Rashad Floyd’s game remains the same, but the Colorado Crush defensive back finds the game around him has changed significantly.
Players in the Arena Football League are nearing the end of the first season of free-substitution play, the result of the so-called “John Elway Rule.” The Crush co-owner and Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback for the Broncos endorsed the change from requiring all but three players to play both offense and defense. The hope was to bring the arena game closer to the way football is played in the outdoor game.
“At first I was skeptical about it, thinking they were taking the ironman football out of arena football,” Floyd said.
But he has changed his mind, pointing out a talent like Jerry Rice, the NFL’s all-time leading receiver, shouldn’t also have to prove himself as a defensive back.
“As we see how the game is progressing, I think everyone is coming around and saying it has been good for the league,” Floyd said. “It has made the game easier to watch.”
For Floyd, the game has been much the same as before, when he was known as a defensive specialist, one of only three previously designated one-way positions, along with quarterback and offensive specialist. Now Floyd is simply a defensive back.
Floyd is well on his way to breaking the league record for tackles for the third time in his four years with the Crush. He needs two tackles to reach 137 and break his record of 136 1/2 set last year. He set a league record for tackles in 2004 with 122.
The Crush defensive team already has set a club record for interceptions for a season with 19, with three games to play. Floyd leads the team with eight interceptions heading into Monday night’s game at Utah.
Although the league interception and fumble turnover totals don’t suggest any impact from the free-substitution rule, Floyd says the change has helped the Crush defense. There have been 3.77 turnovers per game, compared with 3.85 for the 2006 season. The scoring is up to 107.6 points per game this season, compared with 101.9 in 2006.
“We’ve had more goal-line stops this year,” Floyd said. “It has helped us to have true defensive backs in the secondary. We’re not trying to teach a receiver how to tackle. It has been huge to have two true linebackers. We have three true pass rushers instead of an offensive lineman trying to rush the passer.”
Floyd made the same comparisons for the offensive side of the ball, noting it sometimes wasn’t pretty to see a defensive back trying to run a pass route while playing both ways.
“Our expectations have gone up from three stops a game to four stops a game,” Floyd said. “We’ve pretty much accomplished that, but any time you lose, there’s something more we can do. I see us making bigger plays with our defensive backs, and having three true pass rushers has helped. It helps to keep players fresh, too.”
Crush coach Mike Dailey, who operated with limited substitution for nine of his 10 seasons as a head coach, said the new rule has made for a better game.
“We can put our best players on the field in their natural positions,” Dailey said. “It increases the talent level on the field, and having players at their natural position makes for a better product. We don’t spend a lot of practice time with players trying to learn to play on the other side of the ball.”
Coach Mike Hohensee of the defending ArenaBowl champion Chicago Rush initially was against free substitution.
“It has worked out much better than I had thought,” Hohen- see said. “We had built our team around two-way players, and it cost some players their jobs. But in the long run, you’re always looking for better players for your league.”
Staff writer Irv Moss can be reached at 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com.
