The Alaska Wild's merry-go-round of quarterbacks this season has screeched to a halt.

At least for this week.

Coach Floyd Johnson on Thursday named Earl Mason, an inexperienced 27-year-old Alabama native, as his starting quarterback for Saturday's Indoor Football League road game against Maryland, which beat the Wild 49-40 last week in Anchorage.

"He's green," Johnson said of Mason, an indoor football rookie who's taking snaps for the first time in two years. "But he could be the prototype quarterback."

Mason won the starting role over Pierce Blewett and newly signed Damion Ward after all three battled for the job this week following Jamie Williamson's demotion to receiver and defensive back.

Everyone but Ward, who was signed Monday, has taken snaps under center in at least one of Alaska's two games.

With 12 regular season games to go, Johnson said having a consistent figure leading the offense is a must if the Wild think they can turn an 0-2 start into a record good enough to make the playoffs.

So far, the Wild rank last in the IFL in passing offense. They've passed for 142 yards and four touchdowns in two games, pedestrian numbers for a league with teams that make a living on high-octane offenses.

Given Mason has thrown for two of those touchdowns and nearly led the Wild to a fourth-quarter rally last week, Johnson decided to give him the start Saturday. Johnson said Mason has the mental capacity to dig the Wild out of an offense funk.

"He's smart with the ball," Johnson said. "He'll sit in the pocket and be patient."

Mason is good at playing it cool on the field because that's what he does at his day job. He's stationed at Elmendorf Air Force Base, working as an emergency manager.

When Mount Redoubt dumped ash on base, Mason was busy handling relief efforts. If a white powder substance was found on base, his crew would gear up and test the powder to determine if it's hazardous.

Similar to quarterbacking a football team, Mason said it's a job that requires him to "maintain composure at all times."

Playing indoor football also requires a good work ethic.

Like many IFL players, Mason juggles his day job with indoor football. An IFL paycheck just doesn't stretch far enough to make a living, forcing the Wild to hold 6 a.m. practices nearly every day.

"We get here early to get out to our real jobs," Mason said. "It's rough but it's worth the hard work."

Mason is playing football for the first time since moving to Anchorage from California two years ago, when he played semi-pro football for the North Bay Rattlers in the Northern California Football League.

He intended to play for the Wild during their 2007 inaugural season, but his work schedule forced him to miss tryouts that year and last year.

"This year it fell right into place for me," he said.

So far, Mason is savoring every moment he gets to strap on a silver Wild helmet, take some snaps and throw spirals to receivers down field.

"I'm from Alabama so football is like a religion," Mason said. "It's in my blood."

That's good news for Johnson, a first-year coach who needs someone to generate an offensive spark. During both of the Wild's losses, Johnson said, they have dug themselves into first-half deficits too deep to escape.

"We just need to play a full four quarters," Johnson said. "We've gotta get that fixed."

If the Wild continue their losing ways, Johnson is worried the amount of empty seats during home games will inevitably increase.

"If you're winning, the fans are going to come," he said. "If you're losing, then, good luck.''

The biggest concern for his team, however, will be winning on the road, something the Wild have never done in franchise history -- they check in at 0-15 in their first two seasons.

Mason's goal is to change that zero into a one.

"I'd love nothing more than to lead a team to its first road win," he said.

Find Kevin Klott online at adn.com/contact/kklott or call 257-4335.

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