Georgia Force

Georgia Force
The Georgia Force are one of the only teams in the BFL that have any kind of history outside of the league. They were an Arena Football League team from 2002, until early 2007, when the team folded. The team returned for one season. However, by 2009, the Georgia Force were out of the A11FL. With little to no money, Eric Russo disbanded the Georgia Force in February 2009, and washed his hands of one of the biggest financial flops in A11FL history. So it came as a surprise in February 2012 when a nationwide poll reached Gwinnett County, Georgia about the possibility of a team in an expansion league. Remembering the 2006 Arena Bowl Championship Georgia Force team that went 17-3 en route to beating Denver 75-31 to win their first title, the people of Gwinnett County gave a 83% approval rating. This impressed Jim Tading, how they maintained such goodwill despite how ugly the Georgia Force's ending. However, he also considered how small a market Gwinnett County was. In the end he said in a 2014 CBS Sports Network interview that Georgia's goodwill and loyalty won him over. Everything went according to plan, and Phillips Arena, their A11FL home, was restored just before the 2015 Inaugural Game between the Dallas Vigilantes and Bay Area Sea Lions. Georgia went 11-4 in 2015, and managed to defeat Dallas 24-19 to become the first ever BFL Alpha Cup Champions. However, the success didn't last. A combination of injuries and bad luck in 2016 caused a complete 360*, as Georgia fell to 2-13, and slipped to Division II. Georgia didn't recover quickly, slipping to 4-11 in 2017, and 5-10 in 2018. In 2019, Georgia turned out a 7-8 record. Heading into 2020, no one expected much of Georgia. Then, Georgia turned one of the league's worst rosters into a 10-5 record, and in one of the closest games in BFL history, beat the Houston Wranglers in Double OT 48-45, to win Division II, and advance back into Division 1! In the offseason, new HC/GM Jack Russo wanted to give Georgia a playmaker that could keep the Force a Division I team. Taking advantage of the new and improved draft system, Russo wasted no time in trading up from 15th to 5th, and taking a chance on WR Sha'Quille Robinson. Not even Jack Russo saw ShaQ's rookie year coming. Sha'Quille Robinson had likely the greatest rookie season in the league's history, with even NFL analysts talking about it. Riding on Sha'Quille's momentum, Georgia advanced to the Alpha Cup Semi-Finals, where they lost to Bay Area 20-18. Now with the franchise player they've been looking for seemingly in tow, Georgia's got momentum. Only time will tell how they use it.

*C*: Sha'Quille Robinson, WR/ KR
Age: 22

Yrs in the NLF: 1

Awards: 1x BFL All-Star (2021), BFL Offensive Rookie Of The Year (2021)

Bio: Coming out of Virginia Tech at 21, Sha'Quille Robinson was considered a high risk, and potentially undrafted prospect. Between legal issues that followed him throughout his freshman and sophomore years of college, to a hamstring issue in his junior year, to the "project" player label given to him by coaches during Virginia Tech's Pro Day, many had him either in the later rounds of the NFL Draft, or simply undrafted. However, it was at the VT Pro Day that GF Coach Jack Russo fell for the WR. Russo was convinced that Robinson was a once-in-a-lifetime athlete, and once put into the right system, had the potential to be one of the BFL's best players. Georgia traded to acquire the 5th pick, and selected Sha'Quille. He went on to dominate Division 1. In his rookie season, he caught 136 passes, for 1,798 yards and 13 TDs, while also rushing for 600 yards and 5 TDs. He led Georgia to the Semi-Finals, where they lost 20-18. Sha"Quille Robinson looks to be the future of the Georgia Force. And to prove it, Georgia HC Jack Russo named Sha'Quille Robinson their Captain. Moving forward, one question remains. Can Sha'Quille Robinson & the Georgia Force keep up the momentum?

Strengths: Sha'Quille's versatility is matched by very few in the league. Easily one of the league's fastest players by a considerable margin. Lethal in the open field. Has an uncanny ability of tracking deep passes down and bringing them in. A natural competitor, plays with obvious chip on his shoulder. Has proven difficult to tackle on the first attempt. Rarely drops an open pass. Very good at finding running lanes.

Weaknesses: Inconsistent at bringing in passes near the sideline. Solid, but inconsistent route runner. Lacks technique when jammed at the line of scrimmage. Has a bad habit of running backwards in order to buy time for a running lane to open up. Not a good blocker. Questionable work ethic. Has been known to draw attention to himself at times. Time will tell how he matures.