Gladiators march into playoffs with Kosar in the background

The first thing Bernie Kosar knew about Arena football was that he didn't know much about the Arena Football League. This was an indoor eight-man game played on a 50-yard field, certainly not his father's football league -- or even anything remotely resembling what Kosar played for the Browns in the 1980s and 1990s.

That's why the former quarterback didn't bring in one of his old NFL buddies to coach the team. And why he wasn't cocky enough to believe he could fix this ailing franchise by himself after he was hired as president of the Cleveland Gladiators, which moved here from Las Vegas after a 2-14 season in the desert.

Today, the Gladiators are 9-7 and in the playoffs after beating Columbus, 47-35, before 14,397 at Quicken Loans Arena Saturday night. It's the most stunning turnaround in the AFL this season.

Yes, Kosar fueled the engine, but he was smart enough to know he needed a lot of help top stay on the right road.

He hired Mike Wilpolt, a veteran AFL defensive coordinator who also played in the league to be head coach-- his experience dating back to 1992.

Next on board came offensive coordinator Brian Partlow, who has coached in the AFL since 2000.

"Bernie lets us coach," said Wilpolt. "We run everything past him. We want to know what he has to say. He is very involved. But he also respects the game and realizes it is really different [from the NFL]."

Kosar sometimes goes into the dressing room at halftime. He has spoken to the team at practice, and is on the headset listening during the games.

But he has found a way to do all that, and not get in the way.

Kosar's other major contribution was to recruit Ray Philyaw, who may not be a household name to Browns fans. But the 33-year-old is one of the best AFL quarterbacks, ever. He's been in the league nine years, and he's 9-for-9 making the playoffs. Kosar bonded with Philyaw during the recruiting visit, having the quarterback stay at Kosar's home in Portage County.

This is a tough league for a newcomer. Just ask former Massillon High and Ohio State quarterback Justin Zwick, who was in town Saturday night with the Columbus Destroyers. He is the team's backup, yet to throw a pass in a game. He gets on the field as part of the kickoff coverage team.

Former NFL players Steve DeBerg (0-5) and Chris Spielman (2-14) struggled when trying to be head coaches in this league, where there are no punts, the field is only 85-feet wide and holding a team under 40 points is like keeping the score under 10 in the NFL.

"It has taken me a while to get to up speed," said Kosar. "I've been learning a lot."

And doing it fast.

Only three players returned from the Las Vegas disaster, Kosar and his coaches changing the roster from one end to the other. A key move was signing Randy Hymes only a month ago. He had played for several NFL teams, but never in this league. Finding a player like that who catches three touchdown passes in his first AFL game is the kind of scouting that transformed this franchise.

Fans have been starting to notice.

The Gladiators entered the night averaging 13,979 fans for their first seven games, ranking fifth in the 17-team league. Tampa Bay leads with 16,636 per game. A year ago, the Gladiators averaged a mere 5,383 while finishing 2-14 in Las Vegas. But that was last year, and thanks to Kosar and his coaches, everything is different now.

(cleveland.com)