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Post by Free Agent Fan on Mar 12, 2007 19:42:41 GMT -5
Blackbirds: Nowhere but up after 78-6 loss
by Matt Palmer
BALTIMORE - When a team loses 78-6, it has no options but to learn from the beating that was inflicted upon it.
That’s what Baltimore Blackbirds head coach Chris Simpson said Sunday, less than 24 hours after his team lost its first game to the more experienced Reading Express by that lopsided score.
“I don’t think our guys will lay down and quit,” Simpson said.
Every single thing that could have gone wrong for the expansion Blackbirds Saturday evening in Reading happened.
By the end of the first half, the Blackbirds found themselves down 48-0 and, in the second half, 78-0.
“We just didn’t execute,” Simpson said. “We played like a team that has not played indoor football before.”
Yet, Simpson said such a beatdown is almost a rite of passage in the 50-yard indoor football game, where new teams made up of players mostly familiar with the 100-yard outdoor game are shown the ropes.
Simpson, who has coached various indoor teams since the early 1990s, said his team had a steep learning curve Saturday, as it tried to figured out the pace of the game.
“There are guys in the NFL who could not play the indoor game,” Simpson said.
Starting quarterback Kenny Irby is doubtful for this Friday’s game with Lakeland after he suffered a second quarter hit that bruised his kidney. In his brief action, Irby was 3-of-14 on passing for 57 yards and an interception.
The team’s lone score came in the fourth quarter on a smash route. Fullback Joe Maese, a former Ravens long snapper, threw a solid block that freed up backup quarterback Joe Urso (2-of-14 for 26 yards) to spot Kevin Dixon for a 15-yard score with 1:30 left in the game.
Simpson said the team was able to move the ball for much of the game, but stalled inside the red-zone (which starts at the 10-yard-line in the indoor game).
Despite the score, Simpson said the team is not going to panic as it prepares for Lakeland.
“We’re not going to go in and make wholesale changes,” Simpson said.
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Post by sportsfankeith on Mar 12, 2007 23:43:49 GMT -5
I feel bad for the guys. They got a bad deal, I hope they become competitive soon.
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Post by xmradiodave on Mar 13, 2007 4:47:08 GMT -5
No need to feel sorry for the Birds. Butt-kickings come with the territory. Now that they got a taste of the game, they can start to adjust accordingly. I doubt and do not expect an immediate turn around, but as long as they keep playing every week and adjust the line and continue to tweak the play calling, things will get better. Before ya know it, there will be a semblance of parity on the field at both sides of the ball. The fans of the Birds are not cursing them. We support them 100 percent and we look forward to an exciting season.
Cheers!
Dave
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Post by mississippimudcat1 on Mar 22, 2007 18:01:33 GMT -5
Great attitude! I hope that the Blackbirds pull it together because I hate to see teams fold. It hurts the fans.
:smileymudcats: :smileymudcats: :smileymudcats:
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Post by xmradiodave on Mar 22, 2007 20:50:50 GMT -5
Great attitude! I hope that the Blackbirds pull it together because I hate to see teams fold. It hurts the fans.  Thanks Mudcat. It is going to be a long road this season, but I have all the faith in the world that they will be around for a while. But, worst case scenario (team folds)... there are plenty of other teams whose bandwagon has some vacancies. HAHA! |
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Post by titus on Apr 14, 2007 17:05:10 GMT -5
I feel bad for Blackbirds aswell.Talked to some of the players after the mudcats game.They are really a nice bunch of guys.What they really need right now is the support from the community.I sure hope they can turn things around.
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Post by aef468 on Apr 14, 2007 21:22:32 GMT -5
what was the score of tonight's game against the bears?
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Post by xmradiodave on Apr 16, 2007 5:51:55 GMT -5
51-22 Montgomery. They are not quite going up as perdicted. The fan support of the team is good though. There is a genuine excitement over this team. The crowd at the game was decent enough on Saturday. It would have been more if the Blackbirds game was not scheduled at the same exact time as the Orioles game. The home opener had about 4,500 attendees, this past game had maybe about 3,000+ it was hard to say for sure. All in all, the word is still getting out. Now if the team could get a few wins on the record, that would certainly help the situation. As it looks right now, the Blackbirds will be here for a while, and that is promising news.
