Just the tip of the iceberg

Originally published on ArenaFan.com

It seems like it was just a case of a good team beating a struggling team, but the win on Friday night over the Mahoning Valley Thunder was much more than that for the Green Bay Blizzard.

The Blizzard (9-3) beat the Thunder (2-10) 69-27, and scored on all 11 of its possessions.

It’s not rare to see that happen in arena football, and often it’s considered the norm for how most successful franchises are able to beat teams with a losing record, but it’s not the norm for the Blizzard, at least not yet.

Green Bay was averaging 46.7 points per game, which ranked 15th in arenafootball2 entering Week 13 of the season.

The offense also committed five turnovers in each of its last two games, but still managed to win because of the af2’s number one ranked defense.

A good example of this was two weeks ago in the game against the Iowa Barnstormers. The Blizzard trailed 37-40 in the fourth quarter, but won 46-40. All nine of the Blizzard’s points needed to win the game were scored by the defense.

So yes, in a game built around offense, the Blizzard have been anything but the norm.

“Offensively we never clicked, until finally tonight,” said Blizzard head coach Bob Landsee.

Quarterback Collin Drafts led the offensive attack for the Blizzard, throwing for 143 yards and four touchdowns, and midway through the third quarter, with the score 45-21, he took a seat. Brian Villanueva came in and kept the offense moving, throwing for 107 yards and three touchdowns.

More importantly, neither threw an interception or fumbled a snap, two things that have stalled the offense too often this season, and was a contributing factor as to why quarterback Shane Adler was starting for the Thunder and not the Blizzard.

Alder started three games for the Blizzard earlier this season, and was traded to Mahoning Valley for making costly mistakes.

Friday night’s game was a chance for Adler to prove that the Blizzard made the mistake of letting him go, but an early fumble by Adler was a mistake foreshadowing how his night was going to go.

Adler was pressured in the pocket throughout the game and threw off target on multiple occasions. He did manage to avoid Blizzard defensive end Joe Sykes, the af2 leader in sacks, until the end of the third quarter when Sykes came around Adler’s blind side to collect his 15.5 sack of the season.

Adler’s night would end with his second interception coming in the final minute of play, which allowed the Blizzard to run the clock out and complete a mistake free game.

The 69 points by the Blizzard was its second highest point total this season. The most the team scored was 72 against the Manchester Wolves in Week 3, but defensive and special teams’ touchdowns contributed to the scoring in the game.

The points put up in the win over the Thunder were the result of an offense finally coming together.

“There’s no science or special thing that happened this week it was just being patient and staying with the things we believe we taught, and it starting to soak in,” Landsee said.

There may not have been any science involved in the Blizzard’s offense coming together, but there seems to be a common formula for what it takes to be a top team in the af2.

Coming into the game the Blizzard was ranked fourth in the af2 Coaches’ Poll. The three teams above them, the Spokane Shock, Tulsa Talons and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers, rank in the top three in scoring, while the Blizzard are not even in the top 10.

“We see a lot of the other big teams that our in first and second place that put up big wins and they are winning by a large number,” said Blizzard wide receiver Anthony Crissinger-Hill. “We felt like we had to get our offense clicking because our defense has been holding us down a lot of games and once we get our offense going and start putting up big numbers the other teams at the top will definitely notice that we are a championship contender.”

The win over the Thunder is a step to achieving that, but the focus remains on taking it one game at a time, according to Landsee, who also said the team can still improve in a lot of areas.

Blizzard Mac linebacker/fullback Gus Tyson agrees.

“It’s just the tip of the iceberg,” Tyson said about the team’s performance against the Thunder and what it’s capable of doing.

The Blizzard season is a lot like an iceberg and you don’t need to be a scientist to figure out how one is formed.

At the bottom of every iceberg is a strong foundation, which gradually builds together and peaks above the surface, with the tip at the top.

Green Bay has collected all the pieces to build a strong foundation, it’s just a matter of peaking at the right time, and being on top at the end of the season.

Blizzard fans got to see what the tip might look like on Friday night.

