With New Qbs On The Roster, Command Set Their Sights On Chicago

The Kansas City Command (0-3) visit the Chicago Rush (3-0) Saturday night at Allstate Arena in Week 5 of the Arena Football League season. Kickoff is set for 7:00pm. The Command will enter the game with a new starting quarterback, having signed two new signal-callers this week in Matt Gutierrez and Zack Eskridge. Kansas City is trying to turn around its offensive fortunes

as the team is currently averaging just under 32 points per game, ranking last in the AFL in scoring offense.

“We just felt like we had to do something,” said Command coach Danton Barto in explaining the moves. “We weren’t scoring points and in Arena Football you’re not going to win if you can’t consistently put the ball in the end zone. When something’s not working you’ve got to move on and improve your football team.”

The Command are coming off a 56-28 loss to Arizona to drop their record to 0-3 on the young season. Kansas City led 21-14 before the Rattlers scored 29 straight points to take control of the game. It was the third straight contest the Command have allowed an opponent to go on an extended scoring run.

If the personnel changes lead to more success on offense, early-season results indicate the defense can lead the team. KC’s defense held Arizona to a season-low in scoring and the team continues to rank near the top of the league in total defense, currently

just behind Pittsburgh for second place.

Chicago is 3-0 after two straight narrow victories. The Rush opened the season with a 70-48 win over Tampa Bay, followed by a two-point win over Orlando and a one-point victory against Iowa last Saturday. The Rush have been solid on both sides of the ball, ranking fifth in the league in scoring offense and seventh in scoring defense.

The Command played Chicago twice last year, with each team winning on the other’s home field. KC won 58-51 at Allstate Arena on April 22 in a game televised live on NFL Network. The Command defense held Chicago to less than 200 yards of total offense for the game and stopped the Rush on a potential game-tying drive with seconds remaining.

It was the Rush defense that was the story in the rematch at Sprint Center, leading Chicago to a 58-30 win on June 4. Rush safety Vic Hall had three interceptions in the game, including one he returned for a touchdown.

Quarterback Russ Michna (pron. MICK-nuh) is one of the most tenured signal-callers in the AFL, now in his fifth season with the Rush. He is off to another solid start this year, averaging 268 yards per game with 20 TDs and three interceptions.

Wide receiver Reggie Gray is Michna’s favored target for the second

straight year. He leads the AFL in scoring with 12 receiving touchdowns in three games. He tops the Rush with 24 catches for 300 yards. Last season, Gray set franchise records with 130 receptions for 1,969 yards. He had 49 receiving touchdowns and four kick returns for TDs and ended the season with the second-most points in the league (322).

Safety Vic Hall currently leads the AFL in tackles, averaging over nine stops per game. He was a First-Team All-Arena selection

last year as a rookie after totaling 15 interceptions and 104 tackles.

The Rush came from behind to beat Iowa Saturday night in overtime. Chicago trailed by as many as 14 when a Michna pass was intercepted and returned for a touchdown and a 40-26 Iowa lead. The Rush tied the game at 55 late in regulation. Iowa scored first in overtime but missed the PAT. Former Command fullback JJ Payne drew the Rush even at 61-61 and former Command

kicker Mike Salerno hit the extra point for a one-point win.