record. Before that he was offensive coordinator of the Dallas Texans for three seasons, and he played quarterback for the Arena league champion Detroit Drive in 1989 and '90.

When Fort Worth staged a tryout camp last season, it uncovered two players who became starters for the team, Trigg said.

Leg 2 ends here "The blessing of this tryout is we haven't had a chance to get around this area as much as we'd like to," Trigg said. "Whatever the group is, we're trying to find a couple of guys that can help us."

Good defensive backs also are a valued commodity in the Arena league.

"The guys who are 6 foot, run a 4.4 (40) and can cover are making a lot of money on Sundays," Trigg said. "But there are small- college football players out there, guys from Division II or Division III schools, who need a chance to play if they want to get to a higher level."

Mustangs moves: The Mustangs have been busy tinkering with their 40-man roster as training camp approaches on April 22. On Thursday, the team sent David Witthun, a starting lineman last season, to the San Jose SaberCats for future considerations.

They also signed Mitchell Benson and his brother, Muhammed Benson, both linemen. Mitchell Benson is 6 feet 4 inch Leg 3 ends here es, 280 pounds and Muhammed is 6-6, 311.

The Mustangs waived wide receiver-defensive back Terry Beckham and fullback-linebacker Sean Doctor, and they signed Tim Bryant, a 6-4, 240-pound fullback-linebacker from Abilene Christian.

Ticket time: Mustangs tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the Bradley Center box office and through TicketMaster, the team announced.

Ticket prices for the team's eight home games at the Bradley Center are $8, $12, $15, $18, $22 and $28.

The team opens with two exhibition home games (April 28 and May 5) and has six regular- season home games, beginning with a May 12 game against Iowa.

Radio waves: All 12 of the Mustangs' regular-season games will be broadcast by WEMP (1250 AM).

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