Georgia Firebirds roster a work in progress

ALBANY — It may not have been the prettiest game but it gave the coaching staff of the Georgia Firebirds a good idea of what they were working with.

The Firebirds opened their season with a 42-22 exhibition victory over the Capital City Cobras Wednesday night at the Albany Civic Center.

A win was an added bonus for the Firebirds, who were playing against another team for the first time since assembling one of their own.

“It was amazing,” Firebirds wide receiver Isaiah Jupiter said. “Just the energy and the hype. The crowd and the fans, the kids most of all because we have the youth team. It is amazing that it started back up. I can’t wait until March 20th.”

Jupiter was one of the standouts in the game. He caught the Firebirds’ first two touchdowns, including a jump ball in a crowd of defenders.

The start was shaky for the Firebirds as they gave up a safety on the first series of the game. As the game progressed, the players became more accustomed, but there were still overthrows and dropped passes.

“We had a terrible game,” Firebirds coach David Daniels said. “We were not flying around and we were not hitting people. I am not satisfied at all with what I saw. I’ve got to get some more players.”

The American Indoor Football League, the league the Firebirds play in, allows teams to carry a maximum of 20 players on the roster and five additional players on the practice squad.

“I do know I’ve got some good ones,” Daniels said. “I do know I’ve got a lot of not so good ones. So I’ve got to work on that, but I’ve got some time to do it.”

The exhibition game served as a chance for fringe players to try to earn a spot on the permanent roster.

“We got off to a slow start,” Jupiter said. “It is all a work in progress and we are going to get it together. We are coming along fine. We are going to have a good season.”

The Firebirds kickoff the regular season with an away game against the Columbus Lions on March 20 at the Columbus Civic Center. The first home game is on March 26 against the Atlanta Vultures.