Birmingham Steeldogs game notes
April 17, 2006 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Alabama Steeldogs News Release
QUICK FACTS:
Birmingham Steeldogs (1-1)
at Louisville Fire (0-2)
Date: Friday, May 5, 2006
Kickoff: 6:30 p.m. CT
Site: Freedom Hall (15,646)
National Anthem: TBA
Coin Toss: TBA
Officials: Matt Austin (Referee), Conrad Carney(Umpire),
Greg Bradley (Head Linesman), Tommy
Walsh (Line Judge), Todd Ransom (Back Judge)
Radio: WAPI-1070 AM (Matt Coulter and Roger Shultz)
TV: None
Series Record: Tied 3-3
Last Meeting: LOU, 69-61, June 11, 2005 @ BIR
Streaks: Birmingham L1, Louisville L3
Coaches: Ron Selesky (20-14; 1-1 playoffs, 3rd Season
Overall; 1-1, 1st Season in Birmingham)
Tommy Johnson (27-25, - playoffs, 4th Season)
THE STAKES: The Steeldogs are young, and last week against Rio Grande they played like it. After a nearly-disastrous first-half, the team pulled together to scored 24 fourth-quarter points and force overtime. Although the outcome wasn't favorable (a failed two-point conversion ended the proceedings with a one-point loss) the rookie-laden squad showed incredible heart. A win this week in Louisville would be huge for this team, as they adjust to the quickened pace of the indoor game.
THE SERIES: After dominating the series in the early years, the Fire has gotten the better of Birmingham in the past three meetings, dating back to 2003. The last time the Steeldogs defeated the Fire was the final regular-season game of the 2002 season, 77-34.
THE IFs:
If Birmingham defeats Louisville, it would ...
- Give the Steeldogs a 4-3 series record against the Fire
- Give Ron Selesky a 2-1 record with the team, 22-15 overall
- Give the Steeldogs their first road win of the season
- Give Birmingham their first win over the Fire since Tommy Johnson has been the head coach
BIRMINGHAM (1-1, Lost 1)
Date Opponent Result Score
4/8 EVERETT 7:00 W 41-36
4/14 RIO GRANDE 7:00 L 43-44
4/21 @ Louisville 6:30 --- Tied 3-3
Date Opponent Time Streak Series
4/29 @ South Georgia 7:00 SGA 2-1
5/5 LOUISVILLE 7:00 Tied 3-3
5/13 @ Florida 6:30 FLA 4-3
5/20 @ Tennessee Valley 7:30 TV 9-2
5/27 MACON 7:00 Tied 4-4
6/3 @ Everett 9:30 BHM 1-0
6/10 SOUTH GEORGIA 7:00 SGA 2-1
6/17 @ Memphis 7:00 BHM 3-2
6/24 FLORIDA 7:00 FLA 4-3
7/8 @ Rio Grande 7:00 Tied 1-1
7/15 @ Macon 7:00 Tied 4-4
7/22 MEMPHIS 7:00 BHM 3-2
7/29 TENNESSEE VALLEY 7:00 TV 9-2
LOUISVILLE (0-2, Lost 3 dating back to 2005)
Date Opponent Result Score
3/31 @ Wilkes-Barre/Sctn 6:00 L 37-45
4/14 MANCHESTER 6:30 L 34-39
4/21 BIRMINGHAM 6:30 --- Tied 3-3
Date Opponent Time Streak Series
4/29 GREEN BAY 6:00
5/5 @ Birmingham 7:00
5/13 @ Quad City 7:15
5/20 ALBANY 6:00
5/27 @ Tennessee Valley 7:30
6/3 WILKES-BARRE/SCTN 6:00
6/10 SPOKANE 6:00
6/17 @ Albany 6:00
6/23 @ Manchester 6:30
7/8 MEMPHIS 6:00
7/15 QUAD CITY 6:00
7/22 @ Florida 6:30
7/29 @ Green Bay 7:30
HEAD COACHES:
RON SELESKY, BIRMINGHAM STEELDOGS
Head Coach Ron Selesky is an Arena Football League and af2 coaching veteran. He served as the defensive coordinator for the Columbus Destroyers in 2005 under Head Coach Chris Spielman. Prior to that, Selesky spent the 2004 season on the sidelines for the Carolina Cobras, beginning the year as the team's defensive coordinator before finishing the season as the head coach.
