Defeat still has team smarting
Empire return from bye weeks ready to atone for 1st loss of the season
Three weeks can be a long time for a bad taste to linger in your mouth. Just ask the Albany Empire.
After rolling along unbeaten through the first half of their inaugural season in the National Arena League, the Empire were jolted June 26 by previously winless Jacksonville, 62-58. Albany is still tied with Columbus atop the NAL standings, but back-toback bye weeks caused some angst.
The Empire
(4-1) finally return to the football field Saturday night at
Times Union
Center — their first home game in five weeks — to face the Jersey Flight. A victory clinches a playoff spot for Albany and could assure a home game for the first round of the postseason.
“We have a lot of amends to do from Jacksonville,” coach Tom Menas said. “No one’s gotten over that. That’s the suck thing about losing right before a bye. Then you’re sitting there, and for two weeks you’re thinking, ‘How did we lose to Jacksonville?’ When you have four turnovers and you only lose by four, it ain’t hard to see how you did it.”
“The team has played well all season, and the Jacksonville game by far was our worst game,” said wide receiver Malachi Jones, who made his season debut in that game. “We beat ourselves. We made a fair share of mistakes, and we still only lost the game by (four) points.”
Jersey (2-4) lost to Albany 60-25 in Week 2. The Flight will be without Nate Isles, an allnal offensive lineman in 2018. He was suspended by the league for one game for an incident late in Jersey’s 32-12 loss to Orlando last Saturday.
“We’ve been motivated during the bye week and especially this week to just make sure that we’re doing everything we can to be prepared,” Jones said. “We’re not taking our opponent lightly in Jersey. We want to clinch a playoff berth.”
Albany’s league-leading offense will have a slightly different look. The Empire cut ties with veteran fullback Derrick Ross and signed offensive lineman/tight end Moqut Ruffins,
who was a part of the Empire’s 2019 championship team in the Arena Football League.
Offensive lineman Brackin Smith has moved to the fullback slot, and Ruffins could be in play to catch a pass or two.
“Smith has practiced at fullback numerous times, and he’s probably our most versatile offensive lineman,” Menas said. “He has the ability to play center, down lineman or fullback. That’s his value to us. He’s excited about the opportunity to come in and start at fullback for us this week.”
The Empire, averaging 66.8 points per game, have plenty of offensive weapons. Darius Prince and Phillip Barnett rank first and third, respectively, in the NAL in receptions. Quarterback Tommy Grady tops the league in passing yardage (270.0 per game), touchdown passes (34), yards per attempt (8.7) and completion percentage (72.3).
Jones, the AFL’S Offensive Player of the Year in 2019, makes his first Times Union Center appearance since that year’s Arenabowl XXXII. He had nine receptions for 68 yards and a TD in his
season debut before injuring his knee, which he rehabbed during the time off. Jones said he is 100 percent.
Now he is eager to get realigned with Grady, his quarterback — and the league MVP — in both of his previous seasons in Albany.
“It’s like riding a bike,” Jones said. “Not playing football in almost two years and getting thrown
back into it midweek, there’s a little bit of an adjustment period. I felt a little rusty. Having a chance to practice, I’m feeling really good now. Tommy and I are building the chemistry back again, just like we did all those years ago.”