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Post by indoorfan07 on Apr 16, 2007 15:07:53 GMT -5
How is the fan support good? The team does very little, if any marketing in the area or on TV... they rely on the paper to do articles and the occasional small TV spot where they try and butter up another loss of 40 or more points. It seems that there are maybe 20-25 "genuinely excited people". The attendance at the last game MAY HAVE BEEN 2500 people. Nowhere close to the 3000+ you claim. You guys lost nearly 2000 fans in 2 weeks. Not a great rate... and a few more blow-out losses do not bode well for a well attended 3rd home game. The only "word getting out" is how many points they get beat by every game. And I am quite puzzled as to how the "as it looks right now, the blackbirds are here for a while..." Are you serious man? You guys just got 2500 people for a game in an arena that seats like 12,000... not to mention costs right around $25-$30,000 per game after paying everything off... Just how do you see this working "for a while". I know people with a lot of money (like your owner and his backers) don't mind blowing a few bucks on fun little escapades like owning pro teams, but at some point you have to cut your losses and give it up. Some of you Balt. fans are comical. I do have to say... you support your team. Unfortunately blind faith does not pay the bills... nor win the games, as we have clearly seen this season.
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Post by xmradiodave on Apr 16, 2007 16:23:13 GMT -5
You are right you ass. 2,500 is nowhere near close to 3,000. Just out of curiosity, where did you see the official number of attendees? Also, I said it was estimated 3,000. Try not to spin my words to benefit your diluted cause. I think eye-balling 3,000 is fairly close to 2,500. You were not at the game nor did you even watch it as you mentioned over at the blackbirds site. If you were at the game, you would have talked to the other fans on the field. You would know that there is plenty of support for the team. You have a deep rooted disdain for this team for a reason that is only known to you. You mentioned a while ago that you though it was tactless of them to bail on the EIFL, which subsequently has gone belly up. The team is going to be around wether you like it or not. You are nothing more than a loud mouthed ass who serves no purpose other than to try to cause trouble and dissention among fans.
Since when does being a fan have anything to do with a team record. We talk to the players every day. We go to their games, we buy the AIFA feed. The chat room on game day is nicely populated with fans waiting for updates and discussing the game. The wins will come eventually. We are having a great time watching the blackbirds. They our our team, obviously not yours. So you do not need to waste your breat or time trying to convince fans of a team they like that they (the team) are not worthy of the devotion the fans bestow upon them.
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Post by exit322 on Apr 16, 2007 17:44:07 GMT -5
An EIFL fan? Must be Jim or Mark Terry.
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Post by xmradiodave on Apr 16, 2007 18:30:06 GMT -5
An EIFL fan? Must be Jim or Mark Terry. His ridiculous inane babbling leads me to think it is Jim. they both sound like retards. |
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Post by Tatonka on Apr 17, 2007 0:58:58 GMT -5
Whatever his issues are, I don't think we need the personal attacks and name calling. He doesn't agree with you, you don't agree with him, but he didn't attack you personally.
You have to respond by calling him an ass? Twice?
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Post by xmradiodave on Apr 17, 2007 4:39:28 GMT -5
Whatever his issues are, I don't think we need the personal attacks and name calling. He doesn't agree with you, you don't agree with him, but he didn't attack you personally. You have to respond by calling him an ass? Twice? You have to be joking. Go over to the blackbirds site and look at what he posts over there and then tell me my "personal attack" is unwarranted. I have no problem with friendly smack-talk, but this guy is truly an ass. There... three times a charm. So feel free to have me banned from here if you do not like my opinion of another member. |
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Post by Tatonka on Apr 19, 2007 23:30:07 GMT -5
We don't read your board, so I don't see how your personal issues with him over there translate to here.
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