The Red White and Blue V is for Victory
There are a few sports moments in your life where you will be able to look back and say, I can always tell friends I was there when it started, or I was there for that one moment. I consider myself lucky as a DC sports fan that I’ve been able to be there for a few of these in person, such as the Nationals’ first ever playoff game and Stephen Strasburg’s first start. For the 15,000 or so fans who were at Verizon Center last night this is one of those moments: the first game for the Valor and the first Arena Football Game in the DMV since the Washington Commandos played here in the late 1980s.
Now, I’m not going to compare the AFL to the big 4 sports and proclaim that Arena Football is better than one or the other. It would be a silly argument. But I will say this – almost everything about this game was enjoyable. The atmosphere of the stadium was electric. For a first time event fans were way more into this than I ever thought possible. I found myself surrounded by people who were genuinely enjoying themselves watching this game. I heard cheers for the Valor and taunts of Baltimore.
The AFL is a fast game by nature. The play clock is just 30 seconds compared to 40 in the NFL, meaning players had to hustle on and off the field, in and out of the huddle. The quarterback needs to think quickly and move quickly. When that pocket breaks down a statue quarterback is done for, but a quick footed quarterback like Erik Meyer can make some amazing things happen, rolling out and running for first downs or finding a breakdown in the coverage.
The game itself was excellent and the Valor came out guns blazing. The first touchdown pass in franchise history was in the hands of wideout Mike Washington, who had an excellent night grabbing three TD’s in the first half.
That first half was all Valor, who stopped several drives for the Brigade, including two interceptions by former defensive player of the year and D.C. native Tracy Belton. Baltimore’s quarterbacks were stymied by the dominating D.C. defensive line, who were able to get several sacks. The 34 to 6 lead at the half was the kind of homecoming start that owners Ted Leonsis and Roger Mody dreamed about. Normally you would think a score like that means this game is over, but in the AFL, 28 point deficits are something teams can overcome with ease.
The Brigade made the 2nd half interesting quickly, scoring twice to start the third quarter and close the gap, and clearly had the momentum through most the third and forth quarter but the Valor did just enough to stay on top, coming up with a few scoring drives in the final minutes to preserve their first win.
In the end, this game was about more than just what happened on the field. This was all about Washington D.C. It was a homecoming game both in the stands and in the hallways of the Verizon Center, and on the field. For a game where so much scoring is done in the air, in traditional D.C. fashion, the Valor scored 3 times on the ground; in fact, James Gordon, normally a defensive tackle, ran one in as a fullback. Future AFL hall of fame wide receiver TT Tolliver scored once on a sweep and Meyer scored one in the fourth to finish the day. When the final seconds finally ticked off the clock, the Valor brought home the victory by a final score of 51 – 38. Let’s hope that it was the first of many.
By Alex Zeese