Burn Cut Squad to 24; Announce 2008 Opening Day Roster

Following several practices and a preseason scrimmage on Mar. 16 in Tri-Cities against the Fever, Boise Burn Head Coach Lee Leslie has cut his roster to 24 players. The Burn opened camp with 32 players, three refused to report, and OL Rich Seals was signed later. Teams were allowed to bring 35 players to camp (not including the optional two-player international training squad). The roster had to be cut down to 30 on the third day of full contact camp, with a final cut to 22 players plus two optional international players (20 active; three-inactive) on Mar. 24 by 3:00 pm ET. Coach Leslie made a late trade before submitting his opening day roster Monday of QB Jason Campbell to Tri-Cities for K-Robby Smith, international player FB/LB Hausia Faleofa and future considerations. Campbell is the second quarterback the Burn have traded this year. The Burn earlier traded Matt Schabert to the Wilkes/Barre Scranton Pioneers for future considerations. Faleofa is the second international player assigned to the Burn this year. Af2 teams can carry two international players during the regular season and dress one for games. With the international rule, the Burn will be allowed to dress 20 players instead of 19 on game days.The Burn open their second season and play their first regular season game on Apr. 5.Coach Leslie said, ?We?re leaps and bounds ahead of where we were last year at this time.? He added, ?I?m excited about the group of players we have; we?ve got lots more team speed and I?d say that?s probably our biggest asset right now.?In alphabetical order the 2008 Boise Burn Opening Day roster is as follows:(INTN?L) OL/DL Andrew Asaua;WR/LB Casey Allen; FB/LB Derek Beardall; WR/DB Chris Boock; WR/DB Chris Bruhn; (INTN?L) FB/LB Hausia Faleofa;WR/DB DeRonn Finley; QB Royal Gill; OL/DL Derek Governor; WR/DB Ahmad Harris; WR/DB Ernest James; WR/DB Bryan Langford; OL/DL Brandon Leyritz; FB/LB Levi Madarieta; OL/DL Coleone Niusulu;WR/DB Shadrach Okoebor; QB BJ Rhode; DB Josh Robinson; OL Rich Seals;DL Chris Solomona; K Robby Smith;DL Travis Tofi; FB/LB Zach Tune; OL/DL Mark Weivoda.Placed on IR: FB/LB Kelly Gilchrist; OL/DL Mike Mapu; OL/DL Mike Peko.Released from training camp: OL/DL Joe Critchfield; WR/DB Brandon Hazenberg; WR Jacques Lazarus; OL/DL Philemon Wilson; FB/LB Cody Wood.Refused to report: K Dan Beardall; OL/DL Matt Walters.Burn schedule follows. All practices and events listed are open to the media: (Unless otherwise noted, all practices held at Caven-Williams.)Tuesday, Mar. 25- OFFWednesday, Mar. 26- 7-9pm: Team PracticeThursday, Mar. 27- 7-9pm: Team PracticeFriday, Mar. 28- OFFSaturday, Mar. 29- BYESunday, Mar. 30- OFF (Qwest Arena field conversion)Monday, Mar. 31- 7-9pm: Team Practice 1st at Qwest ArenaTuesday, Apr. 1- 11am-1pm: Media football game (Qwest Arena) 5-7pm: Team Photos (Qwest Arena) 7-9pm: Team Practice Qwest ArenaThe Burn kicks off its second season on Apr. 5 in Tulsa, with the home opener slated for Apr. 19 against the Tri-Cities Fever. Season tickets are available by calling (208) 383-0080. For more information and to get a full schedule, visit www.boiseburn.com. About af2With its ninth season set to kick off on March 28 with a 29-team membership, af2 serves as a vehicle to bring Arena Football to small-to-midsize cities and as a developmental league with an unmatched history of sending players, coaches and officials to major professional football leagues each year. af2 operates under the same Mission Statement and Fans? Bill of Rights as the Arena Football League, which begins its 22nd season on Feb. 29. Log on to www.af2.com for more information.- www.boiseburn.com -