Know Thine Enemy
Mary-Ann Williams
Friday August 9, 2002
His preparation for the quarterfinal match-up against Dallas gave his team the easiest win that weekend. A student of the game and a tactician, he used his knowledge of his opponents to beat them.
“I think we knew probably more about that football team than they knew about themselves at this point,” said Hohensee. “As far as tendencies and things like that, with whatever keys (Dallas) gave us. What that did is it made the players believe in what we talk about. The keys that we gave them, they knew exactly what was coming. It was just a matter of stopping them then.”
So they stopped them. Repeatedly. Seven times the Desperados drove down the field and came up short. Twice they managed to score on field goals, but five times they came up empty. Hohensee’s preparations worked, and the Rush stayed in the race for the ‘Bowl.
“We definitely made better adjustments in our game plan from the last time,” said Chicago OL/DL John “Hulk” Moyer. “I think we were just a lot more confident. We just tried to hunker down on the short passes more. We knew they were going to use short passes, and we knew we weren’t going to get much pressure on them.
“We won. Period. Period, period, period. That’s all that counts in the playoffs.”
Yes, that’s all that counts, until you get to the next game. And the Rush now face a seasoned team of veterans who have played together for over a decade, winning against far better teams than the second-year Rush squad.
“If we turn the football over, give them too many opportunities (they’ll win). They’re just too efficient,” said Hohensee. “They’re just too head-strong. We will not put them in any position that they have not been in before in 11 years together in that organization.”
Facing that kind of history, that kind of tradition, should be a scary thought for a team that’s used to exploiting weaknesses. And yet somehow Hohensee has instilled a level of confidence in his team that can’t be shaken. Every player expects to win on Sunday.
Sure, sure. I know. They all say that, but I really think the Rush mean it. And to be honest, they have every reason to believe they can win. They’ve won six of their last seven games. After weeks of trial and error, they finally have a defensive backfield of talented, capable players who work well together. The Rush line has pummeled opposing quarterbacks all season, while giving their own QB, Billy Dicken, plenty of time to make the plays. The FB/LB Jamie duo (McGourty and Bowers) have earned impressive stats. WR/DB Dameon Porter leads the league again in interceptions.
One stat after another after another says that the Rush have the talent to go all the way. Their confidence is marked with success. One would almost think the team invulnerable. Well, except for the little problem of too many penalties for too many yards. Oh, and the issue with their kicking game they’ve wrestled with all season. And don’t forget the tendency of a few guys to get a little too excited and pick fights on the turf.
Not exactly flawless, are they? The problems the Rush face all stem from lack of experience as a team. They haven’t had a decade to gel, to learn the subtle nuances of playing off each other as a team. There’s no preparation for that. Like a fine wine, it comes with the perfect blending of the right ingredients left to mingle together over time. Arizona has that. The Rush do not. And still, they believe they can win.
“That’s what we’re fighting,” said Hohensee. “We’re fighting tradition and we’re fighting a ton of experience. We can’t simulate that on a practice field. The only way we can beat that is mentally and with the top of our pads. We have to out-hit them, and we can’t make mental mistakes and we’ll win.
“I really believe if we don’t turn the football over, we could win.”
That’s a really big “if” at a time when one loss ends it all.
Mary-Ann Williams lives in Chicagoland with her four children, Carter, Jackson, Jeremy, and Riley Jade. As a freelance writer, she`s written articles for the Associated Press, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel and the Daily Herald. She also serves as editor of the AFL-side of Arenafan Online, and covers the Chicago Rush.
