Ackerman, Emtman experience new arena

For Steve Emtman and Tom Ackerman, it isn’t hard to imagine jumping the sideline pads of the Arena and tackling someone to the ground.

But that’s as far is it goes.

Reality holds Emtman and Ackerman on the sideline, where they have long since traded in their pads for whistles and started writing a new chapter – arena football coaches.

“The competitive fire is still inside,” said Ackerman, a former Eastern Washington and NFL offensive lineman. “(Steve and I) joked around early on, but then common sense takes over. We are a little older and we kind of enjoy it a little more from the sideline these days.”

Emtman and Ackerman can be seen on the sidelines of the Spokane Shock’s home games and throughout the week at Shock practices.

Emtman, a former University of Washington defensive lineman and NFL No. 1 overall draft pick for the Indianapolis Colts, is keeping busy these days with his job in land development.

After retiring in 1997 with the Washington Redskins, he lived in Seattle, briefly in California, and went back to Seattle again to finish his degree at Washington. He also was an assistant coach and strength coach for the Huskies, a team he led in their undefeated 1991 national championship season. That year he won the Outland and Lombardi trophies.

Two years ago, Emtman returned to the place where it all started for him – Eastern Washington.

“I honestly thought I’d never end up back here,” Emtman said. “I think it just kind of worked back out and it’s nice to come home and back to the real world.”

For a while, also Emtman didn’t think he would coach anymore.

The Shock offered Emtman the defensive coaching position and Emtman almost declined. In the end, he decided to offer his time on a volunteer basis because his work schedule did not allow for a full-time commitment.

“I wasn’t going to do it, but at the same time this is a good group of players and coaches,” Emtman said. “I wanted to be a part of it in some way because I certainly enjoy working with aspiring athletes.”

Ackerman was paid by the Shock to be the offensive line coach, but has since switched to a volunteer basis because he said he has orally accepted a job at his alma mater – EWU – that is set to become official this summer.

For Emtman and Ackerman, who was drafted in 1996 by the New Orleans Saints and retired in 2003 with the Tennessee Titans, the learning curve of arena football had been the interesting part.

The hardest component for Emtman is getting comfortable with the reality of the arena game – a lot of points are going to be scored, three or four defensive stops in a game are considered good and the game is designed for the offense.

It’s not uncommon to see a final score like 63-41 in the arenafootball2 league, which is tough for a hard-nosed defensive lineman to stomach.

“It took some getting used to,” Emtman said. “You realize how easy it is to score, and in reality you have to set your goals differently.

“When I was playing on my best defense, we allowed negative rushing yards, so now instead of appreciating four quarters of shutout football, two quarters are a lot to stop a team from scoring in the arena game.”

But Emtman has come to realize that he is involved in a different game. He admits that if the team allows less than 50 points in a game, they are probably doing a “pretty good job.”

Ackerman, who has coached periodically since retiring from the NFL, said the main difference to him is the speed of the game. Because things happen a lot quicker in arena football, the adjustments on offense are different. Since arena football is also primarily a passing game, Ackerman said it’s not always easy figuring out your next move.

“Everything happens just a split second faster than in the outdoor game,” Ackerman said. “It’s still football – you tackle, block and make adjustments on offense based on what the defense is doing – but it’s a different kind of game. Especially for the quarterbacks, they don’t do a lot of rushing plays so they are relied heavily upon to put the ball in the air and get it to the right person.”

Emtman and Ackerman agree that what it comes down to is getting to know the game.

“Originally, understanding how to play traditional football makes it hard for people who don’t understand to enjoy it,” Emtman said. “People who don’t understand baseball, don’t like baseball, and it’s the same thing with the arena game.”

For now, they are both just enjoying their new venture in the football world.

“My shoulder pads are off – I’m done,” Emtman said. “I moved on, but I enjoy being around competitive football. The thing you miss most about playing is the whole atmosphere of being around competition. I think that’s why I enjoy about being a coach.

“Once a football player, always a football player. You really can’t help it.”