Fish or Firebird
Matthew Pickut
Friday April 27, 2001
a. the common name for any fish of the order Pleuronectiformes (including the flounder, halibut, plaice, sole, and turbot)
b. A fortuitous stoke of luck resulting in a positive outcome
Depending on what you believe about last week’s record setting Firebird’s performance could either be answer “b” or the defense finding their stride after a rough opening game. This week’s game against the Defending Champion Orlando Predators will go a long way to help us deciding if last week was a Fluke or the real Firebirds.
This week Indiana will face a team desperate for a win. The Predators lost last week (38-25) to their intra-state cousins the Florida Bobcats. Last week’s loss dropped Orlando to 0-2 -- a disappointing record for a team that last year won the Arena Bowl against Nashville. The winless record is not stopping head coach Mike Dailey from taking the Preds seriously. “Even though they are 0-2, they are still the defending champions,” said Dailey, “They have great people and great coaches. They are kind of like a wounded animal now, and those are always the worst teams to play.”
Firebirds’ Quarterback Raymond Philyaw faces a tough Orlando secondary Friday night. Veteran Defensive specialists Kenny McEntyre and Damon Mason both played well last year earning spots on the all-arena team (first team and second team respectfully). McEntyre garnered the top spot among all defensive personnel league-wide winning the AFL Defensive Player of the Year Award while leading the league with 11 interceptions.
Philyaw has steadily improved this season, and will have to continue getting better against McEntyre and Mason if the Firebirds are to have a chance to win. In his favor is an offensive line (the Big Uglies) that has not allowed a sack yet this season and did not allow even a QB hurry last game. Philyaw’s play so far this year ranks him in the top ten in three categories, passer rating (6th), passing yards (7th), and total offense (4th). Most impressive is his INT total after 60 attempts: zero.
The Firebirds’ wide receiving core of OS Touchdown Eddie Brown, WR/DBs Van Johnson, Jay Johnson and Greg Hopkins all played well last week. This week Van Johnson and Brown can pass impressive milestones with good games. If Brown makes 10 more grabs, he will cross the 700 reception line for his career while Van Johnson needs just three more touchdowns to move into the number 4 slot in franchise history.
On defense Rookie Defensive Specialist Cornelius Coe proved that his selection as af2 defensive player of they year was no fluke. Coe leads the league in tackles with 23 through two games. Whichever Orlando QB starts (so far both Chris Wallace and Braniff Bonaventure have played for the Predators), they won’t be able to play away from Coe because they must also contend with DS Cedrick Walker, who ranks 11th in tackles (14) and 2nd in passes defended (7).
The Firebirds/Predators rivalry is one of the oldest in the league, dating back to 1991 and covering 13 games. The Firebirds hold a slight edge (7-6) in the series including 1999’s victory in Arena Bowl XIII. In their only meeting last year, Orlando beat the Firebirds 61-59 in Albany.
At stake Friday night will be more then just a chance to prove that the Firebirds’ win last week against Milwaukee was not just a fluke. A Firebirds win and Grand Rapids loss would give Indiana an early lead in the Central division. Even more, a win against the Predators Friday night would give them momentum and give the Birds their first home win in Indiana.
Matthew Pickut is a pastor in northern Indiana and a long time AFL fan. He also writes for his own website: The Brown Paper Blog. He graduated from Taylor University in Upland Indiana (class of `96) with degrees in Biblical Literature and Sociology as well as a healthy respect for the medicinal properties of coffee.
