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2000 Season Game 1 (4/13/00): Albany @ Nashville |
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'Birds launch defense
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Boss was in town this week. So were the Albany Firebirds, who showed they're still the bosses of the Arena Football League, until another team can prove otherwise.
Mike Pawlawski and game Most Valuable Player Eddie Brown both tied Arena single-game records as the Firebirds held off the Nashville Kats 76-65 in the Arena Football League regular-season opener Thursday night in the first prime-time game on The Nashville Network.
Pawlawski threw 10 touchdown passes and Brown had seven scoring receptions, each tying his league record, as the Firebirds successfully began defense of their league title in front of 11,716 fans at the Gaylord Entertainment Center, on the same floor where Bruce Springsteen had played the night before.
Pawlawski, who completed 29 of 33 passes for 379 yards with no interceptions, fired a 6-yard scoring pass to Brown with 21 seconds left to tie both records.
Pawlawski credited the job done by his offensive line, which didn't allow a sack against a Nashville defensive line that includes 1999 Defensive Player of the Year James Baron and 1997 Lineman of the Year Carlos Fowler.
"The protection was fantastic," said Pawlawski, who added he felt fine in his first full game back from major off-season neck surgery. "The linemen did a great job tonight. This is an exceptional group of linemen. I can't say enough about them. And then our receivers were just incredible. They were getting so wide open."
Especially Brown, who caught 12 passes for 235 yards.
"Every game we're defending our crown," Brown said. "So it's a championship game every game. We'll be champions again until next Saturday."
The victory was also significant for the Firebirds because it put down a challenge by the Kats, who were widely chosen as one of the teams who could take the title from the Firebirds this season.
"Every team is coming to get us," Firebirds lineman Kyle Moore-Brown said. "They should. We were champs last year and we're out here to try to repeat."
Albany wide receiver/linebacker Greg Hopkins, who caught two touchdown passes, was named the game's Ironman.
It was Albany's third victory in a row in Nashville, though this time the Firebirds led the entire second half and didn't need last-second heroics. The Firebirds prevailed on a Pete Elezovic field goal at the buzzer in 1998, and Eddie Brown's Hail Mary with no time left pulled out last year's game.
The Firebirds held a 34-31 lead at halftime and scored 21 points in the third quarter, all on Pawlawski touchdown passes, to take a 55-45 lead entering the fourth.
The Firebirds had a chance to put the game away in the fourth quarter when they held a 10-point lead and had the ball on the Kats' 5. But for the first time all game, a Firebirds drive ended without a touchdown. Pawlawski fumbled as he accidentally collided with tight end Chris Snyder, and Nashville linebacker Darryl Hammond at the Kats' 5 with 12 minutes left.
Nashvile scored off the turnover when, on 3rd-and-goal, Nashville quarterback Andy Kelly hit former University of Tennessee teammate Cory Fleming for a 7-yard touchdown to cut Albany's lead to 55-52.
The Kats' resurgence had barely started when Firebirds receiver Eddie Brown, the Offensive Player of the Year last season, smothered it.
Brown grabbed a 45-yard touchdown pass on Albany's first play from scrimmage, running down the middle, splitting Nashville's Kirk Pointer and Carl Greenwood and hauling in Pawlawski's pass at the 10 for a 62-52 lead.
Nashville's final chance died on a wild play. Fleming caught a long pass at the Albany 4 and looked like he'd score. But he was stripped by Albany's Carl Sacco, and after a wild chase, Albany linebacker Leroy Thompson fell on the ball in the end zone for a touchback
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