Speed’s Plea---“We Need The Community’s Support”
David Chappell
Wednesday July 9, 2003
However, the Speed (5-8) begin a two game homestand Friday night at the Richmond Coliseum against the Mohegan Wolves (9-4). Two home wins against the Wolves on Friday and the Greensboro Prowlers next Friday, could do much to lift up a team and a franchise clearly in need of a boost.
After Saturday night’s 63-28 defeat at the hands of the Norfolk Nighthawks, Richmond interim head coach Billy Jarvis along with veteran linemen Lawrence Lewis and Al Ford sat down in the Norfolk Scope locker room and talked about current events with the Speed.
Jarvis, Lewis and Ford were each asked to give their assessment of the turbulent last two weeks with the Speed, including the departures of Richard Davis and Chad Davis. All three were also requested to make a statement directed specifically to Speed fans, many of whom are very concerned about the team and its future. Their responses follow:
Coach Billy Jarvis
Assessment Of The Last Two Weeks:
“Our owner, BK Katherman, asked me on Monday if I would take over as head coach for the rest of the year, and of course I said yes.
“Everything I know about arena football I learned from Richard Davis. For three years, he and I have spent many nights in that office watching film and going over X’s and O’s. Richard was a great teacher. I have nothing but great things to say about Richard Davis and everything that he taught me.
“How all this situation unfolded and came about was an unfortunate incident. It’s a tough situation for everybody involved with what’s happened. But that’s over with now, and bottom line is that we have football games to play and people don’t want to hear about what’s happening with the coaches. We need to correct stuff out there on the field.
“It’s frustrating the way the team is playing. It’s not a matter of athletic ability with our guys. This has all gotten down now to where it’s all in their heads…and I’m not talking about the off-the-field stuff. I’m talking about our guys making plays. People making plays when they’re supposed to.
“The main thing I’m stressing with our guys is not to focus on the negatives. We know what the negatives are…we have to fix things and get these guys focusing on themselves. I believe that our people now have a shade of self-doubt in themselves. What I’m stressing with the guys is that it’s not a matter of blaming any one individual for what’s been happening. It’s a matter of getting all of us to go in the same direction, and turning around and making plays like these guys have made plays before.”
What Would You Like To Say To The Richmond Speed Fans:
“The main thing that I want the people in Richmond to know is that we are working hard. We’re doing everything humanly possible to try to get this thing straightened out so that the next two Friday night’s we put a quality product on the field.
“Our fans can come to the Coliseum the next two weeks and know that we have a chance to win or should win, and that they’ll be entertained. That’s what we’re supposed to do…have a quality product and an entertaining product.”
Lineman Lawrence Lewis
Assessment Of The Last Two Weeks:
“Situations occur, but that’s part of life and that’s part of playing football. Change is part of the game. We’re still here, and we’re still trying to play good football. We’re keeping our heads up, and trying to focus on getting better.
“You know, I’ve been through this same type of situation in our first year when we lost our first seven games. We won a bunch of games after that, and people forgot about all those trying times. A couple of wins to end this season would do wonders for everybody.”
What Would You Like To Say To The Richmond Speed Fans:
“I want our fans to know that we’re the same team. I still have the same smile. We’re still the Richmond Speed. We’re pretty much the same guys that have been here all year trying to get some wins.
“I want our fans to come out and see us play on Friday. We have a great big game against Mohegan. They beat us last time, and we don’t want to be swept. I promise the fans that they will get the same quality of us trying our best to do what we need to do to win. They will enjoy our games at the Coliseum like they always have.
“Through this whole ordeal, we’ve been on the road and that hasn’t helped at all. Now, we can come home and get the love that we need from our fans who know that we’re a team that’s still trying to win.”
Lineman Al Ford
Assessment Of The Last Two Weeks:
“We have gone through a lot of family problems. This team really is like a family, and we’ve had a lot of internal problems. The problems are in the family. Coach [Richard] Davis was our father figure, and now he’s gone and the players have gone through a lot. It’s been tough. But, we’re not pointing fingers and we’re not blaming anyone but ourselves for the way we’ve been playing.”
What Would You Like To Say To The Richmond Speed Fans:
“I just want to ask our fans for their support. We need their support so much now. We really need the community to come in and help us, and show the fan support and get involved with this team.
“We have three games left, two at home, and we want to win out. We want everybody to come out Friday. We need the community’s support.”
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.