Selesky earned af2 Coach of the Year honors in 2002, guiding the expansion Albany Conquest to a regular-season mark of 13-3 and a Northeast Division title. He spent the 2001 season as the head coach of the Louisville Fire, leading the team to a 6-10 mark.
Selesky spent the 2003 season as head coach and director of football operations for the Buffalo Destroyers, prior to the team relocating to Columbus, Ohio. He also served as the director of player personnel and assistant coach for the Tampa Bay Storm from 1997 to 1999. With the Storm, his teams compiled a 31-11 regular season record and earned a berth in the 1998 ArenaBowl.
TOMMY JOHNSON, LOUISVILLE FIRE
Louisville Fire head coach Tommy Johnson, was born in Rome, Ga., and raised in Niceville, Fla. He began his football career as a player at DeFuniak Springs (Fla.) High School. He later transferred to Niceville High School. Johnson then attended the University of Alabama, where he played defensive back. His senior class at U of A was known for having the most wins in a four-year time period (45-5-1). In 1992, he played on the Crimson Tide squad that defeated the University of Miami for the National Championship. Johnson then continued his football career with the Jacksonville Jaguars for a year.
In 2001, Johnson began his coaching career with the Fire as defensive coordinator. After two seasons as defensive coordinator Johnson was named head coach three games into the 2003 season, when the Fire made the late run winning two of those three games. In 2004, Johnson led the Fire to its first winning season (9-7), first af2 play-offs appearance and first play-off victory over Quad City 52-47. Since Johnson was named head coach, the Fire has winning record of 12-9-0.
LAST SERIES MEETING: June 11, 2005: Louisville defeated Birmingham, 69-61, in Birmingham.
SERIES NOTABLES: Birmingham's first road victory of 2001 came at Louisville on April 14. The Steeldogs defeated Ron Selesky's Fire squad 39-21.
FAMILIAR FACES: Steeldogs Head Coach Ron Selesky was the Fire's first head coach back in the 2001 season. Tommy Johnson was one of his assistants. Johnson is a former University of Alabama defensive back, one of the cornerstones of the vaunted 1992 National Championship team. Lance Taylor, a Fire receiver/defensive back, played with the Crimson Tide during the Franchione/Shula eras.
LEAGUE TOP 10s: Players from this week's matchup who rank among af2's statistical leaders:
STEELDOGS
Player Rank Category Stat
FIRE
Player Rank Category Stat
TALE OF THE TAPE: Here's how the Steeldogs and Fire stack up:
Statistical BIRMINGHAM RIO GRANDE
Category Rank Stat Rank Stat
Scoring Offense 17th 42.0 6th 35.5
Scoring Defense 4th 40.0 16th 42.0
Total Offense 11th 248.0 9th 211.5
Total Defense 12th 266.5 3rd 217.0
Pass Offense 14th 208.0 9th 205.5
Pass Defense 14th 255.5 4th 201.5
Rushing Offense 5th 40.0 11th 6.0
Rushing Defense T-8th 11.0 T-8th 15.5
Pass Rating 17th 84.0 13th 84.9
Pass Def. Rating 12th 76.5 15th 82.0
Kickoff Returns 12th 14.1 14th 20.6
MFG Returns T-12th 0.0 T-12th 0-0
Turnover Margin T-5th +2 T-15th +1
Field Goals T-9th (1-4) .250 T-9th (3-4) .750
PAT Kicking 18th 5-8 (.625) 12th 8-9 (.889)
Sacks By T-7th 3-12 T-4th 1-5
Sacks Against T-1st 0-0 T-5th 1-(-7)
First Downs T-16th 30 2nd 34
Opp. First Downs T-3rd 37 T-14th 38
Penalties 7th 17-99 16th 23-138
Opp. Penalties 14th 18-111 8th 14-96
STEELDOGS INJURY REPORT:
Pos. Name Injury Status
WR/DB Donald Amaker Torn ACL Out (Season)
OL/DL Myron Powe Knee Out
OL/DL Eric Thomas Quad Strain Out
WR/LB Bradly Chavez Knee Out
DROPBACK: The Rio Grande Valley Dorados defeated the Birmingham Steeldogs, 44-43, after a furious Steeldogs' rally fell short in overtime.
