Cobras Fall to Detroit Despite Fury-ous Comeback
Chuck DiLullo
Monday February 17, 2003
The Cobras trailed by 19 points in the fourth quarter and appeared well on their way to their third straight blowout loss, but the team fought back, sparked by Bernard Holmes’ dazzling 56-yard kickoff return for a touchdown with 13:49 left in the period. This initiated a run of 17 unanswered points and pulled them to within two points of the Fury, setting the stage for an exciting finish.
Carolina head coach Mike Hold wasn’t surprised that his team came back. He said, “We never gave up. I told the guys to hold their heads high. I asked them at half time to play hard in the second half and not quit. They did it and I’m proud of that”.
The lack of offensive production defined the main concern coming into the game. Having posted an AFL-low 36 points in the first two weeks and tying a franchise low for points, 16, the week before versus the Buffalo Destroyers, the Cobras had a lot to overcome. These concerns were quickly laid to rest by the performances of Robert Hall (210 passing yards and 5 TD passes), Ty Law (7 catches for 64 yards and 2 TDs) and Bernard Holmes (7 catches for 110 yards and 3 TDs).
When asked if an extra week of practice together as a unit the improved the offense, Coach Hold replied, “Absolutely. I don’t think he (Hall) was as crisp as he will be. He missed some throws. We’re going to put a game together. In the second half it proved that we stop ourselves but when we execute, we’re hot and we put the ball in the end zone.”
Law also recognized that this offense is very close to breaking out but execution is still the key. “This was a good week of practice and everyone was coming together,” said Law. “Robert (Hall) is a veteran QB, he knows the game and we worked on things we hadn’t been quite gelling on.”
An illegal defense penalty called on Law after returning an interception for a touchdown early in the game brought the officiating into question. Defensive coordinator Flint Flemming said, “(The play) took a lot out of our sails. The QB pumps, my guy breaks out of the box, which is perfectly legal per the new rule, and intercepts the ball and returns it for a TD. I’m not talking bad about the refs. They called it great as far as last year’s rules are concerned but as far as this year’s rules, I think they missed the call.” The call led to a Fury touchdown and 14- point tie instead of a Cobra 21-6 lead. By halftime, the score was 28-14, Detroit.
Success in the AFL is predicated on taking advantage of opportunities and scoring every time you have the ball. Coach Hold echoed this in saying, “You have to expect the other team is going to score on every possession and that is the attitude we have to take. That‘s Arena Football and you have to play 60 minutes.”
The Cobras’ effort in the second half did more than just put the team in a position to win the game, it served to energize the fans. The Cobras organization would ideally like to have a win at this point but they also understand the value in the team’s performance on Friday. Coach Hold recognized the importance of the home-field crowd and acknowledged the team fed off their energy. He said, “They were awesome and you can see how much the crowd’s enthusiasm lifts the team up. The players rally around that and it’s big for us. Hopefully next week it will be the same and maybe more.”
The Cobras emerged from the game 0-3 but have many positives to build from. Coach Hold takes no solace in “moral” victories, “A loss is a loss and this one doesn’t feel any better than the last two.” But the Cobras do have many positives to build on and looked like a team ready to emerge as a viable force to deal with.
Chuck DiLullo works for a manufacturer of process control instrumentation as a sales engineer. He has been a fan of professional, college and high school football since he could walk. Chuck is originally from Philadelphia and he became a huge Arena Football League fan while living in Buffalo. Chuck has lived in Charlotte since 2000 with his wife & three children.
