Pride is Now Driving the Carolina Cobras
Chuck DiLullo
Friday May 7, 2004
These were the words of head coach Ron Selesky as he prepares the Carolina Cobras for their game against the New York Dragons this weekend knowing that his team is now facing the fact that their playoff position is a foregone conclusion.
The Cobras understood that they needed to win out in the last five games of the season to have any shot at making the postseason, but their 60-52 home loss to the Columbus Destroyers basically eliminated all hope of making the playoffs and has forced the team to look within themselves for inspiration and motivation to close out the last four games of the season as strong as possible to build momentum going into next year.
The loss dropped the Cobras to 4-8 on the season, leaving them three games out of the final playoff spot with four games to go and many tiebreakers weighing against them; they are not mathematically eliminated but the fat lady is warming up the vocal chords.
“We didn’t capitalize on what the Destroyers gave us and that changed the outcome of the game,” said defensive coach Mo Blanding. “It is real frustrating. It was a tough loss.”
Selesky echoed these sentiments, as he believed “we could have done more to dictate the tempo of the game, but didn’t and that cost us.”
The coaches and the team are ready to face the challenge that every team that is out of the postseason faces, and that is to stay focused, play hard and be competitive.
“On the positive side, three to four weeks ago, if we would have been down 16 points at the half like we were to the Destroyers we would have probably mailed it in and we didn’t do that against Columbus,” said Selesky. “We fought back and that’s a positive thing we can build on. We want to finish strong. We want to play hard, play competitively and play as a team.”
“We are still going about things like we normally do,” said Blanding. “The loss to the Destroyers hurt, not because it impacted the playoffs but because we let a game slip by us
This week the Cobras travel to face the division-leading New York Dragons who have won six of their last eight games and are led by quarterback Aaron Garcia. Garcia led the Dragons to a 57-41 victory in Char- lotte on April 4th and will look to atone for an atypical Garcia game in which he only threw for 133 yards. The Cobras have struggled to stop their opponent’s passing game this year, ranking near the bottom of the league in scoring and passing defense.
“We are going with guys in the secondary that don’t have experience and we are trying to get them as much experience as possible; we are going through a learning curve,” said Selesky. “Garcia likes to throw the ball downfield and that is no secret. He has a very talented group of receivers to work with and we need to generate the same kind of pressure in the upcoming game that we did in the last game in Charlotte if we hope to have success.”
“We are going to keep the defense simple and prepare for everything we think that Garcia will throw at us,” said Blanding. “We need to keep Garcia away from the one-play bombs which forces you into deeper coverages and zones you may not want to play, but the pass rush and getting pressure on him is going to be the biggest key.”
Pride is defined as having a high opinion of one’s worth and the Cobras are going to have to come together as a unit now, more than ever, to prove to the owner and management, to the fans and to themselves that they can compete at the highest level and win football games. Professional sports is always centered around how many you win and how many you lose, but there are other factors that have to be considered, especially when one looks at a team and their reaction to the adversity of not making the playoffs.
“We always want to win, but we want everyone to also take a good look at how this team plays over these next four games,” said Blanding. “We want to get out of them 100% effort and to play with all their heart because they are good players and that is the character of this team – one that is very proud and that is something we can build on for next season.”
“You are ultimately judged on wins and losses,” said Selesky. “The story of this team since I have taken over as head coach is one of two chapters – one a loss in the fourth quarter and one a win in the fourth quarter. I think the ownership, the management and the fans want to see a team they can be proud of, win or lose, and that takes playing with confidence and poise.”
The attitude of the team and coaches at practice has been amazing. You would not have known that you were watching a team that was essentially just eliminated from the playoffs. They were loose, energetic and working hard. That is a testimonial to themselves as individuals and collectively as a team but is also a strong testimonial to the faith and belief that have in coaches Selesky and Blanding and their desire to play hard for them.
The Cobras open up a two-game road trip versus the Dragons this Saturday evening with kickoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at the Nassau Coliseum.
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.
