Full speed ahead for Rush with Michna at the helm
Brought in over the off-season to provide a veteran, steadying presence, quarterback Sherdrick Bonner was viewed as one of the final pieces needed to lead the Chicago Rush back to the promised land - a trip to the Arena Bowl.
Well, a funny thing happened on the way to the AFL's utopia. Bonner struggled a bit, and on April 14 against Kansas City, was replaced by former Conant High School star Russ Michna, who guided the Rush to an 8-3 mark and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs.
The veteran quarterback was replaced by the kid. It could've been a recipe for disaster if Bonner had taken the demotion the wrong way.
He didn't.
"He's just too good of a person for that," Michna said.
"I can't say enough about Sherdrick's attitude, what he's done for me, everything about the situation," he said. "He has been the ultimate mentor - by my side, talking me through everything. I don't even want to talk about it because I can't say enough good things about him. It's so hard to put it into words."
With Bonner's help, Michna has turned into a force this season. The big lefty finished the regular season completing 239 of 349 passes for 2,721 yards and 57 touchdowns while only throwing 7 interceptions. He also rushed for 98 yards and 14 touchdowns.
"Russ is our leader," said All-Arena first team receiver Damien Harrell. "He's been putting up the numbers. Stats don't lie."
Michna, with nearly a full regular season behind him, is quite a different player from this time a year ago. He played sparingly in 2007, although he did play three quarters in a loss to San Jose in the conference championship while filling in for injured starter Matt D'Orazio.
"I'm much more confident just because of the reps - you can never simulate game reps," said Michna, who finished the season ranked third in the AFL in completion percentage (68.5) and fourth in QB rating (122). "You can sit here and watch film and take as many practice reps as you want, but it's still never the same as being out there and being in the fire."
So now he heads into postseason as the man for the Rush, right?
The low-key Michna isn't buying it.
"The crazy thing about this situation is that we have so many veterans on this team that I don't feel it has to be that way," Michna said. "I feel like my job is to go out there, stay calm, and do the right thing.
"As a quarterback, it's your job to be in control and be a leader, and I feel everybody on this team and in this organization respects me in that way, but even from Day One, I never felt like I had to come in and try and do too much.
"I'm just the same guy just trying to throw the ball to the right place. That's how I live my life."