Veteran QB Bonner feels like a rookie with Rush
Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre, 38, surprised the NFL when he announced his retirement last week.
When Chicago Rush quarterback Sherdrick Bonner was told he was a year older than the Packers' legend, his first reaction was surprise.
"That's really weird," he said with a laugh, before turning serious. "I understand I'm not 25, and I'm blessed to be out here every day. Every second that I'm out there is an honor."
Bonner spent the first 14 years of his career with the Arizona Rattlers before signing a two-year contract with the Rush last October. Along the way, he did enough for the Arena Football League to select him as one its top 20 all-time players and its second-best quarterback ever.
Bonner will try to add to his successful run as the Rush (1-1) visit the Grand Rapids Rampage (0-1) today at 6 p.m.
After meeting with Bonner in person, Rush coach Mike Hohensee was not overly concerned about Bonner's age. Even though Bonner has won two championships and been to five ArenaBowls, Hohensee was most impressed that Bonner still had the desire to learn and improve.
"He was excited about the opportunity to come here and get better," Hohensee said. "He's got his (first) baby on the way, and he's young mentally in the (sense) that he's still excited about the game and wants to get better. He knows when to be serious, but he's a good-spirited guy."
Just two games into his tenure with the Rush, Bonner probably leads the team in nicknames. Among the names he answers to are "Cap," "Old-Timer" and "Pops."
"We clown with him a lot, but with age comes a lot of wisdom," wide receiver Donovan Morgan said. "He's young at heart and is a guy you can talk to."
Bonner might prefer watching Jeopardy to playing Wii, but think twice before challenging him to any PlayStation game. And when he ever does retire, it's the camaraderie with his teammates he'll miss the most.
"It's almost like college again where you spend time with everybody," he said. "It's not like the NFL where you have one guy making $18 million and another guy the (league minimum), and they don't speak."
Ron Jaworski, president of the Philadelphia Soul, marvels at what Bonner can do.
"Like any player he's lost some of his mobility, but he can still move around and get rid of the football," Jaworski said. "It's fantastic that a guy can still perform at this level at that age."
Bonner gives a lot of the credit for his longevity to Arizona strength and conditioning coach Brian Lee.
"He got me to a point where I wasn't as tired in the fourth quarter," Bonner said. "He taught me how to prepare myself."
In season, that means Bonner still lifts weights and swims several times a week. He'll get in a separate workout after practice until two days before the game. At 245 pounds, the 6-foot-4 Bonner is about 25 pounds lighter today than his heaviest playing weight.
Despite all the games Bonner has played, he was as nervous as a rookie before the season opener against San Jose. Bonner had struggled early in training camp to learn the Rush's system but came on late. Bonner killed time the day of the San Jose game by repeatedly vacuuming his apartment.
"I had all this nervous excitement and I didn't know what to do," he said. "I felt like this was my first game ever."
On the Rush's first play from scrimmage, Bonner connected with a wide-open Damian Harrell for a 29-yard touchdown pass.
Bonner went on to complete 14 of 24 passes for 261 yards. He threw 6 touchdowns and 1 interception.
"He made a couple of unbelievable throws off his back foot," Hohensee said.
Bonner's second start against the Soul was not as smooth. He threw 2 key interceptions in the second half on the way to a 60-49 loss. After the game, Bonner acknowledged the mistakes.
"It was inexcusable to give the ball to the other team when we're in position to take control of the game," Bonner said.
Hohensee expected Bonner and the offense to be inconsistent in the early going. The Rush returned only two starters on offense.
"Our inexperience showed," Hohensee said. "We don't have any preseason games, so we're still trying to find ways to get guys the football. We'll do a (better) job this week."
When Bonner does decide to call it quits, he would like to transition straight into an AFL coaching job.
"This is the most mentally challenging place I've been," Bonner said. "None of my other coaches have challenged me mentally like (Hohensee). This is the best thing that could have ever happened to me to prepare for coaching."