Rampage Finish Strong, But Lose to Crush
Randy Snow
Sunday April 9, 2006
Such was the case for the Rampage on Thursday when starting quarterback Chad Salisbury sustained an injury to his oblique muscle in practice. Backup quarterback Ryan Van Dyke was informed that he would get the start for Grand Rapids just 20 minutes prior to the game. Van Dyke has been with the Rampage since March 4 after being released by the Los Angeles Avengers.
The Rampage offense was not connecting in the first half and they trailed the Crush 35-0 in the second quarter. Van Dyke was twice intercepted in the end zone by Colorado DS Rashad Floyd in the first half. Grand Rapids finally got on the scoreboard with 57 seconds remaining in the second quarter when Van Dyke connected with WR/DB Timon Marshall on an 11-yard touchdown pass. Marshall also caught a 21-yard touchdown pass with 12 seconds remaining, making the score 42-14 in favor of the Crush at the half.
Grand Rapids played much better in the second half, but the Crush lead was just too much to overcome. Floyd intercepted Van Dyke in the end zone for the third time in the game on Grand Rapids’ opening drive of the third quarter. On the night, Van Dyke completed 19 of 34 passes for 191 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions as the Rampage lost to Colorado 73-48.
"I feel for the guy," said McEwen of Van Dyke. "He’s a heck of a quarterback, but you’re not going to walk in off the streets and have a great amount of success in this game, especially against the World Champs."
"Obviously, I was shaky at first," said Van Dyke, "but I calmed down. The game started to slow down and we were able to do some things in the second half. I’m just glad we kept on fighting. We didn’t quit when we could have."
One of the few bright spots for Grand Rapids was the play of WR/DB Josh Bush. Bush intercepted a pass from Colorado quarterback John Dutton in the third quarter and returned it 23 yards for a touchdown. Later in the third, Bush returned a kickoff 52 yards for another touchdown. He also had four receptions for 29 yards, three kickoff returns for 83 yards and 2 tackles in the game. Rampage WR/DB Timon Marshall had seven catches for 79 yards and two touchdowns as well as seven kick returns for 130 yards.
The last couple of weeks, the biggest problem for the Rampage was the fact that they could not finish a game. They played well early on, but lacked intensity in the second half. This week, however, it was just the opposite. They actually outscored the Crush 34-31 in the second half; but, the damage had already been done in the first half.
Philyaw signed by Kansas City
Former Chicago Rush quarterback Raymond Philyaw was signed by the expansion Kansas City Brigade last week. Philyaw had signed a two-year contract to play with the Rampage last fall, but was cut just prior to the start of the season because he had not fully recovered from off-season shoulder surgery.
"I’m happy for him," said coach McEwen. "Kansas City is going to do a great job with him at the helm. I hope things continue to work out for Raymond."
Next Game
Grand Rapids travels to Dallas next Saturday night, April 15, to face the Desperados. Dallas is led by quarterback Clint Dolezel, the man who led the Rampage to the ArenaBowl XV title in 2001. The game will be broadcast on Fox Sports Net.
Randy Snow covered the Grand Rapids Rampage of the Arena Football League for ArenaFan from 2003-2008. He also covered the Fort Wayne Fusion of arenafootball2 in 2007. From 2004-2008 and in 2010, he was a member of the Arena Football League Writer’s Association and, since 2011, has been a member of the Professional Football Researchers Association. Randy lives in Kalamazoo, Michigan but will travel just about anywhere for a football game or a great football story. He runs the web site www.theworldoffootball.com and hosts a podcast with his son, Adam, called “This Week in The World of Football.”
