Georgia on Rattlers’ Minds
Patrick Daly
Saturday February 12, 2005
With the second week of the Arena Football League season complete, there are 11 1-1 teams, seven of which are in the American Conference, which will send only four teams to the playoffs. Going into the third week, it’s still tough to call any game a must win, but the Rattlers can ill afford to have another showing like last week.
"Right now, in this situation, everybody is going to try and separate themselves from the other teams," said Rattlers head coach Todd Shell. "We just can’t afford to go out and play like we did last week. I think that if we play like we’re capable of playing there’s no doubt we can win the game."
While there is no place like home, going on the road can actually benefit a team, particularly when that team needs to focus on football and avoid the distractions that inevitably come from being at home. We’ve seen it in prior years where the Rattlers recover their poise on the road after a letdown at home.
"I think it’s an advantage," said Shell. "Sometimes when you go on the road you can be by yourself, you can be together with the group of guys, and focus on what’s going on. You don’t have the distractions that are going on around here, especially for somebody that lives here in the Valley."
One specific player that may benefit from some time on the road is quarterback Joe Germaine, who will get his second AFL start against the Force.
"There are a few more distractions with home games, while going on the road is a little more business-like," said Germaine. "Maybe it’ll be a good thing, but we all love playing here."
That chance to focus should also drive a greater intensity on Saturday night, which was definitely lacking against Orlando. After a relatively easy win over the Grand Rapids Rampage, the Rattlers let themselves down, particularly with an opportunity to start the season 2-0.
"It’s one of those things where you go out and play against a good football team, you’ve got to be at your best," said Shell. "Unfortunately, we just weren’t. I was disappointed in how we came out and were kind of just there. We didn’t really come out with the enthusiasm and the intensity you need to play a football game, especially at this level."
While Germaine struggled in the first game as the starter, it should serve as experience for a young quarterback, which is often hard to come by since the chance to get some snaps in mop up duty, let alone start, does not come around often. While you can practice certain situations, there is nothing like facing a live opponent.
"This game is so fast, it’s so hard to simulate in practice," said Shell. "He hadn’t had that many reps in live situations. He’s not going to face a better team [Orlando] in the league. These guys [Georgia] are similar in that they play a lot of zone defense. They put pretty good pressure on the quarterback, so it’s going to be pretty much the same type of situation for him. It’s just a matter of making the reads and putting the ball where it needs to go."
With Georgia, the Rattlers will see a familiar face in head coach Doug Plank. The former Arizona defensive coordinator is in his first season with the Force and his influence already seems to be taking hold. However, while the Rattlers may be familiar with Plank’s defensive schemes, that doesn’t mean he’ll be predictable.
"They’ve been playing a lot of zone, but they may change things up," said Germaine. "That’s why you can get an idea of what they’re trying to do, but you have to be able to adjust on the fly."
Even with the breakdowns on the field against the Predators, Shell looked inward for answers.
"The first guy I look at when we lose a game is me," said Shell. "Did I do everything I needed to do to get them ready to play, to put them in positions to make plays, all those things? And then I go from there. There were some things that I obviously look at and say, ‘OK, I need to do better and they need to do better.’ We’re all in this together and we’ll figure out a way to get this win."
Welcome back
Arizona returns two familiar faces to the lineup. After spending two weeks on IR, Hunkie Cooper is back, while Anthony Brenner, a member of the Rattlers’ last championship team, replaces Chris Sailer at kicker.
After nearly announcing his retirement just prior to the season, Cooper spent the first two weeks on injured reserve due to a hamstring injury suffered in a scrimmage with the Dallas Desperados, marking the first time in his 12-year career that he landed on IR. This week, Cooper exuded a renewed energy that should rub off on the rest of his team.
"In twelve years I’ve never been on IR; I’ve played hurt," said Cooper. "Going through thinking about the retirement and an injury at the same time, you ponder it a little bit. It was an emotional time for me and for everybody. My heart is where it needs to be, and that’s on the football field."
And it’s on the football field that Arizona needs his leadership most. The Rattlers are talented, but so is pretty much every other team in the AFL, which means they need to get back to playing like the Rattlers.
"We didn’t come out and play the kind of football the Arizona Rattlers are known for playing," said Cooper about the Orlando loss. "We’re not flying around and not being aggressive, we’re making a lot of mistakes, and that’s not something a veteran football does."
If anything, Cooper will lead by example, putting his body on the line while trading six yards for a headache.
"I’m healthy now, so I’m going to play the way I play," said Cooper. "I’m playing recklessly. I’m playing smart. I’m going to be me."
With Brenner the Rattlers get a familiar face that was part of the 1997 ArenaBowl championship team that beat the Iowa Barnstormers for the AFL title. After not playing since a short stint with Arizona in 1999, he hit over 92% of his extra point tries last season with the Colorado Crush, which was second only to Orlando’s Jay Taylor. However, he was only 11 for 32 on field goal attempts, and that could be an area of concern. Brenner does have Shell’s faith, which is important for any kicker’s confidence.
"He’s a good kicker," said Shell about Brenner. "It’s not that Chris [Sailer] wasn’t, it’s just that we had an opportunity to get Anthony [Brenner] and I felt like it was going to improve our team."
Patrick Daly has been an Arena Football League enthusiast since he first stumbled across the late-night ESPN broadcasts and has followed the Arizona Rattlers since their inaugural season in 1992. He graduated from Arizona State University with an engineering degree and is currently a member of a web development team for Direct Alliance in Tempe. Patrick currently resides in the Phoenix suburb of Chandler, Arizona with his beautiful wife, son and a very large football helmet collection.