Anthony Morris' nine-yard touchdown run in the extra period put the Steeldogs within one-point, following Rio Grande's first possession touchdown pass from Josh Kellett to Dwight Counter. But, after deciding to forego the extra-point try, QB Ryan Hawk's two-point conversion pass fell incomplete and the comeback stopped one-point shy of sudden death.
Down 24 points at the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Steeldogs, who had struggled offensively throughout the game, rallied behind QB Ryan Hawk and OS Kerry Wright to erase the deficit and hold the Dorados scoreless, forcing an extra period.
The rally began with 13:00 left in the fourth quarter, as Hawk found Wright from 28 yards out to narrow the Dorados lead to 37-19. Hawk and Wright hooked up again minutes later, this time from 27 yards out. A two-point conversion run by Terrell Browden narrowed the disadvantage to 10.
The defense stepped up on Rio Grande's next drive, planting the Dorados inside the Steeldogs' five-yard line, forcing a three-and-out and a field goal attempt by Dustin Bell. From inside his own end-zone, Bell's attempt was blocked and recovered by Browden for a touchdown.
Now down by three, the defense forced another three-and-out and yet another field goal attempt. Bell's attempt was short, and the Steeldogs began the final drive of regulation from their 15-yard line. After several unsuccessful attempts to punch the ball in for a touchdown, Alex Walls converted a 34-yard field goal to send the game into overtime.
Hawk rebounded after a difficult start to finish 14 of 34 for 179 yards and three touchdowns. Wright caught five passes for 101 yards and three touchdowns. Back-up quarterback Robert Kent was the second leading Steeldogs' pass catcher with five receptions for 53 yards.
Kellett finished 26 of 52 for 264 yards and five touchdowns. Dwight Counter caught 12 passes for 119 yards and two touchdowns.
SCHUTT OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME: Dwight Counter (RGV)
U.S. ARMY IRONMAN OF THE GAME: Terrell Browden (BIR)
ADT DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME: Bobby Keyes (BIR)
CUTTER'S CATCH OF THE GAME: Kellett to Counter, 20 yard-touchdown, 12:15 remaining in overtime
FORWARD MOTION: The Steeldogs hit the road for the first time this season as Selesky and Co. takes the show to Louisville's Freedom Hall for another Friday night affair.
The Steeldogs used to routinely put out the Fire, winning the first three meetings of the series by a combined 74 points. But since the hiring of Tommy Johnson as the team's head coach in 2003, the Fire have defeated the Steeldogs three-straight times. The game is a homecoming of sorts for Steeldogs' coach Ron Selesky, who coached the Fire in their inaugural season in 2001 with Johnson as his assistant.
PLAYERS/MATCHUPS TO WATCH:
RYAN HAWK VS. A STINGY FIRE DEFENSE: After a near-flawless outing in Week 2 against Everett, Hawk suffered a set-back during the first three quarters of last week's game versus Rio Grande. This week he faces a very tough Louisville defense, which has allowed only 205.5 passing yards per game.
ROBERT KENT, AKA "SLASH": Kent went from being the team's early favorite to start under-center, to seeing no action in the Steeldogs' opener, to starting as a wide receiver and finishing as the team's second leading receiver against Rio Grande. The Jackson State-product also filled in at linebacker for an injured Bradly Chavez. Wherever Kent lines up, he will make an impact.
TEACHER VS. MENTOR: Ron Selesky returns to Louisville, his first af2 coaching gig way back in 2001, to face his former assistant Tommy Johnson.
KEY DATES IN TEAM/LEAGUE HISTORY:
APRIL 20, 2002: The Steeldogs traveled to Pensacola, Fla., and beat the Barracudas 70-40 to pick up their first road victory of the 2002 campaign.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME AWARD
(selected by media)
Week Opp. Player
1 Everett Kerry Wright (BIR)
2 RGV Dwight Counter (RGV)
IRONMAN OF THE GAME AWARD
(selected by media)
Week Opp. Player
1 Everett Bradly Chavez (BIR)
2 RGV Terrell Browden (BIR)
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME AWARD
(selected by media)
Week Opp. Player
1 Everett Jordan Brumbaugh (BIR)
2 RGV Bobby Keyes (BIR)
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