Albany Firebirds Playbook: Showdown With Billings

The Albany Firebirds are coming off a huge second-half performance to beat the Salina Liberty 57-27. Find out what the coach had to say about that game and their upcoming game. The Firebirds take on the Billings Outlaws on Sunday, April 13th at 7:00 PM Eastern for the game of the week on ViceTV.

Albany Firebirds 57 - Salina Liberty 27

The Firebirds outscored the Liberty 36-7 in the second half. It started off with a great tone set by the defense to open the second half. They started the drive with back-to-back sacks and ended it with a fumble recovery. 

"We've been a second-half team. Obviously, we want to start the game fast, but after the long travel, I wasn't fully surprised, though you always hope you can start fast. I wasn't angered by it, it's just something that's part of the process. We seemed to buckle down in the second half and really do a good job at halftime to make our adjustments," Coach Damon Ware said. He added he was really pleased with the performance. 

Part of that performance on the first drive of defense was led by Dejon Walden. He had a sack and a tackle for a loss and seemed to be everywhere at the right time. He also recovered the fumble to end Salina's drive as they got closer to scoring. 

"He's (Walden) a natural defensive lineman. We're able to move him all over the place and be diverse with how we use him. He's super fast and has a great motor and attitude and is very coachable. We're able to put him in some positions to succeed, and we're glad he's doing so." Coach Ware's culture focuses on guys who have a high motor on the field.

Battle Of The Undefeated

The Firebirds return home and will face the Billings Outlaws. The two undefeated teams seem to have been on a collision course, and many fans have been waiting for this game. I asked Coach how they were prepping for this big game.

"We're focused on getting too hyped, everybody wants to see (this game). We're highly motivated from last year, and you circle these games on the calendar, but you can't overlook everyone else. They'll be a well-coached team. They're a talented team. They've never gotten to play here in Albany, so we're looking forward to upstate hospitality."

Coach Ware is also prepping for back-to-back games against Billings as they play them this week and next.

"All the polls, us and them are one and two, and at the end of the day we all want to be undefeated and we're just put on a really good show for our fans."

This game should definitely be quite the show. You won't want to miss it on Sunday, April 13th at 7:00 PM Eastern for the game of the week on ViceTV.