No Storybook Ending for Fire Against Bakersfield
Kevin Sedelmeier
Sunday June 8, 2003
Perhaps the Kusanti Abdul-Salaam kick off return for a TD on the opening play of the game should have been an obvious hint of foreshadowing from a novice screenwriter, but the Fire didn’t buy into it, cutting the lead to 12-10 at the end of the first quarter after a Marc Samuel field goal and a James Dawson TD run. The second quarter included two stellar plays, including Dennis Fryzel’s tough TD catch in traffic and Arkee Thompson’s interception of a two-point conversion attempt and return for two Fie points. The sure-handed Fryzel was one of the few fire bright spots for the Fire, finishing with 6 catches for 68 yards, catching everything thrown his way.
And then came halftime … and the mayhem ensued … but not before QB Josh Rogers hit Jerry Dorsey with a 45-yard touchdown two-and-a-half minutes in the second half. That’s when the movie – and maybe the players - started losing focus. First there was a touchdown intercepted and returned for a touchdown and then a fumble recovered off a bad hoop on a kickoff for another Blitz touchdown. Entering the fourth quarter it was 49-34, and although the Blitz scored the only seven points in the quarter, the Fire’s inability to move and hold on to the football meant the final buzzer would be a merciful end to a game that was really as story of two halves.
Again turnovers played a major role in the Fire’s downfall. In total, there were five Fire turnovers. Dorsey, last year’s defensive specialist, who now plays both receiver and defensive back, summed it up well. “We just got to stop turning over the ball, and we’ll win the game.” When asked about the same thing, Head Coach Tommy Johnson looked frustrated. “Turnovers, penalties – it drives me nuts,” he said matter of factly, but remaining calm as usual.
Indeed, this team seems to be susceptible to derailments. “We don’t respond well to adversity… and we haven’t put a full game together all year, said Rogers. He added, “And when something goes wrong, everyone hangs their head and it’s the snowball effect.” He’s right. In most games this season, the Fire has hung with their opponent, competing with or leading them. And then something happens, and the carnage begins. The obvious culprit is turnovers. Then there are the penalties. For instance, the Fire was called for an illegal formation penalty, something that seems unnecessary in the tenth game of the season. “It’s not physical. It’s a mental thing,” said Johnson.
While it’s difficult to say what exactly it will take for the Fire to start responding to adversity on the field, reducing turnovers is a quick answer, but that’s easier said than done. Despite the head shaking and mutual displeasure the team feels, something needs to change to end the Fire’s four-game losing streak. And with a trip to Quad City scheduled for next week, it’s not going to get any easier. Still, the Fire hasn’t written off this season yet. Kicker Marc Samuel said, “I think toward the end of the year, you’re going to see us as a team come together and fight through that (adversity) and win those kind of ball games,” he said after booting two field goals in the loss. “We’re not doing it now, but I believe our players are champions, and we’re going to succeed.”
At the end of one movie that has a happy ending, The Muppet Movie, those sage, furry puppets sing, “Life’s like a movie, write your own ending, keep believing, keep pretending, we’ve done just what we set out to do.” The Fire hope to do just that by playing two solid halves of football, eliminating turnovers, and believing in themselves in the face of their often self-created adversity.
Smoke Signals
Arkee Thompson’s interception return of a two-point conversion not only reminded many that the crowd isn’t always sure of the rules (which is completely forgivable), it implicated the officials as well. They were very slow in signaling it as a two-point conversion – even though it’s not a ruling unique to the indoor game. Speaking of officials – and really this game’s officiating was better than most – they seemed to let QB Josh Rogers take his share of questionable lumps. (That however, is not an anomaly this season.) More than once, the impressive and relentless Blitz line seemed to whack him in the head – obvious NFL penalties. In response to this game and the entire season, Rogers said, “They (officials) don’t care, they don’t see it, or they don’t care to see it.”
In the second quarter, Fire receiver Torrey Day leaped into the crowd attempting to grab a sideline pass. In doing so, he struck a fan in the front row. Blood immediately appeared on the patron’s face, and an official’s timeout was called as the man got medical attention. But it’s not bad news for Day. This week, he attends an invitation-only workout for the Buffalo Bills.
Kicker Marc Samuel has mastered the art of kickoffs. In the first half, three of four consecutive kickoffs not only went through the uprights but were non-returnable.
Despite the disappointing result, the game offered one bright spot for Coach Johnson. “The positive thing we can take out of this – our defensive secondary played a lot better.”
QB Pookie Jones was back in uniform last night, and although he didn’t play, he is reported to be back in great shape and fully recovered from a rib injury suffered early in the season.
Stick with me on this one. Bakersfield is often known for its music scene of long ago, and Buck Owens comes to mind as the main figure during its heyday. During his time on Hee Haw, Owens and Roy Clark would rise from a cornfield and yell “Sal-ute!” in honor of a guest’s hometown. Well, if you were that lone fan, sitting all by himself in spacious section 338 of Freedom Hall, watching the game until the final play, you deserve a “Sal-ute!”
Kevin Sedelmeier is a native Louisvillian. A graduate of the University of Louisville with a B.A. in Communication and M.A. in English, he works as a technical writer and has written fifteen screenplays and numerous short
stories. He lives with his wife Elizabeth, son Lukas, and their dog Springsteen.