Firebirds Get First One Out of the Way
Matthew Pickut
Saturday March 20, 2004
Between quarters, Wilpolt implored his charges to keep the faith.
“I just said keep your head up and keep fighting,” said Wilpolt. “Something’s going to go our way, and it did.”
Far from falling further behind, the Firebirds scored 34 points in the second quarter on the way to a convincing victory.
“It feels good to get the first one out of the way,” said Wilpolt. “I was hoping myself and the team wouldn’t have to wait much longer to win the first ball game.
“Our big people up front, they played extremely hard. We’ve been close all year. The quarterback slipped out of our grasp probably five, six times, so this time our guys were able to make the play. Chris Snyder, his sack for a fumble, and Bill Duff got it for a touchdown. That was a big part of our momentum swing in the second quarter.”
This week, the team’s practice remained upbeat but serious in preparation for this Saturday’s game against the Georgia Force.
“It’s very businesslike,” said Wilpolt. “The guys, I think they enjoy going to practice. If you can enjoy going to practice, everyone’s heads are up. It’s a very positive atmosphere right now.”
“Georgia’s a very physical team. Defensively, they’re very physical. Our offense will have to continue clicking like it is. We’ve got a very good game plan in. We need to give Adrian [McPherson] a little bit of time, because he will find our receivers when they get open.”
Wilpolt would like to see his quarterback focus on passing first, and is working on tailoring the offense to McPherson’s style.
“We definitely would like to have him stay in the pocket,” revealed Wilpolt. “We’re running a little bit more 3-step, where he’s not holding the ball. He just hits to a certain depth and gets the ball out quickly to allow our receivers to make plays. Adrian’s too valuable right now to have him running all over the field, possibly taking a big hit.”
McPherson will be without his favorite target OS Mike Horacek against the Force and will need to rely on other receivers this week. With a new, simpler offense, and a new found momentum, the Firebirds will still need to find a way to minimize mistakes and keep up defensive pressure as their new quarterback matures.
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.
