Coach Marvin McNutt, Cedar Rapids Titans begin training camp

CEDAR RAPIDS — Marvin McNutt officially traded in his shoulder pads for a whistle and a Cedar Rapids Titans T-shirt.

The former University of Iowa football player opened his first training camp as head coach of the sixth-year Indoor Football League franchise with a team practice Monday at the U.S. Cellular Center.

'A head coach at the IFL level is important not only for them to be able to put a good product on the field football-wise, but also to bring something into the community,' Cedar Rapids Co-Owner/General Manager Chris Kokalis said. 'For us, when I sat down and met with Marvin … I was very impressed by his desire to be successful and his desire to win.'

McNutt replaced Mark Stoute, who was named head coach of the Jacksonville Sharks in the newly-established National Arena League after four successful seasons in Cedar Rapids.

For his debut campaign, McNutt enlisted a staff of three assistants who will spend the week constructing a cohesive unit among 40 prospects in time for Saturday's preseason home game with the Iowa Barnstormers. The Barnstormers, coincidentally, are led this season by a couple of 2016 Cedar Rapids assistants in head coach Dixie Wooten and assistant Michael Custer.

'With the 40 guys in camp, you want to make sure you get a thorough look and evaluation of everybody,' Cedar Rapids assistant coach Zen Bliss said. 'I think that is pretty much what it's about; dotting some I's with the plays and the blocking schemes and making sure that everybody is on the same page.'

Bliss, 40, is a former Billings Wolves scout and offensive coordinator for the Buffalo Lightning of the American Indoor Football League. In Cedar Rapids, Bliss will coach the offensive and defensive lines, plus special teams.

Bliss' Billings connection brought quarterback Cory Murphy — who threw for 754 yards and eight TDs in 10 games last season for the Wolves — to Cedar Rapids, where he is competing for the Cedar Rapids starting job with former California (Pa.) quarterback James Harris. Murphy played collegiately at Delaware State.

'Coach (McNutt) runs a pretty intricate offense, so it's going to take some time to get it down and perfect it,' Bliss said.

While McNutt is expected to be the primary play-caller, he has tabbed former Cedar Rapids Washington prep Adrian Arrington, 31, to coordinate the Titans' offense this season. Arrington played collegiately at Michigan and in the NFL with the New Orleans Saints.

The Titans' roster has also undergone a significant overhaul. Longtime defensive stalwart Xzavie Jackson – who played for Cedar Rapids in each of the first five seasons for the franchise – signed with the Nebraska Danger, while two-time defending league defensive player of the year Jermiah Price joined the six-time defending IFL champion Sioux Falls Storm.

Defensive back Fred Griggs – who collected 71 tackles and two sacks in nine games last season with Cedar Rapids – is back in camp, as is former Iowa defensive back B.J. Lowery. Lowery, 25, tallied 54 tackles and two interceptions in 14 games for the 2015 Titans. Following that season, Lowery was signed by the Denver Broncos of the NFL and was one of the final roster cuts before the start of the 2016 season.

As for the rest of the camp participants, McNutt dove head-first into the personnel side of indoor football since his October hire.

'Marvin is the first to admit he doesn't know everything,' Kokalis said. 'But I've been very impressed, especially this offseason. The guy probably watches anywhere between five to six hours of film a day. Getting playbooks, is studying game film from other IFL games. His desire to learn and to reach out to other IFL coaches and to build a network to be successful really has kind of shown me.'

The regular season opens Friday, Feb. 17 with a home game against the Green Bay Blizzard.

l Comments: douglas.miles@thegazette.com