Rattlers Taking First Step in Right Direction
Patrick Daly
Friday April 9, 2004
After all, what better tonic for losing than facing someone who hasn’t found a way to win yet this season? But, at the same time, an opponent desperate for their first win might just throw all of the rules out the window, making them both dangerous and unpredictable. Fortunately, the upside won out, as the Rattlers extended the Rampage skid to 14 games with a 51-41 win.
After suffering through the team’s longest losing streak, a three-game stretch that included losses to Las Vegas, New Orleans and Colorado, the Rattlers have returned to a 4-5 record that served as the starting point for a 10-game run to the ArenaBowl that included nine wins. However, this position is a far cry from the preseason expectations that included the goal of hosting ArenaBowl XVIII.
The Arizona Rattlers have made changes to shake up a roster that in head coach Danny White’s words has to “have enough guys on this team that hate to lose to turn it around." Gone are DS Hamin Milligan and WR/LB Larry Nixon, both of whom were released last Wednesday. The release of Nixon was a little more surprising since he was signed from the practice squad after Tom Pace went down with an injury a few weeks ago, but with Pace now back in the lineup there simply wasn’t room.
In an effort to bolster the line on offense and defense, the Rattlers have added some experience in Tony Plantin and Vince Amey. Additionally, the return of FB/LB Frank Trentadue to the lineup has already helped, even if he isn’t 100% yet. Trentadue, used more for his defensive presence, made himself known to the Rampage quarterbacks more than once.
While the Rattlers can thank their special teams for providing the spark this past week, it’ll take more consistent pressure up front on defense and a reduction in mistakes, both turnovers and penalties, to make this past weekend’s win the norm rather than an exception. That’s especially true now as teams have become more competitive over recent seasons and mistakes have become more magnified. It also doesn’t help that the bar to gain entry into the postseason has been raised.
With the equally disappointed Las Vegas Gladiators coming to town, this looks like a game where the loser will be essentially knocked out of contention for any postseason action. The Gladiators will be without head coach Frank Haege, as he serves a league-imposed suspension for the tirade that the Rattlers witnessed in Las Vegas about a month ago.
Although you hate to say it, we’ve entered the “must win” zone, where each week will essentially be a playoff game that will decide whether or not the Rattlers reach the postseason, an achievement Arizona has realized in all but their inaugural season way back in 1992.
Welcome back
After being released prior to the week seven game against New Orleans, K Nelson Garner has returned with a vengeance, hitting both field goal tries and knocking through 11 of his 12 extra point attempts. Garner became the number one option again after his replacement, Jason Witczak, injured his knee while helping cover a third quarter kickoff in his first game for the Rattlers.
It was hardly a surprise that Garner got the call since White has made the same move with other kickers in the past. Now it’s up to Garner to make it the right choice by showing that he’s rediscovered the consistency that made him one of the top kickers in the league just a few seasons ago.
Patrick Daly has been an Arena Football League enthusiast since he first stumbled across the late-night ESPN broadcasts and has followed the Arizona Rattlers since their inaugural season in 1992. He graduated from Arizona State University with an engineering degree and is currently a member of a web development team for Direct Alliance in Tempe. Patrick currently resides in the Phoenix suburb of Chandler, Arizona with his beautiful wife, son and a very large football helmet collection.
