Lexington becomes lead horse in the Midwest

Originally published on ArenaFan.com

Green Bay Blizzard quarterback Collin Drafts connected with wide receiver Antoine Burns for a 34-yard touchdown, which gave Green Bay a 48-43 lead over the Lexington Horsemen.

It appeared the throw accomplished two things. It would help the Blizzard remain on top in the Midwest division, and solidified Drafts, the fourth quarterback the team has used this season, as the starter. 

But the throw only did one of those things because there was still 33 seconds left on the clock.

This was plenty of time for the Horsemen offense to strike once more. On the last play of the game quarterback Eddie Eviston hit wide receiver Tavon McGee on a slant route for the game-winning touchdown, which quickly quieted the 7,258 fans at the Resch Center.

The 49-48 win over the Blizzard (5-3) puts the Horsemen (5-2) in sole possession of first place in the Midwest division and establishes the franchise, which has played the last five seasons in two different indoor leagues, as a force to be reckoned with in arenafootball2.

Eviston was 19 of 36 for 240 yards and seven touchdowns. He was also calm, cool and under center running the Horsemen offense.

The staple of that offense is the shotgun, which the team has used a majority of the time in all of its previous games, but after the first quarter against the Blizzard, head coach Mike Harmon abandoned it.

Was the change the key to winning the game? Maybe, but it completed the Horsemen’s transition from indoor to arena football.

Teams have experimented with the shotgun in the past, and many use it on occasion, but few have ever had success by using it as its base formation in the af2.

Time is precious in the arena game and every second is important. A shotgun snap takes about a half of a second to complete, which is too long. A receiver may have a step on his man by that time and the ball needs to be thrown.

The shotgun also gives defensive ends a straight shot at the quarterback by cutting down the angle of approach. When taking a snap from center a defensive end has to come around and back inside to collect a sack, but in the shotgun it’s a straight line.

But going under center didn’t seem to help protect Eviston against the Blizzard defense, which coming into this week was second in the af2 in sacks with 22.

The Blizzard added five more against the Horsemen, but it wasn’t enough to stop Eviston from connecting with his cast of receivers on a number of quick strikes.

Four different Horsemen receivers caught at least one touchdown, and three had at least five catches.

“Nobody was having a good night,” said Blizzard defensive back Nate Green.

Green Bay used four different combinations of defensive backs in the game, and most of those substitutions happened in the fourth quarter. The team was once again without Donnie Amadi because of injury, and at one point used wide receiver Steve Gonzalez at cornerback, a position Gonzalez hasn’t played heavily since college.

“Eddie knows when to throw it just as the receiver breaks and puts the ball where only his guy can get it,” Green said.

Green played for the Horsemen from 2003-2004, and was teammates with Eviston there and at Georgetown College.

Eviston is an established quarterback in the af2 for the Horsemen, but the Blizzard is still looking for its signal caller, and perhaps Collin Drafts is the guy for the job.

The Green Bay offense sputtered at times, but Drafts had an efficient night connecting on 18 of 28 passes for 259 yards and six touchdowns, but what was more impressive was his pocket awareness. He didn’t force throws and played within the offensive system.

Blizzard head coach Bob Landsee said, however, that the quarterback situation would still be evaluated by who plays best during the week in practice.

A bright spot for the Blizzard was the play of wide receiver Scott Burnoski, who had nine catches for 133 yards and four touchdowns. He’s coming off an injury and this was his second game back.

“He would probably rather have no catches and a win,” Landsee said.

The Blizzard didn’t get the win in this one and lost the division lead to the Horsemen, but if Drafts turns out to be the guy at quarterback, the game could have marked an important step in ultimately winning the Midwest division.

Because after all, there’s still plenty of time in the season to determine who wins it.

The Oldest Rivalry in af2

Originally published on ArenaFan.com

When the Green Bay Blizzard and Peoria Pirates meet on Saturday night it will be a match up of the oldest rivalry in arenafootball2.

Well kind of.

It’s not the NFL’s Chicago Bears-Green Bay Packers rivalry that has gone on for almost 90 years, but it’s the closest thing to it in the af2.

The two squads have only met four previous times during the 2003 and 2004 seasons, but the history between these two cities and the 50-yard game go back to 1999, which is one year before the inaugural season of the af2 in 2000.

As you probably know there are a number of offshoot indoor football leagues that try to compete with the af2, and often they go defunct and sometimes teams from those leagues become part of the af2, like the Lexington Horsemen this year coming from the United Indoor Football league (UIF).

The first indoor league that was formed was in 1998. It was called the Professional Indoor Football League (PIFL), and it had eight franchises that spanned the United States, including one in Hawaii.

