It`s the Little Things that Matter Most
Scott Reed
Monday July 17, 2000
So I kept watch, and it didn’t take long to verify the statistics. Toward the end of the first quarter, Iowa had three successive penalties called against them: rushing the passer, illegal defense, and then encroachment. And yes, it eventually led to an Albany touchdown. Oh, and by the way, on the ensuing kickoff, Iowa was called for blocking in the back, and then to start the second quarter, was called for encroachment again when Albany’s QB Mike Pawlawski went to the shotgun. I think I witnessed first hand the phenomenon of ‘being in a funk’.
At the post-game interview, when Barnstormer Head Coach John Gregory was asked the question: “What are you going to do about the penalties?”, he responded, “ Well, that is one of those good news bad news deals. The bad news is that it cost us three yards. The good news is that the guys have got their tails up, and they are coming hard after the quarterback.. And sometimes they are just so anxious to get off on the count that they go off-sides...”
Well, Coach, I appreciate your comments. But when you rack up 12 penalties for 45 yards in an anticipated knock-down, drag-out, all tubes open affair, it is those little things that keep you from hanging a loss on a team or moving up a seed or two for the playoffs. Iowa still came out on top, and some penalties are just plain unavoidable but let’s not use adrenaline rush as the excuse. If that were the case, the entire Barn should have been called for illegal, vocal DE-FENSE.
Speaking of the “Best Fans in Arena Football”, did you hear that noise? WOW! It was deafening! Even Coach Gregory said, “This is the way it needs to be…the fans were a factor.” I’ll say they were. They made enough noise to shake a football out of the rafters – it was caught up there a few years back. When will the opposition learn that when you taunt a home crowd by waving your hands in the air, they are going blow you away? Let’s not forget the punch thrown at a fan from Rampage LB Chris Ryan during the July 8th game.
By the way fans, GREAT job on providing the adrenaline boost to our tired warriors in preserving that 77-76 win. Thank goodness the two-point conversion attempt wasn’t a running play with Albany’s Jon Krick still in the lineup. Krick, one of my Ironman candidates until he got hurt after a successful on-side kick by Albany in the second quarter, scored on two, one yard plunges in a fashion that a tank commander would appreciate. With his skills on both sides of the ball, his presence could have easily put that one point in Albany’s favor.
I’m sure you will read in other articles about the record setting performances by Aaron Garcia (86 TD’s for the season) and Mike Horacek (285 pass reception yards in a single game) so I won’t take up any more real estate here quoting them on how good it feels. From another perspective, many Barnstormer fans are probably having flashbacks of Warner, Jacox, and Black. Kind of a nice feeling. I am not about to jinx the team with predictions about getting to or even winning the Arena Bowl this year like Mike Rickford wrote in The Local Sports Connection mag from this week. I will say this: “The pieces are in place to make a serious run. The free agency agreement is on the table. If not now, when?”
Scott Reed was a writer for ArenaFan Online from 2000 to 2002.
