The Battle for Number Two
Patrick Daly
Friday July 19, 2002
San Jose already holds the number one position, which gives them home field advantage through the ArenaBowl. With Chicago also in the mix for the second through fourth spots, there are four possible scenarios that could play out on Saturday night. Head-to-head records and records against common opponents (Grand Rapids and Dallas) figure to be the tiebreakers, so get out your slide rule and follow how things could work out.
Scenarios
Arizona beats New Jersey, Chicago wins: 2. Arizona (11-3) 3. Chicago (10-4) 4. New Jersey (9-5)
Arizona beats New Jersey, Chicago loses: 2. Arizona (11-3) 3. Chicago (9-5) 4. New Jersey (9-5)
New Jersey beats Arizona, Chicago wins: 2. Chicago (10-4) 3. New Jersey (10-4) 4. Arizona (10-4)
New Jersey beats Arizona, Chicago loses: 2. New Jersey (10-4) 3. Arizona (10-4) 4. Chicago (9-5)
In the head-to-head matchups, Arizona has beaten Chicago and Chicago has beaten New Jersey this season, while the Gladiators (2-0) and the Rush (3-0) each hold a perfect 1.000 combined winning percentage over common opponents Grand Rapids and Dallas, while Arizona (1-2) sits with a .333 winning percentage against those two teams.
As you’ll probably note, a win guarantees the second spot for Arizona, while a loss puts the Rattlers fate into the hands of the Rush. With the Rattlers coming off of an emotional win over San Jose last week, Rattlers head coach Danny White is working to leave no doubt about the importance of this game in the minds of Arizona players.
“They’re already tired of hearing me say it,” White said. “By the end of the week they’re going to really be sick of it. This game this week is much more important than the game last week. From a standings standpoint, the second seed versus fourth seed is huge. Whether you’re third or fourth, you’re on the road in the next round.”
Because so much can change this week in terms of playoff seeding, Arizona won’t have the luxury this week of letting players loaf that could use an extra week off heading into the playoffs.
“There’s just a lot riding on this game,” White said. “We’re talking about guys that we want to rest this week, but everybody has got to play. We’ve got to win the game.”
One of the great stories in the AFL season is the turnaround in New Jersey. Head coach Frank Haege came back to New Jersey after guiding the af2 Quad City Steamwheelers to two straight championships over the last two seasons. Haege’s Quad City team compiled a 37-1 record over those two seasons, but he is no stranger to New Jersey having spent three years with the Red Dogs as offensive coordinator before taking the job with the Steamwheelers.
Two players, quarterback Jay McDonagh and offensive specialist Mike Horacek, have emerged as the offensive leaders on the team, but Sedrick Robinson has become a big factor now that he’s cracked into the lineup. Robinson leads the team with four kick returns for a touchdown and earned Offensive Player of the Week honors last week, while Horacek leads the league with 107 receptions. The Gladiators have picked up some tough wins, with the most recent victory a 57-55 game against Toronto that ended when New Jersey lineman Karl Bates sacked Rickey Foggie for a safety in overtime.
“They’ve got a great record, obviously, and won their division,” White said about the Gladiators. “They’re kind of a hard team to figure because they’re not real consistent and that makes for a hard team to prepare for. We don’t know if we’re going to see New Jersey at their best or at their worst, because when they’re at their worst they’re pretty bad, but when they’re at their best they’re pretty good. We’ve got to assume that they’re going to be at their best.”
Rather than worry about what New Jersey may or may not do, White has the team focused on themselves.
“It’s one of those games where we need to worry about us,” White said. “If we go in there and we play like we did in the second half against San Jose there isn’t anybody that’s going to beat us. But if we play like we did in the first half, everybody is going to beat us.”
With only one game remaining, the Rattlers can taste the playoffs, which makes White’s job easier. After working to push the team through the middle of the regular season, practices have gotten better even as the heat and monsoon humidity have set in.
“Now we’re getting to the point, as coaches, where the players are starting to sense the playoffs,” White said. “You can just tell it out here [in practice]. As coaches, our job is much easier now, because they’re excited about playing in the playoffs, especially when you’ve got a veteran team.”
Regardless of how things go in New Jersey, the Rattlers are scheduled to host a second round playoff game on Sunday, August 4th. The opponent won’t be known until after the first round is over, but the Rattlers can take comfort in the fact that the game should be on ESPN rather than TNN. For those keeping score at home, Arizona is 0-3 on TNN over the past two seasons.
Letting the dogs out
Rattlers defensive specialist Cecil Doggette earned his first Defensive Player of the Week award with his strong performance in Arizona’s win over San Jose last week. Doggette is questionable this week, but came up big against the SaberCats despite playing through an injury suffered against Los Angeles a week earlier.
Players to watch
OS Mike Horacek, New Jersey—The former Barnstormer spent the 2001 preseason with the Green Bay Packers, but was let go just before the season started. The Packers’ loss has been New Jersey’s gain as Horacek has racked up 107 catches and 29 touchdowns for the Gladiators.
DS Derek Stingley, Arizona—With Doggette potentially out, Stingley will be asked to play in the middle, with help from either Jerrick Bledsoe or last week’s hero Kelvin Hunter. Ricky Parker is also an option, but the Rattlers may opt to hold him out until the playoffs start.
WR/LB Sedrick Robinson, New Jersey—Robinson has been equally dangerous as a receiver and kick returner for the Gladiators. In Houston last season, Robinson emerged as a potentially explosive player on both sides of the ball.
OS/WR/LB Chris Horn, Arizona—Horn still leads the team in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns. Although his opportunities may be dictated by how much time Maurice Bryant gets, he’ll find a way to contribute.
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.