Green Bay's 'Mighty Warrior'

Orginally published on ArenaFan.com

In the fourth quarter of last Friday night’s game between the Peoria Pirates and Green Bay Blizzard at the Resch Center the score was 45-33. Green Bay was in the middle of a scoring drive that ultimately put the game out of reach. 

The game within the game was still going on, however, between Green Bay guard Aqua Etefia and Peoria defensive end Odell Willis.

It was a battle Etefia won by a landslide, and before the Blizzard sealed the game with its last touchdown, Etefia flexed his left bicep on the way back to the huddle.

The gesture, however, represented so much more than his personal strength and dominance.

Etefia grew up in Nigeria. He said he learned discipline and the importance of hard work from his childhood there, and is very proud of his African heritage.

Etefia’s first name, Aqua, means ‘Mighty Warrior’, which foreshadowed what he would become on the football field, as he has had to battle the critics and scouts who didn’t believe in his talent.

He moved to Miami, Fla. as a young adolescent and began playing football along with his cousin, Blizzard defensive back Edward Kwaku.

The two both spent their early childhood in Africa, but never got to know one another until both moved to southern Florida, according to Kwaku.

“He is like a big brother to me,” Kwaku said. “Kids used to tease me and say things like, ‘Weird African kid,’ but Aqua would make sure that wouldn’t happen.”

The two share their heritage, love for football and a common philosophy – hungry and humble.

“You have to be humble to wait for your blessings and your chance,” Etefia said. “But at the same time you have to be hungry, because you never know who is watching you.”

College recruits were always watching Etefia’s games in high school because the region produced so many talented players.

He recalls playing against Vernon Carey, Willis McGahee and the late-Sean Taylor. All went on to play at the University of Miami and all were first round NFL draft picks.

Etefia was recruited by a number of Division I-A schools, but recruiters looked at his height, 6’2, and decided to pass in favor of taller linemen, even though he was more talented and skilled from playing against elite talent.

He decided to go to Grambling, an all-black Division I-AA College, because he was wanted there and was personally recruited by head coach Doug Williams.

“He told me, ‘I don’t care how tall you are as long as you have heart and can play’,” Etefia said. 

Playing at Grambling still allowed him to be noticed by NFL scouts because the school has a history of producing NFL talent, even though it doesn’t compete in Division I-A.

The football program was built by legendary coach Eddie Robinson, and garnered further attention when Williams, also a Grambling alum, became the first black quarterback to start and win a Super Bowl for the Washington Redskins.

“Wearing that black and gold at Grambling, there’s just something about it,” Etefia said.

NFL scouts worked out Etefia in the spring of 2005, but like many of the college recruiters, they measured his height and not his heart.

In 2006, he played in four games for the Manchester Wolves, and thought his playing days were over after leaving the team.

His cousin, however, wasn’t about to let that happen.

Kwaku played for the Blizzard in 2006, and before he went to NFL Europe for the 2007 season, he told the coaching staff in Green Bay about his cousin.

“I’m riding on his name, and I can’t make him look bad,” Etefia said as he recalls training camp last year with the Blizzard. 

Etefia signed with the team as a defensive tackle, but moved to guard because of a shortage of offensive linemen on the team and excelled to earn a spot with the AFL’s Georgia Force earlier this year.

Georgia has a number of former Blizzard players on its roster, and again, Etefia wanted to represent where he came from.

“I was representing Green Bay, it goes back to the ‘G’ at Grambling, because the ‘G’ stands for greatness,” Etefia said. “I represent that wherever I go.”

The Force, however, released him after a few games into the season, and Etefia found himself back in Green Bay, playing with his cousin, Kwaku, for the first time since high school.

The Blizzard offense has taken great strides since his return this season.

In four games without Etefia, the offense averaged 2.6 yards per rush and 21.5 rushing yards per game. With him it’s averaged 4.6 and 51.4.

He also hasn’t allowed a sack this year or a defensive lineman to bully his quarterback.

In the first quarter against the Pirates last Friday, quarterback Collin Drafts rolled his leg under a diving Pirate defender after throwing a pass. 

