The Cobras Seek to Break the New Orleans VooDoo’s Hex
Chuck DiLullo
Thursday March 25, 2004
Mike Neu, the head coach of the VooDoo, served in the same capacity for the Cobras before they moved to Charlotte in 2003. John Fitzgerald was the quarterback for the Cobras under Neu and led the team to their last playoff victory in 2002. In fact, prior to Cobras’ QB Matt Nagy engineering this season’s opening game victory, the Cobras had gone through five different starting QB’s between victories during the teams’ 17-game losing streak that stretched from the end of the 2002 season through the first game of this season. Fitzgerald’s favorite target this year has been OS Aaron Bailey who leads the VooDoo in receptions, yards and touchdowns. Bailey played for the Cobras from 2001 to 2002 and still ranks as their all-time leader in receptions, yards, touchdowns and 100-yard receiving games.
“The VooDoo’s passing game is very good. Aaron Bailey is doing a very nice job,” said head coach John Gregory. “They are on a roll and playing with confidence and we have to find a way to put an end to that.”
The passing attack is not the only demon the Cobras will have to exorcize to defeat the VooDoo. They must also contend with the league’s most proficient and punishing running game led by FB/LB Dan Curran who leads the league with 155 rushing yards, 36 attempts and 12 rushing touchdowns. Curran has rushed for at least one touchdown in each of the VooDoo’s games this season.
“Honestly, we should be able to stop the run. We have five people up there and they only have three blockers and I feel comfortable that we will be able to slow down their rushing attack,” said Gregory. “I hope their game plan is to put an emphasis on running the ball.”
The VooDoo’s defense has also been an integral cog in the spell the team has cast over their opponents this season. They are second in the league in scoring defense.
The Cobras are coming off their most complete performance of the season in their 54-43 victory versus Tampa Bay and will need to continue to play at that high level if they are to reach 4-4 and set the stage for a second-half playoff push through the final eight games.
“I think sometimes a change in the head coach like we went just through has a tendency to spark a team,” said Gregory. “Our job is to see that that spark doesn’t last for just one game.”
The Cobras have announced that their next home game versus the New York Dragons has been moved to a 12:00 noon start so that the game can be broadcast on NBC. It will mark the first time the Cobras will ap- pear on NBC since the league’s broadcasting partnership was announced with NBC prior to last season. It may be easy for Gregory to look past the VooDoo to the Dragons, a franchise where he served as head coach for nine years prior to be fired four games into last season. Gregory dismisses this saying, “I don’t see that happening. I think this game against the VooDoo is very important to us to prove we can get on a winning streak.”
The Cobras have recently welcomed Ray Jauch to the coaching staff adding another veteran member to a staff that already had a tremendous amount of experience and pedigree even with the absence of former head coach Eddie Khayat. Jauch spent 15 seasons as a head coach in the CFL, including leading the Edmonton Eskimos to three straight Grey Cup championship game appearances and a championship in 1975.
Jauch also served as head coach for the USFL’s Washington Federals in 1983 and 1984 during their first two seasons. Current Chicago Rush head coach Mike Hohensee played quarterback for the Federals. Jauch last served as a head coach in the AFL with the Minnesota Fighting Pike in 1996.
“I have been friends with Ray since 1961 and he recently moved to Monroe (a suburb of Charlotte) and since I have taken over the operations end of the football team, I was looking to have someone take more responsibility for the special teams and Ray was a logical choice,” said Gregory. “Jauch actually was part of a group that included Mouse Davis and Tim Markum that put together the core rules for the AFL and Ray was key in integrating the forward motion as part of our game.”
The Cobras tangle with the VooDoo on Saturday evening, March 27th, at 8:00 PM. A victory would catapault the Cobras to 4-4 and set the stage for a key home game against the New York Dragons the following week. The VooDoo look to move to 7-1 and maintain the best record in the league.
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.
