Fife catching on fast in Arena League

Friday, March 10, 2006 | 7:23 a.m.

Las Vegas Gladiators head coach Ron James stopped short of calling last weekend's Arena Football League contest with Philadelphia a must-win game, but he acknowledged the team - then in the midst of a three-game losing streak - was in dire need of a victory.

And James had no qualms about trusting such a potentially crucial game to rookie quarterback Jason Fife, who was making his second AFL start. Fife responded by completing 18 of 28 pass attempts for 174 yards and five touchdowns in a 67-49 victory at the Thomas & Mack Center.

"Jason's a quick study and we made sure that we put him in safe situations," James said. "That being said, he went out and created a few good plays on his own, too. He's an exceptionally smart quarterback."

So smart, in fact, that Fife has put plans to enter medical school on hold until his playing career has run its course. To hear James tell it, though, that could be quite a while.

"There's just so much that goes into learning this game," James said, "and getting himself in that situation where he can watch film and pick it up quickly is enormous for us. He's been through a very well-coached system (at the University of Oregon) and a good quarterbacks coach, too."

Fife, who will make his third start at 7:30 tonight against the Grand Rapids Rampage at the Thomas & Mack Center, said his comfort level has steadily improved with each snap he's taken.

"Definitely, there's still a lot of things I've got to learn, but the flow of the game is slowing down for me a little bit," he said. "Things move so quickly and the presnap read is so important to make sure that what you see is what you get and you know exactly where you're going to go with the ball because you can't hang onto it.

"That was probably the biggest transition (from traditional football to the indoor game).

"Now I'm seeing things the way I need to see them and I can kind of make a decision and go with the ball where I need to."

Off the net