Rattlers Get First Taste of Colorado
Brian Knapp
Wednesday January 22, 2003
Under the ownership of future NFL Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway, the Colorado Crush saw their first real AFL action. However, the stingy Arizona defense combined with their veteran offense was too much for the expansion Crush, as they fell to the Rattlers 58-37. There was no officiating in the contest and Rattlers head coach Danny White controlled the game, as players and coaches from both sides looked on.
Coach White said after the game, “You never know quite what to expect when you go into a scrimmage like this. You’re always looking at the young guys and I think our first group played pretty much the way we thought they would. They handled themselves well and executed well.”
White also participated in a question and answer session at halftime with Elway, hosted by NBC sports anchor Mark Curtis. Elway seemed excited about his team, as well as the Arena Football League. Coach White shared similar excitement for the 2003 campaign, especially hoping to gain revenge for the thrashing at the hands of the San Jose SaberCats in Arena Bowl XVI.
As for the game, Rattler fans saw many new faces, including defensive specialists Clarence Lawson from Carolina and Mark Ricks, who spent last season with Western Division rival Los Angeles. The Rattlers also welcomed kicker Nelson Garner, FB/LB Frank Trentadue, and FB/LB Joe Jackson, who provided many big hits against the Crush.
“Some young guys really stood out and made some plays, and that’s what we wanted to see. I thought Joe Jackson was impressive early on. He was probably the highlight as far as the young guys go. He ran well and was flying after the ball,” said White.
Sherdrick Bonner started the scrimmage for the Rattlers, but handed the reigns over early to back up quarterback Chris Hixson and former Minnesota Golden Gopher, Travis Cole.
“He was a little jittery, but he’s got the skills,” White said about the third string hopeful, Cole. “I think he’s got the leadership; he’s got all the qualities to be a great quarterback. It’s like anything else, it’s going to take some time. Unfortunately, we don’t play any preseason games, so this was really his only shot at a live kind of feel and I thought he handled himself well. He got rushed into throwing a couple of balls he shouldn’t have thrown, but when he can set his feet and deliver the ball he’s very accurate,” White said.
Former Arizona State Sun Devil Tom Pace also saw plenty of action, especially in the second half. Pace caught a touchdown pass from Cole and also ran one in for a score.
Although the scrimmage lacked the traditional excitement of a regular season match-up, the Rattlers showed some intensity and outplayed the Crush on both sides of the ball. As well as the Rattlers played, they kept things pretty simple.
“We were trying to stay real conservative with our plays and our formations, just stay real basic,” White said.
The Rattlers regular season begins on Sunday, February 2nd against defending Arena Bowl Champion San Jose at 1 p.m.
Brian Knapp was a writer for ArenaFan Online from 2003 to 2005.
