History Doesn`t Help Storm in Playoffs
Joe Kauffman
Monday August 6, 2001
It`s appropriate that the SaberCats duo jetted their way across the continent to see two teams joined in Arena Football history by two playoff encounters and a series of memorable duels. They represented an era when Florida teams, and in particular, the Storm, dominated the league, treating ArenaBowls as a birthright.
But following the Firebirds` stunning 68-31 squelching of the Storm, the league looks at a semifinal foursome without any Sunshine State representation. It didn`t even take an especially dominant offensive performance from the usually potent Firebirds; Indiana gained just 190 total yards, averaged just 4.8 yards per snap and had no plays longer than 27 yards.
What Indiana did possess was opportunism, in the form of three interceptions and three fumble recoveries. That, plus a superlative special teams outing, was more than enough to best the dissipating Storm.
"We were conservative," offensive specialist Eddie Brown admitted. “We took care of the ball; we didn`t have any turnovers. Special teams and defense won the game tonight."
Nothing underscored the offensive-minded Firebirds` paradigm shift more than the post-game presentation of the game ball. It wasn`t to Brown, who posted touchdowns in each quarter, or to game Ironman Jay Jones, who scored on a fumble recovery and a 47-yard interception return -- but to kicker Nelson Garner.
It was Garner`s 57-yard field goal -- the second longest in Arena Football postseason history -- that salvaged a first-quarter three-and-ought. His second, a 46-yarder, put the Firebirds back up by three scores after a Storm touchdown narrowed the gap to 24-10. His third, a 21-yarder, sent the Firebirds to the half with a 13-point advantage.
It was as far as one could get from the scene at the New Jersey Meadowlands in Week 13, when Garner`s missed extra point in overtime opened the door for the Gladiators to pull off the season`s biggest shocker, one that consigned the Firebirds to participation in the first round.
In spite of that, the Firebirds never lost faith in their kicker.
"I kept saying to him, `There`s going to come a time when we`re going to need you to hit that -- playoff time, ArenaBowl time, you`re going to hit that,` " Brown said. "He believed that, and kept plugging and kept plugging."
His efforts were well-rewarded, and ended up being the key component in a rout of historic proportions. The 37-point win was the biggest by a road team in Arena Football playoff history -- six points larger than the 31-point thumping Orlando inflicted on the Storm in Arena Bowl XII.
It was also just the Firebirds` second road playoff win in franchise history, and the first since 1995, when they shocked No. 2 seed St. Louis 51-49.
The Stampede`s quarterback that evening was John Kaleo, who struggled to a three-interception day before being pulled in the final quarter. History and the path to winning may be changing for the Firebirds and the league, but that`s at least one thing that remained the same -- and in their favor.
Joe Kauffman is President and Editor in Chief of Arenafan Online, having joined the staff in 2000. He graduated from Florida State University in 1998 with a degree in communications andbuilds ecommerce sites for a day job. Joe has enjoyed Arena Football since 1991 and has been a member of the Arena Football Internet community since 1995. Prior to Joining Arenafan, he was a co-founder and Technical Editor of the Storm Shelter, which covered the Tampa Bay Storm from 1996-99. Joe and his wife Erika live in Hackettstown, New Jersey with their two daughters.
