Firebirds Win!
Matthew Pickut
Thursday March 25, 2004
Lead #1 – Medical
Paging Doctor Carter, Paging Doctor Carter you’re needed at the Fieldhouse for a rectal podectomy. Stat.
Lead #2 – Zen
What is the sound of one Firebird scoring?
So the truth is that the Firebirds could score at will?
No, the truth is that the Firebirds are still scoring.
Only two things are real: pain and the ceasing of pain – The Georgia Force only experienced the first last week against the Firebirds, getting beat 73-36.
Lead #3 – Nostalgic
Ahh the 80’s – when MTV still played videos, Pinball still cost a quarter, and Michel Jackson was still cool (admit it, you had “Thriller” too) – if there had been just one more minute in last Saturday’s Firebirds’ game against the Georgia force we all would have transported back to that magic decade. Never the less, 73 points is a more than respectable score.
Lead # 4 – Ancient
Not since Sargon rampaged through the Middle East has there been a victory so lauded by a people.
Lead # 5 – Geeky
The Firebirds made Georgia look more like the weak molecular force beating the Force 1001001 to 100100 Saturday at the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Lead #6 – Riske
[Censured due to FCC action]
Lead #7 – Hip (kinda’)
Hey! All right now!
All right now, fellas! (Yeah!)
Now what`s cooler than being cool? (Firebirds)
I can`t hear ya’!
I say what`s, what`s cooler than being cool? (Firebirds)
All right! (15x)
The Fieldhouse was shakin’ like a Polaroid picture Saturday as the Firebirds defeated the Georgia Force 73-36.
Lead #7.3 – Obscure (try Google)
Hang down your head, Vince Dooley…Hang down your head low.
This game remained competitive until the second Georgia Force possession when Force head coach Marty Lowe decided to go for the first down on a fourth and 10 deep in his own territory. The Firebirds stifled the attempt and the rout was on.
“We’ve got a new attitude. They believe in themselves, and more importantly they believe in the play calling,” said Firebirds head coach Mike Wilpolt after the game. “We believe that on third and 10 we’re going to get the first down now.”
After starting out 0-5, the Firebirds are 2-0 under Wilpolt, whose confidence seems to be rubbing off on the team.
“A lot people ask me, ‘Is it coaching, is it this, or is it that?’” said FB/LB Leroy Thompson. “Players are confident when the guy running the team is confident, and I believe that Mike has a lot of confidence and we believe in him and he believes in us. We simplified a lot of things and what we’re running defensively and offensively we’re running well.”
The Firebirds went on to score 34 points in the second quarter while holding the Force to nothing for the rest of the first half. No matter what the Firebirds did on offense, defense, or special teams, it seemed to work.
“We’ve got all the right people in all the right places,” said OL/DL Chris Snyder.
While the team expected to play well, the totality of their victory surprised even their coach. “I expected us to win. We focused, we played hard, the guys are believing,” said Wilpolt, “but to put 73 on Georgia… I did not think… to hold them to 34 -- I thought it would be 50-48… but to come out with that kind of an effort… I’m very happy.
A big part of the credit for the victory goes to rookie QB Adrian McPherson. Even though it won’t show up on the stat sheet, McPherson continues to mature into a well-rounded quarterback who can run when needed but will look to pass first and throw the ball away if nothing is open. The coaching staff helped McPherson this week by calling mostly three-step drops to simplify the passing game.
“He’s [McPherson] maturing every game, in practice and film study,” said Wilpolt. “We told him, ‘You don’t have to make a play out of every thing. If it’s not there, throw it away and we’ll get it on the next play.’ We told him that since it such a small field that when you get out of the box, it confines very quickly – last week he took a pretty good shot against the boards and we need him, he’s important to the team. Coach Wood and Coach Stout are doing a good job and that’s part of simplifying the offense. We don’t have him dropping back five steps and running for his life.”
For his part McPherson deflects the credit for the team’s success and genuinely seems focused on the task at hand. “We feel like we practice like we play and we’ve been practicing hard,” said McPherson. “I think I have a great supportive cast, great receivers great guys up front who give me time. Our receivers just make big plays for us … My main focus is to turn this team around and make the playoffs. I’ve got a bunch of teammates who work hard and I just want to go out there and work hard for them.”
With the injury to OS Mike Horacek, the addition of WR/DB Andy McCullough from the Georgia Force two weeks ago gave the Firebirds another weapon. “I couldn’t sleep all night; my family came and supported me; it’s a dream come true,” said an obviously happy McCullough. “Unfortunately things didn’t work out for me there [Georgia]. I wasn’t in their plans, but Coach Wilpolt pulled the trigger and I’m happy to be here.”
“I’ve played against him [McCullough] four times in the last two years, and he’s had great stats against us,” said Wilpolt of his new player. “He’s a physical mismatch for most teams. He’s 6’3” and a good 225 that can run. He’s physical. He’s tough. We wanted another big receiver to take the ball down field.”
The addition of McCullough became extremely important this week. “Evan Hlavacek was sick as a dog,” revealed Wilpolt. “We were trying to give him a break, but he should be Ironman of the Game just for playing.”
With two straight wins, the Firebirds host a winless Grand Rapids Rampage this Friday at Conseco Fieldhouse. Even after two impressive wins, however, the team remains alert to the possibility of becoming over confident. “It doesn’t matter whether you play San Jose or Grand Rapids when you’re in our boat,” said Wilpolt. “We’re 2-0 right now, and if you play your best you have a chance to win.”
“Right now were a team on a mission,” said Thompson. “We started out 0-5 and that left a bad taste in our mouth, so no one is getting conceited. We’re just coming out every week and scrapping and getting things done.”
While the Rampage’s play this year might tempt the team to look ahead to the upcoming match-up with former head coach Mike Dailey, the team would do so at its peril. Remember, just two games ago the Firebirds were where Grand Rapids is now – winless.
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.
