Blizzard started to warm up in May
The learning curve can be steep in arenafootball2, something the Green Bay Blizzard found out in the first six weeks of the season.
The Blizzard were stumbling along at 2-4, looking more like a last-place team than a future ArenaCup participant, but head coach Bob Landsee didn’t reach for the panic button. He used to block Reggie White in practice with the Philadelphia Eagles, so he’s no stranger to adversity.
“It was just a matter of these young kids learning the game,” Landsee said. “We didn’t have a lot of experience in the arena game. We had a lot of young guys with a lot of talent, but they hadn’t played a lot.”
Green Bay started to turn around its season in May when it drubbed Macon 53-19 and followed that with a goal-line stand in the final seconds to hold off rival Quad City 40-35. The Blizzard, once in fourth place in their five-team division, won eight of their last 10 games to capture the American Conference East and the conference’s second seed.
Green Bay opened the playoffs with a win over af2 defending champion Memphis and then went on the road to knock off No. 1 seed Florida 60-47, earning a date with Spokane in the Arena Cup on Saturday in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
“One of the things I say a lot is coaches coach and players play,” said Landsee, who also made a couple of key acquisitions to bolster the roster. “They’re applying the things they’ve learned.”
Green Bay is considered one of af2’s most physical teams, not surprising given Landsee’s background as an NFL lineman. The Blizzard led the league in rushing (39.2 yards per game) and rushing touchdowns (46). Peter Lazare, who is listed at 275 pounds, rushed for a team-high 17 touchdowns, third most in af2.
The offensive line yielded just 11 sacks in the regular season, tying Spokane for fourth fewest in af2.
“They’re solid,” said Landsee, acknowledging that he’s “probably their biggest critic.”
The Blizzard’s defensive line impresses Shock quarterback Kyle Rowley.
“They’re always pretty good up front,” said Rowley, who played against Green Bay when he was a member of the Manchester Wolves in early April. “That’s something we’re going to have to game plan for.”
Green Bay quarterback James MacPherson lost the starting job early in the season to arena football veteran Ronnie Gordon, who triggered a midseason rally before suffering a broken finger against Stockton on June 10.
MacPherson has been “tremendous” since returning to the lineup, Landsee said. “He works as hard as anyone on this team.”
The Wake Forest graduate completed 17 of his first 18 passes in the win over Florida. MacPherson was 15 of 23 in preseason games with the 2003 Indianapolis Colts, but wasn’t on the team’s active roster during the season.
Brent Holmes, Luke Leverson and Robert Garth caught between 55-59 passes. All three were in double digits for touchdowns. The Blizzard topped af2 in yards per completion (13.4) and were efficient in the red zone (86.7 percent).
Defensive specialist David Crocker and Lazare, who also plays linebacker, were second-team All-American Conference selections. Former Washington Husky Gerald Harris, a receiver/linebacker, has made 22 receptions and 16.5 tackles. Kicker Dallas Pelz is 13 of 19 on postseason PATs after making 43 of 51 during the regular season.
Landsee stresses team over individual, to the point that he’s somewhat uncomfortable talking about specific players.
“I guess I’m a true offensive lineman in that sense. Everyone wanted to talk to (Ron) Jaworski and (Randall) Cunningham when I played,” he said. “We’re very fortunate where we are. It’s not always the team that has the best record over the year. Sometimes it’s the team that’s playing the best at the end. We’re playing Spokane and they’re playing tremendous, so we’re going to have our hands full.”
Notes
Spokane players Jesse Hendrix and Isaiah Trufant were honored by the league. Hendrix was chosen the Ironman of the Week and Trufant the Defensive Player of the Week for their performances in the Shock’s playoff victory over the Arkansas Twisters Saturday.