Destroyers Hope to Knock Out the Soul
K.E. Schlosser
Saturday March 13, 2004
Since their initial game in week three, both Destroyers and the Soul have been moving in opposite directions. Clearly the Soul have improved and gotten better. Two weeks ago, Philadelphia fumbled away a victory on a would-be game winning final drive in a 40-37 loss to the Tampa Bay Storm on the road. Last week, the Soul proceeded to pick up their second home win with a 53-47 victory over the previously undefeated Chicago Rush. Meanwhile, the Destroyers were busy getting blown out at home by the Dallas Desperados 51-35 and on the road against the Arizona Rattlers 65-42.
While the Soul carry a 2-3 record into this divisional game, their record is not entirely reflective of their competitiveness. Like the 1-4 Destroyers, the Soul have been plagued early in their inaugural season by penalties, turnovers, and inconsistencies in their losses. Unlike Columbus, those untimely and inopportune mistakes have not stopped them from being competitive in defeat. Philadelphia’s three defeats have come by a combined 15 points, while the Destroyers four losses have come by a combined 62 points. Simply put; the Soul see hope down the road while the Destroyers are staring down the road of despair.
While similarities exist between the two teams, differences remain between Saturday’s opponents that are much easier to see. A major cause of the Destroyers’ four game losing streak has been their seasonal habit of forgetting to play and score in the second and third periods of games. After an opening night win against the Firebirds and a comeback against the Cobras in week two that fell just short, it appeared that Columbus may have been a team that turned it on in the fourth quarter. Over their last three defeats, the Destroyers may have proven that initial trend to be an anomaly as they have failed to turn it on in any quarter since in losing their fourth consecutive game in Arizona last week. At the same time, the Soul have proven to be a team that has a lot of “soul” and a lot of pride. While the Soul may have made a habit of getting off to a bad first quarter start in all of their games this year, they have been there in the end to make it a game in the fourth quarter.
The keys to this week’s game for the Destroyers are simple; play solid fundamental football, reduce the mental mistakes and penalties, while playing with effort and heart all four quarters of the game. The Destroyers are desperate for a victory to pick up the spirits of the fans, players and coaches. Columbus has fallen well short of coach Earle Bruce’s and the front office’s goal of “going undefeated at home.” While the coaching staff and players have clearly been forced to reassess their goals, now is the time to start taking the games as they come; one play at a time, one series at a time, one quarter at a time, one half at a time, and ultimately one game at a time. Losing is hard on everyone, but a victory can provide hope, some momentum, and something to build on.
