Banged-up Olson ready to play

When Spokane Shock receiver Andy Olson was shaken up after flying head-first into the dasherboards at Selland Arena on Saturday, the last place one would have expected to see him Tuesday morning was back on the field practicing at Shock headquarters.

But that’s where Olson was, despite a sore neck and a nasty scrape on his knee. Throughout his career at Western Washington University and W.F. West High school in Chehalis, Wash., Olson had never experienced the type of collision he did against Central Valley in Fresno, Calif. The padded dasherboards that surround the field are unique to arena football.

“I jammed my neck pretty good and had a little bit of tingling,” Olson said. “I wasn’t sure if I should move or not. I was kind of in shock for a second, so I just stayed there and waited.”

Olson eventually left under his own power, but he didn’t return.

“As soon as he reached out he was pushed in the back,” Shock coach Adam Shackleford said. “It wasn’t a dirty play, just a well-timed play by the defensive back. More important than the win is the fact that he’s OK and he got up and walked away. Some of the guys were a little shaken up by it.”

Including Olson, who said he’s never suffered a concussion. He didn’t Saturday, but he has a stiff neck and a stinger. Olson didn’t lose feeling in his limbs. He’s been checked out by the team’s medical staff and also had a session with a chiropractor after Tuesday’s practice.

“My neck is pretty stiff – to turn to the right hurts pretty bad,” Olson said, “but I’ll be fine by Saturday.”

The Shock visit Lubbock (Texas) on Saturday.

Receiver en route

Spokane is expected to add Mutsumi Takahashi, a 5-foot-7, 180-pound receiver from Japan, to its roster May 9. The Shock face Boise on May 10, but Takahashi probably won’t play until the May 17 contest with Tri-Cities.

“He’ll be the quickest, fastest guy we have on the field, and he’s a tremendous kick returner,” Shackleford said.

Takahashi played for Shackleford with the af2 Cincinnati Swarm in 2003 and then was with the New York Dragons for three years. In May 2006, he became the first Japanese player to appear in a game in AFL history.

“The reason he’s agreed to come here is because compared to a lot of cities this is as close to Japan as he can get with a flight from Japan to Seattle and then here,” Shackleford said. “With him and Raul (Vijil) on the field at the same time, we’ll have two quick guys that can run screens and I think it’ll free up Raul a little bit.”

Finding a way

A lot of things went wrong for the Shock against Central Valley. They blew most of a 21-point lead, had a high number of dropped passes and their running game was fairly quiet.

“We dropped too many passes,” Shackleford said. “At times we got the ball out too late and we gave up some pressure. But I really think our pass rush has been our lifesaver and we need to get everybody else up to speed. It’s a sign of a good team when you can battle through all those problems and make mistakes and have the injury to Andy and still find a way to win.”

Shackleford said the defense’s goal each game is to allow 49 points or less. Spokane has achieved that in three of four games, the exception a 55-51 win over Tri-Cities. The Shock forced 17 turnovers in their first three games, but none against the Coyotes. Still, Central Valley needed 33 second-half points to get to 40 and Spokane held receiver Nichiren Flowers in check. He had just five catches for 26 yards.

“We tell our guys the most important thing is not getting picks, it’s making plays,” Shackleford said.

Notes

Fullback Katon Bethay (knee) didn’t play Saturday. “The doctors felt if we could buy him time for one more week it’d be effective for him and his longevity the rest of the season,” Shackleford said. … Defensive lineman Jason Jack (knee) will miss at least one more game. Defensive lineman Devon Parks (ankle) sat out Tuesday’s practice but is expected to play Saturday.