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Week 16 (8/7/99): Albany vs Grand Rapids |
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'Birds go on a Rampage
ALBANY - Mike Pawlawski took exactly what the Grand Rapids Rampage were willing to give him Saturday night, and, as a
result, everybody seemed to play a big role in the Albany Firebirds' 55-45 playoff win before 10,671 fans at Pepsi Arena.
"They didn't really take anything away from us, but they had to pick their poison," said Pawlawski, who threw four touchdown
passes and finished with 24 completions in 34 attempts for 280 yards. "They tried to take Eddie [Brown] out of it, but we have
other weapons, and they really didn't stop Eddie, either."
Eighth-seeded Orlando Predators upset the top-seeded Tampa Bay Storm, 35-19, giving
third-seeded Albany a home playoff game in the second round next Saturday afternoon at 3:30 at Pepsi Arena against the Arizona
Rattlers.
Firebirds coach Mike Dailey said he didn't pay attention to any of the partial scores announced during the game, but he did take
heed when the final score of the Orlando-Tampa Bay contest was announced with about two minutes left in the game.
"Obviously, I wanted to hear the score, but I didn't want to think too far in advance," said Dailey with a big smile. "I heard it at the
end, but we still had a game to win."
The Firebirds seemed in control early in the fourth period when Tim Brown's three-yard run helped the hosts to a 48-31 lead with
9:03 left in the game. But in Arena football, that much time can seem like an eternity.
"If you get comfortable in this game, you're probably a fool," said Dailey. "They [the Rampage] played hard. I thought it was a real
war, especially with the people up front."
Pawlawski echoed his coach's sentiments.
"It's never a done deal in this game," said Pawlawski. "It's never over until the final whistle blows."
The Rampage jumped out to a a 7-0 lead by taking the game's opening kickoff and going 36 yards in just four plays, most of it
coming on a 33-yard pass from quarterback Craig Kusick to former Firebird David McLeod.
The Firebirds tied the game on their first possession, and after a defensive stop, scored another touchdown to take the lead for
good.
It was catch-up time the rest of the way for the Rampage, and while they made things exciting in the fourth period, it would have
taken a big Albany mistake for Grand Rapids to have a serious shot at winning the game.
"Albany's a very good team, and they pass-protected better than I thought they would," said Grand Rapids coach Mike Trigg.
"They made some big plays, and we had some chances, but never got it accomplished. I didn't think our defense would let them
score 70 points, and it didn't, but we didn't quite stay with them."
The Firebirds shut out the Rampage in the third period, making one key defensive stop and also controlling the ball offensively
while putting two touchdowns on the board.
Ahead, 27-24, Albany opened the second half by marching 39 yards in eight plays, with Jon Krick bowling over from one yard out
on fourth down to help the Firebirds take a 34-24 advantage.
Some defensive pressure by the Firebirds' Joe Jacobs on Kusick, and a fine play in the secondary by Derek Stingley forced the
Rampage to settle for Remy Hamilton's 60-yard field-goal attempt on the next series. The kick was short and off to the left, with
Jay Jones returning the ball to the Albany 17.
Eight plays later, Pawlawski passed to Greg Hopkins for a six-yard touchdown, and after Don Silvestri's extra point conversion,
Albany led, 41-24.
"That's why we deferred, because we were hoping we'd have a little lead, get the ball to start the second half and then widen our
lead," said Dailey.
Although he didn't score a touchdown, Eddie Brown led the Firebirds with nine catches for 125 yards. Hopkins had three
touchdowns and seven receptions for 82 yards, and Jay Jones added six catches for 48 yards. Van Johnson also scored for
Albany, hauling in a six-yard touchdown from Pawlawski.
"They got a sack, and we knew they were a good rush team," Pawlawski said of the Rampage. "They stopped us three times, and
we shouldn't have let that happened. So we have to shore up a few things. We have to take it to another level the next two games.
"We played hard, and were very professional about it," added Pawlawski. "But there was some emotion out there. This wasn't just
another football game."
Arizona earned its trip to Albany next Saturday by beating the Nashville Kats Saturday night, 34-30.
Notebook |
