By Charlie Leffler
The brilliant smile is still there. The motivation of his positive attitude has not changed. The number 27 is still on his uniform. Though Anthony (Tony) Stallings is no longer playing for the University of Louisville life has not changed a whole lot. Now with the arena2 Louisville Fire, Stallings has moved his spark from one field to fire-up another.
“It’s different,” said Stallings. “This year’s been a learning experience. I still find myself getting disappointed when I don’t do well each game, just like I did at U of L, but I think this is good for a guy that’s just learning the game.”
Hampered by injuries, Stallings has not been able to perform as he hoped but his attitude towards life has not changed in the least. Always positive, always there to cheer on his teammates, always there to motivate others, Stallings still provides a boost to his team whether on or off the field.
With Louisville drawing the largest crowds in arena2, the running back is especially happy to be able to play in front of the hometown fans. He feels that with the style of arena2 they will get to see the real Anthony Stallings.
“Louisville gets to see me at my best, not being held back. The city gets to see me at my best.”
The adjustments to not only professional football but arena2 have taken a little while but Stallings feels that being with the Fire and in Louisville is making the adjustment come about easier.
Though the Fire has only won two games on the season, both wins came after Stallings had joined the team. Alternating playing time with another former Cardinal Anthony Spellman, both running backs remain fresh throughout the game and provide a one-two punch for the offense.
Being with a losing team is nothing new to Stallings. Having been part of Louisville 1-10 season in 1998 Anthony is now being caught up in a sense of deja vu. “I haven’t been a part of this losing in a long time,” said Stallings. “If history repeats itself and I stick around with the Fire maybe we’ll start winning and I can say that I was a part of the turnaround too.”
Yet, playing for the Fire does not only mean playing offense but defense as well. In arena2, players play both sides of the ball. Such a situation is one the Stallings feels that he was born for. Having played both running back and linebacker for U of L, Stallings came into the league with a leg-up on his teammates.
“I felt like God was setting me up for something like this,” said Stallings. “Knowing that arena is an opportunity and I played both defense and offense in college. I felt comfortable knowing that I had to do that.”
The greatest adjustment for Stallings has been blocking on offense. Even though he made similar plays in college the defensive players he must stop are much larger. “That’s part of it, blocking the real, real heavy guys,” said Stallings. “At running back you’re mostly blocking that linebacker. In arena they’re usually like 280, some of them are like 300. I’m 210, but I’ve done well. I’ve made most of my blocks. That’s probably the hardest part about what I’m doing, getting used to blocking the big guy.”
Another adjustment for Stallings is the speed that comes from playing on the smaller arena2 football field. Though the players move no faster than they did in college, the size of the field gives the illusion that they are. “Especially laterally,” said Stallings. “Because this field’s small and that’s the advantage for guys that might not be that speedy, like on the D-line. It’s a league where the D-linemen can run you down pretty good because you ain’t got that much time to get around.”
Yet overall, Stallings feels as if the game will be easy to become acclimated with. “It’s really a simpler game. You don’t need a lot of offensive plays, you don’t need a lot of defensive plays because it’s a lot of man on man.”Another element that has helped Stallings induction into arena2 is having to play under head coach Jeff Brohm. Brohm, a former U of L, NFL, and XFL quarterback relates to the players on a closer level than Stallings has ever dealt with before. “Coach Brohm is cool because he’s a respectful coach,” said Stallings. “He’s down to earth. I don’t know whether it’s because we’re closer in age, but he’s a real cool guy and hard-nosed when he needs to be. I feel like I’ve got a friend.”
Regardless of the record, the Fire has found a spark in Stallings, not only on the playing field, but as a personality that continues light the area when he steps on the field.
The Louisville Fire closes out its season this Saturday, July, 27 in Freedom Hall against the Birmingham Steeldogs at 7:00 p.m. Student tickets are $5.00.
