Dallas Would Not Die
Scott Smithey
Monday April 7, 2003
After all, the SaberCats repeatedly built double digit leads and must have thought they would cruise to their seventh consecutive victory. Heck, fans in Reunion Arena were thinking the same thing after watching the Desperado secondary give up wide open touchdowns on not one, but four different occasions in the first half. If the San Jose "mesh" routes did not have Dallas reeling, the stop routes along the walls did.
The San Jose powerhouse gave fans a glimpse of why they are the AFL`s most successful team in recent years. The offensive attack, led by QB Mark Grieb, seemed unstopable. The SaberCats were effective in the air and on the ground in short yardage situations. The big burly kicker, Daron Alcorn, placed his kick-offs with such precision that Dallas returns were either short, or not at all. All of this led to 36 first half points and a five point lead that looked larger than it was.
Dallas wasn`t helping themselves either. Besides the lost receivers in the secondary, the Desperados kept San Jose drives alive with untimely penalties. The home team had to settle for a field goal when a drive, set up by an interception, stalled at the 3 yard line. Then, the defense gave up a touchdown on the last play of the first half. Dallas` offense and Dialleo Burks` four first-half touchdowns were the only things that kept Dallas within striking distance.
If you haven`t heard, lately Dallas has been finding ways to lose games in the last moments. Crucial turnovers and botched special teams plays have taken Dallas down to a 5-4 record.
How does Dallas climb out of the grave?
Adjustments. My hat goes off to the Dallas coaching staff. Defensively, Dallas was a different team that second half. WR/DB Kareem Larrimore`s emotional presence was felt and DS Jermaine Jones continued his rise as the team leader in tackles. Up front Tom Briggs and Doug Lytle pressured Grieb and slowed down the league`s best running game. And by the way, San Jose receivers had defenders all over them during this half. The defense was asked to make two stops in the 4th quarter and did.
Enough about the defense. The Dallas offense refused to let the team die. In a week where Dallas was criticized by the media for not overachieving, they put up the most points of the year. Burks, Jason Shelley, and Will Pettis each had big plays down the stretch. On Armed Forces Day, the Navy veteran Jim Kubiak was able to lead his team into the end zone with :22 seconds left.
Make no mistake, Dallas would get some much needed help on this day. San Jose refused to put the final nail in the coffin. The `Cats made critical mistakes with the game on the line.
First, an uncharacteristic interception thrown by Grieb. Second, after taking the lead 64-60 with :41 seconds left, Alocrn tried a pooch type onside kick to Dallas` right side. It did not go high enough and Briggs returned it to the five yard line to set up the winning score. For whatever the reasoning was behind this, it didn`t work. Shoot, it took a 4th down penalty by San Jose to give Dallas another chance at that game-winning score. Finally, Dallas had to watch a potential game-tying field goal go wide left on the last play before they could celebrate.
The Desperados may not have made it into the elite category yet, but at least they are alive. On a day when the AFL`s best could have put them away, Dallas wouldn`t die!
Scott Smithey is a high school teacher and coach (23 years). He has a degree in Journalism and has pioneered high school student newspapers. He is also a high school coach with seven years experience as a head coach and has coached soccer, track, baseball and powerlifting. Scott is married to a high school teacher and coach, and has three sons active in football at the high school and collegiate levels. He is pationate about sports, family and photography.
