San Jose Prepares for Final Five Games
Tim Ball
Friday April 18, 2003
A franchise can have the greatest players, but if they aren’t healthy, they are not going to do the team much good. But an important part of good health is attitude. SaberCats players are high-spirited at practice and stick around even after it ends.
Having gone through sickness, injury and surgery myself since the beginning of this season, nothing feels better than looking forward to getting healthy again. As the SaberCats head toward the playoffs, the silver lining to their season may be that those on the injured list are getting well at the right time.
The attitude of teammates is paramount to overcoming adversity. The San Jose players are pulling together at the most important time of the year.
“We knew it would be tough this season,” said head coach Darren Arbet. “We’ve been in every game and have had to battle hard for almost every down. But keeping players healthy is a part of the game no one can control. But the players can control how hard they work. It is not going to get any easier.”
 Quarterback Mark Grieb Image courtesy of Ken LaRue |
No one has blown out the SaberCats this season, and in fact all four losses were by less than a touchdown. That makes it anybody’s game in the AFL until there’s no time left. The SaberCats may have larger challenges in the playoffs then last year, but there are still five games left in the regular season to decide the post-season picture. It is the consistency that Grieb mentions that has the SaberCats ready for what’s to come.
Lost and found
Both Dallas and Detroit fought hard for the victories over San Jose. The Desperados defense came up big when it counted and QB Jim Kubiak made very few mistakes and stepped up big in the games final quarter. Kubiak threw three of his eight TD passes in the fourth quarter, which saw five lead changes before the final outcome.
“Dallas had a good game plan against us and came up with the turnovers when needed,” said offensive coordinator Terry Malley. “Nothing makes losing feel good but when you know it goes down to the last second in a game, you know your team is playing hard.”
Detroit’s fortune may not have been so much on the play of superstar quarterback Andy Kelly (26 of 45 for 243 yards, 6 TD’s and 0 int) as much as it was for great defense and on a fortuitous last-minute signing of kicker Nick Gatto. This season, Gatto has played for Dallas, Chicago and ironically enough -- signed briefly with San Jose as a backup to ailing kicker Daron Alcorn, for the Buffalo game.
“Their defense did a good job,” said defensive coach Michael Church. “Both teams were held to under 50 points and in this league that says a lot. Gatto, definitely had a good game for them. He may have been the key with some clutch tackles and by nailing a long field goal to put them up by ten with only a few minutes in the game.”
For Detroit, Gatto was in the right place at the right time. Against San Jose, the kicker came up big not only with strategic kicks when needed, but also two key tackles. And it was his 37-yard field goal in the fourth quarter that was the difference in the win.
Detroit beat San Jose the only way they can be beat, with a total team effort.
“The Detroit game hinged on making the big plays. Kelly is a great quarterback for good reason” said Church, “There were a lot of third and fourth down situations. Their defense also made some big stops when they had too.”
San Jose’s silver lining to the four losses this season is that each game was close and within their grasp. It remains a lesson learned in each game that San Jose can study and build on. This is evident in the attitude of the players. A team that searches for answers rather than looking for excuses usually finds success.
Best of the best
San Jose’s next opponent, the Indiana Firebirds, boasts new stars while employing legendary players like WR/LB Eddie Brown. In his ninth season, Brown is widely regarded as the game’s greatest offensive player. Once again the SaberCats face a team with an AFL superstar and Brown will be leading his team into San Jose having just beaten the Dallas desperados 61-57.
 Barry Wagner Image courtesy of Ken LaRue |
Researching the statistics of Wagner and Brown makes this game a dream come true for historians and fans of the arena game. With each team’s roster stacked with talent this makes for another great match-up for the sensational 2003 season.
While the SaberCats roster is the envy of many teams, it is the number of capable and talented players on almost every other team in the AFL that makes the games so even. And, this season most games have gone down to the last minute to decide victory because of the talent in those games. You can’t ask for more than that.
There are five games left in the regular season and San Jose has their work cut out for them. Indiana is a potent team and next up on the list. While this season is still up for grabs on any odd-makers list, betting against San Jose is not a good choice.
Eleven points in the SaberCats favor in four games and San Jose is once again looking back on all their opponents. As players focus on the task at hand and practice and prepare for the teams and games to come, this season may be different from the last but the final outcome may be the same.
Tim Ball is a writer in the Chicagoland area. Married and father of three, his opinions on Arena Football reflects the positive aspect of the game as a family event second to none in pro sports.
