Boom, Here Come The Preds
Jason Lucas
Wednesday March 10, 2004
The Predators jumped all over the Indiana Firebirds early in the game by taking a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter and did not let up until the final gun. The 50-38 win brings them back to the .500 mark on the season. With the victory Orlando also moves one half game ahead of Tampa Bay in the Southern Division.
“We feel like we are on a roll,” said Predators coach Jay Gruden. “We just have to keep it going. There are a lot of teams with 2 losses or one loss or no losses. In order for us to get where we want to get, we have to win these games at home; we just have to keep pace.”
Orlando’s offense seemed unstoppable in the early stages of the game. In the first half Orlando scored 27 points in 28 plays. Joe Hamilton marched the Preds offense up and down the field against Indiana’s defense all game long. Orlando even had a lot of success running the football. The Preds racked up three rushing touchdowns, two by James Bowden and one from Arena Football League rookie Mike Brown.
The surprise of the night came on 2 tight-end screen passes to Jermaine Smith. Smith (6’3” 290lbs) rambled down the sideline in the second quarter for a Predators touchdown from 11 yards out. Smith also had a 17-yard reception on a similar play in the fourth quarter setting up Brown’s touchdown run. In his two previous AFL seasons with Georgia, Jermaine Smith did not record any receptions.
A lot was made of Firebirds quarterback Adrian McPherson making his return to Florida. McPherson was bottled up and frustrated all night by Orlando’s defense, which forced two turnovers by McPherson (one fumble, one interception). Although McPherson was rattled early, he did have a few good plays in his return, but his five TD passes were not enough on this night to overcome the Preds stingy defense.
The Orlando defense seems to be back to its old ways after a few shake-ups in the lineup. Kenny McEntyre had a first quarter interception of McPherson setting up a Preds touchdown that resulted in a 14-0 lead. Orlando had three sacks of McPherson on the night, two by Buck Gurley and another by Jermaine Smith who took home Ironman of the Game honors.
“Our defensive line is doing a better job of getting pressure,” said Gruden. “Our DB’s are starting to gel. I really like what I see. I really see a lot of tenacity out of them and they are playing a lot harder.”
A new deep threat connection was also born in Orlando on Saturday night: Joe Hamilton to Sean Riley. Riley is the newest addition to the Orlando Predators receiving corps. He was brought in to replace Travis McGriff, who is out with a pulled quadriceps muscle. Riley had three receptions against Indiana for 71 yards and a 38-yard touchdown in the second quarter. He has also taken over the duties of returning kickoffs.
“Sean has a way to go learning-wise, but he comes in and it just an added 4.2-40 guy on your field,” said Gruden about Riley. “It can only help you and it opens it up for Cory [Fleming], Coop [Bret Cooper], and those guys. It is just an added dimension for the other team to prepare for.”
Cory Fleming led the Predators in receptions with seven for 71 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while Mike Horacek had a big night for Indiana with eight receptions for 143 yards and three touchdowns.
Orlando has another big task ahead of them next week when the Georgia Force roll into town on Friday night. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m. The jungle is sure to be rocking once again, so get your tickets now!
Jason Lucas is a part-time freelance writer based in the Orlando, Florida area. A former director of media relations with the Orlando Predators, Jason is making his return to Arenafan.com after a short stint as a public relations assistant with the UFL‘s Florida Tuskers in 2010. Lucas has followed the AFL since 1992 and began covering the Predators for Arenafan during the 2004 season. He held that position until being picked up by the Preds front office after the 2007 season. Jason‘s knowledge of arena football and love of the game is what drives him to continue covering the sport.