Former af2 QBs Face Off in Chicago
Marc Viquez
Saturday June 1, 2002
"It is definitely something to look forward to in seeing Bill. He is a good guy and a fierce competitor," said Haege. "It should be a lot of fun looking towards this type of match up"
"I`m really excited about seeing Frank again. I think it is going to be a good game, they got a lot of Quad City guys out there and I am looking forward to it," said Dicken who will also be facing former Quad City teammates WR/LB Jeremy Wilkinson, FB/LB Frank Carter, and OL/DL Jamarr Ward.
The plot thickens when the Gladiators counter with QB Jay McDonagh, the man who succeeded Dicken at the position in 2001. The battle of Haege`s former quarterbacks will definitely add to both the coach`s reputation of helping players reach the next level and the progress the Arena Football 2 has in seasoning players to the indoor game.
The comparisons are similar between McDonagh and Dicken in that they both tossed 73-touchowns, led the league in pass rating, and brought home Arena Cup championships for Quad City. The only blemish that could be found is that McDonagh`s team loss one game during the 2001 season, compared to zero the previous year when Dicken was in command of the offense.
"I have seen him [McDonagh] a couple of times last year when he was in Quad City and he has done a great job this year," said Dicken who has never met his counterpart.
The major similarity is, like McDonagh this season, Dicken been able to make the transition from one league to another with little setback. In 13 games in 2000, Dicken tossed 56-touchdowns and is on pace to eclipse that mark with 33 already this year. McDonagh is close behind with 26 and is on pace to finish the season with 60 scores.
The Gladiators are coming off a last-second stand against Toronto QB Chad Salisbury last weekend for a 45-38 victory, and two weeks removed from a thrilling 76-69 overtime win at home against New York. In fact every game this season has been a nail-biter, except for the Carolina defeat, with one-point victories over Dallas and Orlando, and a two-point loss to Buffalo in the season opener.
"Nail biters are fun for the fans, but not exactly for the head coach," added Haege who might see his share of more to come this season.
However, the matchup between Dicken and McDonagh will not overshadow the fact that Chicago is a dangerous football team and has a strong offense. They bring a great kickoff return man in OS Antonio Chatman who is averaging over 23-yards per return. Chatman has already amassed 889 all-purpose yards in his rookie season. The Rush are also a team that has been trading wins and losses every week and after last week’s loss to Arizona are due for a win this weekend.
"They are very explosive, exciting, and can erupt at any given time," said Haege. "We are going at this game like any other. Break them down and take care of what we need to do"
A fan of the sport since 1990 Marc has covered both the New Jersey Gladiators and Cincinnati Swarm (Af2) for Arenafan Online. Marc now resides in Indianapolis after graduating with a Masters in Sports Management from Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Ind. When not at a Firebirds game Marc can be found traveling the Midwest covering sports for various Internet and print publications.
