March Sadness for Arizona
Brian Knapp
Monday March 29, 2004
The Crush stole the lead and the momentum with two touchdowns in less than three minutes to open the third quarter. The Rattlers had no answer for Crush OS Damien Harrell who lit up the Rattler secondary in the second half. However, Harrell didn’t hurt the Rattlers nearly as much as they hurt themselves.
The Rattlers’ woes began early in the second half when Colorado K Anthony Brenner’s kickoff took an awkward bounce off the net that landed into the arms of Crush WR/LB Rashad Floyd. Floyd scampered four yards into the end zone giving Colorado the lead. The Crush would never look back, forcing two more turnovers and outscoring the Rattlers 41-22 in the final 30 minutes.
For the past three weeks, the Rattlers and head coach Danny White have made it clear that the team will need to work harder in practice in order to find a rhythm and hopefully earn a win. Unfortunately for Arizona, nothing in working, as the Rattlers will head into the second half of the season with a disappointing 3-5 record.
Based on last years’ mid-season turnaround, I refuse to count the Rattlers out. However, with only eight teams qualifying for the playoffs this year, Arizona can’t afford another losing streak.
The Rattlers have a golden opportunity to rebound from the loss and get back into the win column as they head to Grand Rapids next weekend for a meeting with the winless Rampage. The Rampage has fallen apart since the departure of stars like QB Clint Dolezel and OS Terrill Shaw to free agency this year.
A victory next week will definitely give the Rattlers some needed momentum as they head for a very difficult second half schedule. The final eight games include match-ups with three teams that have already knocked off the Rattlers once this season, Las Vegas, Detroit, and Los Angeles. Throw in two meetings with high-powered rival San Jose and it’s easy to see why the Rattlers need to make some quick changes if they hope to continue their streak of 12 consecutive post-season appearances.
The Rattlers posted a 1-3 mark in the month of March, and fell apart about as quickly as my NCAA men’s tournament bracket. With must-win games on the horizon, the Rattlers will need to keep attacking the quarterback, and convert key plays such as down and short opportunities as well as onsides kick. The Rattlers were held to a crucial fourth down stand at the hands of the Crush, and have not recovered an onsides kick all season.
If the Rattlers defeat the Rampage, they will be in the exact same boat they paddled to the ArenaBowl in less than a year ago. Last year, the Rattlers held a 4-5 record heading into the final seven games of the season, with four of those seven games to be played on the road. The Rattlers have left themselves little room for error, and will rely on veteran leadership and some superstar help from the likes of OS Siaha Burley (812 rec. yards, 17 TD’s) to lift Arizona out of the cellar.
Brian Knapp was a writer for ArenaFan Online from 2003 to 2005.
