Wranglers Scorched in Season Opener
David Delfeld
Monday January 31, 2005
Philadelphia started with the ball and rapidly scored after Tony Graziani connected down the field to former Grand Rapids Rampage star WR/DB Steve Smith. Seconds later on the ensuing kick-off, Austin’s Charlie Davidson received the ball and started to use a few spin moves that failed miserably; he was nailed in the end zone for a safety. The ball went right back to the Soul and Graziani found wide-open Steve Smith for an easy six points.
After this debacle, the Arena Football nation finally found out who would be the starting QB for the Wranglers. Former Colorado University star, Bobby Pesavento, walked on the field ready to take the reins of the Wranglers, now down 16-0.
Pesavento completed a 5-yard pass before eventually delivering a marshmallow of a throw that was easily picked off by the Soul’s Donovan Arp. "Bobby had some nice drives, but he made some mistakes. He just needs to go back and look at the entire situation and fix it," said Wranglers head coach Skip Foster.
Philly capitalized on the turnover and like a hot knife through butter, Graziani found Steve Smith yet again for another touchdown, making the score 23-0. "It’s disappointing; we came out and made lots of mistakes. We just didn’t do a good job," Foster said about the abysmal first quarter.
For the most part, the second quarter went well for Pesavento. Both teams exchanged scores, making the score at the half 45-21.
All of the sudden in the third quarter Austin’s defense turned completely around and remarkably picked off Graziani three times. This feat was amazing since Graziani only accumulated five interceptions with the L.A. Avengers the entire last season. "We adjusted coverage and pressured the Q.B better," Foster explained when asked what caused the third quarter burst.
The only problem was Pesavento’s lackluster offense capitalized on just one of Graziani’s interceptions. At the end of the quarter, the Wranglers were down 45-28. However if they have capitalized on all three picks they would have been down by only three points.
The fourth quarter started out with a bang when Austin’s FB/LB Jeremy Beutler rumbled in the end zone for seven points; cutting the Soul’s lead to only 45-35.
The wheels came off in the last quarter when the Soul got back in the groove with an interception return and two touchdown catches by FB/LB Marion Jackson and Steve Smith, giving the Soul a magnificent 66-35 win.
The big problem for Austin’s offense was the lack of long balls and big plays. Instead, Foster called too many short pass west coast-style plays. Although some worked, they didn’t have the success of Austin’s deep throws last season.
The bright spot for Austin was clearly the three interceptions by Darrin Chiaverini, Charlie Davidson, and Kelvin Hunter, who also had a team leading seven tackles. On the other side of the ball, Austin’s running game showed promise. Jeremy Beutler and Richard McCleskey combined for 32 yards and one touchdown from only six carries. Pesavento had a decent game for his first start, going 27 for 43 on passing attempts, two interceptions, and amassing 271 yards for four touchdowns.
Next week Austin travels to Florida to take on the 1-0 Tampa Bay Storm, who just upset the 2004 Arena Bowl champs the San Jose SaberCats. In order for the Wranglers to win this game, they must rally around Pesavento and toughen up the defense. Game time is at 11:00 CST next Sunday.
David Delfeld was a writer for ArenaFan Online during the 2005 season.
