Washington Valor Quarterback Erik Meyer Announces Retirement

Washington Valor quarterback Erik Meyer has announced his retirement. He has not played since suffering an injury early this season.

Meyer joined the  Valor after sitting out a year of football. In 2015, he led the San Jose Sabercats to a 17-1 record and a win over the Jacksonville Sharks in ArenaBowl XXVIII.

Meyer started his arena football career with the Spokane Shock back in 2010. He played with Spokane until 2014. Meyer has also spent time with the Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions and Seattle Seahawks, as well as the Canadian Football League’s (CFL) Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the Cologne Centurions of NFL Europa.

His signature year came with Spokane in 2013. He threw for 112 touchdowns while completing 68.2 of his passes with a 123.6 passer rating. The numbers were good enough to earn him AFL MVP that season, as well as a spot on the All-Arena First Team.

Expectations were high for Meyer and the Valor headed into their first season. On April 7, the Valor played their first game against the other team playing their first game, the Baltimore Brigade. Meyer threw for 237 yards and four touchdowns as the Valor won the game by a final score of 51-37.

Things have gone downhill since then. Washington has lost nine in a row while losing Meyer and wide receivers Mike Washington and T.T. Toliver to injury. Now that Meyer is not going to return, Sean Brackett will lead the team the rest of the way.

Despite their 1-9 record, Washington is still alive in the playoff race. They will face off against the Philadelphia Soul at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA on July 15.

The Arena Football League is playing their 30th season. The Soul, currently sitting at 10-0, are looking to become the first repeat champion since the Arizona Rattlers won three ArenaBowls in a row from 2012-2014. ArenaBowl XXX is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 26.

Washington Valor Sign Veteran Quarerback Erik Meyer

The Washington Valor have signed quarterback Erik Meyer to their roster for their inaugural season in the AFL. The 2013 AFL MVP brings a plethora of professional football experience to the Valor.

Meyer has spent time in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals, Seattle Seahawks, and Oakland Raiders. He also played for the Cologne Centurions of NFL Europa. Meyer’s first season in the AFL was in 2009 when he played for the Spokane Shock. After playing for the Utah Blaze in 2010, he returned to Spokane in 2011.

He set records for Spokane in touchdowns (112), and passing yards (4,667). He led the Shock to a 14-4 record that season.

“This is a key acquisition for the Valor as the quarterback position is vital to your success in the AFL,” said head coach Dean Cokinos. “Erik will be a tremendous fit for our style of play and he will also be a great ambassador of the arena game to the Washington D.C. community. We are very excited to have Erik on board with us as we build the Valor brand.”

In 2015, Meyer led the San Jose SaberCats to an ArenaBowl victory after they finished the season 17-1.

“I am excited to play for the Valor,” said Meyer. “I can’t wait to be back on the field and play for this franchise. The season can’t come soon enough.” Washington will open the season on April 7 against the Baltimore Brigade.

Gladiators Add Veteran Depth At Quarterback, Fill Out Rest Of Roster

The Cleveland Gladiators‘ had a lot of question marks after the first few weeks of the season in 2016 at quarterback, but now they have experience and skill at the position going into 2017. The Glads added a new passer from the team that knocked them out of the playoffs last season when they announced they had added veteran Shane Boyd. Boyd, 34, who was on the Arizona Rattlers the last two seasons, and lost in Arena Bowl XXIX to the Philadelphia Soul.

Boyd’s Rattlers knocked the Gladiators out a round earlier in the National Conference title game winning 82-41, so Cleveland has to be happy in adding someone who has been on the winning  side so often the last few seasons. Boyd has backed up the “Latin Laser” Nick Davila, one of the greatest to ever play on AFL turf.

However, Boyd was also a part of the winning ways when he got on the field, throwing for 581 yards and two scores, appearing in 11 games total over the last two seasons. Boyd has played for a total of four Arena Football League teams and he has also seen time with five National Football League teams.

The Glads also added Offensive Lineman Jaylen Hunter, the second lineman added to Cleveland’s roster in the last 48 hours, and they also added Defensive Back Paris Logan.

Hunter, 23, will be entering this rookie AFL season and brings a lot of talent with him. He was brought into camp by the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks before the start of their current season. Hunter was named first team All Conference USA in 2015 for his efforts while playing at Middle Tennessee State. In 2014, he led a line that helped his quarterback throw for over 3,000 yards and a running back go over 1,000 yards, which was the first time in school history that such a combo ever occurred for the Blue Raiders.

Logan, 24, is another rookie joining the red and black. Logan is a ball hawk that ranks third all time for his 33 pass break ups while playing his college ball at Northern Illinois, and he also racked up five interceptions in his time there.

The Gladiators have less than three months to put all the pieces together, as their season starts April 8 when they host the Tampa Bay Storm.