`Birds Keep Winning Ugly
Matthew Pickut
Sunday May 27, 2001
And that after a game that Firebirds Head Coach Dailey described by saying, “Well, it was ugly, but it’s a win. Detroit played us tough tonight and they’ve got a great defensive line. They forced us to play with a sense of urgency and it was a very tough, physical game. It was a typical AFL game. It went back-and-forth and it came down to the wire and we tried to give it away, but (chuckling) they didn’t want it.”
It came down to a little more then that. The teams traded defensive stops to open the game. The Firebirds won the toss and deferred their decision on the kick-off to the second half. It looked like a great decision after the Fury went three and out on their first possession. After a Billy Stoyanovich 60-yard field goal attempt fell short, WR/DB Jay Jones dodged tacklers for about 50-yards, returning the ball to the Firebirds’ 14. Once there Detroit WR/DB Chuck Levy stunned the crowd with a big hit on Jones, and the stop.
Undaunted Indiana marched down the field featuring the short passes with three and five step drops that would characterize their game plan. “We wanted to give Philyaw some confidence early on by emphasizing the short passing game using a lot of quick passes with 3 and 5-step drops.” Revealed Dailey, “We were also very concerned with their pass rush so we wanted to slow their rush down because their defensive line is very good.”
Faced with a fourth and goal at the one, Coach Dailey called for a fake field goal. In a sign of the type of defensive battle the game would be, Fury FB/LB Andy Chilcote came up big and stopped Indiana QB Raymond Philyaw (28-42, 286-yards 5 TD 0 INT) inside the one yard line. The stop made and impression on Dailey “they pinched us inside when we ran the quarterback sneak and they stuffed it. That kind of made us afraid to go there again when we were in the red zone.”
Fury QB Scot Semptimphelter (19-33, 230-yards 5 TD 2 INT and a last name that could make a “Wheel of Fortune” contestant about $13,000) managed the only score of the first quarter by hitting WR/DB Tommie Boyd for 6 points from nine yards out.
The second half saw Indiana start on with a short field after a Jones return to near mid-field. It took Philyaw only three plays to get to the 16-yard line. Philyaw then hit Jones in the end zone to put the Firebirds up 28-21. The score put the Fury behind for the first time all game, and they would never recover.
Philyaw’s success came, in large part, from his offensive line, “the Big Uglies”. They held a strong Fury’s rush to only three QB hurries and no sacks. “We really worked on that part of our game this week,” said OL/DL Mark Valvo, “I’ve played in the league nine years and they’re about one of the best or the best I’ve seen. They bring it on every play.” On the other side of the ball, the Uglies and company got eight hurries on Septimphelter and broke up six passes.
The win sends the Firebirds into the off-week with a 5-2 record and a good attitude. “I thought we played really well and it’s good to get a win in front of the home crowd.” said Hopkins, “It really shouldn’t have come down to the wire, but it helps us go into the bye week with a positive mindset.”
The players will have a week off before they return to take on the 2-3 Toronto Phantom in Canada. Here in Indiana the Birds have gotten the job done, on the field and in the stands. If you need proof, I know some guys in Muncie who can give you a hand.
I gotta go, my den mother says its time for the Webelos meeting and I’m hoping this article gets me my journalism pin.
Nationwide Explosion
After the game Philyaw said last week’s nationally televised discussion between he and Brown was not as bad as it looked, “It was blown out of proportion, it was just two competitors trying to make a play. Me and him are like the best friend and we wanted to get that out of everybody’s mind. We had a good week of practice. Hopefully now we can put this behind us.”
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.
