VooDoo Defense Collects Some Soul
Jack Bedell
Tuesday February 22, 2005
In a game billed as a shootout between two of the Arena Football League’s best quarterbacks, it was the VooDoo defense that wound up stealing the show. Sparked by the return of DS Monty Montgomery, who was named the Defensive Player of the Game, the VooDoo hassled Soul QB Tony Graziani with constant pressure and tight coverage.
Graziani certainly had his moments, going 19 of 34 for 283 yards with 7 touchdowns, but his two interceptions and unusually low completion percentage were testaments to the fire the VooDoo exhibited all afternoon. After getting an unexpected three-point lead when VooDoo kicker Brian Schmitz’s opening kick ricocheted off the iron into the arms of WR/DB Calvin Spears, the VooDoo defense was able to play with aggression from the outset, getting the first of their five stops on the Soul’s initial offensive possession when offensive lineman/defensive lineman B.J. Cohen took down Graziani on fourth down to turn the ball over.
The entire team seemed to draw its energy from Montgomery, who wasted no time making his presence felt. On the VooDoo’s first three defensive plays, Montgomery WR/DB Rob Milanese, and popped OS Steve Smith hard enough to shake the ball loose for an incompletion to force a fourth-and-10.
As New Orleans head coach Mike Neu said after the game, "It was huge to have [Montgomery] back. He’s our emotional leader on the defensive side of the ball. He’s got that swagger that you have to have inthis league to play in the secondary. They all get their cue from Monty. He’s such an emotional player and such an energetic player."
Even the offense sucked up some of the Montgomery magic. On his way to a third consecutive Offensive Player of the Game Award, VooDoo QB Andy Kelly was more than content to volley with Graziani and the high-powered Soul offense, knowing his defense would keep the game "on serve." Kelly definitely held his own in the shootout completing 27 of 43 attempts for 315 yards with 7 touchdowns and his second interception of the season.
Kelly’s confidence and Montgomery’s toughness rubbed off on the receivers, too. WR/DB ‘Ques Rumph caught balls in traffic all day and stuck his head in on run support a few times, knocking off blockers and even jarring Soul FB/LB Marlion Jackson on one run. Rumph’s most impressive play came on a 27-yard touchdown reception from Kelly thrown over the defender’s shoulder with less than a step to the back wall. The catch drew raves from quarterback and coach. "He’s got some guts," Kelly said. "He does that week after week, just great concentration." Neu added, "[Rumph] likes the boards. It’s funny, we talk about him on game days, but he does the same things at practice, running into the boards. He’s got total disregard for his body!"
Rumph’s seven catches for 105 yards and 2 touchdowns gave way to Lamont Moore’s day when Ironman voting came around. Moore snagged three balls for 21 yards and 2 touchdowns while getting three solo tackles and a momentum-sapping interception.
Neither receiver, though, could match the numbers or fortitude of OS Aaron Bailey, who posted another amazing day, 11 catches for 155 yards and 2 touchdowns, after a week of serious tribulation. As Neu revealed after the game, "He missed a lot of practice this week. He had fluid on his knee; he got the flu. They gave him an IV at halftime. That’s a competitor, right there, bouncing back from those conditions."
With this kind of toughness on both sides of the ball, it’s no surprise the team answered Neu’s challenge at the half to rise up and shut down one of the League’s most prolific teams. "At the half, I told the guys ‘We have to come out and make them play from 10 down in the second half,’ and I guaranteed [the offense] that the defense would come out and make that stop. It was a monumental effort. The defense really stepped it up, holding [the Soul] to 13 points in the second half. And it was important coming out that first drive, chewing up five and a half minutes and putting a touchdown on the board. We kept [the Soul] cooling on the sideline and slowed them up."
Despite all of the preseason prognostications placing the VooDoo in the bottom third of the AFL’s teams, two things are really clear from the last few weeks of competition—the New Orleans VooDoo are tied for the lead in the Southern Division and they have enough talent and courage on both sides of the ball to play with anyone in the league. Whether it’s team stars like Kelly and Montgomery leading the way, or unsung players like fill-in OL/DL Aaron Hamilton batting down five Graziani passes in critical down-and-distance situations, the 3-1 VooDoo are ready play come game time.
Next Game
After four short days of rest and controlled practices, the VooDoo face the Tampa Bay Storm (2-1) Friday, February 25, at 7 PM in the Graveyard. Coming off a sour bye, the Storm will be brewing to avenge a bad loss to the Orlando Predators.
Jack Bedell was an inaugural season ticket holder for the af2's Lafayette Roughnecks and the AFL's New Orleans VooDoo. He's been a fan of the league since he first saw Browning Nagle heaving touchdowns for the Buffalo Destroyers. Jack's married to a lovely wife, Beth, and has two sons, Jack and Samuel Eli. He works as an associate professor of creative writing at Southeastern Louisiana University.
