Shock posted ‘despite’ win

Spokane Shock coach Chris Siegfried got just about everything possible out of the team’s arenafootball2 debut win over Stockton last week: a victory and plenty of coaching material.

The Shock prevailed 41-40 despite committing too many penalties, too many turnovers and not cashing in on enough offensive opportunities.

“We’re a long ways from being a good football team, but I think finding a way to win is the most important thing at this time,” said Siegfried, whose team visits Bakersfield on Sunday. “We definitely have a lot of areas to improve in, but the effort was there and that was the main thing.”

Quarterback Alex Neist completed 15 of 28 passes in his first af2 start. His numbers weren’t sensational, but he made solid decisions and avoided big losses.

“With the exception of one throw, he performed beautifully,” Siegfried said.

The one throw was a combination of a poor Neist pass and receiver Raul Vijil running the wrong route. It resulted in an interception that was returned for a touchdown. “We’ve already cleaned that up,” Siegfried said.

The defense forced three turnovers and stymied a Stockton drive in the final minute.

“It just happened to be a game with defensive stops,” Siegfried said. “We performed the way I expected them to perform.”

Something special

Special teams are big in outdoor football. They’re bigger indoors, Siegfried believes. He estimated special teams comprise at least 30 percent of arena games. Spokane held on against Stockton by virtue of a blocked point-after attempt.

PATs and field goals are challenging with the crossbar 15 feet off the ground (compared to 10 in the NFL) and goal posts separated by 9 feet (compared to 181/2 in the NFL). Af2 kickers were 50 of 67 on PATs and 2 of 11 on field goals in seven season openers.

Return specialists must concentrate on catching the ball after it caroms off the nets while eight defenders are closing in. Bobbles or fumbles can prove costly in terms of points or field position.

“It went pretty well – we fielded just about every one cleanly,” Siegfried said. “You could tell they were a team that didn’t get much playing time in their arena.”

The Lightning had just one practice inside the Stockton Arena prior to playing Spokane. Stockton’s hockey team was using the arena.

On-field instruction

You’ve heard coaches say that a certain player is like having a coach on the field. In arena football, one coach per team is allowed on the field during the game. It creates some interesting conversations and situations.

“I think it’s kind of neat, actually,” Siegfried said. “It can be awkward at times. There have been coaches in the past that have tried to listen to play calls, but generally that’s guys new to the game. If we’re really rolling, I’ll call a play and tell them what we’re running. His defensive players still have to stop the play, even though they know what’s coming.”

Siegfried said if he’s worried about an opposing coach listening in on his play calls, he also has the option of moving to the other side of the field.

In Spokane’s win, Rob Keefe intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown while defensive coordinator Troy Biladeau was trying to stay out of the fray in the end zone.

“A couple years ago one of the players from the other team ran into me,” Siegfried said.

Notes

Spokane, unranked in the preseason coaches poll, is No. 12 this week. … Thanks to a boost from the season-opening win, season ticket sales have climbed to more than 3,800. Nearly 5,600 tickets have been sold for the April 15 home game against Everett. Spokane drew 9,386 for its inaugural game. None of the other six af2 games drew more than 7,200.