Veterans Walk the Walk
A.J. Blazek
Thursday June 14, 2001
I know that the 76ers are down 3-1 in the NBA Finals, and you might be thinking that I’m crazy, but Iverson will just not quit. Down by 22 points in the third quarter, he led his team back to within six late in the game. He’s constantly out-hustling, out-scoring, and out-working his opponents. This leads me to this week`s topic: becoming a WINNER.
Winning is a learned behavior. It doesn’t just come to a person and it doesn’t just show up without reason. Being a winner comes from within. A winner walks in a certain way, plays with a certain intensity, and competes with a certain attitude. The Chicago Rush players are becoming winners, and there are several reasons why.
First, Chicago Rush majority owners Alan and Peter Levin have put in the time and resources necessary to build a winning franchise. They constantly have personnel from the front office at every practice and the players are supplied with the best gear available. They’re hands on owners, with the best people backing them up in the office.
Next, Coach Mike Hohensee and his staff put as much or more time into film breakdown and game plans than any other staff in the league. They focus on the mental aspects in the game, the strategy, as much as the physical aspect of the game.
Most importantly, our veteran players are leading in a way that no coach could have dreamed. It’s not just vocal leadership, either; most of it is leadership through play. OL/DL Anthony Hutch is second in the league with 5.5 sacks. WR/DB Dameon Porter leads the league in interceptions. OL/DL Furnell "Big Stankin’`" Hankton continues to catch touchdown after touchdown. OL/DL Jim Stiebel is playing the best football he has played at center and on the defensive line. OS Joe Douglas is having a phenomenal year leading the team in touchdown receptions.
This team has been built around a great core of veterans. With great veteran performance come high rookie expectations. For every sack Hutch gets, I try harder and harder to get one and pull my weight on the defensive line. When Hankton catches a touchdown, or doesn`t give up a sack, I hold myself to the same standards so that I don’t let the team down. This happens at every position, and this is why our team is developing so quickly into a winner.
Practices are crisp and clean. There’s not a lot of repeating of plays because people know what they are supposed to do and there aren’t many mistakes made.
Every one of the players on the Chicago Rush is a winner. When those kinds of players are brought together, winning becomes the status quo. The coaches, the owners, and most of all, the players, expect to succeed.
The 2001 Chicago Rush team still has a lot to learn, but the thing we’ve got is the right attitude. There’s a lot of time left in this AFL season, and a lot of things could still happen, but I’m excited to see where this team lands at the end of everything.
Hope to see all of you Chicago fans in Indianapolis this Friday night, or at our next home game on June 23rd against Detroit.
A.J. Blazek was a writer for ArenaFan Online during the 2001 season.