But travel cost and bad ownership doomed the league and only four franchises made it to the end of the season. Two of those were located in Wisconsin and were owned by Keary Ecklund, the Green Bay Bombers and the Madison Mad Dogs.

Ecklund became disgusted during the season at how the PIFL tried to compete in big cities that had Major League Baseball franchises, and towards the end of the season announced plans to start a new league for 1999, which was called the Indoor Football League (IFL).

The concept of the IFL was to be a regional league that could provide affordable family entertainment and give local players a chance to continue their football careers, and perhaps advance to the next level.

Does that sound familiar?

In 1999 the af2 was also being discussed and designed on the same principle, but the only difference was the af2 had the backing of the Arena Football League and was being planned to have teams mainly in the southeastern part of the country, while the IFL had teams in the upper Midwest.

So, in 1999 the IFL kicked off its season with eight teams, which included the Bombers and Mad Dogs, and six expansion franchises.

The most successful franchise during the regular season was one of the expansion franchises, the Peoria Pirates, who were coached by former Mad Dogs coach Bruce Cowdrey.

Cowdrey led the Pirates to the championship game against Green Bay, and were the heavy favorites heading into the game because they beat the Bombers twice during the regular season.

The Bombers, led by quarterback Nick Browder, who would go on to have a successful AFL career, won 63-60 and a rivalry was born.

The IFL expanded to 20 franchises in 2000, and even had a weekly nationally televised game on the Midwest Sports Channel, which is something the af2 has first secured this season.

Cowdrey and the Pirates won the league’s second and last title because the league ended after the 2000 season.

The IFL didn’t go bankrupt, but was partially bought by members of the AFL’s Orlando Predators ownership group and some of the franchises, including Peoria, joined the af2 in 2001.

Green Bay was left without a franchise because there wasn’t an owner and the Brown County Arena, where the team played its home games, was old and a new facility was being built next to it.

Peoria and Cowdrey would continue to have success in the af2, winning the ArenaCup in 2002.

Green Bay was granted a franchise in 2003 after the new Resch Center was complete, and the rivalry renewed.

Peoria, like most of the af2 in 2003, beat the Green Bay Blizzard twice, but in 2004 the Blizzard beat the Pirates twice.

After losing to the Florida Firecats in the ArenaCup in 2004, the Peoria Pirates went defunct, and again the Green Bay-Peoria rivalry came to a standstill again.

Peoria would get an indoor football franchise in one of the offshoot leagues during the 2005-2006 seasons, but struggled and it was certainly a rough ride for Peoria arena football fans during that period.

This all leads to 2008. 

The Peoria Pirates are back and will renew their rivalry with a franchise from Green Bay on Saturday, but the IFL’s affect can still be seen on the Pirates, the Blizzard and the af2 today.

I’ll start with the obvious. 

Pirates coach Bruce Cowdrey is still with the team, but he’ll be going up against one of his former players on Saturday as well.

Blizzard defensive coordinator Doug Lytle played defensive tackle for the Pirates in 1999 before going on to have a successful AFL career.

“The big thing about that league is it gave me a chance,” Lytle said after a recent Blizzard practice in the Green Bay Bombers’ old home the Brown County Arena.

Most of the Blizzard coaching staff has ties to the IFL.

Head coach Bob Landsee was an assistant for the Mad Dogs in 1999 before going on to the AFL’s Milwaukee Mustangs.

Defensive backs coach Sammy Walker was part of the Bombers organization. He was supposed to play for the team during one of its seasons, but he blew out his achilles tendon and became a player consultant for the team instead.

Current Blizzard wide receiver Coco Blalock actually played for the Mad Dogs in 1999.

The IFL-af2 ties don’t end there, however, as many af2 squads probably have at least one coach who either played or coached in the league.

Troy Biladeau, head coach of the Quad City Steamwheelers, and Chris MacKeown, head coach of the Amarillo Dusters, both were head coaches in the IFL, Biladeau with the Wichita

Warlords and MacKeown with the Dayton Skyhawks.

The Dusters actually started in the IFL as well, but they played in the Intense Football League, which began play in 2004 and is not associated or should be confused with the Indoor Football League.

The most successful player to come out of the league was wide receiver Sedrick Robinson. He played for the Pirates in 1999 and is still playing today for the AFL’s Tampa Bay Storm.

But the biggest thing that came out of the IFL was the start of the Peoria-Green Bay rivalry.

That rivalry was enhanced earlier this season when wide receiver Robert Garth joined the Pirates. Garth spent four seasons with the Blizzard, and was a fan favorite.

For most af2 fans the Blizzard-Pirates game on Saturday is just another game, but to me it’s the oldest rivalry in the af2.

Blizzard Ground Barnstormers

Originally published on ArenaFan.com

Wisconsin and Iowa, the two states respect each other, but when it comes to football both want to pound the other into submission.

