No coach in the Arena Football League knows more about working the league’s lengthy rules of play than Colorado Crush coach Mike Dailey.
Consider the scenario before Sunday’s Crush-Grand Rapids game at the Pepsi Center. Dailey wasn’t sure kicker Clay Rush would be able to play and had Jason Ball waiting in the wings.
“With all other positions on the team, you have to sign a new player 48 hours before a game,” Dailey said. “But because our rosters are small and the economics of our game, we can’t carry an extra kicker.
“So, we can put our regular kicker on emergency hold up to an hour before the game and activate another player. We had a kicker waiting.”
Ball came on and kicked seven extra points and a 25-yard field goal in Colorado’s 66-54 victory.
The Chicago Rush faced a different type of problem with its kicking game for the season opener.
Chicago kicker Keith Gispert was injured during pregame warm-ups at the Pepsi Center and couldn’t play. Chicago coach Mike Hohensee didn’t have another kicker available and played the game without one.
Ball, who had not played in an AFL game before Sunday, will handle the kicking duties again Friday when the Crush plays at Chicago. Rush was placed on injured reserve this week but could return by next week.
“My last game was with Oklahoma City last year in Arena2,” Ball said. “I came out and did my kicking and got ready for the game. I’ve been through this before.”
Rush, who said this is the first time he has been hurt, couldn’t set a timetable for his return from the bruised thigh suffered Feb. 26 at Philadelphia.
Irv Moss can be reached at 303-820-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com.
