Post by Canton Cougar Fan on Apr 7, 2007 21:52:39 GMT -5
Scratching that football itch
By DAVID HARPSTER
David.Harpster@IndeOnline.com
The football played by the Canton Legends and other members of the American Indoor Football Association won’t be mistaken for the kind fans watch every Sunday in the fall, but, at its heart, it’s similar enough to attract players who aren’t ready to give up the game.
Former Massillon Tiger Cody Smith is probably like many of his teammates in that regard. Smith, who lettered two years at Massillon as a defensive back before graduating in 2002, still had the itch to put the pads on when he heard the Legends were hosting open tryouts prior to the 2007 season.
His audition eventually led to a spot on the team, as Smith currently plays defensive back for the Legends, who improved to 5-2 after Friday’s 38-2 win over the Baltimore Blackbirds at the Canton Civic Center.
While the atmosphere might not exactly resemble anything Smith experienced during his Massillon career – Friday’s game featured former WWF wrestler Honky Tonk Man belting out a tune, the Chik-Fil-A cow mascot delaying play by running across the field and the Legends dance team tossing out Easter eggs and footballs, all in the first half – the adrenaline rush from putting on a uniform is still there.
“I didn’t really know what to expect coming into it, but it’s fun,” Smith said prior to Friday’s game. “The field’s shorter and narrower but it’s still football in a lot of ways.
“The guys here are doing this because they love to play football. I might do this a couple more years. We’ll just see what happens. I’m having a lot of fun right now and it’s good to be playing football. We’re winning and that makes it even more fun.”
Smith, at 6-foot, 195 pounds, kept himself in shape after graduating from Massillon, which came in handy when it was time to resume his playing career.
“There really wasn’t an adjustment period getting back into it,” said Smith, who registered a third-quarter interception in the victory over the Blackbirds but was forced from the game with a leg injury following the return. “Maybe with the hitting a little bit ... I might’ve been a little sore afterward.”
When it comes to hitting, arena football can pack quite a wallop at times. Even with fewer players on the field, the condensed nature of the game means players often resemble human pinballs bouncing off each other. Then there’s the added aspect of the padded boards lining the 50-yard field. At the Civic Center, pads barely two inches thick plastered with advertisements cover particle board. It didn’t take Smith long to discover the boards’ unforgiving nature.
“I’ve hit the boards a couple times and it’ll wake you up when you do,” Smith said. “There’s not a lot of give there and if you hit them full speed, you know you’ve hit them. You have to watch to make sure you’re not going head-first into them because that’s not good.”
In addition to the boards, Smith also had to adapt to just having eight players on the field as well as the pass-happy nature of arena football. Defensive alignments consist of three linemen, two linebackers and three players in the secondary. The offense has a running back – who is barely used – and three wide receivers. There are several other rules differences pertaining to offensive motion and defensive blitzing.
“It’s a lot faster than the outdoor game,” Smith said. “In arena football the offense passes pretty much every down, so as a DB you’re going to get a lot of action back there.
“Here everyone is having to make decisions in about two seconds and that’s hard sometimes,” Smith added. “It’s an offensive game to be sure. Everything just happens at a faster pace but I was able to pick it up pretty well. There’s a lot of man-to-man coverage. With the rules ... a couple games into the season I was still asking guys what I was allowed to do and not do when I had the ball. It’s definitely different in that regard.”
At just 23, Smith has no illusions about making a career out of arena football. Players earn roughly $300 per game for the 14 game season plus playoffs. Like his teammates, Smith has a regular job outside of the arena that helps make ends meet. The opportunity to move up to a higher level of indoor football can present itself, but it’s not something that Smith thinks about often. For now, he’ll just enjoy his time as a member of the Legends.
“If someone has a chance to maybe move up and play at a higher level, then that’s even better,” Smith said. “If I got the chance to move up to another league, I’d probably do it. But right now I’m just having fun and enjoying myself.”
By DAVID HARPSTER
David.Harpster@IndeOnline.com
The football played by the Canton Legends and other members of the American Indoor Football Association won’t be mistaken for the kind fans watch every Sunday in the fall, but, at its heart, it’s similar enough to attract players who aren’t ready to give up the game.
Former Massillon Tiger Cody Smith is probably like many of his teammates in that regard. Smith, who lettered two years at Massillon as a defensive back before graduating in 2002, still had the itch to put the pads on when he heard the Legends were hosting open tryouts prior to the 2007 season.
His audition eventually led to a spot on the team, as Smith currently plays defensive back for the Legends, who improved to 5-2 after Friday’s 38-2 win over the Baltimore Blackbirds at the Canton Civic Center.
While the atmosphere might not exactly resemble anything Smith experienced during his Massillon career – Friday’s game featured former WWF wrestler Honky Tonk Man belting out a tune, the Chik-Fil-A cow mascot delaying play by running across the field and the Legends dance team tossing out Easter eggs and footballs, all in the first half – the adrenaline rush from putting on a uniform is still there.
“I didn’t really know what to expect coming into it, but it’s fun,” Smith said prior to Friday’s game. “The field’s shorter and narrower but it’s still football in a lot of ways.
“The guys here are doing this because they love to play football. I might do this a couple more years. We’ll just see what happens. I’m having a lot of fun right now and it’s good to be playing football. We’re winning and that makes it even more fun.”
Smith, at 6-foot, 195 pounds, kept himself in shape after graduating from Massillon, which came in handy when it was time to resume his playing career.
“There really wasn’t an adjustment period getting back into it,” said Smith, who registered a third-quarter interception in the victory over the Blackbirds but was forced from the game with a leg injury following the return. “Maybe with the hitting a little bit ... I might’ve been a little sore afterward.”
When it comes to hitting, arena football can pack quite a wallop at times. Even with fewer players on the field, the condensed nature of the game means players often resemble human pinballs bouncing off each other. Then there’s the added aspect of the padded boards lining the 50-yard field. At the Civic Center, pads barely two inches thick plastered with advertisements cover particle board. It didn’t take Smith long to discover the boards’ unforgiving nature.
“I’ve hit the boards a couple times and it’ll wake you up when you do,” Smith said. “There’s not a lot of give there and if you hit them full speed, you know you’ve hit them. You have to watch to make sure you’re not going head-first into them because that’s not good.”
In addition to the boards, Smith also had to adapt to just having eight players on the field as well as the pass-happy nature of arena football. Defensive alignments consist of three linemen, two linebackers and three players in the secondary. The offense has a running back – who is barely used – and three wide receivers. There are several other rules differences pertaining to offensive motion and defensive blitzing.
“It’s a lot faster than the outdoor game,” Smith said. “In arena football the offense passes pretty much every down, so as a DB you’re going to get a lot of action back there.
“Here everyone is having to make decisions in about two seconds and that’s hard sometimes,” Smith added. “It’s an offensive game to be sure. Everything just happens at a faster pace but I was able to pick it up pretty well. There’s a lot of man-to-man coverage. With the rules ... a couple games into the season I was still asking guys what I was allowed to do and not do when I had the ball. It’s definitely different in that regard.”
At just 23, Smith has no illusions about making a career out of arena football. Players earn roughly $300 per game for the 14 game season plus playoffs. Like his teammates, Smith has a regular job outside of the arena that helps make ends meet. The opportunity to move up to a higher level of indoor football can present itself, but it’s not something that Smith thinks about often. For now, he’ll just enjoy his time as a member of the Legends.
“If someone has a chance to maybe move up and play at a higher level, then that’s even better,” Smith said. “If I got the chance to move up to another league, I’d probably do it. But right now I’m just having fun and enjoying myself.”
