Turnovers Demolish Colorado
Tim Ball
Monday February 24, 2003
Colorado outscored San Jose in the second quarter 28-21 and pulled to within a touchdown of tying up the game with the score 42-34 going into halftime. The Crush received the opening kickoff in the second half.
Things still looked within reach for Colorado after their first drive was stopped by an interception and resulting SaberCats touchdown pushed the lead to 49-34. The Crush answered back with a five-play three minute and fifty second drive, showing little effect from the bad third quarter start.
But (oh no! here it comes) San Jose went on a feeding frenzy of continued turnovers that had Colorado quarterback John Dutton reliving Sherdrick Bonner’s nightmare of the ArenaBowl.
“There’s not much you can do when San Jose gets that many turnovers,” said Dutton all too knowingly. “We answered back from the first pick in the third quarter with a good drive and score and then everything started going their way. They started pressing on every play and didn’t let up until it was over.”
No quit in ’em
The SaberCats benefited from Colorado’s attempts to just keep going for it and going for it against all odds. By the time San Jose’s kicker Daron Alcorn threw the kicking tee down on the bench in the second half he was picking it up again just as fast.
All stats aside, except for one drive, everything the Crush tried to do went in favor of the SaberCats in the second half. Since this is a Colorado team hailing from Denver, quit wasn’t in ‘em and the Crush showed that grit. In hindsight (and viewing the game films), maybe, it just wasn’t such a good idea to play at that pace of a team the caliber of the SaberCats. The Crush may have Dutton and former San Jose star Joey Dozier but that’s 22 players shy of the full squad.
While waiting to interview Colorado Crush owner John Elway, what struck me most was that he wouldn’t leave the team for more than a few minutes. He was there well before the game started and was in the locker room well afterwards, pouring over game notes and game stats.
Though disappointed, Elway greeted the incessant drone of another reporter with a handshake and a smile.
“It’s evident from today’s game we have things we need to work on,” said Elway. “This is the first big loss but let’s face it, we’re having problems with turnovers. If we’re going to keep turning over the ball as many times as we did tonight, we’re going to have a difficult time of it. We’ll review tapes and go from there.” With that, Elway turned and went back into the locker room… back to his team.
Colorado Crush head coach Bob Beers had the familiar look of a coach that just experienced the onslaught of the SaberCats playing at their best. Though Beers is a rookie coach in this league, the feelings mirrored veteran Danny White of the Rattlers when his team suffered the same fate.
“This is the loss that will decide our character as a team,” said Beers. “We have played well in many aspects of the game but we will have to regroup after this loss. We had a good first half and there are things we can build on but losing in this manner is tough.”
San Jose may not have the pedigree of a Denver football fan just yet, but winning is what this game is all about. “We love you Dutton,” said one SaberCats family of fans as the ArenaBowl MVP walked by, “but you’re going down!” And, yeah, the Crush went down hard, but they went out swinging on every play. When this team finds it feet, they’ll be standing under hands holding up a championship trophy it’s inevitable. From the owner to the coaching staff to the players, there wasn’t one excuse offered, just reality.
Joey Dozier sums it up well. “Excellence comes from rebounding after these kinds of losses. When I played for San Jose we went through tough times and bad games. It was then that we formed our direction. We have the players to get it done, now it’s time to come together as a team.”
Freebies, handouts and new guys
San Jose quarterback Mark Grieb benefited from so many Colorado turnovers he barely had time to towel off in the second half. “Our defense kept stopping them right away and our field position was always great in the second half,” said Grieb. “Their turnovers hurt them and our line was able to dictate the pace from there. That’s where you’d like to be in every game. We were able to score a lot of rushing touchdowns, as our field position was great. It’s tough on any team when our defense plays to that level.”
The SaberCats scored on only four passing plays (Hundon 3, Roe 1,) while highlighting an awesome rushing attack that witnessed six rushing touchdowns (Keanaaina 2, Kinsinger 2, Buck 1, R. Davis 1). Add a 20-yard field goal and 10 extra points from Alcorn and an interception for a TD by James Roe and productivity was in abundance for the San Jose squad.
“My wife told me I was going to get two interceptions for TD’s,” said Roe. “I guess she meant one on each side of the ball.” (Finally a non-cliché from one of the quietest SaberCats.)
All week long at practice, the SaberCats stressed teamwork and working together, knowing and relying on what the other guy is doing. With the loss of key veterans, it’s mandatory that rookies and new players get adjusted.
Rookies Rasheid Davis and Keala Keanaaina have waited patiently for their time to come. Keanaaina has shown impressive results on both sides of the ball having played from the first game of the season. Davis had a sensational “preseason game” against Grand Rapids in their scrimmage. Davis showed he could run with receivers from the line, which kept Dutton out of his quick release. If the SaberCats can offset the excellence of DS Clevan Thomas, who garnered his sixth interception of the year, with another tight coverage defender, Dutton won’t be the only quarterback suffering this kind of defeat this season.
Davis looks like the smallest player on the SaberCats yet was called on to score on a run play from the red zone. Asked the difference of playing in the Arena League from his collegiate days up the road at San Jose State, Davis didn’t hold back. “It’s intense on that field; it’s ruthless. You can bump and run but you gotta’ stay close. There’s little room for errors. Then you gotta go on offense so you have to catch your wind fast and be ready to go. It’s never boring.”
The SaberCats coaching staff pride themselves in keeping players in a condition of readiness when called on, John Dutton being the greatest example. Now there are new players wearing old numbers who have stepped in and filled the shoes of their predecessors. Keanaaina and Davis are keeping up with past players and hoping to set that bar even higher. If the first home game is any indication, the bar is going to be sky-high.
A full house
While one owner deserves a winning franchise, the other is reaping the rewards of eight years of delivering excellence to the San Jose community. This was easily the biggest crowd ever for opening day as additional seating was opened up to accommodate the surge of new fans.
And just as the SaberKitten dance team stopped many people (well… guys) in their tracks with white, knee-high go-go boots, the football team showed the fans they will also be stopping opponents in their tracks. With an 80-40 win to set the team back on track, you can bet the SaberCats have gained the attention of every team in the league, in a big way.
Tim Ball is a writer in the Chicagoland area. Married and father of three, his opinions on Arena Football reflects the positive aspect of the game as a family event second to none in pro sports.
