Green Victory Bells
Tim Ball
Tuesday August 6, 2002
What is a fan? It’s the people who went to the SaberCats vs. Storm quarterfinal game Saturday August 3rd 2002, at noon in the Bay Area. If it weren’t for a raucous and loud display of faith, this article would be about an underdog victory.
In the land of the palm pilot, though not as many as some franchises, what they lacked in size they made up for in energy and noise...
With Tampa bay scoring three times in a row (15 unanswered points) to start the second half and increasing their lead to 18 points, it seemed that the season was over for San Jose. It wasn’t.
Every player and coach were talking about the intensity of the fans after the game, even Commissioner David Baker was impressed…
“That’s what this game is all about. The fans. San Jose did a great job in coming back against such a good Storm team. They should be proud.” Said Baker. “The San Jose fans never quit and neither did their team.”
Little green bells
Finally, a marketing person showed some sign of intelligence and had “little green cow bells” handed out to the SaberCats fans before the game. This proved to be a good move. The fans and those bells called out and called on the SaberCats to hang in there…and they did.
“I’ve played in places that have more fans per game maybe, but there’s a very loyal fan base in San Jose who are really into it. They stayed with us all game and were a big reason we won today.” Said two-time ArenaBowl Champion OL/DL Darrin Kenney. “The fans were really loud, they kept those bells going even when we were down.”
“I think the fans should know that they are important to us.” Said Rookie Clevan Thomas. “The guys on this team never quit. We’ve been down before in games and it’s great to know we have all the support from our fans. The key for us players is to do our job and today everyone had heart.”
Fans are family
With their team buried by a dominating performance by the Storm at the beginning of the second half, where a safety, an easy scoring drive and a walk-in interception pushed the lead to a seemingly insurmountable 45-27 lead over the misfiring SaberCats, the home crowd refused to go away and the SaberCats refused to let them down…
Just after the game, I caught up with 13-year-old Steven Erickson, his 11-year-old sister Kristin and parents Roy and Sharon (all wearing SaberCats t-shirts and stuff) who have been season-ticket holders for five years. ”I used to think that winning by a lot of points was boring but when you think about it, it’s better when they win big! Now I just want the SaberCats to win big.” Said Steven.
“I like it because it’s exciting and you get to talk to the players after the games and they are all so nice.” Says Kristin. “I’ve got a lot of autographs.”
“Our children love the SaberCats and Arena Football,” said Mr. Erickson, “we’ve been coming to games for years as season ticket holders and don’t miss games unless there is an important reason. You know Shalon Baker came up big for us today.”
“We have great fans but more people need to know how good this team is and what wonderful guys they are.” This from Mrs. Erickson.
At home later that night, as I got up around midnight for a glass of water, my six-year-old daughter Dakota stumbled towards me out of her tent (she was camping out in the living-room), I was a little alarmed, but in a still calm voice with those big blue doe eyes so concerned she asked; “did the SaberCats win?” I told her yes and with that I got a hug and she went back to sleep in the great indoors.
With families of fans like the Erickson’s (who still have old photos of Scott Wood) I think the future of the sport is bright indeed. I’ll tell my little girl all about it later.
What goes around…
Tampa Bay quarterback Shane Stafford (14 of 39 for 268 yards and 4 TD’s) made a mockery of fourth and long in the first half, throwing deep for touchdowns when any other quarterback would have been on the sidelines watching the kicker going for three points. The Storm linemen simply handled anything the SaberCats tried and one “Bay Area” team simply dominated the other. But those little bells kept ringing…
This is Arena Football, what swings one way comes back the other.
With San Jose looking for stability, QB John Dutton (24 of 38 for 327 yards and 6 TD’s) went to the two pillars to hold up against the odds. WR/LB Shalon Baker (5 for 60 yards, 1 TD) and WR/DB Barry Wagner (6 for 64 and 5 TD’s) had success in the first half against Tampa Bay and Dutton used this combination again to literally anchor a sinking ship against the Storm.
“Shalon and Barry know this game inside and out.” Said Dutton. “They prepare so well and know where to be when they’re needed most.”
Losing 45-27 with 8:32 on the clock in the third quarter, two complete passes to Baker moved the ball to the Storm nine-yard line. The next pass went to Baker in the end zone but was just off. The final play was a touchdown pass to Wagner who was all alone in the end zone as every player on Tampa Bay was covering Baker. The bells came alive!
