Vinson steady during flash appearances in ’08

By John Bassetti

The af2 veteran is high on the receivers who are in camp.

AUSTINTOWN — Davon Vinson may be easy to spot in uniform, but he may be just as noticeable in street clothes as he was in a decal and logo-laden NASCAR jacket at the Comfort Inn where the Mahoning Valley Thunder is housed for its two-week training camp that began Monday.

The 6-foot-4, 235-pound Vinson is a third-year af2 player who previously played for the Arkansas Twisters and Iowa Barnstormers before being traded to the Thunder in 2008.

He started two games after replacing Shane Adler during the third offensive series of a game last May 31.

In that game against the Albany Conquest at the Chevrolet Centre, Vinson entered with the Thunder trailing, 18-0.

Despite one walk-through as his only Mahoning Valley practice at the time, Vinson connected on 10 of 19 passes for 146 yards. With 41 seconds remaining, he ran for the game-winning touchdown as the Thunder prevailed, 44-31.

However, Vinson was ruled ineligible by the league due to a prior contractual issue.

Mahoning Valley used six different quarterbacks in 2008: Josh Swogger, Mike Schneider, Adler, Vinson, Ray Marrow and John Tackmann, although Tackmann’s offensive role was limited.

Vinson re-signed two months ago and is one of seven players among 30 who are practicing at the Ralph Infante Wellness Center in Niles as the Thunder attempts to buckle down to improve on a 3-13 record. Mahoning Valley was 7-9 in its inaugural season.

Vinson, from Kilgore, Texas, played at Baylor out of high school, then transferred to Northwestern (La.) State.

He also had pro experience in NFL Europe out of college before moving to the indoor game.

Vinson said he added 10 pounds during the offseason, but doesn’t feel it’s detrimental.

“I feel like I’m the same guy, maybe even a little faster, so I’m anxious to get started.”

He said that the Thunder looks real good on paper.

“We’ve got big receivers and we’ve got big linemen,” Vinson said. “I’m looking forward to seeing how we practice over the next two weeks.

“I’m ready to get out there and throw touchdowns. I feel like we’ve got a good team. We’ve just got to put it together and make things happen.”

Davon (pronounced Day-von) said that he’s improved in the decision-making aspect of his position.

“I’ve been playing three years. When I first started, I wasn’t that great, but I’ve gotten better at making my decisions and I’ve seen a lot of improvement.”

Does Vinson think he’s the starting QB already?

“I come in thinking that I am, but who knows what will happen,” Vinson said. “But that’s how I approach it — that I’m going to be the man and be at my best.”

Vinson seems high on the receivers who are in camp.

“We’ve got great receivers. This is the first time I’ve had receivers over 6-2 and 6-3. We’ve got three that height and the rest are 5-11, but they all have good hands and run great routes.”

Rick Webster, a rookie out of Hanover College, is the only other QB in camp.

Since the AFL will be inactive this year while a salary structure is re-worked, Vinson believes af2 will give players the opportunity to concentrate on their season.

“All eyes are going to be on us, so the only thing we can do is go out and showcase our talent, win games and try to help ourselves for the next year.”

Even though Davon, out of uniform, might resemble a walking version of the Jack Daniels No. 07 race car scheme, he expresses confidence in a humble way.

“I’ll do my best to throw touchdowns and win games and I hope everyone will comes out to support us,” Vinson said.

bassetti@vindy.com