Earlier this season, he threw a pass that caromed off the down marker, came back into play and resulted in an interception. A few years back, he watched a receiver nonchalantly roll over after a catch and set the ball on the turf before a defensive back picked it up and raced for a touchdown.
These are the types of things the Iowa Barnstormers quarterback learned to expect midway through his af2 rookie season in 2006 for Bossier-Shreveport.
“We were 0-7 and getting trounced by everyone,” he said. “We played the No. 1 team in the league. (Oklahoma City was) 6-1 and beating up on everyone, and that was our first win. It made me realize anything can happen in this game.”
So it’s no surprise to Raterink that nearly half of the teams in the Arena Football League’s American Conference are 6-6. Two of them clash Saturday night at Wells Fargo Arena when the Barnstormers take on the Tampa Bay Storm. Here are three Arena League angles to watch this week.
Youth movement: Barnstormers coach Mike Hohensee underlined four points of emphasis last week in his pregame talk at Cleveland. He wanted to see his squad play smart, play with composure, play physical and play as a team.
“We did none of those things in that game and I made sure they understood we did not do any of those things,” Hohensee said after an 86-49 loss, Iowa’s most lopsided defeat of the season. “But at the same time, we didn’t lose any ground in the standings and we still have a great opportunity here to get into the playoffs, and they needed to understand that, too.”
Hohensee said this is part of the deal with a young team. More than half of the players on Iowa’s roster are 25 or under.
“When I won the championship in Chicago (in 2006), I had a lot of mature competitors,” Hohensee said. “They weren’t kids. … This is a young football team, a talented young football team, but they can’t get out of their own way right now.”
Quarterbacks: It’s been more than a month since Carson Coffman and Brian Reader went down during a disastrous fourth quarter against Jacksonville and Iowa was left with a crumpled quarterback depth chart.
Since then, the Barnstormers traded for Raterink, Reader has returned from a shoulder injury, Coffman is getting closer to coming back from a knee problem and Iowa has gone 2-2 to remain in the playoff chase. The Barnstormers have won games with all three different quarterbacks this season.
“I think that’s a testament to the preparation, coaching and players who are around that,” Raterink said. “Normally, at a different position, they use the cliche ‘plug and play.’ At quarterback, it’s a little more difficult to do that.”
It took some work to get Raterink back from Los Angeles. He had to agree to return to Iowa, where he set the franchise single-season passing records in 2012. The 32-year-old who starred in college at Wyoming works for a software company that tracks customers for car dealerships and has a large client base in Southern California.
“They were really excited to have me there and not as excited when I left, but they understand,” Raterink said. “I explained the situation here and what the organization has done for me here and how I felt this was an opportunity to help someone who’s done so much for me.”
Raterink came off the bench last week to throw for 267 yards and six touchdowns.
“He’s been a great teammate,” Hohensee said. “He’s really handled it probably as well as you could handle it.”
BIG MONTH: Iowa’s bid to play into August could hinge on what the Barnstormers do the rest of June.
Currently in a three-way tie with Tampa Bay and Philadelphia for the final American Conference playoff spot, the Barnstormers play host to both squads this month.
Based on opponents’ win percentage, Iowa has a slightly easier schedule the rest of the way than Tampa Bay and Philadelphia.
“Everyone plays each other down the stretch,” Hohensee said. “We don’t have to sit here and wait for someone to lose as long as we take care of our business.”