Streaking Arizona Rattlers Host San Jose in Much Anticipated Division Rivalry
Brian Knapp
Friday May 7, 2004
However, there is a certain rival from Northern California with a perfect opportunity to knock the Rattlers down, and possibly out of playoff contention. The San Jose SaberCats visit the Valley of the Sun this Sunday for a rematch of last year’s playoff semifinals. The Rattlers defeated San Jose in that game, earning a trip to Arena Bowl XVII.
Not only are the SaberCats Arizona’s most hated rival, but they bring with them the Arena Football League’s hottest offense along with the league’s best record at 10-2. QB Mark Grieb leads the AFL in passing and carries with him a long list of talented receivers, including AFL veteran WR/DB Barry Wagner. Wide receivers James Roe and James Hundon have once again lit up the stat sheets for San Jose, teaming up this season for 1,981 receiving yards and 46 touchdowns.
Throw in deadly kickoff return man Rashied Davis (1157 yards, four touchdowns) and the league leader in interceptions, Omarr Smith (eight), and it’s easy to see why the Rattlers will have their work cut out for them on Sunday.
While the SaberCats have dominated their opponents offensively this season, the Rattlers have turned to their defense of late, which has proven successful over the past three weeks.
The Rattlers held the offensive juggernaut Los Angeles Avengers to a mere 38 points a week ago, led by their pass rush and success in the secondary led by DS Kelvin Hunter and Ricky Parker. Hunter had a game-high 12 tackles and broke up QB Tony Graziani’s pass on the final play of the game.
“The play of Kelvin Hunter the past couple of weeks has been outstanding,” Rattler defensive coordinator Doug Plank said. “We don’t have that many guys with egos on our defense. Most of them are willing to sacrifice their own individual accomplishments for the betterment of the defense.”
The Rattlers also sacked Graziani twice and forced him into just his second interception of the season.
“A lot of the credit needs to be given to our pass rush,” Plank said. “Our pass rush has gotten so much better in terms of getting to the quarterback.”
Both San Jose and Arizona will have key players sitting out the game with season-ending injuries. The SaberCats lost DS Clevan Thomas early in the season, while the Rattlers suffered a huge blow last week with the loss of last year’s Ironman of the Year, WR/DB Randy Gatewood. Gatewood broke his arm while making a tackle in last Saturday’s win in Los Angeles.
“Ever since I have been a broadcaster or a coach for this football team, Randy Gatewood has been here and this was a very quiet, unusual day (of practice) not to have Randy out here,” Plank said. “We’re going to realize how much we miss him when we go into the game this week, because he is one of those guys you count on to make plays on offense and defense and he’s always in the right position.”
The Rattlers will welcome back OS Siaha Burley this week, who sat out last week’s game with a shoulder injury, as well as FB/LB Bo Kelly, who has been out for almost a month nursing a broken thumb.
Injuries, stats, and records all take a back seat to the history and intensity of this rivalry. As soon as the players hit the field, Rattler fans and SaberCat fans alike transform into bitter rivals, with neither team feeling in welcome in the other’s home venue.
The two teams have switched roles over the years, with the SaberCats taking over as the league’s most feared team. While the Rattlers are historically known for putting a winning team on the field, the SaberCats have made vast improvements in the 10 years they’ve been in the league and have earned respect as one of the AFL’s elite.
“San Jose doesn’t seem like they have any equal in the league as far as their consistency and ability to score points,” Plank said. “Getting past the teams we have thus far does give us a feeling of accomplishment, but San Jose has and always will be the number one rival of this football team and they have been the measuring stick over the past couple of years.”
These two teams will meet again in the final week of the season in San Jose. The Rattlers will head to Detroit for a re-match of their Week 2 loss to the Fury, followed by their bye week before wrapping up in San Jose for the final game of the regular season.
The Rattlers are fighting to move up the playoff ladder, and the SaberCats are hoping to solidify home field advantage throughout the playoffs. I believe the Pointer Sisters said it best: “I’m so excited, and I just can’t hide it.”
Brian Knapp was a writer for ArenaFan Online from 2003 to 2005.
