Avengers Racing to Shore up Line After Injuries
Steven Herbert
Saturday March 8, 2003
Protection problems have been a key reason the Avengers have lost their last two games following a 3-0 start.
“Tony is getting hit way too much,” Los Angeles coach Ed Hodgkiss said. “You can’t be successful when you quarterback is on his back.”
For the second consecutive week, the Avengers will play without players Hodgkiss called two of their best protectors.
Offensive lineman/defensive lineman Tony Plantin and fullback/linebacker Mathias Vavao both sustained injuries warming up for last Sunday`s game against Georgia, leaving the Avengers no time to adjust their roster and forcing their remaining linemen to log lots of playing time.
Vavao, who has a rib injury, was placed on injured reserve, forcing him to miss at least two games before he is eligible to be reactivated under Arena Football League rules. Plantin, sidelined by a lower back strain, remains on the roster, but will not play against the Dragons, Hodgkiss said.
Lineman La’Zerius White, the largest Avenger at 6-foot-4 and 330 pounds, will play for the first time since the Feb. 2 season opener, Hodgkiss said.
“La’Zerius is a true offensive guy, so hopefully he’ll firm [the protection] up,” Hodgkiss said.
Los Angeles has activated fullback/linebacker Lonnie Ford from injured reserve. Ford had missed the past three games because of a sprained left ankle sustained in the first half of a 73-72 victory over the San Jose SaberCats Feb. 9.
Hodgkiss said what hurts most about losing Plantin and Vavao is the absence of their leadership.
“Ability-wise, we have some very good players here who can fill in adequately,” Hodgkiss said.
The Avengers also made another change to their roster, signing former Michigan quarterback Scott Dreisbach to be Graziani’s backup after Ryan Helming underwent season-ending surgery on his fractured right foot.
The loss of Helming probably will not impact the team if Graziani remains healthy, Hodgkiss said.
Hodgkiss described Dreisbach as an “athletic kid,” “very bright” who “can make all the throws.
“He has a lot of potential.”
After throwing for 2,894 yards and 15 touchdowns for the Wolverines from 1995-1998, Dreisbach signed with the Oakland Raiders as an undrafted free agent in 1999.
Dreisbach never played in a regular-season game with the Raiders, breaking a leg in 1999 and tearing a rotator cuff in 2000. Dreisbach split the 2001 season between the Buffalo Bills practice squad and Detroit Lions, before being released by Detroit in 2002 at his own request.
“He had some unfortunate injuries in his time in the NFL,” Hodgkiss said. “If he can stay healthy, I think he can be a very good quarterback.”
When the Avengers gathered at West Los Angeles College Wednesday for their first practice since Sunday`s 46-35 loss to the Georgia Force, Hodgkiss told his players "to put that game behind us."
"A lot of things went on that we weren`t happy with," said Hodgkiss. "We feel like we`re a better team than that. We decided not to talk about it from this morning`s meeting on and we`re focused on New York."
The Avengers then went out and had what Hodgkiss described as "the best Wednesday practice we`ve had all year."
"I think the guys understand the sense of urgency to get this thing back on track," Hodgkiss said.
Said Graziani: “We came out with a lot more energy, a lot more enthusiasm.”
Following the Georgia game, Graziani said, “I don’t know what our problem is right now. We’re going to fix it though on Wednesday.”
On Wednesday, Graziani said the Avengers’ problems were that they were not executing and not crisp.
“We just tightened some things up in practice and hopefully got back to where we were in the beginning of the season,” Graziani said.
In New York, Los Angeles is facing a team that has undergone a coaching change (replacing John Gregory with Todd Shell) and is 0-5, but leads the league in total offense, averaging 329.8 yards per game.
“New York’s a tough team to stop, so we better get the ball out by contact and make sure tackles and make them earn every touchdown,” Hodgkiss said. “We have to play with some enthusiasm and play physical.”
Offensively, the Avengers "need to not turn the ball over and score when our opportunities arise,” Graziani said.
“We can`t give away possessions like we did last weekend," Graziani said.
That could well happen against a defense allowing a league-high 61.8 points per game.
Steven Herbert began covering Arena Football in 1988, the league’s second season. He has covered the sport for The Associated Press, Arizona Republic, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Providence Journal-Bulletin, Palm Beach Post, Daily Oklahoman and other publications. Herbert has also written on college and NFL football for The Washington Post and spent five years as a Los Angeles Times staff writer.
