By Charlie Leffler
Ex- Cardinals are looking to light a Fire
By Charlie Leffler
Sports Editor
The saying goes that variety adds spice to life. If that is true, then sports fans can certainly serve themselves up a savory serving of athletics by watching the Louisville Fire football team. While the arenafootball2 Fire may not be the best team in the league yet, they certainly hold the edge when it comes to the most unique professional sport in the city. I mean, where else can you see the game ball delivered to midfield in a limo?
Of course like regular football, the object of the game is to get the ball into the end zone. It’s just the route and the dimensions that af2 takes that make the game interesting. Af2 appears to be a combination of football, basketball, rugby and a half dozen other sports.
The field itself is only 50 yards long and 85 feet wide, half the dimensions of a standard football playing surface. The goalposts are only nine feet wide with a crossbar set at 15 feet. In comparison, NFL goals are 18 1/2 feet wide and the bar stands at 10 feet. So, kicking a fieldgoal in af2 is like threading a needle with a piece of rope.
The potential of a rowdy ruckus between teams is greatly enhanced by placing the benches five feet apart on the same side of the field. Of course, you can’t leave the coaches out of the ruckus. In af2, the coaches do not strut the sidelines, but the actual surface of the field while play commences. Often the coaches are standing side by side yelling instructions to their players and cursing one another at the same time. Arena announcer Shayne Duvall said that he’s never seen the coaches fight but would not be surprised if it did happen.
To add to the revelry, the north end zone in Freedom Hall is cordoned off for season ticket holders to party. With small round cafe tables and a well stocked bar, the rowdy fans are only separated from the playing field by a metal barricade.
Other interesting facts about af2 are any ball that goes into the stands over the 48 inch barrier can be kept. The league does ask that you return players though. Unlike standard football, the receiver can go into forward motion before the ball is snapped. During Friday night’s game against Quad City, nearly every offensive play was run in such a manner and the timing was to perfection because the ball is snapped just as the receiver reaches the scrimmage line. Not once was there an off-sides penalty.
Though punting is illegal, it seems that any other kind of kicking is permitted and encouraged. Balls ricochet off the netting, goal posts, walls and players and still remain in play.
And then come the cheerleaders. Being the Fire is only appropriate because these ladies are hot. They are well worth the price of admission by themselves.
As an added bonus, the fans can storm the field after the game regardless if the team wins or loses. That way you can go out there and see that guy you’ve been calling tiny from the stands is one foot and 100 pounds bigger than you are.
Into this madness has been thrust eight ex-Louisville players as well as the head coach, Jeff Brohm.
After spending several seasons in the NFL, Brohm was the leading passer in last year’s wild and wooly XFL. The experimental league may have been just what Brohm needed to make the transition into af2. After his second week leading from the sidelines, the first year head coach says the switch is one he’s still not comfortable with. “Not really,” Brohm said the hardest thing is getting used to losing. “I felt comfortable since day one but when you lose you lose a little bit of your comfort zone.”
Another difficult transition for Brohm is moving from running the plays to calling them. The coach said that he still gets the urge to run out onto the field and play. “A little bit,” said Brohm, “but I try to stay around the coaches. I don’t think about it too much.”
Yet, the players say they are happy with their coach. Matt Pike, a former quarterback at Purdue, now leads the offense for the Fire. “Jeff likes to chuck it down the field,” said Pike, “which I have no problem with at all. He’s learning too, we’re all learning.”
Former Louisville receiver Charles Sheffield says that Brohm is in the same boat as everyone else. “He’s never coached or played in the league so he’s learning by trial and error, really.”
Ibn Green was a favorite receiving target at U of L and because of injury has yet to play with the Fire; but that has not slowed down his enthusiasm. “I’m dying to get out there,” said Green. “I can’t wait. I think I can make a good impact in this league.”
Though he is expected to play in the Fire’s next game, the time on the sidelines has given Green a chance to analyze the game and get a better understanding of it. “Me and coach (Bob) Redman, we talk a lot,” said Green, “and he said it’s more like basketball and football mixed together. He told me to take that approach with it.”
With the excitement and unexpected twists and turns that af2 offers, it makes an entertaining and affordable evening for sports fans throughout the city. Student tickets are only five dollars.
“It’s an exciting game,” said Green. “If you just come and give it a chance you’ll fall in love with it.”
