Beautiful Struggle in LA
Brian Thomas
Monday February 7, 2005
Avengers head coach Ed Hodgkiss wants to see his team play as well at home as they do on the road, so he’s brought his road tactics home to the Staples Center. For the home opener the Avengers rode as a team to the stadium. While the strategy may prove its worth in the future, it didn’t keep the Avengers from coming out flat on Friday night. Their first red-zone possession included two costly false start penalties and three poor throws by Avengers QB John Kaleo. Kaleo was able to collect himself and come out with the win on 16-of-29 throwing for 215 yards, 2 touchdowns, and no interceptions. His performance will be key to the Avenger’s playoff hopes. He’s a proven winner and has a lot of experience in big games, but so far this season he has not provided the firepower at quarterback that the team needs to be successful. In the fourth quarter Hamilton did a great job making field goals, but it would be nice to be putting the ball in the end zone instead. Kaleo’s ability to provide veteran leadership is going to be a defining factor in the Avenger’s struggle to come together as a team and find continued success.
Hamilton was named "Offensive Player of the Game" for his clutch kicking down the stretch. He converted all four of his field goal attempts, including a 48-yard attempt that split the uprights. This guy has a boot. He warms up with 58-yard field goals attempts and regularly splits the posts on kickoffs. The absence of punters in Arena football is of no concern to the Avengers, because Hamilton can make a kick from anywhere on the field. Surprisingly, he missed an extra-point attempt. Earlier in the game he kicked a successful extra point attempt over the net, providing a young fan with a cherished souvenir. I’m guessing he missed the extra point out of a desire to be generous to the fans.
Troy Bergeron of the Georgia Force continues to establish himself as a big time receiver. He followed his three-touchdown performance last week against the New Orleans Voodoo with another three touchdowns grabs this week. Bergeron had his way with the Avengers secondary, demonstrating soft hands and the ability to run crisp routes. He also drew an important defensive holding call on a Georgia fourth down. Bergeron returns kicks and on Friday showed his ability to make defenders miss as he had a good day on special teams. His one mistake turned out to be a costly one, as he fumbled a return that was recovered by defensive specialist Antuan Simmons for a touchdown.
FB/LB Josh Jeffries had a terrific game with two touchdowns and a forced fumble. He runs with authority and bruises defensive backs when he gets into the secondary. He had an 8-yard run in the second half where he steamrolled over Georgia defensive specialist Kevin Gaines. He threw a forceful stiff-arm that put Gaines on the turf and got the Staples Center crowd amped. His second touchdown run came off a terrific block by OL/DL Al Lucas. On the ensuing kickoff, Jeffries forced the fumble that was recovered by Simmons for a touchdown. Jeffries impact in that 30-second span provided a huge boost for the Avengers.
The Georgia Force scored on their first three possessions, until the Avengers defense was able to make a big stop in the second quarter. The Avengers showed some grit and stopped Georgia on consecutive short-yardage plays. They stuffed the run on third and fourth downs to log their first big stop of the game. The Avengers defense looked a lot better in the second half. An interception in the end zone by Brian Sump off a poor jump ball throw by Georgia quarterback Jim Kubiak proved to be the most important defensive play of the game.
With 10 rookies, this is a markedly different Avengers team than last year. They have the talent to excel, but will have to continue to come together as a team. The role of veteran players like wide receive Greg Hopkins and Kaleo will play a vital role. The way Jeffries puts it, "This is a different team this year. I think we’re more physical this year and we’re a little tougher this year. I think we’re going to play well to the very end. And I think we showed that today." Keep it up and things will only get better.
A-Team Update:
The Avengers Dance team had a wonderful day. Their dance moves were breath taking. The only problem I could see seems to be a recurring one. They regularly undermine the team’s rallying cry of "Stand with the Avengers!" because after their dance routines it becomes indecent for any of the men in the stadium to do so.
Brian Thomas was a writer for ArenaFan Online during the 2005 season.
