Win or You`re Gone, Says Firebirds Coach
Matthew Pickut
Tuesday July 2, 2002
The statement the win made topped the list. An excited OL/DL Mark Valvo probably said it best in a message for everyone after Indiana Firebird’s 56-42 victory over the Grand Rapids Rampage on Saturday at Conseco Fieldhouse. “Don’t ever quit on us; don’t ever quit on us!” The Firebirds never gave the season high 11,045 fans a reason to quit.
OS Eddie Brown sure didn’t quit, hauling in nine receptions with five TDs for 164, including a 48-yard bomb that brought cheers of “Eddie, Eddie” from the Firebirds faithful, and had Eddie Brown climbing up on the dasher boards to celebrate. “That was great, that’s what Eddie was like back in Albany,” said team correspondent Ari Wolfe after the game. “He really got the crowd into it.”
Brown, who tied Barry Wagner for the AFL career lead in receiving yards (11,512) with his performance, said the game took on a special significance for him. “You guys got to realize a lot of guys were out there playing to win the game -- I was out there playing for my life – that would be the emotion you saw,” said Brown.
Brown wasn’t the only one trying to keep his job. “We knew this was it. If we didn’t win tonight we knew our season was over…We wanted to prove to ourselves and the coaching staff that we can still play,” said QB Raymond Philyaw. “I think everybody’s job was on the line. We only scored seven points last game and that sucked. Me being the quarterback, I’ve got to do a better job making reads and throws. I wanted to come back out tonight and show the coaches and my teammates that I can still play this game, and we came out and played together.” After the game, Firebirds’ head coach Mike Dailey shook hands and thanked Philyaw for his performance (17 for 26, 266 yrd, 6 TD 0 Int).
The win moved the Firebirds into the eleventh spot in the play off race and came with several regular starters on the sidelines. In an effort to shake things up, Coach Dailey inserted new starters and gave extended playing time to backups like QB Daymune Craig and WR/LB Brian Dolph.
Despite their inactive status, Philyaw made sure his teammates felt like they contributed, running to the section where the sidelined players sat and celebrating after touchdowns. “A couple of those guys were starters, you know Rick Hall and DeJaun Alfonzo,” said Philyaw. “I wanted to know they were still a part of this. We made changes but I wanted them to know they were a part of this too. We’re in this together, kind of like, “I see y’all, I hope y’all see this, ‘cause we gonna’ ride it out [together].”
The changes seemed to be effective during the game, but maybe the biggest change took place off the field during the week. “[The coaches] were just pushing everyone’s buttons [this week in practice],” said OL/DL Chris Snyder. “Nobody wants to get fired. I mean I take it seriously, but I don’t know if that’s the case for everyone, but tonight everybody showed up.”
In response to the button-pushing, DS Evan Hvlacek came up with two momentum-changing interceptions off Grand Rapids QB Clint Dolezel. “[Grand Rapids] picked on me enough,” remarked Hvlacek. “I should have made some plays. I had a bad first half and I was trying to make up for it.”
Along with a strong performance from the defensive backfield against one of the best passers in the league, the defensive line came up big for the Firebirds. “I’m always ready to play,” said Snyder, “but tonight we really gelled as a team which is something we really haven’t done before.”
Philyaw in particular gave credit to the defense for making his job easier. “The defense was flying around and making plays,” said Philyaw, “giving us a chance to win the game, and that’s what it came down to tonight -- we went out and made the plays.”
Despite a masterful effort of getting the team ready, Coach Dailey gave the players the lion’s share of the credit for the victory. “I think it was a team effort, I mean our superstar here [Eddie Brown] and some of our other star players also played well,” said Dailey. “And our role players contributed. I’m glad to see the whole package. Sometimes when you’re sinking you just never find a way out. Obviously this is a big game for us. They are the defending world champions. This keeps us alive and really shows ourselves and everybody else that we can compete at the level we need to compete with a championship program.”
Nobody quit against the Rampage, but next week against the undefeated San Jose Sabercats the coaching staff will need to find away to capitalize on the momentum Saturday’s win produced. That means if there are any buttons left to push somebody better find them and quick, or a great opportunity will be lost.
And now, in the “proof that Indiana is catching on to this Firebirds thing” department…
In what I personally think is one of the best promotion/events I’ve ever seen, the Firebirds’ invited 350 Boy and Cub scouts to spend the night after the game. I spoke with Ed Cortrecht, leader of troop 131, and troop member Billy Albee about what the game meant to the kids. The answers I got shows just how far this league has come in Indiana in only two years.
“I think it’s a good chance for the kids,” said Cortrecht. “There is more than just the Colts in Indiana.” Billy Albee remarked that this was his “first game for the Firebirds, but not first football game.”
Notice that in both cases the remarks about the AFL in Indiana show that the game is seen as on par with outdoor football. That becomes even more impressive when you consider that the most prevalent criticism of the AFL is that it somehow isn’t “real” football. I guess this game may catch on after all.
Matthew Pickut is a pastor in northern Indiana and a long time AFL fan. He also writes for his own website: The Brown Paper Blog. He graduated from Taylor University in Upland Indiana (class of `96) with degrees in Biblical Literature and Sociology as well as a healthy respect for the medicinal properties of coffee.