The lineman was quickly greeted by Etefia after the play, and probably got the same type of warning like Etefia used to give to those who picked on his cousin when they were kids.

“I play offensive line with a defensive lineman’s mentality,” Etefia said.

Yes, Etefia represents so much more than himself. 

He represents his African heritage, the Miami swagger, the greatness of Grambling and Green Bay, his cousin and a dream.

He is hungry and humble because you never know who is watching.

It would be wise for the team that plays across the street from the Resch Center to watch the ‘Mighty Warrior’ of the Blizzard.

Green Bay has best team performance against Brock and Peoria

Originally published on ArenaFan.com

“This is weird,” said Robert Garth as he stepped up to the podium for the post-game press conference after the Green Bay Blizzard (6-3) defeated the Peoria Pirates 51-33 at the Resch Center on Friday night.

What’s weird about it is a couple of weeks ago he was playing for the Pirates, and was the reason Blizzard kicker Bob Forstrom got a second chance to beat the Pirates with a game-winning field goal in the previous meeting between the two teams in Peoria that Green Bay won 37-36.

Garth lined up at defensive end shaded outside the tackle on Forstrom’s first attempt, which is an illegal defense in arena football, but after a couple of weeks he found himself lining up for the Blizzard once again at Jack linebacker and wide receiver.

“I had butterflies. I was dropping passes in pre-game,” Garth said about his return to Green Bay.

Garth, also known as Superman, played with the Blizzard from 2003-2006.

He was the last original member of the inaugural Blizzard team left in 2006 when Green Bay played in the ArenaCup against the Spokane Shock.

In 2007, he played for the Tri-Cities Fever with quarterback Collin Drafts, who is now the Blizzard’s starting quarterback.

Drafts saw his first action with the Blizzard at Peoria, and since then has taken command of the quarterback job.

He hopes to be the next Blizzard quarterback to lead the team deep into the playoffs after getting the job at the midway point of the season.

In 2006 James MacPherson did it. He was the signal caller for the ArenaCup team, and last year, Zeke Dixon did it too, by leading the team to the American Conference championship game.

The Blizzard is also where Georgia Force quarterback Chris Greisen learned the game of arena football before he broke the single-season record for touchdown passes in 2007 in the Arena Football League.

“I played with Greisen. I played with MacPherson,” Garth said. “Collin ranks right up there.”

Drafts was 18 of 25 for 227 yards and had five touchdowns to three different receivers, and most importantly, no interceptions against the Pirates.

His statistics from Friday’s game say a lot about his talent, but after being knocked out of the game in the first quarter with a knee injury and coming back in to lead the team to the win say even more about his capabilities of being a leader for the team.

“I finally found some true heart in people,” said Blizzard head coach Bob Landsee.

Landsee was talking about the entire team, but specifically pointed out Drafts.

The Pirates (3-6), however, had the best player on the field.

Phillip Brock did everything for Peoria, but drive the bus to Green Bay.

He had eight catches for 115 yards, six rushes for 24 yards, seven kick returns for 77 yards and scored all of the Pirates’ five touchdowns.

“He’s probably one of the best players I’ve seen,” Garth said of his former teammate. “He’s good for the arena game because he so exciting...every time he touches the ball you got a chance of something big happening.”

The problem for the Pirates is the rest of the team totaled 36 yards in rushing, receiving and kick returns, and Brock didn’t score any of his touchdowns in the fourth quarter when the Blizzard finally pulled away from the Pirates.

The Blizzard defense couldn’t stop Brock, but held the Pirates to only 33 points and recorded four sacks. Three of those were by defensive end Joe Sykes, who now has 12.5 on the season and already has set the team’s single-season and all-time record for sacks.

Landsee, however, felt the offense stood out in this game, and called the unit’s play refreshing. He also said Drafts is the guy at quarterback, which means the weekly competition for the job has ended.

It may have taken the Blizzard half of the season to find a quarterback for the third straight season, but is that weird?

No, it’s just a habit, which fans in Green Bay won’t mind if it results in an ArenaCup championship.