The Chicago Rush lost starting quarterback Russ Michna to a season ending ankle injury in the team’s loss to the Spokane Shock two weeks ago.

 

The team turned to Dominic Randolph, who has been the team’s second quarterback all season, last week in the team’s 58 -48 victory over the Iowa Barnstormers. In that victory, Randolph completed 17 of 27 passes for 189 yards and four touchdowns. He only threw one interception in his first Arena Football League start.

That should have been enough for him to keep the starting job for the rest of the season, right?

 

Not exactly.

 

Earlier in the season, the Rush traded wide receiver Todd Devoe to the Kansas City Command for future considerations. After Michna’s injury, the Rush used those considerations to acquire quarterback JJ Raterink in return.

 

Is this 2010 all over again?

 

Raterink played for the Rush in 2010 and started the last four games of the season when Michna went out for the season after suffering a rib injury. The team went 1-3 in those four games under Raterink and eventually lost to the Milwaukee Iron in the first round of the playoffs.

 

After sitting for a week to learn his new offense, the Rush turned to Raterink to start the team’s home game on Friday night against the offensively potent Utah Blaze.

Chicago is now 1 -0 with their new quarterback after a 59 – 35 victory at Allstate Arena. Raterink completed 19 of 33 pass attempts for 281 yards and four touchdowns. But maybe more important, the Rush did not commit any turnovers in the game.

 

Is there a quarterback controversy in Chicago after both quarterbacks have led the team to victory in consecutive weeks?

Not at all.

 

“It is not marriage, but I am willing to commit to JJ,” said Rush head coach Bob McMillen. “He is a veteran in this league. I thought that Dominic played well, but he is still learning the game. You can see the difference (between them). Dominic is still surveying it like it is an outdoor game. We have a kid who is a veteran who knows this game and knows the speed of the game. I still believe that Dominic is going to be a good quarterback in this game and hopefully on this team. For right now, we are going to ride out with JJ and see what happens.”

 

This is definitely not the same team that Raterink led at the end of 2010. There is a new coaching staff, a new offense, and a new group of wide receives to get acclimated with. Although the differences are many, Raterink is prepared for the challenge and likes what he sees in the offense.

 

 “It is the way that we approach things that is a little bit different (from last season),” said Raterink. “In this system, everyone has their own mindset and it helps to make everyone succeed individually. I think that this offense definitely fits the personnel that we have here very well and I think that we can do a lot of good things.”

 

And after two weeks and one game, the Rush coaching staff and players have reason to believe that they will not miss a beat with Raterink under center for their team to make a strong push in the upcoming playoffs.

 

“He is still learning this offense,” stated McMillen. “But I thought that he played well and took control of the huddle. I thought that he kept the receivers and the linemen in check. JJ is still learning and he is a competitor and he wants to be great in this league. He is going to make our team a better football team.”

 

“When he was with Kansas City earlier this season and we played him twice, I didn’t like him very much,” said Rush fullback Johnnie Kirton. “Now, I am grateful to have him on our side. I like the way that JJ plays.”

 

 

With nine second left in the first half and the game tied at 28, the Rush first decided to kick a field goal on a fourth down and 13 yards to go from their own 15 yard line.

After a Utah timeout, the Rush coaching staff decided to go for it. Thinking they had time for a couple of plays, Raterink threw a pass to wide receiver Reggie Gray. After catching the pass, Gray continued downfield to gain additional yardage. After a 27 yard gain, the clock ran out and the half ended. The coaching staff for the Rush felt there still should have been time left on the clock.

 

If looks could kill, the stare that head coach Bob McMillen gave to the clock operator’s table would have burnt a hole through the glass that it is enclosed in.

 

McMillen asked aggressively after the game, “If we can’t get a clock operator in the building that can accept home field advantage, then what is the sense of playing at home? The guy has done it to us many times. If it wasn’t for our President (Gene Nudo), he would have had an earful at halftime. It is not fair to the guys on the field when we have plays taken away from us. Please quote this;  whoever the clock operator is for Chicago better get better.”

 

 

Johnnie Kirton broke the team record for rushing yards in a game with 46. The previous record was 41 yards held by head coach Bob McMillen. Said McMillen jokingly after Kirton’s performance; “He hasn’t broken my touchdown record yet, so he will be benched the next three games.”

 

The Rush clinched a birth in the upcoming AFL playoffs with the victory. The team has now made the playoffs in each of its ten seasons. This will be the first appearance under McMillen.

 

Wide receiver JJ McKelvey, who has been sidelined with a broken foot, expects to return in two weeks against Dallas or for the season finale at home against Milwaukee.

With six interceptions in the past two games, the Chicago defense broke the league record for interceptions in a season. They now have 35. The previous mark was 29 held by the 1992 Orlando Predators.

 

The defense now also holds the AFL record for forced turnovers in a season with 48. The previous record was 46 set by the 2006 Columbus Destroyers.

 

Currently on injured reserve with a turf toe injury, defensive back Vic Hall, who recently broke the single season interception mark, has turned down offers to play in the UFL. He cites looking to be 100% healthy before looking to move on and wants the opportunity to be with his current teammates to win an AFL title. He expects to be back in time for the playoffs.

 

According to a team source, defensive lineman Martin Parker and mack linebacker / fullback Marcus Waugh have also received interest from UFL teams.

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.