Dragons Looking for More After Dominant Win Over Rattlers
Dwayne Smith
Thursday March 3, 2005
The six interceptions tied the New York Dragons with 3 other teams for the Arena Football League record by a defense and showed that as of right now, head coach Weyland Harding has already achieved a level of performance on that side of the ball that even Shell was unable to during his time in New York. As for the Dragons new coach, he downplayed the record saying, "Maybe after the season I’ll sit back and enjoy it."
Harding was more concerned with the slow start by his offense and keeping the Rattlers in the game. With less than eight minutes left in the third quarter, New York led by three points, despite already having three interceptions and two other defensive stops. "We didn’t capitalize on some of our opportunities." Harding said, "Most assuredly we need a little time to get the system in those guys."
Make no mistake, this game started off in an incredibly ugly fashion as both offenses appeared to struggle at times with their new offensive systems. During a period that bridged the first and second quarters, five consecutive drives among both teams ended in turnovers, with one being run back for a score by Dragons WR/DB Corey Johnson, the eventual defensive player of the game.
Dragons QB Aaron Garcia himself committed two turnovers and at times was admittedly not as effective as he knows he should be. "I just don’t feel like I’m in rhythm right now." Garcia explained, "That’s what picking up a new offense does to you."
Even with a less than effective start, the League’s All-time leading touchdown passer threw for six more including his 650th career touchdown, overcoming his early struggles.
The same would not be said of Rattlers QB Sherdrick Bonner, the League’s third all-time leading touchdown passer. In his first game back from injured reserve, Bonner struggled early and often, as he threw six interceptions and generally played as bad a game as he ever has in his illustrious AFL career. The difficulty of returning from injury with any kind of rhythm seemed to be multiplied by having to learn a new system for the first time since joining the Rattlers in 1993, leading to an anomalous game for the outstanding AFL quarterback.
Garcia commented, "Anytime you run a certain offense for a long time... It’s tough, especially for a veteran."
Garcia experienced similar difficulties in picking up Shell’s offense when he took over in 2003 for the same reason, having played under former Head Coach John Gregory from 1998. He also admitted, "We’re going through it here, just not to the same extent, (offensive coordinator) coach (Tony) Kimbrough and I worked together a little bit more and try to compromise on certain things and I think we’ll be a little bit ahead of the game."
As much as New York needed Shell to raise the level of play in 2003, the team seems to have responded in a more dramatic sense to their new coaches. Their ability to demand excellence from their players, while being able to work with the talent of their roster may allow the Dragons to achieve great things over the course of the season. The X-factor that Harding brings to the table is an unparalleled enthusiasm. It seemed like every time the defense made a key play or turnover, Harding was on the field and getting to the player responsible faster than anybody.
The effect of this enthusiasm cannot be overlooked and is already greatly appreciated by his players on defense. Johnson explained, "Coach Harding is a defensive minded coach, he coaches the way he played the game. If you can’t feel that emotion for you to go out there and play ball and enjoy this kid’s game, you look over at coach Harding and he’s having so much fun. I mean you’ve got to be excited…. I think he’s playing the game through us. When we do well and when we’re having success, that’s a reflection on him."
The Dragons will need to continue their elevated level of play as they travel down the road to Philadelphia for a key early season divisional showdown. Having already beaten the (4-1) Dallas Desperados, New York will need to keep pace by beating the disappointing Philadelphia Soul in front of a tough crowd. The Soul, having let go of their head coach this week, will clearly be more focused as the Philadelphia Football Operation, led by Team President Ron Jaworski, have made it clear they will not accept sub-par play. After what appeared to many was a successful off-season, The Soul have limped out to a 2-3 record and felt a need to change course, especially with the early success in Dallas and New York.
The Dragons may be able to exploit an undersized defense that has been disappointing at this stage of the season with their offensive weapons OS Kevin Swayne and WR/LB Mike Horacek, who was named the League’s Ironman of the Week. Additionally, with the addition of QB Tony Graziani in Philadelphia, it is also a showdown between two of the best quarterbacks in the league, who happen to be personal rivals and California Boys.
Graziani, like the rest of his team, has been playing at a less-than-acceptable level and has turned the ball over 12 times himself thus far. If he doesn’t find a way to keep the ball, the Soul will be in for a long day as New York has shown a propensity for making plays on defense.
Dwayne Smith covers Arena Football and the NFL for different web outlets along with providing a fantasy column to FantasyGMs.com. Dwayne has also been a contributor to other online and print outlets, including the Dallas Morning News. In 2003, he covered the NFL Draft from the Headquarters of the New York Jets.
