Rush have it Made. Bring on the Season
Kevin Sheller
Saturday April 13, 2002
The Rush destroyed yet another preseason opponent, this time by nearly doubling the Los Angeles Avengers in total points, 64-38. The week before that the Rush did more than double the Carolina Cobras by a score of 56-25.
Get this: The Rush played their second- and third-stringers in the first half, while the Avengers played their starters. Who won the half? The Rush. The score was 34-24 after 30 minutes, but it wasn’t even that close. The Avengers starters were manhandled. Then the Rush first-team came out in the second half and kept the Avengers second- and third-teamers to only 14 points.
 Dameon Porter earned Breakout Player of the Year and Ironman of the Year in 2001 Image courtesy of |
Well, OK, these are all pretty convincing arguments. Write this down: Rush to the ArenaBowl in 2002!
Wait. Did anyone mention that Friday night’s visiting Los Angeles Avengers have starting quarterback Tony Graziani? A guy who only threw 37 passes last season? How about the Carolina Cobras the week before? They hadn’t even named a starter between QBs Lance Funderburk, Connell Maynor, and Aaron Sparrow.
Yet another thing to consider: It’s only preseason. Teams don’t put all their best schemes on the field. “We were pretty basic tonight,” said Porter. “We got a big game next week. We were a little reserved.”
Every team does that, including preseason opponents. Which is even further proof that these practice games should be used to judge very little.
Oh yeah, and the big game next week that Porter mentioned? That’s the season-opener at Indiana. All of the preseason work so far has been conducted with the Firebirds in mind. Not bad considering the Rush have treated their first two preseason opponents as speed bumps on the way to Indiana – both mentally and on the scoreboard.
Most of the rest of the AFL (well, teams other than Carolina and Los Angeles) have been gushing about how fantastic they look. Every writeup you see is “new attitude,” an “upgrade in talent,” or “all our stars are returning.” Well, I’m not about to spout more of the same in Chicago. You’re tired of reading it.
So how about this: Same core as last year. A team that went 7-7 and stunned the Orlando Predators in the playoffs. The only differences? A revamped line. I wouldn’t really make that much of a big deal about it if it didn’t include AFL Lineman of the Year James Baron, one of the most feared linemen this side of the Mississippi.
”I’m the luckiest kid in the league right now, especially with the guys we got,” said Porter. “We possibly have the toughest [line] in the league. My only concern is that we can stay healthy. And if we can stay healthy, we’re going to be tough to get scored on.”
“As long as we continue to play as a unit, no one guy on our defense is going to have to shoulder more of the responsibility of the rest of the guys,” said Porter. “I think that’s the beauty of this year’s team.”
So yes. The Rush are a much better team. How much better than the rest of the league? A league that has seen contraction and an opportunistic front office upgrade a 2-12 team to Eastern Division favorites (the New Jersey Gladiators?) That’s very difficult to say.
Perhaps we’ll find out in Indiana next week.
Are you sure you are Szeredy?
Rush kicker Scott Szeredy (pronounced sure-READY) didn’t have his best game in the preseason finale. He missed a few extra points and a field goal, but more than that, he had trouble hitting the net on kickoffs. Head coach Mike Hohensee is worried.
“If I lose sleep, it’s going to be because of the kicking game right now,” said Hohensee. “If we can’t get it to the net, then we can’t accomplish the things we want to. We work too hard on special teams not to get the ball to the net. ”
It should be mentioned that Szeredy hasn’t had an opportunity to practice his kickoffs too much, as the Rush indoor practice facility doesn’t have quite enough room to boom.
What can’t he do?
DS Cedric Walker spent some time as holder for the field goal kicking unit. It didn’t take long for the natural leader to take charge. During one attempt, he gathered the group together in the huddle, counted the men and realized they had too many, so he instructed the extra guy to go away. It was comical to watch a defensive specialist direct the special teams kicking unit.
“If I needed a long snapper, he could probably do that too,” teased Hohensee. “He’s just that type of a player.”
Tim Carey will be the Rush’s #1 holder with Walker as the backup. Because of the new placekicking rule that allows an outside rush on the kicker, don’t be surprised if you see Walker acting as disaster relief if things go awry.
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.
