NO ROOM FOR COMPLACENCY AS RAMS VISIT VIENNA
Fresh from one of their biggest victories of the season, the Vienna Vikings have spent this week ensuring there is no danger of allowing standards to slip against AFLE newcomers Alpine Rams.
Saturday’s meeting at Hohe Warte will mark the first encounter between the franchises and comes with the Vikings riding a three-game winning streak after overcoming Rhein Fire in a heavyweight clash that further underlined their championship credentials. For head coach Chris Calaycay, however, the message delivered to his players this week has been simple: last week’s result counts for nothing if Vienna fail to maintain the same level of intensity against an Alpine side buoyed by its first victory.
The Vikings are clearly the AFLE’s form team, but Calaycay believes there is plenty of room for improvement after three successive victories. Discipline remains an area of concern, with offensive holding penalties regularly disrupting drives against Rhein Fire.
“There was a big emphasis on Tuesday that, yeah, it was a big game against Rhein, but this one’s just as big,” Calaycay said. “We want to keep our winning streak going and not get too high on ourselves. We have a lot to improve on. Way too many penalties last week, some missed opportunities, so we want to get better at those things and the rest of it will take care of itself. It’s still a long season to go. We’re only three games in.”
Vienna’s tendency to start games slowly has not escaped the attention of the head coach either.
“If there’s a thing we can improve on, it’s starting fast,” Calaycay admitted sheepishly. “We’re not good in the first quarter because of the head coach and we need to do better.”
Despite entering the contest as favourites, Calaycay rejected any suggestion that the expansion Rams should be underestimated. The Swiss side arrive with momentum after securing their first AFLE victory and introduced a new quarterback in Seth Morgan who impressed in last week’s comeback win in London. Veteran receiver Kevin Kaya also gives the Alpine offense an experienced target, while Calaycay believes Alpine’s record fails to reflect the talent spread throughout the roster, notwithstanding the loss of Devan Burrell to injury.
“They’ve signed some really good players,” the American said. “I was impressed with their secondary and the speed that they have. Chad Walen is a very accomplished player in Europe. DeMarco Artis may be the best pure pass rusher or one of the most active guys in the league at defensive end. We have to make sure we understand where he is.”
Quarterback Ben Holmes also expects another physical challenge, praising an Alpine defence led by Artis and Jack Lowe and insisting statistics matter far less than continuing to stack victories.
“I’d like my stats to be better,” Holmes joked, “but, at the end of the day, all I really care about is winning. It doesn’t matter if I have to run it in, throw it in or hand it off. I just want to win.”
Holmes acknowledged that a handful of missed throws against Rhein stemmed from trying to do too much and believes the key against Alpine lies in remaining patient and trusting the structure of the offence.
“Me and [offensive coordinator] Jordan [Neumann] do a really good job of being on the same page and usually, when we falter a little bit, it’s me kind of taking this left turn,” the QB said. “I’ve got to stay the course and execute what’s asked of me each play and not try to make a simple play harder.”
Calaycay expects another stern examination, regardless of the standings and the Swiss team’s relative inexperience of playing together.
“Any team that comes into your stadium is a threat and we’re going to treat it that way,” he said. “We’re going to try to make sure that threat gets out of our house.”
Kick-off is scheduled for 6pm local time at Wiener Sport-Club Stadion, with the Vikings seeking a fourth consecutive victory and the Alpine Rams hoping to claim the biggest result in their short history. Off the field, meanwhile, a delegation from the Indianapolis Colts is expected in Vienna and will be bringing their legendary mascot, Blue, to the game .
Image courtesy Vienna Vikings/Hannes Jirgal