Dragons Lacked Motivation Under Gregory
Tim Parry
Thursday February 27, 2003
"You never want to make a change like this, especially when you`re talking about a successful coach and a very good person like John Gregory," said Dragons senior VP Michael Picker.
Gregory was likely a victim of his own personality. He was such a good guy and so laid back that his talented group of players became content. It was something that rookie FB/LB Kerry Taylor liked about Gregory compared to the disciplinarian he played for last season with the af2’s New Haven Ninjas, Rick Buffington.
But the Dragons, despite generating the most offense in the league, have failed to play complete games. The relaxed attitude that Gregory brought to this bunch may have caused the team to become comfortable with marginal leads, and no lead is safe in the AFL.
A glaring example of this came February 16th in Grand Rapids, when the Dragons squandered a 34-9 lead and lose on the game`s final play 66-63. And against Las Vegas on February 22, the Dragons played a perfect first half, but an uninspired second half.
Against Las Vegas, the players that showed the most fire were Taylor, WR/LB Chris Anthony and WR/DB Christopher Clopton. Two are rookies, and one is a first-year player. So by trying to make an impression with Gregory, the three also showed owner Charles Wong that the veterans were slacking.
To put it bluntly, Shell and assistant head coach Lary Kuharich have to light a fire under the team`s butt. With parity in the league, any team can win any given game. And the Dragons have been competitive during all of its four losses.
With players like Garcia, Steve Papin, Mike Furrey, Kerry Brown, Donvetus Franklin and Kory Blackwell, the Dragons are very talented on paper. But as the saying goes, that`s why you play the games.
And if the Dragons are going to have a shot at the playoffs, Shell will have to get them motivated to play.
Tim Parry is a veteran Arena Football writer whose work has appeared in several print and online publications. After coordinating AFL coverage for one website for the past three seasons, he now does the same for his own website, Football Galore.
