Chicago Playing Tough in Playoffs
Jeff Sims
Friday June 11, 2004
“Tough game, Coach?” asked a fan down by the side of the field as Gruden continued to walk.
“Yeah, tough game,” the six-time Champion coach mumbled in a slight monotone, only audible by those close to the field.
That scenario more than describes the play of the Chicago Rush during the second half of the quarterfinal game this past Sunday.
First Half Anxiety
In the first half, the Rush were trying to make big plays and break the game open early. There was only one problem: they weren’t making the plays.
“We came out playing well, but we got to a point where the game slowed down and they were running some things that we weren’t expecting them to run,” said Rush WR/DB DeJuan Alfonso. “They were running a lot of stops making us run up and tackle them. We put too much emphasis on making the big hit.”
As a result, the Rush allowed Orlando, a Predator team they had blown out 58 – 15 almost three months ago in the same arena, to break some long plays and remain competitive. Chicago went into halftime on this day with a slim 29 – 28 lead thanks to the accurate foot of Rush K Keith Gispert, who converted both of his field goal attempts (30, 30) and all three of his extra point attempts in the half.
“I just do my part,” said Gispert humbly. “I do my job, and I know what is expected of me.”
A Different Second Half
With its back against the wall and a strong desire to extend its season, the Rush came out for the second half on a mission and with a desire to do what it takes to advance into the semifinals.
The team scored on its first possession of the half and never looked back. They scored touchdowns on four out of their five possessions in the half. The fifth drive ended with another Gispert field goal with thirty seconds left and the game pretty much in hand.
“We didn’t tackle real well in the first half,” said Rush head coach Mike Hohensee. “But we came out and took it to them in that game in the second half and they were playing catch-up the whole time.”
There was certainly a noticeable difference on defense as well. The Rush secondary began to make tackles and put some pressure on the Predator offense, something it had not done to that point. Orlando gave up three sacks in the second half and felt the pressure the entire half.
“We know they only have one guy with speed in (Anthony) Bright,” said Alfonso. “So we came up and pressed Fleming and Cooper and made some adjustments and it worked out for us.”
It worked, all right. Early in the fourth quarter with Orlando starting a drive on their two-yard line, Alfonso picked off a Joe Hamilton pass that gave the Rush a much-needed boost and a comfort zone to play with the rest of the game.
“We had watched this on film all week, said Alfonso. “When they go with two receivers in the boundary and (Cory) Fleming is over there, they like running a flint screen over there. So I came up and pressed. The quarterback overthrew it, (Fleming) tipped it, and I just made a great catch.”
That interception and some key tackling down the stretch locked the game up for the Rush. These key adjustments to the defense in the second half made all the difference.
“Our game plan was there defensively,” said Hohensee. “We made some big plays in the second half. Alfonzo did a great job on the interception. That was just one of those plays that you just don’t see very often. It was just an unbelievable effort on his part. I thought we tackled better and were able to put some heat on the quarterback.”
If the Rush continue to play with this type of intensity this coming Saturday in San Jose in the semifinals, they will certainly be very difficult to beat.
Hohensee was pleased after the game saying, “That kind of play in the second half is good enough to win an ArenaBowl.”
The Next Hurdle
In order to get to the ArenaBowl title game, the Rush must first go into San Jose and defeat the always-tough SaberCats. The two teams met earlier in the season with San Jose coming out with the 51 – 43 win after Chicago had led most of the game.
When asked about the upcoming contest, Hohensee replied, “It’s a different game. We went out there earlier in the season and didn’t play really well. We should have won that football game. I think we match up really well against them and it’s the second round of the playoffs. Whatever happened in the past is in the past. We’re playing for Saturday and I think our guys will be ready.”
If they play with a tough defensive presence like they did this past weekend and execute mistake-free on offense, the Chicago Rush will certainly have a chance at attaining their goal of a championship.
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.
