Big Mo Takes Game in Indiana
Matthew Pickut
Sunday May 26, 2002
Big Mo doesn’t play for your team.
But Big Mo can win or lose the game for your team every week.
When Big Mo goes in your favor ain’t nothing personal.
When Big Mo goes against you ain’t nothing personal either.
Big Mo goes where he wants to go.
You can’t stop Big Mo. You can only hope to contain him.
And if Big Mo likes you, all you can do is smile.
That’s Momentum if you’re scoring at home and Friday night at the Conseco Fieldhouse Big Mo showed up at the start of the fourth quarter and put on an Orlando Predators jersey. With the Predator up only two points at the end of the third quarter and the Firebirds on the Orlando two, it looked like the Preds were headed to a fifth loss in six games. Then the wheels came off…
A four-yard loss on a sweep by WR/DB Van Johnson…
A five-yard loss on an offensive holding call on a six-yard Philyaw toss …
An incomplete pass and a four-yard loss on a sack …
And what could have been six points turns into a 36 yard field-goal attempt that sailed wide left over the nets for none.
Then the ‘Birds seemed to take back the momentum on a DS Evan Hlavacek interception. Apparently, Mo married into one of the refs` families because, you guessed – pass interference.
Firebird’s head coach Mike Dailey remained diplomatic after the game. “I don’t like to beat up the officials -- they have a tough job -- the only thing is one call I thought the ball was going to be uncatchable and fall short of the receiver. [The official’s] contention was that [Evan Hlavcek] pushed off … he was running with him and just changed direction and his momentum carried him into the receiver.” Dailey might not want to beat up the refs but from the sound of the boos, he would be in the minority.
The Firebirds never really threatened after that, an illegal defense and a roughing the passer call saw to that. “We fought hard at times; it just wasn’t enough, we’re not at full strength,” said Dailey. “We missed Eddie Brown that’s for sure… He’s such a good receiver especially in the red zone. We moved the ball down field, got in that red area and just couldn’t get it in.”
OS Eddie Brown knew his team missed him. “It really hurts, cause I go to war with these guys and then I can’t be out there with them. Plus I haven’t missed a game since ‘97, so this is like a different world. It’s hard. It’s getting better. I should be back next week.” OL/DL Mark Valvo also sat on the sideline and will be out 4-6 weeks. After the game you could tell the normally-upbeat Valvo wanted to be out on the field.
The game produced some bright spots in spite of the loss. K Nelson Garner, fresh off the IR hit all of his PAT attempts and a 37-yard field goal. “I think Nelson was 100 percent where before he wasn’t really, and also Young is now the long snapper,” remarked Dailey. “We’ve done some things to try and correct [the kicking game], and hopefully we have it fixed for the long run.” OS Terrence Davis pulled down 10 passes for 117 yards but his own stats failed to impress the three- year veteran from McNeese State. “The way I am it doesn’t really matter. The point is that we lost. I had a good game, but I guess it wasn’t really good enough. The personal stats are fine but I’m more concerned about the big picture.”
Even in the low scoring atmosphere, or maybe because of it, the game featured several bouts of pushing and shoving. “It was just two teams that don’t like each other going at it,” said Davis, “being competitive, and making each other work out there.”
On a personal note, nothing made me happier than OL/DL/FB/WR Ricky Hall took the ball into the end zone, one play after going in motion as a wide receiver. “It was a special play we put in this week,” revealed Hall, “I’m just trying to help out.”
At 3-3, the Firebirds live the life of the average team in this year, and as much as it might make life hard for them, AFL Commissioners Baker thinks league wide parity is good for game. “Parity is good for the league,” said Baker, who was in town for the game. “I think it’s one of the things that has made the NFL strong. In the past, it was often strong teams against weak teams. Up until tonight, we have two perennial powerhouses in Tampa and Orlando who are 2-8. It’s become a game of match-ups, and I think that’s good for the game.”
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.
