This Kat is More Than Ready
Charliy Nash
Sunday March 6, 2005
I hadn’t even finished asking Lindsay Fleshman if he was looking forward to the game against his former team, the Chicago Rush, when the smile happened. There was no mistaking what was behind that smile: pure unbridled enthusiasm. "I’m just anxious," he admitted, "The last time I played a game was last year, the playoffs against San Jose when I was at Chicago. Then I was in training camp with Chicago this year, I got hurt, that set me back, and now I’m just ready to use my energy with the Nashville Kats."
It’s especially sweet to be facing the Rush, the team which released him after his teammates voted him the best all-around player for the past two seasons. He knows this week’s opponent well, especially their talented quarterback Ray Philyaw. "You’ve just got to get pressure on him," Fleshman said, "You can’t let Ray sit back there and just read the coverage and have time to throw the ball."
In this unpredictable season where no team has been running away with the Central Division lead, the Kats could actually find themselves in the playoff hunt by winning this game. None of the Kats’ losses so far have been against division opponents. "This is critical," explained head coach Pat Sperduto, "If we beat all teams in our division twice, there’s a good chance we’re going to win our division. That’s ultimately what it will come down to."
Last week Fleshman was on the sidelines as the Kats lost to the Las Vegas Gladiators. "They’re one or two plays away from being a really good team," he observed. By adding Fleshman and Travis McGriff to their arsenal, hopefully the Kats can make those extra plays and have a really good season.
Charliy Nash has covered both incarnations of the Nashville Kats, and now has make the 2 hour drive to Huntsville for an Arena Football fix. He also covers the Tennessee Titans as a blogger for nfl.com and still hopes this will eventually lead to a paying gig.
