Just a Slight QB Concern

Jeff Sims
Friday July 13, 2007

As a fan of the Chicago Rush, you have to be a little concerned about the team going into their Conference Final on Saturday against the San Jose SaberCats.  

Anyone that watched Rush QB Matt D’Orazio during warm-ups before the Conference semi-final against Los Angeles on Monday night would have cringed. D’Orazio was walking as if he were a pirate with a wooden leg that couldn’t get his sea legs under him after reaching land. 

After heading back into the locker room to receive some massage treatment, D’Orazio came out and put on a courageous performance throwing 14 completions on 20 attempts for 201 yards and three touchdowns in a Rush 52 – 20 victory.

Not too bad for a guy that looked like he needed a walker to get under center.

After the game, D’Orazio stated that the muscle spasms in his back are not as bad as they appear and that playing was “something that anyone else would do.” He also says that he “cannot see (himself) sitting out of a game” and plans to play on Saturday against the SaberCats. 

But what if he can’t?

“Matt is not going to put this team in jeopardy,” said Hohensee. “We’ll do a little massage treatment on him and he said if the treatment doesn’t work, we’ll go with Russ.”

Russ??

After training camp, Rush head coach Mike Hohensee waived Brett Dietz in favor of Russ Michna to be his back-up quarterback. Keep in mind that after traveling to Kansas City as a member of their practice squad, Dietz went on to be signed by the Tampa Bay Storm and was named Rookie of the Year in the league this season.

So Michna, who had never played arena football prior to this season, must have shown the coaching staff something during training camp to have them keep him around.

As a fan, what do we really know about Russ Michna? Not too much.

Michna is from the Chicago area and was signed as an undrafted free agent by the St. Louis Rams in 2004. He attended their training camp and was signed to the practice squad, but was released in September of that season. He was re-signed in January of 2005 and was released again in April of the same year.

Michna then moved on to the CFL where he played with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He was the back-up QB for the 2005 season and was released in the middle of the 2006 season.

He was a two-year starter in college at Western Illinois University and finished his career with 6,434 yards, which ranks second in school history. He set school single season records as a senior in 2003 for passing yards with 3,160 and total offense with 3,327 yards and had a record of 20 – 6 as a starter.. 

As it relates to the arena game, Michna spent the offseason in late 2006 and early 2007 working with Hohensee to learn the game. He has played in three games sparingly this season. His stats in those three games are not even listed on the team or league’s web sites. With his lack of experience in the arena game, would the Rush be comfortable putting him into a Conference Final if D’Orazio is unable to play?

“We are very comfortable with Russ,” says Hohensee. “He understands the game. He is very bright. He throws the ball well. I worked with him in the offseason this year as hard as I did with Matt last year in the offseason. This kid is ready. We’ve been talking to him that during the playoffs, especially down the stretch, that the importance of him coming into a game is that much bigger. He has studied as much film as Matt, has great input, and he’ll be able to do the job if he has to.”

The coaching staff and players were quick to point out that Michna completed all six of his passes for 73 yards during the fourth quarter of the victory on Monday night and led them on a touchdown drive.

While the team would love to have D’Orazio under center on Saturday, they are still confident that they can go into San Jose and pull out a win with Michna as their leader. The team feels it would not lose a beat with their back-up at the helm.

“There is no difference,” says All-Arena wide receiver Bobby Sippio. “Russ is a good quarterback. We have an awesome back-up. Everyone would think that since he hasn’t been featured that there would be a difference. Russ is ready. I would like to see him play sometimes because we practice with him all the time and he makes awesome throws. He is a good quarterback, so we would not lose a beat at all.”

Michna certainly knows what is expected of him should his number be called. The pressure of a big game does not seem to faze him at all.

“That’s what I’m here for,” says Michna. “I’ve basically had a whole year to sit and watch. Now I have to wait for the opportunity. I hate to say that because this is Matt’s team and he has done a good job all year, but if he can’t go, it’s my job to step in and try to lead the team to where we are trying to go.”

This will be the third time in the last four years that the Rush has played San Jose in the Conference Finals.

San Jose is currently on an 11 game winning streak and the Rush do not want to make it 12.

“They know us just as well as we know them,” stated Hohensee. “It is just going to be a matter of who executes best and controls the football.”

Hopefully it doesn’t matter who is taking the snaps.

Notes

Rush LB John Moyer needs one sack to become the AFL’s all time postseason sack leader with 10. He is currently at nine which a half sack less than former Rush teammate James Baron.

In Monday’s victory over the Avengers, Rush wide receiver Bobby Sippio caught two touchdowns, rushed for one touchdown, and also threw a touchdown to D’Orazio. Sippio was also seen throwing t-shirts into the crowd late in the game with the Rush promotions team. D’Orazio stated after the game that “he sold popcorn at halftime too.”