Cobras Improving Each Week, But...
Chuck DiLullo
Monday March 24, 2003
Robert Hall ran for a franchise-record four rushing touchdowns and contributed two more scores through the air. Bernard Holmes continued his stellar play with his fifth consecutive game of 200 or more all-purpose yards.
The game saw the Cobras capture their first halftime lead of the season and also saw them leading for the first time entering the fourth quarter. But the team couldn`t respond on their last drive as Robert Hall was sacked by Ja`Mar Toombs on fourth down at the Desperados 9-yard line, ending any chance for the Cobras to earn their first win. The Desperados posted a franchise-record five sacks in the game with Toombs` sack, sealing the Cobras` fate at the end.
"They were bringing it and are probably one of the best pass rushing teams we`ve seen all year," said Head Coach Mike Hold, "They were effective at the right time and they got the presses they needed.
"The guys played hard and they have nothing to be ashamed of. This one`s on me. I got to find a way to get us in the end zone on that last series," said Hold. "They (the Cobras) played their hearts out and I couldn`t ask them to play a better game against a great team."
Mike Hold was frustrated because he thought he had the right play called for the situation, but there was a flaw in execution that caused the play to collapse.
"We were supposed to have a tight-end/fullback release and had everybody to the right side. Our tight end was supposed to go up the chute and our fullback releases, forcing a two-on-one on the Jack linebacker, but the tight-end stayed in to block," said Hold. "The Jack covered the fullback, the Mac linebacker (Toombs) came uncovered and Robert had nobody to go to."
"All we have ever asked for is to have the ball the last series to put a game away but we couldn`t get in done tonight for whatever reason", said QB Robert Hall. "The worst part of it is that this is the first game we had the ball with a chance to win at the end - we score, we win, it is over with."
The Cobras are improving from week-to-week. The margin of defeat and the mistakes contributing to losing games are getting smaller and smaller and the losses are becoming increasingly difficult for the team to accept.
"A couple of guys wanted to boil it down to one play and take blame for the loss," said Defensive Coach Flint Fleming, "but no game is won or lost on one play. It is unfortunate because the guys played well enough to win but didn`t."
Desperados` quarterback Jim Kubiak was voted the game`s MVP, completing 24-of-33 passes for 330 yards and five scores.
The crowd of 6,401 was treated to an exciting, competitive Arena Football game, but once again left the Charlotte Coliseum shaking their heads and lamenting a loss. The Cobras are getting better but the players and coaches must find a way to close out the games in which the outcome is in their hands. This was the first opportunity all season where the offense had a chance to put a team away in the final minute and came up short. The good news is that the team`s performance put them in that position. The bad news is that a critical mistake of execution caused the team to fail in closing the deal.
The Cobras next game is on Friday, March 28th when they travel to San Jose to face the defending ArenaBowl Champion SaberCats. The road doesn`t get any easier for the Cobras as the next two games are on the west coast: The SaberCats first, the Los Angeles Avengers second. Both teams are tied for the lead in the American Western Division.
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.
