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Firebirds Weekly

May 27, 2009 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Albany Firebirds News Release


2009 Record:

3-5 (2-2 Home, 1-3 Road) - Streak: Won 3 - Third Place, East Division, American Conference

The Stakes

The Firebirds have reeled off three consecutive victories after opening the 2009 campaign with five-straight losses. The team has been led by quarterback Stephen Wasil, who will be looking to go a perfect 4-for-4 since returning from a five week stint on the IR. Albany edged Manchester with a spectacular come-from-behind 53-51 win in their most recent action on May 16, 2009. The Firebirds were down 24-points at halftime, but rallied in the second half and won the game on a fourth quarter safety. Milwaukee holds a 2-6 record during their inaugural season and has been out-scored 440-326 through the eight games. The Iron's two wins have come against Mahoning Valley in Week 2 and against Peoria in Week 7. Milwaukee dropped their last contest 53-19 to the visiting Tulsa Talons prior to their Week 9 bye.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

QB Stephen Wasil is 3-for-3 in the win column since his return from a five-week stint on the IR. Last week the second-year signal-caller threw for a Firebirds season-high 346 yards with seven touchdowns. In his three complete games this season Wasil has thrown for 926 yards with 19 touchdowns with just two interceptions.

WR/LB Alvin Ray Jackson registered 10 receptions for a season-high 170 yards with three touchdowns to lead Albany's comeback victory over the Wolves. Jackson earned his fourth JLS Ironman of the Game award this year by adding two tackles, one pass break-up and a game-changing fumble recovery late in the fourth quarter. Jackson's 330 receiving yards this season rank third on the Firebirds, while his 11 receiving touchdowns are tops on the team. Jackson also has two defensive touchdowns this year and ranks first on the team in scoring with 78 points. On the other side of the ball, Jackson is second on the team in tackles (27) and first in fumbles recovered (3).

Week 7 af2 Iron Man of the Week Christian Wise missed the second half of last week's contest due to injury, but still managed to maintain his torrid pace on offense in just 30 minutes of action. Wise recorded nine receptions for 129 yards and two touchdowns in limited first half action. He also added 2.5 tackles on the night. Wise leads all Firebirds with 899 receiving yards this season and is second on the team in scoring with 10 touchdowns for 60 points.

QB Adam Bednarik filled-in at receiver in Week 8 and caught two passes for 17 yards with a touchdown. The rookie also played special teams for the Firebirds and notched a tackle in kickoff coverage. WR Jared Jones was signed before the Week 8 contest, but was not active. The former Conquest receiver is expected to serve as the fourth receiver against Milwaukee, pushing Bednarik back on the depth chart.

LB Rob Wright saw his first action since hitting the IR in Week 1, and the rookie pass-rusher made an immediate impact for Albany's defense in the victory over Manchester. Wright led the team with 3.5 tackles and shared the fourth-quarter go-ahead safety with DE Reggie Paramoure. DE Anton Lindsay added the other Firebirds sack in the contest for his first of the year. Lindsay's 2.5 tackles for a loss rank second on the team behind Paramoure's five.

Week 8 Schedule:

All games are broadcast LIVE on af2TV free streaming video at www.albanyfirebirds.com

Saturday, May 30th - 7:00 pm - Times Union Center - Albany, NY

vs. Milwaukee Iron (2-6)

- This is Milwaukee's inaugural season in the af2 and Saturday will be their first all-time meeting with the Firebirds. The clubs will meet again in the final game of the regular season on Friday, July 24th, 2009 at 8:05 p.m. in Milwaukee.

- Leading Passers: QB - Tyler Donavan - (72-142-10, 875yds, 12TD)

QB - Shane Adler - (66-129-7, 862yds, 14TD)

- Leading Rusher: FB - Tyre Young - (34att-111yds-5TD)

- Leading Receivers: Scott Burnoski - (59rec-759yds-11TD), Antoine Burns - (36rec-484yds-7TD), Coco Blalock - (16rec-196yds-3TD)

Firebirds Pecks:

- League QB Ranks: QB Stephen Wasil's four games under center are not yet enough for his statistics to qualify for the af2 leader board. If he were to qualify, Wasil's 122.6 passer rating would be good for sixth in the league. Despite only playing one series in the first game of the year, Wasil's 247.8 yards per game would rank 11th in the league.

- Stable Roster: Head Coach Tony Bowick did not make an official roster move during the team's Week 9 bye, marking the first week of the season in which the Firebirds roster went unchanged. Bowick does not anticipate making a move prior to this week's contest, which could mark the first time this year that the exact same Firebirds squad takes the field in back-to-back games.

- Injury Watch: DB Kenneth Williams and WR Irani DeAraujo remain on the IR and are unable to participate in team drills. OL Tim Johnson is also still on the IR, but has begun practicing with the team. WR Johnnie Butler remains sidelined this week and is limited to light running drills. DB Patrick Horne has looked strong this week at practice and could return this weekend.

- Battle of The Bones: This weekend's pre-game block-party will feature the 4th Annual "Battle of the Bones" Best Ribs In Albany Contest. Area vendors will be serving up their finest ribs from 5:30 pm to 6:30 p.m. for the right to be crowned the champion. Fans can sample ribs from Broadway Joes of Albany, Capital Q Smokehouse, Chili's Restaurant, LT's Grill, PJ's BBQ and The Sports Grill with their votes deciding the victor. The winner will be announced during the game, presented a trophy and will win an advertising package with the arenafootball2 franchise for the rest of the season.



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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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