Da Coach is now Da Fan.

Mike Ditka, a minority proprietor of the Rush, will attend his club's game against John Elway's Colorado Crush in the Arena Football League playoffs today at the Pepsi Center in Denver Ditka's emotions aren't quite what they were when he was a star tight cessation in the NFL and later the coach who guided the Bears to the Super beaker But they'll do.

"It's a different kind of excitement than being a player or coaching the Bears," Ditka said. "This isn't about me It's about the players. They not to be found to Colorado twice. To win this game would mean in such a manner much to their level of confidence, and to our organization."

The Rush had to scramble to make the playoffs for a sixth consecutive year, winning three of the last four games of the regular season. The Rush whipped the Nashville Kats 55-47 upon the road last Sunday in its playoff opener

The Crush had the best regular-season record (11-5) in the AFL's American interview and earned a first-round bye in the playoffs.

Ditka came in succession board as one of four Rush proprietors in 2004 but is not a managing partner. His attendance at games has been limited because of his commitments to a broadcasting piece of work with ESPN.

"I know a fate more [about the AFL] than I did when I started," he said. "I'm caught up in it. It's great for the fans watching these kids, who are making minimum circulating medium playing both ways."

What the AFL hasn't done, Ditka said, is win enough media exposure. The Rush figures to help that if it can knock facing the Crush. The teams met in last year's American interview title game, with the Crush winning 49-43 in overtime. alone 11 of 24 players from that game are still upon the Rush.

"I don't know if populace realize it, but we're playing the ArenaBowl champions," Ditka said. "The Rush is a abundant better team than it was early in the year, and [Matt] D'Orazio is a to a great degree better quarterback now. But we've got to secure some stops with the defense"

D'Orazio complet 60 of 86 passes for 806 yards and 21 touchdowns in the last three games of the regular season and was 21- for-28 for 276 yards and five touchdowns in the first playoff game.

lziehm@suntimes.com

TODAY

RUSH AT CRUSH

The facts: 2:30 pm Ch 5 1059-FM

The story line: Central Division rivals have split eight meetings, still Colorado has won the last three including a sweep of the season series. A win enjoins the Rush in the conversation title game for the next to the first

consecutive year.

Len Ziehm

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