Cobras Franchise Is At a Crossroad
Chuck DiLullo
Wednesday March 17, 2004
The season started with such promise. The roster was populated by a unique and diversified blend of veter- an, All-Arena players along with offensive positional players that were very familiar with offensive coordi- nator John Gregory’s system. The team opened with two impressive road victories and were coming home riding high and brimming with confidence, owners of the best record in the league.
The Cobras have lost the last four games in a row, though, and the last three loses have left physical and mental scars that might plague this team for the remainder of the season.
Against the Predators, the Cobras were completely dominated at the point of attack. The game versus the Wranglers saw the team self-destruct with 15 penalties, including three on the final drive where the Cobras lost on the final play of the game. The Desperados’ game was a complete meltdown by the team at every level. They were plagued by a lack of execution and a lack of discipline, and they saw the loss of lineman Wes Stephens for the year with a fractured tibia, the loss of lineman Sean Tremblay for several weeks with a strained calf, and the loss of OS Todd Doxzon for about a month with a knee injury.
Head coach Eddie Khayat was dismissed earlier this week in a move that has to serve as a wake-up call to this team and the rest of the coaching staff. There is no excuse for the performance of this team over the last month. They have been flat, uninspired, underachieving and have failed to execute at the level they started the season with, and I don’t think there would be one player on this team that would deny that fact. John Gregory takes over as head coach and the irony isn’t lost on the fact that Gregory was let go by the New York Dragons for the same reasons last season that Khayat was terminated this season. The Cobras hope that the change at this time in the season will allow them to recapture the swagger that they will need so they don’t fall out of the playoff race half-way through the season. The Dragons in 2003, after all, made the playoffs after the change in coaching and the Cobras hope for the same results here.
I understand why changes like this are made -- after all, “you can’t fire the team” -- but it is a shame that someone with the pedigree and success of Khayat had to endure this humility and frustration. I have long been a fan of Gregory, his style and philosophy but I have my doubts that his coaching demeanor will be one that will offer this team the kick-in-the-butt they so richly deserve. Gregory is almost too nice of a guy and has traditionally been one that has given his players a good deal of leeway. Gregory is going to have to challenge the veterans on this club to pull together and get this team back on the right track and do it now. The team is 2-4 and quickly losing touch with the rest of the pack in the playoff hunt. This week they face an equally desperate Tampa Bay team. One of these teams is going to fall to 2-5 and will see their playoff chances dealt an almost mortal blow.
The Cobras can ill-afford to lose another home game. They are struggling to attract fans in Charlotte. Their first home games were well attended as a result of being 2-0 but also the city was still glowing from the Carolina Panthers Super Bowl appearance. The last game against Dallas saw only 6,100 fans show up and this was a game where two-for-one tickets were being offered and it was a game against the team with the best record in the league. Those 6,100 fans left the Charlotte Coliseum frustrated and angry at the per- formance they were witness to. This Sunday’s affair against the Storm may be an attendance disaster for the Cobras with it being a Sunday afternoon game (games that have not traditionally drawn well for the Cobras since moving to Charlotte) and if they don’t do something soon to get out of the rut they are in, they are going to lose something more valuable than football games and head coaches – they are going to lose their fans and that is something this franchise cannot do if they have any desire to make Charlotte their long-term home.
I wish Khayat the best. He is a true gentleman and one of the classes of people rarely found not only in football but in sports in general. I will miss his stories, his anecdotes and most of all I will miss his obvious passion for life. He was always positive, always looking for the best in a situation. I don’t know if Eddie will get back into football again but if he decides to hang up his whistle, I hope I get a chance to sit down with him, be quiet and listen to him talk about lessons in life.
Good luck, Coach. I wish you nothing but good things.
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.
