2004 Carolina Cobras: A Tale of Two Seasons
Chuck DiLullo
Monday February 16, 2004
Last season: Carolina started 0-2 on the road while being outscored 104-36, including their lowest single-game point total for a road game in team history (16) against the Buffalo Destroyers
This season: Carolina started 2-0 on the road, outscoring their opponents 121-94
Last season: The highest points scored in a game was 48.
This season: They have already eclipsed that total in the two games played this season with 67 against the Desperados and 54 against the Destroyers.
Last season: The Cobras averaged 34.5 points per game.
This season: The Cobras have averaged 60.5 points per game through the first two games, which would come out to a total of 968 points for the season, almost doubling their output from last season (551 points).
Last season: Carolina started two different quarterbacks in the first two games and a total of five over the course of the season.
This season: Matt Nagy has taken every snap during the first two games, throwing for 518 yards and 11 touchdowns, and a completion percentage of 69.2 with no interceptions.
Last season: The average quarterback rating for the team last year was 75.7.
This season: Matt Nagy has a quarterback rating of 125.9 through the first two games.
Last season: The quarterbacks threw a total of 26 interceptions on 615 attempts for an average of one interception per 23.5 attempts.
This season: Matt Nagy has yet to throw an interception in 78 attempts.
Last season: The lowest point total given up was 41 in the 15th game versus the Predators.
This season: Tey have already tied that mark in the opening game versus the Desperados.
Last season: The defense generated 12 sacks in 16 games for an average of .75 sacks per game.
This season: The defense has already garnered three sacks in the first two games for an average of 1.5 sacks per game, which would work out to a total of 24 for the season, doubling last year’s total.
Last season: The defense scored only one touchdown in 16 games.
This season: The defense has scored a touchdown before the third game.
Last season: The defense forced 14 turnovers in 16 games for an average of less than one per game.
This season: The defense has already forced six turnovers through the first two games for an average of three per game, which would come out to a total of 48 for the season, more than tripling last season’s total
The Cobras drew a line in the sand back in October of 2003 to put the nightmare of last season in the rear- view mirror when they announced the hiring of one of the most experienced and accomplished coaching staffs in the league, and maybe in the league’s history, including head coach and Director of Football Operations Eddie Khayat, assistant head coach, offensive head coach and offensive coordinator John Gregory, defensive coordinator Ron Selesky and defensive backs coach Maurice Blanding. The coaching staff worked closely with Senior Ownership Group Advisor Billy McGehee and General Manager Darrell Harbin to put together a roster that included a unique blend of veteran leadership and a group of first-year players whose sole goal is to win the ArenaBowl championship.
The results of the first two games show that the Carolina Cobras have taken great strides to realize their championship dreams. They have already showed the explosiveness of the offense with 121 points in the first two games, and they have proven the defense is stout giving up only three fourth quarter points in the first two games while forcing six turnovers. They have also proven their guts and resolve in engineering a 16-point come from behind victory against the Destroyers this past Saturday that included a touchdown on the very last play of the game.
The Cobras look to start a season 3-0 for the first time in franchise history when they open their home schedule versus the winless Arizona Rattlers this Saturday, February 21st at the Charlotte Coliseum.
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.
