Dragons Getting Back on Right Track
Dwayne Smith
Saturday March 20, 2004
After some early season position shuffling and a kicker replacement, the Dragons have reassumed the identity that led them to a division championship in 2003. Despite the presence of one of the league’s all-time greats at quarterback, the quality head coach Todd Shell brings to this team is toughness, especially on defense. When the Dragons’ defense is on top of their game, they are opportunistic playmakers that have the ability to stop some of the top offenses in the league, while taking pressure off of franchise quarterback Aaron Garcia.
It is this unit that must continue its inspired play from the last two weeks and win one of those “on paper” games. Since an opening day victory, the Destroyers have struggled to maintain any level of offensive or defensive consistency. If they haven’t been turning the ball over, Columbus has experienced stalled drives and given opportunities to opponents through penalties. The Destroyers are the second most flagged team in the League, but appeared to have had that turned around last week.
Up 41-37 with 23 seconds left, Columbus had the Philadelphia Soul down to a fourth and ten. The Soul would convert and score, and then the turnover nemesis would haunt the Destroyers on the ensuing kickoff with a game sealing fumble. The Destroyers did a lot of good things in that game, including putting relentless pressure on Soul quarterback Nick Browder. If there is a clear Achilles’ heel for the Dragons, it is the protection of Garcia. When the Dragons succeed, it is because Garcia has time and the defense makes plays. The common themes of the three New York losses have been the inability to protect the quarterback and a generous defense.
In addition to a newly inspired defense, the Dragons have also discovered three playmakers to give Garcia a top cadre of receivers. Will Holder, since moving from wide receiver/linebacker to full-time offensive specialist, is having a breakthrough season, but was shut down in Tampa Bay last Sunday. Despite this, Richmond Flowers and Lincoln Dupree picked up the slack with two receiving touchdowns each. In fact Dupree, the U.S. Army Ironman of the Week, also scored on two returns and recovered a fumble.
These weapons on offense and defense will mean nothing for the Dragons if they don’t maintain the same type of focus and intensity against a dangerous team on a losing streak. While still in Buffalo, the Destroyers last visit to New York was victorious. In order to avoid allowing the Destroyers to win another game in their building, the Dragons need to protect Garcia and force Columbus to come from behind. This should induce a mistake prone team to fall into the same bad habits, turning a small lead into a big victory and giving the Dragons a winning record going into their bye week. If the Dragons allow this game to stay close, Columbus easily has the talent to pressure Garcia and force turnovers to give them a victory going into a bye of their own. Make no mistake, the Destroyers are fired up for this game, and nobody wants to go into a bye with a six game losing streak.
Dwayne Smith covers Arena Football and the NFL for different web outlets along with providing a fantasy column to FantasyGMs.com. Dwayne has also been a contributor to other online and print outlets, including the Dallas Morning News. In 2003, he covered the NFL Draft from the Headquarters of the New York Jets.
