Rush Beat Predators. Echo. Echo.
Kevin Sheller
Sunday July 29, 2001
You know what’s great about this one? I can just write a summary about last week’s game and it reads the same...
The Predators committed penalties early to keep Rush drives alive. Orlando started out by threatening and punishing QB Billy Dicken. The Predators took a two-score lead before the first half was over. The Rush came back to tie it at halftime. On the opening possession of the third quarter, WR/DB Dameon Porter intercepted a Craig Whelihan pass. Siaha Burley had trouble returning the ball past the 10-yard line. The defense held during most of the second half. Whelihan was benched in favor of Chris Wallace. And although the Predators threatened at the end, it was too little too late.
Did it seem like the same game to Porter?
“Other than the beer being thrown at us, pretty much.”
Did the team have confidence, even in the Jungle?
“We had enough," said head coach Mike Hohensee, "To have the opportunity to play them and beat them the week before made a big difference.”
The Predators seemed over-anxious and overly pumped up as they jumped offsides three plays in a row in the first half. From a spectator’s perspective, it looked like the Predators’ defensive line was out of control. Hohensee explained that they were doing it on purpose to try to intimidate the Rush line.
“It was hostile, but we kept our composure. They tried to intimidate us," said Hohensee. "Once they saw we weren’t going to back down, I think they got frustrated. So our guys took it to the next level.”
Echo. Echo.
Players-Only Meeting
Cedric Walker had a players-only meeting during the week leading up to the playoff game.
“He wanted to tell them what to look for from a player standpoint,” said Hohensee. “We may have lacked strong leadership in the past. He’s come in and given us that in a matter of three weeks.”
Walker kicked off the meeting and all of the players with Arenabowl championship rings spoke to the rest of the team.
“They just spoke to us about the intensity of the playoffs," said Porter. "How to build a championship. They shared their Arenabowl experiences with us."
"Cedric’s a leader. He brings a different kind of presence to our football team. Everything he says is pretty positive.”
Happy Joe
After Joe Douglass scored a TD to put the Rush way ahead in the second half, he returned to the sideline and told Hohensee that he loved him. Of course, Hohensee knew Douglass was only professing platonic feelings. The offensive specialist was overjoyed to be a part of sending his former teammates home from the playoffs early, explained Hohensee.
Grand Rapids
Having lost twice already to the Rampage, Hohensee believes that the team is much different now than earlier this season, and he`s right. The main difference is that during their last meeting in Grand Rapids, the Rush did not play physical defense. They had trouble tackling and gave up too many big plays. As a result, the Rampage scored on every single possession.
For this week’s contest, which is more important? That the defense finds a way to stop Dolezel, or that the offense must find a way to go score-for-score. Hohensee believes the answer lies in the defense.
And although Grand Rapids has the number one seed and home-field advantage, “we may have as much playoff experience as they do,” said Hohensee.
Kevin Sheller ia founder of Arenafan Online and was the principal owner until 2004. Kevin graduated from the University of Akron with a degree in technical writing, and has been a member of the Arena Football Internet community since 1993. He has worked as a professional web programmer and is also the executive producer for a computer/video game company. The most recent Xbox title to his credit is called Hunter: The Reckoning.