That’s what the Green Bay Blizzard had to do to beat the Iowa Barnstormers 41-18 in front of 6,881 fans at the Resch Center on Friday night.

“It looked like an outdoor game today,” said Blizzard head coach Bob Landsee.

This game wasn’t your typical high scoring and fast paced arena game that most fans are used to seeing, but it was a good start in the Blizzard-Barnstormers rivalry.

The first drive for the Barnstormers (2-3) would foreshadow how their night was going to be.

Quarterback Joe Brannen was sacked by Blizzard defensive end Joe Sykes on second down to back the Barnstormers inside their own two-yard line. After failing to gain any yards on third down Iowa tried a 64-yard field goal, but kicker Jeff Glas hit the scoreboard instead of the nets, and that was the most action the scoreboard saw the entire first quarter.

Both teams struggled to move the ball the rest of the quarter and combined for five missed field goal attempts.

The first signs of offense for either team came at the start of the second quarter when Blizzard fullback Tyree Young caught a screen pass and was able to break a few tackles as he made his way inside the Iowa ten yard line, but he fumbled the ball and Iowa recovered.

The Barnstormers again couldn’t move the football and attempted a 55-yard field goal. Glas hit a low-lining kick, which appeared to be intended as a defensive kick to give the Blizzard bad field position on the next drive, but it sailed to the bottom of the crossbar and hit it and went over as it popped up and in to give Iowa a 3-0 lead.

Iowa wouldn’t score again until there was 49 seconds left in the third quarter.

The Blizzard (4-2) would get on the scoreboard on its next possession when Young scored on a 16-yard run and the Blizzard wouldn’t look back after that point.

This was Young’s first game with the team this year. He played last year with the Blizzard, but didn’t return to the team until this week.

Blizzard head coach Bob Landsee said earlier in the week at practice that Young solidifies the fullback position for the team, and will give it an added boost.

He was correct because Young rejuvenated the Green Bay running attack as he had 10 carries for 70 yards and two touchdowns. Fullback/Mac linebacker Gus Tyson also had two carries for 12 yards and two touchdowns.

Landsee has prided himself on being able to run the football in goal line situations, and this year it didn’t seem he had the confidence in fullback Jeremy Sheffey, who was placed on injured reserve this week after injuring his knee against the Quad City Steamwheelers, to do so.

The Blizzard offense needed to run the football in this game because quarterback Ryan Porter over threw a lot of passes to open receivers.

Porter did show he has nice touch on his deep ball and it allowed wide receivers Antoine Burns and Quorey Payne to make a few plays on Iowa defenders.

Burns was activated this week because the Blizzard’s top two receivers, Steve Gonzalez and Scott Burnoski, were sidelined again with injuries.

Porter was 12 of 27 passing for 213 yards and two touchdowns, but also had two interceptions.

He replaced Shane Adler as the starter last week, and Adler was traded this week to the Mahoning Valley Thunder. Collin Drafts, who was acquired in a trade from the Arkansas Twisters, was activated this week and will likely get a chance if he proves himself in practice.

“We need to start looking ourselves in the mirror and figure out who’s going to play and who’s not going to play,” Landsee said. “I think there is just too much procrastinating and assignments being messed up.”

Green Bay’s defense, which came into the game ranked number one overall in arenafootball2, again bailed out the offense.

It held the Iowa offense to 192 yards and combined for six sacks.

“You haven’t seen the best yet,” defensive end Joe Sykes said. 

Sykes had two sacks, which gives him 7.5 on the season, and Tyler Birkley also had two. Birkley was filling in at defensive end for the injured Kory Lothe.

For the Barnstormers, it was surprising that head coach John Gregory didn’t use Tim Dodge and Jack Walker Jr. on offense.

Both players have been on the af2 Ironman team in the past and made their names in the arena game with the Steamwheelers. The only pass that either caught was by Walker, but that was an interception from Porter.

The game may have been ugly to watch, and seemed to resemble a Big Ten match up between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Wisconsin Badgers, the Badger marching band was even at the game, instead of an arena football game, but for the Blizzard it’s another win in the tough Midwest division.

Coach Landsee collected his 25th win as a head coach in the af2, and Young’s 70 yards rushing set a new single-game record for the Blizzard.

The Blizzard remains at the top of the Midwest division with the victory, but if it wants to stay there it will have to find the quarterback that can keep them there.

“Special teams did a better job tonight, defense did the job, offense, were stale,” Landsee said.

“We need to just complete that full-house of getting that third part of the game.”

The Blizzard renews its rivalry with the Peoria Pirates on Saturday, May 10th at the Carver Arena. The two squads haven’t played each other since 2004.