Rush Take Down Storm with One-Two Punch
Jeff Sims
Wednesday April 14, 2004
After winning on a “Hail Mary” pass off the net with no time remaining a week ago in Las Vegas, you would think maybe that the team had learned a valuable lesson.
This Sunday ended up being no different.
The Rush committed 10 penalties in the first half allowing the defending ArenaBowl champion Tampa Bay Storm to remain competitive before pulling away in the third quarter en route to a 51 – 36 victory at the Allstate Arena. The victory ties the Rush with the San Jose SaberCats and the New Orleans Voodoo for the best record in the league.
Over the past three games, the team has committed 35 penalties for 240 yards. In the Las Vegas game, Rush OL/DL James Baron was ejected for getting into an altercation with Gladiators OL/DL Thaddeus Bullard. This aggressiveness and sloppy play in the past three games has allowed opponents to keep drives alive, gain confidence, and score points; points that most teams in the hunt for a championship do not give up.
Rush head coach Mike Hohensee is not overly concerned with his team’s aggressiveness.
“They (Tampa Bay) were coming in with a chip on their shoulder and we’re a little chippy anyway,” said the coach after the game. “We’re not surprised. We’re just glad no one got thrown out of the game. I think it did settle down a little bit and we were able to get the game within our control.
“Penalties can always cost you, but I`d rather our guys be overaggressive than not aggressive at all. You just do what you can to try to limit those. I think our guys kept their composure and made big plays when they had to.”
The Early Rounds
The team came out and struck early. On the third play of the game, Rush RB/LB Bob McMillen rushed for seven yards making him the fifth player in AFL history to surpass the 1,000-yard mark. He later scored on a one-yard touchdown run.
“It was a great day for me, but more important, we won the game,” said McMillen. “Our team is a very emotional team. We have James and we have Moyer. Those guys are working so hard to try to get to the quarterback. We play with emotion. We are not going to have some team come in, especially into our house and push us around.”
After a touchdown by the Storm, the Rush blocked the extra point attempt, their third in the last four games, and ex-Storm DS Corey Sawyer returned the blocked kick for two points to give the Rush an early 9-6 lead. Storm K Matt George had to leave the contest after breaking his collarbone on the play forcing Tampa Bay to attempt two-point conversions for the remainder of the game (they converted none).
You would think that this would have been the early knockout punch for the Rush, but the penalties, missed tackles, and one Tampa Bay interception kept the Storm in the game and only down by five at halftime. Tampa Bay even opened up the second half with a 40-yard touchdown pass from Shane Stafford to Lawrence Samuels to give the Storm a one-point lead.
Then Came the Knockout
After realizing they were in another tight game, the Rush shook off the punches thrown by the Storm and countered with their own form of a one-two combination. Corey Sawyer came back to haunt his former teammates, intercepting a Shane Stafford pass on Tampa Bay’s 14-yard line. McMillen would then score his third touchdown of the game, putting the Rush on top 30–24.
“I just knew the route concept that they like to run when they are backed up,” said Sawyer. “My experience with watching film this week was that they were going to try to throw at me and I made a good break on the ball.”
The right hook came on the ensuing kickoff as Rush K Keith Gispert executed a perfect onside kick that was recovered by rookie star and Offensive Player of the Game, Etu Molden.
“They weren’t prepared for it,” said Hohensee. “They had an older guy up there and a FB/LB next to him that came into camp two days ago. The second tier linemen were back 15 to 20 yards and weren’t going to be any help. Our guy had been kicking it well all week and we just adjusted ourselves a little bit as to not be offsides and we were able to execute it.”
Two plays later, WR/DB DeJuan Alfonso made a remarkable catch on a perfect 28-yard pass from QB Raymond Philyaw, putting the Rush on top the rest of the way.
Somebody ring the bell!
“We can’t give anything away,” said Hohensee. “We have to make everybody work hard. The harder they have to work, the more mistakes they are going to make and they are going to press. We can’t give away anything easy and I think we gave away at least one easy one today.”
The Road to the Title Fight
The Rush players may want to re-evaluate their approach going into the stretch run. With four out of their last seven games against teams currently eligible for the playoffs and two others right on the outside looking in, Chicago need to focus their aggressions on trying to play error-free football. The playoff caliber teams they will be facing in the coming weeks, including San Jose this Friday, will make the Rush pay during the early rounds and provide their own knockout punch if given the opportunity, possibly costing the Rush something it does not want to lose: a shot at the title bout and being recognized as the best team in the AFL.
Jeff has been writing for ArenaFan.com since 2004. Originally from New York, Jeff has been living in the Chicago area for the past ten years and is an avid football fanatic. He holds a BA in communications from Hofstra University in New York and a sports management certificate from Loyola University in Chicago.
