Not a Cinch, but a Playoff Clinch
Matt Krueger
Sunday July 16, 2000
Cinderella has her invitation to the Ball.
Coming off of a bye week, coach Ray Bentley was concerned about losing some of the momentum and edge his team had, winning the previous four games, but the Destroyers came out shooting.
Game MVP Terrell Shaw put up huge numbers and, along with Quarterback Browning Nagle, led the team to its fifth straight victory.
Shaw, brother of New England Patriot running back Harold Shaw, had seven receptions for 130 yards and three touchdowns, but didn’t stop there. He also had two rushes for eight yards and a fourth TD.
Nagle, former NFL quarterback with the New York Jets, Indianapolis Colts and Atlanta Falcons, completed 25 of 38 passes for 381 yards and seven touchdowns.
One of those touchdowns was a special delivery to former starting quarterback Kevin Mason who was activated off of IR last week.
Mason missed three weeks with a separated shoulder, but was in uniform on Friday as Nagle’s backup. Inserted at receiver late in the game for the injured Corey Johnson, Mason was swarmed by his team in the end zone after the 30-yard TD.
“I’m happy to be back,” said Mason. “It’s hard to be on the sidelines, because in a way you’re alienated from the team. You’re there, but you’re not in it.”
On an interesting note, both Corey Johnson and Carlos Brooks began the season playing for Los Angeles, before ending up in Buffalo. The two got some revenge Friday night against the team that let them go.
Brooks grabbed his fifth interception in three games and added eight tackles and three broken up passes to his nights work.
Johnson, who was picked up by Buffalo earlier in the week, had two tackles and 26 return yards, before leaving the game.
“Corey Johnson is a good football player,” said Bentley. “I don’t understand why he got let go like he did, but I’m glad it happened. He fills a nice spot for us that is a nice fit, because he can step in for Willie Latta and we’re not going to lose anything.”
Latta was placed on injured reserve before the game with an abdominal strain.
The most interesting factor on Friday night was the kicking game. Aside from a blocked PAT, Mike Black was perfect for the Destroyers. He nailed five PATs and two field goals (22, 18).
Black’s counterpart Kyle Pooler, on the other hand, gave lessons in ineptness. He missed a 32-yard field goal and three PATs. Those six points could have really turned the tide in the game as the Avengers lost by only eight.
On “Fan Appreciation Night”, 10,029 fans filed into the HSBC arena. This is the first time this year the Destroyers have drawn more than 10,000 fans.
Bentley, who was handed the head coaching position in week seven, did a complete turnaround for this team. They lost the first two games under Bentley’s reign, but have won the following five.
When asked, “What has coach Bentley improved best about this team,” fan Mike Murphy said simply “The winning.”
Bentley himself commented on how others in the league might perceive the turnaround by the Destroyers. “I think it’s obvious how far the team has come. Just look at the win-loss situation.”
Buffalo’s only remaining game is next Saturday in San Jose where the Destroyers look not only for six in a row, but possibly catapulting up to the tenth seed in the playoffs.
Matt Krueger was a writer for ArenaFan Online during the 2000 season.
