A Tale of Two Backups
Mary-Ann Williams
Wednesday March 26, 2003
Alfonzo proved that there are defensive specialists who can tackle. No matter who he hit, you knew they weren’t escaping him. Having only played a handful of times, I was nervous about his ability to deal with the complicated Rush defense, but he and DS Marvin Taylor handled it fine.
“You know, once you know your assignments, then it’s okay,” said Alfonzo. “We work diligently in practice. We work together. Our biggest thing is communication. With anything, if you communicate you’ll be straight.”
Alfonzo’s speed and tackling made the difference against the strongest offense in the league. Then, as seems to happen far too often with the 2003 Rush, Alfonzo limped off the field early in the fourth quarter, nursing what looked to be an ankle injury.
“It’s amazing. Another DS gets hurt, you lose Cedric Walker, one of the guys who’s the heart of your team. And then this kid comes in and he’s been playing his tail off and then he gets hurt,” said Chicago head coach Mike Hohensee about Alfonzo’s injury. “And I know it’s killing him to have to sit on that sideline and watch the guys in there that aren’t used to being in certain spots.”
“I just felt like I couldn’t help the team anymore,” said Alfonzo. “I was kind of disappointed, but at the same time I knew that ‘Kilangi [Muagututia] could come in and make some plays, and he did. He got the interception; he got us back into the game. So, I was upset, but at the same time, I had confidence in the players around me.”
Rookie Muagututia brought some excitement back into a game filled with penalties and lucky breaks, giving the impression that the Rush had finally taken control of the situation. His interception followed a kickoff return for 57 yards and a TD by OS Antonio Chatman and set the Rush up for back-to-back touchdowns and their first lead in the game. Unfortunately, that excitement didn’t carry through to the end.
A killer pass rush ended the game when QB Billy Dicken, back from a broken jaw, rolled out of the pocket and into the waiting hands of New York FB/LB Rodney Filer, who stripped the ball away. But the last play wasn’t why the Rush lost. It was the entire last series.
With a full minute on the clock, an eternity in Arena Football, Dicken could not complete a pass. The Dragons pass rush was fierce and Chicago’s line couldn’t hold them off their badly beaten QB.
“In the end, they wanted it more,” said OL/DL John Moyer. “Turnovers kill you. It’s always a one-possession game. It’s who stays on top and who keeps the lead throughout the whole game. Anytime you get a turnover like that, it’s going to ruin it.”
“We beat ourselves out there,” said DS Marvin Taylor. “If you take away the mistakes in that game, we beat ourselves. That’s what we have to work on.”
Oh yes, definitely. But from where I was sitting, it looked to me like the Rush were finally remembering what it felt like to control a game, if only for a moment. And Dicken handled the pressure (and pain) well, despite his broken jaw.
“[Dicken’s] a tough kid,” said Hohensee. “Just taking the braces off he was sore today. And he came out there and competed extremely well. Obviously he wasn’t as sharp as we would have hoped, and as he would have hoped, but I thought he made some great throws today. He probably missed a few that he usually would have made. For the most part I thought he played well.”
And I can honestly say that overall, I agree. The Rush did play better than expected. But starting and ending a game with fumbles probably doesn’t speak well for them, but they never gave up.
Is the Rush a 3-5 team? Their record says so, but I’m beginning to believe that they still have a chance at the playoffs. With a little luck, a lot of good medical attention, and support from their bench, Chicago can do a lot with the last eight games... if they want it enough.
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.
