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2000 Season Game 5 (5/12/00): Albany vs Buffalo |
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'Birds flatten Destroyers
ALBANY - In the words of Albany linebacker Tim Brown, "pressure breaks pipes.''
On Friday night, pressure also crushed a former NFL quarterback, steamrolled a struggling football team and incensed an opposing coach.
A terrifying pass rush, highlighted by Brown's game-altering and controversial hit on quarterback Browning Nagle, spurred the Firebirds to a 75-23 demolition of the Buffalo Destroyers in an Arena Football game at Pepsi Arena.
"The first half, we really didn't get to the quarterback that much,'' said Brown, named the game's Ironman. "The second half, we really got at it and things really started rolling. Anytime a quarterback in this league gets pressure, they want to get rid of the ball quick. We just kept putting pressure on (Nagle), putting pressure on him and that's when it started going downhill for them.''
The Firebirds (4-1), winning by the third-largest margin in team history, remained in first place in the Eastern Division and washed out the bad taste of last week's three-point loss to New England. Meanwhile, hapless Buffalo fell to 0-5 in ex-Buffalo Bill Ray Bentley's first game as head coach and 1-18 in the franchise's two-year history.
Buffalo's slide started in the third quarter with Albany leading 34-20. But the Destroyers had the ball on the Albany 8 after a 42-yard kickoff return by Darrick Branch.
Nagle, the former New York Jet, dropped back under heavy pressure from Brown, who came in untouched because Buffalo's fullback had left the backfield on a fake toss sweep. Nagle's hurried throw was intercepted by Albany's Greg Hopkins, the game MVP, who ran it back 42 yards for an Albany touchdown and a 41-20 lead with 10 minutes remaining.
Nagle stayed down after the play, his right shoulder aching and his mouth bloodied. Buffalo offensive coordinator Tony Kimbrough, in his first game, was irate and marched across the field to yell at the Firebirds. He felt Brown cheap-shotted Nagle after the play. Buffalo lineman Chris Maumalanga was ejected during the dispute.
"We'll see on the film that their player (Brown) rammed his elbow under (Nagle's) chin,'' Kimbrough said. "It was a dirty play. The player should be fined and he should be suspended for a game. They're Arena Football champions and they're supposed to be the class of the league, but they did some dirty things out there.''
Buffalo's trainer said that Nagle was woozy, but didn't have a concussion. The trainer said Nagle also suffered a strained right shoulder. He was replaced by backup Corey Pullig.
Bentley, the head coach, said that if he sees foul play on the game film, he'll address it with the league office.
"In live action, I didn't see anything wrong there,'' Firebirds coach Mike Dailey said. "If there was a cheap shot, I apologize. I told coach Bentley and coach Kimbrough if there was a cheap shot, I'll address it with our player, but I didn't see it that way. They were in a three-man protection scheme and we rushed four. (Brown) was running unmolested and Nagle got hit right in the chops with what I thought was a clean hit.''
Brown said the hit wasn't dirty.
From there, it snowballed. After falling behind 14-3 after the first quarter, Albany outscored Buffalo 72-9 over the final three quarters, including a 28-0 edge in the third quarter.
After Pullig replaced Nagle, he received the same rough treatment. Dropping back from his own 8, Pullig was sacked by Tim Brown and fumbled. Albany's Jon Krick, who had sacked Nagle for a safety in the second quarter, recovered the ball. On the next play, Brown ran 1 yard for the touchdown that gave Albany a 47-20 lead with 8:32 left.
"You don't want to be on that end because when things start to happen, it seems like a lot of bad things continue to happen,'' said Albany quarterback Mike Pawlawski, who completed 16 of 25 passes for 215 yards and four touchdowns. "A team that's got it together emotionally and that's been there can sometimes stop it and turn it around. But teams that haven't figured out how to do that, when bad stuff starts to happen, it continues to happen.''
Pawlawski, who came out with more than seven minutes left because of the lopsided score, was holding his right side in pain in the locker room. He said his ribs ached and he'll probably have X-rays taken.
The Firebirds allowed their fewest points since a 34-23 victory over Milwaukee on May 10, 1997.
"The 75 points kind of overshadowed what the defense did,'' Hopkins said. "To hold a team in Arena Football to 23 really says something for the defense.''
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