Rattlers Line Up for LA
Patrick Daly
Saturday July 6, 2002
Both teams are playing as well as ever and there’s no reason to expect anything less than an exciting rematch on Saturday night. For the second-seeded Rattlers, a win nearly guarantees a bye week, while the Avengers could use the win to continue their momentum and bring them a bit closer to a week off in the first round of the playoffs.
“Every game is a bit more important,” Rattlers lineman Stacy Evans said. “When you win one, the next game becomes more important, then the next one, and the next one. Right now, it seems like we’ve got LA behind us, and a couple more teams that are 7-4, so we’ve got win these games so we can keep second place. You never know, San Jose might lose and we can move up a little bit, but it doesn’t look like it though.”
The Rattlers have used good defensive pressure over the past two games to help build early leads. While the effort hasn’t shown up as sacks in the box score, continued success along the line is important. Arizona will be without one of their leaders in lineman Joe Burch, while defensive specialist Ricky Parker and lineman Charlie Morris are both out due to injuries.
“It’s very important,” Evans said. “We’ve got some guys banged up now so each lineman has got to step up. We’ve just got to protect the quarterback and get after theirs. Every game we’re trying to turn it up more and more.”
Against an Avengers team with weapons like offensive specialist Chris Jackson, receiver Greg Hopkins, quarterback Tony Graziani and fullback Chad Dukes, the Rattlers must pressure Graziani early and often. Jackson and Hopkins rank among the top three players in scoring, just ahead of Rattlers receiver Chris Horn, while Dukes has run over and around defenders to lead the league in rushing yards and touchdowns.
In only eight games, Jackson has amassed 27 touchdown catches and represents the Avengers big-play capability. Back in April, Jackson torched the Rattlers secondary for 11 receptions, 242 yards and five touchdowns.
Dukes came to Los Angeles in the offseason, and as expected, has become a big part of the team’s success. His combination of size and speed make him a tough target to bring down, but the Rattlers won’t give him any special treatment.
“I think you play him like any other fullback,” said Evans. “The coaches are talking about him a lot, and I guess that’s part of their job to let us know about him. We just play him like any other fullback.”
Speaking of fullbacks, Evans might be a bit of a weapon in his own right. Granted, his two carries in Buffalo didn’t net him any yards, but watching a lineman of Evans size line up in the backfield could be a scary sight for any opponent.
“I usually play a little bit of Mac [linebacker]—I start the game, if we’re on defense, at Mac,” Evans said. “In the second half I started at Mac and we had a quick turnover, so coach said, ‘stay in there at fullback.’ I stayed in and had a couple of carries. Should’ve scored, but I was concerned about fumbling instead of scoring. Next time, maybe I’ll score.”
Regardless of where he lines up, Evans knows that the key to knocking off Los Angeles is a solid performance on both sides of the ball. Although the Rattlers hold a 4-1 record against the Avengers, it’ll be thrown out the window on Saturday night.
“Last time we played them we won on the last drive,” Evans said. “They’ve always played us tough, so we’ve got to come out with our best game to beat them.”
Players to watch
OS Maurice Bryant, Arizona—With Bryant now filling the key role in the Rattler offense, he becomes the player to watch. Bryant is capable of making spectacular grabs, but has shown he’s equally capable of losing concentration on the easy catches. In Bryant’s mind, no one can cover him, which just might be true.
OS Chris Jackson, Los Angeles—The Avengers were fortunate that an early-season injury didn’t cost Jackson more playing time since he is the best playmaker in Los Angeles that doesn’t suit up for the Lakers. Los Angeles will find a way to get him open, so the key for Arizona will be keeping an eye on Jackson.
QB Sherdrick Bonner, Arizona—While Bonner may still be feeling the effects of the hit he took to his knee against Indiana, good protection gave Bonner plenty of time in Buffalo. He’ll need the same in Los Angeles, especially if this game turns into a track meet.
WR/LB Greg Hopkins, Los Angeles—The former Firebird followed head coach Ed Hodgkiss from Indiana to Los Angeles. Hopkins gives the Avengers a big, solid receiving target for Graziani and plays the possession receiver role to Jackson’s playmaker.
Patrick Daly has been an Arena Football League enthusiast since he first stumbled across the late-night ESPN broadcasts and has followed the Arizona Rattlers since their inaugural season in 1992. He graduated from Arizona State University with an engineering degree and is currently a member of a web development team for Direct Alliance in Tempe. Patrick currently resides in the Phoenix suburb of Chandler, Arizona with his beautiful wife, son and a very large football helmet collection.
