By now, pretty much everyone has seen it. The hit on quarterback Mike Bercovici in week 1 that sent his helmet flying off and social media going absolutely crazy.
What. A. Hit. --@aafcommanders | #SDvsSA pic.twitter.com/cZIyt91mTz
— The Alliance (@TheAAF)
February 10, 2019 Well, not everyone saw it, at least not in real time. Head coach Mike Martz admitted this week that he wasn’t looking in Bercovici’s direction when the hit occurred, and didn’t happen to look at the jumbotron at the Alamodome in San Antonio to see a replay, either.Had he seen it, Martz said, he would have taken Bercovici out of the game right then and there. Instead, Bercovici played through the end of the third quarter, a bit rattled and a lot overloaded with data trying to master Martz’s complex offensive schemes (that can hit a quarterback as hard as any unblocked linebacker).The end result would have been the same. Philip Nelson came in to replace a struggling Bercovici in the fourth quarter and remained the starter for the next three games. But now Nelson is out several weeks with a broken collarbone, and in the Alliance of American Football, which prides itself on giving second chances, Bercovici is getting a second chance at his second chance.
Coach Mike Martz says @phil_nelson9 is out 4-6 weeks with a fractured clavicle. @MikeBerco will start on Saturday.
— San Diego Fleet (@AAFFleet)
March 4, 2019 Bercovici has been sharp all week taking first team reps, hitting his reads and doing it with zip on the ball. It was a confident, veteran performance; one Bercovici has been waiting for since that disappointing night in San Antonio.“It’s nice to get a lot of reps in practice,” Bercovici said. “Being in the backup role, it’s part of the role that you play in that you have to be ready at any time. Obviously, now is the opportunity. But I thought it was a great practice. We had a great plan. I’ve been a backup in my career before, and in my experience in the preseason in the NFL, whether it was coming in during the fourth quarter and trying to evaluate and assess, when your number is called, you have to perform.”
Now the starter again, Bercovici will lead the 2-2 San Diego Fleet in a western conference game against the 1-3 Salt Lake City Stallions. The Stallions feature a few familiar faces that San Diego fans will remember: defensive tackle Tenny Palepoi and running back Branden Oliver both spent time with the Chargers from 2014-2017.
Last week the Stallions faced the Apollos in 35 degree, snowy weather and lost 20-11. Head coach Dennis Erickson said after the game about Oliver “he’s our starter now and he did a lot of good things. That wasn’t our issue. Our issue was just not scoring touchdowns and moving the ball and getting into the red zone. I think we’re 1 for 10 on third down or something like that. It’s freaking awful. You can’t win games like that.” Branden Oliver led all rushers with 71 yards, despite leaving the game early in the fourth quarter with a pulled groin and never returning, so we shall see his availability for this game.
The Fleet have the AAF’s leading rushing in Ja’quan Gardner who has 287 yards. Bercovici could really thrive with a running game the Stallions have the league leader in sacks Karter Schult with 4. In his last start Bercovici was sacked four times and since week one the offensive line play has improved greatly, especially at home where they average less than 2 sacks a game. Last week Damontre Moore sat out with a knee injury and linebacker Aj Tarpley who was the week 3 defensive player of the week sat out with a back injury, Frank “The Tank” Ginda stepped in and had 15 tackles to lead the Fleet against the Express. The Fleet host the Salt Lake Stallions at SDCCU Stadium in a Week 5 game on Saturday, March 9, at 5 p.m. PT on NFL Network. Following the game there will be a fireworks show.
There will be fireworks on and off the field this Saturday! ------ #AllHandsOnDeckTickets: https://t.co/PglzkfUmQ1 pic.twitter.com/GDD1a6kPD5
— San Diego Fleet (@AAFFleet)
March 6, 2019 Be sure to come out and support the Fleet and remember All Hands On Deck! For Tickets and more information for the Fleet click here.
