Albany Firebirds Playbook: Perfection Around The Corner

The Albany Firebirds are coming off a two-week bye week, sitting at 9-0. They've locked the number one seed up in the playoffs, and just one game stands in their way of a perfect 10-0 season. This week, the Washington Wolfpack are coming into town. The game can be seen on EvergreenTV 7 PM Eastern on Saturday, June 14th.

Adding More Pieces 

The Albany Firebirds recently added offensive linemen Sean Brown. He was with Albany last year and started all year. He had been playing in the UFL but has now made his return to Albany. 

"He's been a guy who's been with me many years. He's a guy I trust, and we want to just make sure we're healthy going into the playoffs. My moves are normally health-related and making sure we're healthy across the board and have enough healthy bodies to get us to the Championship game," head coach Damon Ware said.

One Game Left Before Playoffs

With one game remaining, there can be added pressure to stay undefeated. However, Coach Ware isn't too worried about it right now. 

"Washington has a great organization from the top down. They're not having the level of success on the field that they'd like. However, being undefeated plays through the thought process we play through, and we want to end the season the right way. We also want to focus on getting through it healthy."

 "They have to travel a long way to get here, and we will welcome them with open arms in our normal Capital City hospitality. Ultimately, for us, the goal is to end the season executing our best football of the season. Having two weeks off has been unique for me. We need to knock the rust off quickly and prevail, and get going in our execution as the game goes on. We expect to be undefeated. It was a goal of ours, just as having the number one seed was."

Coach was quick to credit everybody in the organization for the way the season has gone, all the way from players to trainers to the Albany fans.

Superstitions

With an undefeated season on the line, many will start talking about superstitions and if it's better to lose a game in the regular season to get that out of the way. Coach Ware isn't superstitious in that way and expects to execute just as they always do. He does have normal routines prior to games, however, and he will follow that before this game as he does with every game. 

"I like to go through the exact same routine. I'm not so superstitious that I feel I have to eat with my left hand. But I'm a creature of habit and have a routine. I get to the arena early, go through my routine. I watch the film and process analytics one more time, and make sure I'm up on every detail. I bring my coaches in, and we meet and talk, and then we have a meal with the players and break bread together. Then I like to come back to my office and I have my cup of coffee that I have to have before every game and put the headphones in and listen to some motivational things, have some peaceful moments, and get ready for the game."

Waiting On Their Playoff Opponent

The playoffs are all up in the air right now, and it all depends on how the last week of football plays out. The only thing set in stone is that Albany has the number one seed. They'll wait to see who their opponent will be based on the outcomes of the other games that take place this weekend. There are multiple different outcomes that could play out, and Albany will just focus on executing their game and staying healthy.