Washington Wolfpack Playbook: Week 2
March 20, 2025 - Arena Football One (AF1)
Washington Wolfpack News Release
It would seem to the naked eye that the Wolfpack would come out of week 1 with a bit of uncertainty. After just a few drives, their starting quarterback, Joseph Hess, was pulled in favor of backup Adam Kruse. While they would still go on to lose the game, their offense came alive under Kruse.
However, according to coach JR Wells, the choice wasn't just due to the performance of Hess, but rather due to an injury.
Banged Up QB Room
"During the game Hess suffered a contusion to his non-throwing arm. That was another reason even so we brought Adam Kruse in and, you know, he was playing a hell of a game," Wells explained. "He's a solid solid kid. He's he's a seasoned guy - he works extremely hard. You see him get knocked down - damn near knocked out - and get right back up type of guy."
While that toughness of Kruse is a good thing and helped to lead the team, it has it's pitfalls as well. Kruse's toughness allowed him to play through some injuries and perhaps lead to a couple of his gaffes during the loss on Sunday.
"What people don't realize is Adam Kruse broke his hand Thursday before the game. So his hand was that is actually fractured and through those four touchdowns," he said. "Some of those interceptions and seeing the ball that kind of got away from him is solely because he couldn't grip the football.
What Next?
With each of their two quarterbacks banged up, it left some question marks about what we could see from week 2 with the Wolfpack. However, Coach Wells has no uncertainty as the team decided to make an outside signing to help settle things down and right the ship.
"We've signed Ed Crouch and we expect him to to take over this league. We already have the best wide receivers in the league, hands down, and I stand on that as a whole," Wells boasted. "I mean, there's great teams that have a solid receiver #1, but what we have is is a great receiver #1 across the board with every one of our receivers."
Week 2 Message
With a new quarterback under center and the Oregon Lightning on the schedule, Wells is ready for his squad to make some noise. And it's the attitude that they brought last game that aids in his confidence that they're ready to open peoples' eyes.
"Some of the fans that were right behind SW Kansas bench heard the players saying 'Jesus these guys won't give up. They will not give up' and I'm I'm blessed to hear that," he said. " We got it under our belt. We know the game intensity and speed. We're ready to fly around and this is going to be a statement game for us."
You can see that game with the Oregon Lightning this Saturday. Kickoff is at 9pm EST and is available for viewing on EvergreenNOW!.
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