Success brings success
Sidelined quarterback Mark Grieb (fractured clavicle) led San Jose all season with timing patterns and precision passes. Eventual game MVP John Dutton regained control of the offense by employing the strategy that put the SaberCats in the number one position in the first place.
In the fourth quarter, Dutton was hitting his receivers with the familiarity they have come to rely on; passes that were waiting for them, rather than forced throws in a crowd.
Dutton’s ability to adapt in the face of overwhelming pressure and to rely on his teammates earned the quarterback game honors.
“It was a victory for everyone,” clichéd Dutton, “We settled down and established our game. Our linemen were a big reason for the comeback. They took control and allowed me the time to hit the open receivers and our defense stopped them so quickly that we had the time to score and establish the lead.”
With the defense coming up big, San Jose concentrated on moving the ball around on offense. Dutton used OS James Hundon (8 for 106 yards, 1 TD), WR/LB James Roe (4 for 75 yards, 1 TD) and the venerable Wagner to take over the game.
Roe and Wagner played the roles of hammer and nail in the fourth quarter. Roe on offense scored the winning touchdown to regain the lead 55-48 after Tampa Bay tied the score late in the fourth quarter, while Wagner slammed down Shane Stafford’s attempted shovel pass on the last play of the game to seal the victory.
Barry Wagner earned the game Ironman award for a truly amazing performance that had the living legend doing it all from beginning to end. From key tackles on special teams, to “the interception” to scoring five touchdowns, Wagner was the game’s most dominant player.
A legend speaks about this game
With four ArenaBowl Championships in Tampa Bay, head coach Tim Marcum’s assessment of this game is key to understanding what went wrong for the Storm. Coach Marcum knows what it means to establish momentum and control…
On San Jose’s comeback:
”They took control of the line of scrimmage in the second half.” Said Marcum. “I’ll have to view the tapes but I’m sure the momentum changed when Wagner intercepted the pass in the end zone at the start of the fourth quarter. That set up a fourteen-point swing. That was a key play for them. They intensified their pass rush from that point on. They had two stops and an interception in the fourth quarter, that’s hard to overcome.”
On the SaberCats defensive coverage:
“They covered our receivers from the line of scrimmage and did a great job there.” Said Marcum. “We were 14 of 39 against them and that’s just not going to get it done.”
The most controversial decision of the day came on the game’s final possession. With a chance to tie or possibly win the game with a touchdown and two-point conversion and having more than 30 seconds left in the game, Marcum chose to run the clock down to two seconds and try to score with no time left. With fourth down and two yards for a score, Stafford was chased out the pocket and his shovel pass to WR/LB David Saunders was knocked away by Barry Wagner.
“I’ve been in this game long enough to know that when you give the ball back to the other team with 32 seconds left you’re going to get beat. It’s got to go down to the last play when you’re in that situation.” Said Marcum. “You certainly don’t want it to have to go down to one play, but when it does, it does. You have to be able to convert. San Jose did a good job today.”
A complete victory
“This is Arena Football where you can score 30 points in two minutes.” Said FB/LB Bob McMillen. “If you keep your head in the game you can come back. Everyone kept their heads up today. The fans were unbelievable and they were very loud. It’s great to have home field advantage that’s for sure.”
“Adversity is going to come.” Said offensive coach Terry Malley. “You talk about this all year long and I liked the way the guys handled it today. John Dutton settled himself down after the screen pass was returned for a touchdown and ran a hurry-up offense very effectively. He has the confidence to win and showed it.”
The home team won and that’s what it’s all about. As fans and players were excitedly running all over the place after the game I think San Jose’s head coach Darren Arbet summed it all up with this quote: “I’m proud of the way the team played today.” Said Arbet.
From Commissioner David Baker to the Erickson family, who could disagree with coach Arbet!
If all goes well for San Jose, there will be two more games left in the season. All will have a swinging good time when the ArenaBowl comes to town if momentum stays with the SaberCats and their rowdy band of supporters. Not to mention those loud little bells.
Tim Ball is a writer in the Chicagoland area. Married and father of three, his opinions on Arena Football reflects the positive aspect of the game as a family event second to none in pro sports.
