On Tuesday, January 16, 2017, the Jacksonville Sharks sign Wide Receiver Jamar Howard. This will be his first season in the National Arena League (NAL). Howard has been in the Arena Football League (AFL) from 2013-2016. What can this receiver do with the Sharks?
Jacksonville Sharks Sign Veteran Wide Receiver Jamar Howard
Jacksonville has a nice set of receivers, but do they all fit in with arena football? That is the major question as some are concerned about the team’s receiving core. Before signing Howard, they had Ify Umodu, who played with Jacksonville last year, Antonio Vaughn and Trevor Kennedy, who both were in the Indoor Football League (IFL) in the past, Montario Hunter, Chris Gilchrist, Deontay Greenberry, and Andrew Opoku, all who have never played in arena football before.
The Sharks can breathe with the signing of Howard because he played for the Cleveland Gladiators in 2013. In Cleveland, Howard caught 39 passes for 420 yards and six touchdowns.
In 2014, Howard moved to Portland, where he played for the Portland Thunder. Howard improved his game by having 44 catches for 644 yards and nine touchdowns.
2015 was Howard’s best year yet, having an impressive 51 receptions for 711 yards and 14 touchdowns.
2016 is where things didn’t quite go Howard’s way since he only had six receptions for 37 yards and two touchdowns. 2016 is also when the Portland Thunder made a name change and were called the Portland Steel.
What this means for the Sharks
Getting all the talent in the world is always great, but if you get talent and they never played for a league before, it will most likely take some time to adjust. Thankfully the two arena receivers and two indoor receivers will have knowledge and will share with those who have never played arena football before. Hunter has had decent seasons in the past, but he has never had a 1,000 yard season. Expect a 1,000 yard breakout season this season with the Sharks.
