Final Thoughts on the Fire Season
Kevin Sedelmeier
Thursday September 23, 2004
Talent - The talent level this year was noticeably higher. The offensive line gave up less than a handful of sacks for the season, and on the defensive side, they pressured the opposing quarterbacks with much greater consistency than previous Fire teams. At receiver, the Fire were arguably deeper than any af2 team. While injuries and absences to receivers might have made it difficult at times for QB Matt Sauk to get a good rhythm going with his group, he made the most of it, spreading the ball around to the entire bunch: Tony Stallings, James Scott, Anthony Payton, Dennis Fryzel, and Takuya Furutani, etc.
A Real Team - This team was more unified. They seemed to have fun, and no one had more fun than Derrick Shepard. Every team needs a player like him - excellent on the field and even better off. A gentle giant of sorts. (Please no progressive rock group commentary here.) This team appeared to get along. And being a good team is really an intangible. There are Major League clubs with huge payrolls who do not win – the New York Mets for example. Great players do not necessarily make great teams. The Fire was big on effort and low on ego. That wining character no doubt pleased owner Will Wolford who won his share of games during his NFL career playing with a bunch of high character players and being one himself.
King of the Jungle – Tony Stallings’ King of the Jungle adventure made him miss five games. OK, that’s the really bad part of it, but even though the Fire season is over, Tony is still going strong on the Animal Planet’s King of the Jungle 2 reality show. He has advanced to next week’s season finale. Like he does on the field, Tony is a fierce competitor and a really good, decent guy who doesn’t take cheap shots or play dirty. Sure his reality show competitors know he is a threat because he’s the strongest, fittest challenger, but they also like him a lot. We’ll see what happens Tuesday night on Animal Planet.
AFL – If Tony doesn’t win and get his own show, he still may not be with the Fire next year. Tony, Anthony Payton, and newly acquired kicker Danny Kight have already gotten a lot of interest from AFL teams. In fact, Tony and Anthony are at an invitation-only tryout with the Las Vegas Gladiators this week. You hate to lose players at the af2 level, but you also want what’s best for them and hope they get the chance to move up. In fact, Tony would make an excellent short yardage and 3rd down NFL back, similar to former NFL player and Will Wolford teammate Ronnie Harmon or current Viking and UK grad Moe Williams.
New GM – Mike McCoy is the new General Manager of the Fire. He comes from the af2’s Wichita Stealth, where’s he’s helped take that team to the playoffs two of his four seasons there. The former Kansas State assistant coach brings with him impressive football experience – on and off the field. Former U of L basketball player Chris West has been named Assistant General Manager and Director of Corporate Sales. While fans will miss Dave Arnold, we wish Mike and Chris the best in their new positions, and we hope the Fire can regain the top attendance spot in the league.
Cheerleaders – A year or two ago, there seemed to be twenty or so cheerleaders; this year there appeared to be about half that number. Not sure why the downsizing. Merely an observation.
Radio Disney – They’re fine and all and a nice inclusion for the kids during timeouts in the action, but I’m not sure I can pick up high treble frequencies any longer. My ears long for the sweet release provided by a Dio concert at the old Toy Tiger; even that would have been quieter. Every Disney employee must be given the directive “If you have a microphone, yell as loudly as possible.” Bring the Disney folks back, but turn down their mics.
Merchandise – Sell Fire stuff at local stores. Whether it’s Meijer, Target, Dick’s, wherever, just sell it. Cardboard Heroes in Mall St. Matthews would be a perfect place for merchandise and player signings.
QB Controversy – Last season Matt Sauk took every snap from center. That’s an impressive feat in this day and age of professional football. He’s a tough guy who was blessed with a solid offensive line. So, who would take the snaps was never an issue for Coach Johnson. Hopefully, Matt might be able to convey the importance of having one QB consistently being behind center to build a team’s offensive fluidity to his former college offensive coordinator and current U of L coach Bobby Petrino. Unlike running backs who get breathers and maybe a series off, the QB position is different. It is not so interchangeable. In Stefan LeFors, the Cardinals have the reigning conference player of the year, a smart, accurate passer who’s a great leader and competitor, and the best running Cardinal QB in years. Maybe ESPN.com said it best. “We know Brian Brohm will be a great QB, but doesn`t Stefan LeFors deserve to be the undisputed guy?” Yes! Yes, he does. It is no knock on Brohm at all, but it seems like loyalty to a guy who’s worked hard and wins you games should supercede politics.
Predictions – So much can happen in an af2 off season. It makes predicting next season a tough task. But there is no reason to think the Fire can’t be even better next year. If we lose players to the AFL, or NFL, it will be up to Johnson and new GM McCoy to replace them with similar talent. Needless to say, Louisville is perhaps the most attractive af2 place to play. We were again in the top three in attendance this season and play in the biggest arena in the league, and with Tommy Johnson, players get to play for a young coach who relates well with his roster. So, I’ll say the Fire wins at least 10 games next season. I’ll leave it up to the coach to make a bolder prediction.
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.