Closing Strong Important to Carolina
Chuck DiLullo
Saturday May 15, 2004
“The guys have to play with discipline and heart, and play hard for four quarters,” said Selesky. “Last week, we were down and the game was long decided, but Chris Pope scored on a four-yard touchdown run where he broke five tackles and went in without his helmet, and it was one of the best efforts I have ever seen in my six years in this league. That is what I am looking for, the guys that want to continue to play hard now so it carries over into next year.”
“The guys are coming out and practicing hard,” said Blanding. “We have had two great days of practice this week. The guys are flying around and keeping their focus. The guys really believe in this team and know we are close to something special, and they are playing hard.”
One of the Achilles’ heels of the Cobras all season has been the ineffective play of the secondary. The defensive backs have allowed way to many big pass plays and have failed to generate turnovers. The Cobras announced this week the release of defensive backs Daryon Brutley and Ernest Ross in an effort to both shake up the defense and improve the level of pass defense going into the team’s final three games versus the Philadelphia Soul, Grand Rapids Rampage and Georgia Force.
“We have lost some guys to injury in the backfield and have had to play with inexperienced guys and it has been rough,” said Blanding. “The communication in the secondary was not where it needed to be. We weren’t playing smart and we were not playing the aggressive style of football that I like. Brutley is a young guy and a great talent, but the change had to be made because I didn’t feel he was leading and playing aggressive enough. The move was drastic, but it had to be done”
“Our lack of experience and our lack of communication have been factors,” said Selesky. “I’m all for giving people opportunities to grow and improve but there comes a point where you have to make changes. I feel we need to look at other people in the defensive secondary right now. Our team is still working very hard and I want to give them something to continue to fight for and improving the level of play of our secondary was important, even at this point in the season.”
The Cobras tangle with the Soul this Saturday at the Wachovia Spectrum. The Cobras defeated the Soul in Charlotte, 63-59, in Selesky’s debut as the Cobras’ head coach. The game was decided on the last play when the Cobras stuffed a goalline run by Ricky Ross as time expired.
“We need to approach this game with a balanced game plan,” said Selesky. “We need to do things to keep them off-balance because they have very good pass rush and a very strong, physical line. It will be a combined effort. We have to play hard and we have to play smart. Our primary goal is to focus on doing our jobs no matter who we are playing.”
“We need to improve our tackling on defense and special teams over the last game against Philly because that hurt us,” said Blanding. “They do a heck of a job on returns, but we need to get off blocks and tackle. We know we are going to have new starters in the secondary, but we know they can play solid football and we need them to get out there and make plays, and we have to do our job as coaches to simplify the game plan but also put them in positions where they can make plays.”
“It’s going to be a very interesting game because they are in a similar situation as us,” said Selesky. “They have lost their last two games in a fashion that I am sure coach Trigg is not to pleased with. This is a game between two teams that are very similar and I expect it to be a knock-down, drag out contest.”
The Cobras look to leave Philadelphia with a win heading into their last home game versus Grand Rapids. Kickoff will be at 7:30 p.m. on May 15th.
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.
