Hodgkiss to Lead Avengers
Matthew Pickut
Friday October 5, 2001
With no prior head coaching experience, Hodgkiss will have to rely on his five years in the AFL under Firebirds’ head coach Mike Dailey to prepare him for his new position. Hodgkiss served as the Firebirds’ wide receivers and special teams coach under Dailey for two years before Dailey promoted him to offensive coordinator. During the offseason, Hodgkiss serves as offensive coordinator for Randolph-Macon College, and coached in similar capacities at both Morehead State (Div 1-AA) and Montgomery-Rockville Junior College.
Hodgkiss assumes the helm of a team in disarray after a disappointing 5-9 season. The team fired then-head coach Stan Brock after a 0-3 start and faces some difficult questions as they look for new leadership.
According to ESPN, QB Todd Marinovich missed three random drug tests due to (in order of excuses): a poorly delivered phone message, a ride failing to pick him up, and the always-popular “traffic.” A fourth missed appointment was excused.
LA’s roster also includes two players listed on league suspensions. Both seventh year OL/DL Kevin Carroll and first year OL/DL Chad Pegues are serving suspensions handed down by the league.
The team lists last years’ opening day starter Marinovich on injured reserve after he violated his parole agreement following a conviction for possession of heroin. That leaves only QB’s Jim Drunkenmiller and Wallace Richardson on the active roster.
Last year Hodgkiss helped Firebirds’ QB Raymond Philyaw grow in to one of the AFL’s premiere passers. This year Hodgkiss again faces the task of preparing an inexperienced quarterback. The five quarterbacks on the Avengers’ roster total less than 10 years of total AFL service. Further adding to Hodgkiss’s challenge, is that while Philyaw spent the 2000 season learning the Firebird’s system as a back up to QB Mike Pawlawski, whomever he chooses as starting QB for the Avengers will have to learn a new system from scratch.
In Philyaw’s first year as starter he lead the Firebirds to 814 points; in direct contrast to last year’s Avenger team scoring only 564 points. The Avengers will need to improve not only their total point production, however, but also their efficiency on third downs (35%) to be competitive. Indiana, on the other hand, converted 53% of their third downs during the regular season under Hodgkiss’s play calling.
The Avengers ended a streaky 2001 campaign with three straight losses. Hodgkiss’ experience as offensive coordinator will serve him well in the pass-happy AFL, but he will have to rely on his choice of assistant coaches to provide defensive know-how. The pressure will be on Hodgkiss to improve not only the teams’ record, but also to find players willing to buy into this rookie head coach’s system.
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.
