Down The Stretch They Come
Charliy Nash
Friday May 13, 2005
The last two games are rematches against teams that defeated them earlier in the season. Technically, yes, it’s a rematch, but in many ways the Colorado Crush will not recognize their opponent. "We’re a completely different team from when we played them the first time," said AFL Ironman or the week Jarrick Hillery, "and they pretty much have the same guys and they’re pretty much doing the same thing."
It’s not much of an exaggeration to call the Kats a whole new team. Just after their loss to the Crush they changed their offensive scheme. They then added players T.T. Toliver, Lindsay Fleshman, Travis McGriff, Rupert Grant, and Nate Bolling. Quarterback coach Scott Semptimphelter came on board to work with QB Leon Murray, who along with Hillery missed that first game due to injury "We watched that film and about seven guys who played in that game won’t be playing in this game," said head coach Pat Sperduto, so that will be a good advantage for us."
What’s also changed is the confidence level. Before the unbeaten streak began the Kats believed that they could stay with any team. "Now we know we can beat anybody in this league," said lineman Aaron McConnell, "L.A., San Jose, Tampa, Colorado, it doesn’t matter."
So the Nashville Kats continue to hold onto slim hopes for the playoffs. Their chances are about as unlikely as an AFL game ending in a tie…or holding an opponent scoreless for three quarters…or a 1-7 team putting together a six game unbeaten streak.
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.
