Speed and Wolves--Meeting At The Crossroads
David Chappell
Thursday May 15, 2003
Richmond started the season at 0-2, losing back-to-back contests with the Albany Conquest. After a bye week, the Speed then reeled off three consecutive wins, including last week’s 62-43 pasting of the Rochester Brigade. The Speed have rapidly risen from the cellar to second place in the af2’s Atlantic Division.
The Wolves got off to a torrid start, ripping through their three Northeast Division rivals for a perfect 3-0 start. Since then, Mohegan has fallen in succession to Richmond’s last two victims, Greensboro and Rochester. Mohegan comes into tomorrow’s contest off a bye week, and hope their week off will prove as beneficial to them as the Speed’s was earlier this year.
Is this a crossroads game where the teams will continue to head in opposite directions? Or will the Wolves be able to get back on track after two consecutive losses and their bye week, just as Richmond did earlier this season?
One thing is for certain; this year’s Mohegan squad bears little resemblance to the 2002 Wolves’ outfit that Richmond destroyed last June, 62-20, in a rout at the Richmond Coliseum.
The 2003 Mohegan team is particularly formidable on defense, ranking fifth in the af2 in total defense. LB Kasmell Minott from Iona has led the way for the Wolves on defense so far, registering 12 solo tackles in addition to 12 more assists. Speed head coach Richard Davis says the Wolves are solid on defense. “They don’t make a lot of mistakes. They don’t bust a lot of coverage’s. You’re going to have to earn what you get against them,” Davis explained.
Mohegan has also been an opportunistic team this year, ranking fourth in the league in turnover margin. Andre Weathers already has picked off three passes for the Wolves. Mohegan is steady and efficient on offense, led by WR Mel Long who has snared 21 passes for 304 yards thus far. Additionally, Davis says the Mohegan return game is impressive, and has been studied closely this week in practice.
Another significant change from last year’s 3-13 Mohegan squad is in the coaching ranks. Mark Stoute has taken over the head coaching duties for the Wolves, and under Stoute, Mohegan has already equaled their victory total from all of last year. Stoute has extensive AFL coaching experience, including two years as head coach and general manager of the Toronto Phantoms immediately before coming to Mohegan.
Davis is very cognizant that he’s facing a much improved Mohegan team that needs to win tomorrow’s game badly after losing two games in a row. Davis said, “We know what we’re walking into. [Mohegan] needs to beat us, but of course we need to keep our momentum rolling. They are a well-schooled football team. Mark (Stoute) is doing a good job of coaching.”
While favorably impressed with Stoute’s work with the Wolves, Davis related that there is always a bit more coaching incentive for he and his staff to match up with an opposing head coach that has been a head coach at the Arena1 level, such as Stoute. Davis says he is extremely proud that the Speed are undefeated during his career at Richmond in games against an opposing coach who has moved to arenafootball2 after coaching in the AFL. Overall, the Speed under Davis are an impressive 10-5 in games where the opposing coach was previously, or later went on to become, a coach in the AFL.
But Davis hastens to add that the “primary issue at hand” on Friday night will be how the players perform on the field. Davis said, “If we play well and don’t turn the football over, and we stay close to the game plan like we’ve been able to do these last three weeks, I believe we will be able to go into a pretty hostile environment against a good football team and have a chance to win this ball game.”
Richmond has been explosive during its three game winning streak, riding the arm of arenafootball2’s leading passer Roy Johnson. Johnson currently leads the league with a 130.4 quarterback rating. Johnson’s favorite target, OS Damon “Redd” Thompson, holds league single game highs in 2003 for receiving yards in a game (225 yards), and Thompson additionally leads the league in most catches in a single game (18 catches in one game, 14 catches in another game).
The Speed’s defense has also come on strong over the course of the last three games. Richmond’s defense is now ranked sixth in the league in total defense. A large part of that improvement is due to the play of 2002 All-af2 LB Rodney Sledge. As the Speed’s all time sack leader and leader in forced fumbles, Sledge has elevated his play in 2003 after a nagging calf injury earlier in the season has mended.
Traveling to Connecticut to play Mohegan will be a homecoming of sorts for Davis, who previously coached at the University of Connecticut. While looking forward to returning to his “old stomping grounds” and renewing some old acquaintances in Connecticut, Davis is clear that this road trip is all about business. “We’re taking this game seriously,” Davis said.
Commenting on Mohegan’s 3-13 season a year ago, Davis was quick to point out, “You can forget about history. This year’s Mohegan team is well coached and they have good athletes. They’re going to win their fair share of football games. I just hope the Richmond Speed aren’t one of them.” Davis added, “If we get this one, this will be a quality win for us.”
David Chappell is a native of Richmond, Virginia. He has closely followed local sports in Richmond and vicinity for over thirty years, and Arena Football 2 since its inception. David currently writes extensively for a website that he co-founded which documents professional wrestling in Virginia and surrounding areas from 1974-1986. A former elected prosecutor, David is currently a practicing attorney in a large downtown Richmond law firm.
