Neist bides time as rematch looms

Rosters seem to change almost as often as the score in arenafootball2. Nobody knows that better than former Spokane Shock quarterback Alex Neist.

Neist led Spokane to a 9-2 record and No. 1 ranking, but he lost his starting job to Kyle Rowley. When Neist asked for and was granted his release from the Shock in early July, he figured he’d head home, return to his job as offensive coordinator at a high school in Minnesota and begin preparing for the 2007 af2 season.

A phone call from Bakersfield head coach Gary Compton changed Neist’s itinerary. The Blitz needed a replacement for injured starter Bobby Pesavento and Neist, with just two days of practice under his belt, took on the assignment.

Neist led the Blitz to a 2-1 record, one of those wins sealing a playoff berth. Last week the sixth-seeded Blitz rallied in the fourth quarter to upset No. 3 Central Valley 45-37, earning a date with top-seeded Spokane at 7 p.m. Saturday in the Arena and Neist another shot at his former employer.

Well, sort of.

Neist started against Central Valley, but was pulled early in the second quarter and watched while Pesavento guided the comeback victory. Neist hasn’t been told who will start Saturday, but he assumes it’ll be Pesavento, who has recovered from a knee injury.

“I’m a little upset with myself,” said Neist, who was 1 for 7 before Pesavento was summoned. “Whatever is best for the team is what matters. I know coach and Bobby have a great relationship and Bobby knows this offense a lot better than I do.

“I wish I could have my shot against them, but another day, another time.”

Neist reflected on his time in Spokane with little trace of bitterness. While he didn’t agree with Coach Chris Siegfried’s decision to start Rowley, Neist said his stay with the Shock was beneficial.

“I took a lot of good things out of it and it was a great opportunity for me,” said Neist, who had 44 touchdown passes and compiled a 107.1 passer rating with Spokane. “It was my first time as a starter in af2 and it’s just too bad I couldn’t have finished it out the way I would have liked. It’s a little disappointing that I couldn’t keep it going, but it is what it is. Everybody is replaceable.”

Neist’s role this week probably will be to provide information on Spokane’s plays and players.

Siegfried said he won’t alter his play-calling, but he might be a little more careful with how he relays information to Rowley.

“They know what we’re going to run and we know what they’re going to do on defense,” Siegfried said. “I’m not going to reinvent the wheel because Alex is on their team.”

Notes

Shock defensive back Isaiah Trufant (hamstring) missed practice Monday. “I’d say 50-50 would be optimistic for Saturday,” Siegfried said. … Defensive back Anthony Griffin, an Eastern Washington University grad along with Trufant, is out with a groin/abdominal injury. … Linebacker/fullback Andrew Dorsey has been activated from the short-term injury list, but his status for Saturday hasn’t been determined. Tali “Ryan” Atoe, a former University of Idaho defensive lineman who played in Spokane’s season-ending win over Rio Grande Valley, has been placed on the short-term injury list. … Roughly 6,500 tickets have been sold. Spokane typically fills the 10,000-seat Arena.