A Game Played by Ironmen
Patrick Daly
Tuesday May 17, 2005
Consider the first half of the Arizona Rattlers’ 2005 season, when penalties, turnovers and struggles on the line put them at a disadvantage early in just about every contest. No team, no matter how talented, can consistently overcome turnovers that squander chances to score or penalties that extend opponents’ drives. And no matter the caliber of skill position players on the roster, the inability to pressure an opponent’s quarterback while they harass yours makes for a long night, particularly in a game that relies on a solid passing attack.
Contrast that with the past two games, a 61-43 win over the Chicago Rush and a 54-44 win over the San Jose SaberCats on Saturday night, in which the Rattlers have forced turnovers that have helped them build early leads. Add solid defensive pressure and offensive protection and visitors have found that the SnakePit (aka America West Arena) is still not a venue to take lightly.
What has made the line play even more exceptional is that the Rattlers have managed to step up the pressure at a time when linemen in Arizona are slowly becoming an endangered species. Already without Mark Tucker, Jerry Sharp and Anthony Hutch, the Rattlers lost Kelvin Ingram and Steve Moscorro during the course of the game. That put greater pressure on Vince Amey, John Frank, Wendell Gaines, and Ken Talanoa. It also required that fullback/linebackers Phil Glover and Kerry Taylor man the line as well.
"It was great pressure," said Rattlers head coach Todd Shell. "That was my biggest concern at the beginning of the week. With all of the injuries that we had, losing Jerry Sharp and Zach Rupp, we weren’t going to be able to put pressure. I haven’t seen the film yet, but it had to be Wendell Gaines’ best game, by far. He was on the quarterback all night long. That group – Vince Amey, Wendell, Kelvin [Ingram] and Phil Glover – up front just dominated and that was the difference in the game.
"We were a little light up front, but it’s Arena Football. Kerry Taylor has been playing tight end for us the last two weeks and has done a great job. That’s part of this game and that’s why they call it Ironman football."
Continuing the theme of Ironman, no one deserved the game’s Ironman award more than WR/DB Randy Gatewood. While scoring during the game’s opening series, Gatewood’s helmet was knocked off as he tumbled into the end zone. His facemask left a cut in his forehead that required seven stitches to close while he fell onto his back, hitting his unprotected head on the arena turf. After staying down for a few minutes, Gatewood was helped to his feet and off the field. Fortunately for the Rattlers he was able to return, scoring one more time and notching two interceptions in the end zone that turned away San Jose drives.
"I was just glad that I didn’t have a concussion and that I was able to come back out and play," said Gatewood. "That was the bottom line. The first thing I asked [head trainer] Matt [Anderson] was could I come back. He said, ‘Yes.’ I’m just glad I was able to help again this week. Hopefully, things will go well for us next week and we can finish this season on a high note. Hopefully we’ll be around next year."
Almost overshadowed in the win over San Jose were the two kick returns that Rattlers WR/LB Tom Pace converted into touchdowns. The first came at the start of the second quarter, and it countered a Rashied Davis kick return for a touchdown that ended the first quarter. The score, which slowed San Jose’s momentum, also built a lead that the Rattlers would never relinquish. Pace followed that return with an 11-yard return after grabbing an onsides kick early in the fourth quarter, which kept momentum on Arizona’s side.
As the Rattlers showed early in the season, falling behind to any opponent is dangerous. In contrast, like they did against the Rush the week before, the Rattlers were able to build an early lead that allowed them to control the pace of the game and earn the victory.
"You definitely don’t want to be behind them," said Gatewood of San Jose. "That’s where we’ve gotten ourselves into trouble the last few times we’ve played them. Against a good team you can’t do that. I think we’re a lot better team when we’re able to jump up on guys and we did that this week. We did it last week. The last two weeks we’ve really shown what we’re capable of doing. Unfortunately, that’s got to end in another week."
In the past two weeks, the Rattlers have also caused their own havoc on the American Conference races, leaving both Chicago and San Jose in jeopardy of missing the playoffs themselves, depending on how the final week plays out. The Rattlers will get another shot to have their say in who makes the playoffs with a trip to Las Vegas to face the Gladiators this Sunday. Despite their current situation, the Rattlers have shown tremendous character, making the best possible situation out their first losing season since 1992.
"What I talked about the last couple of weeks is that regardless of the situation you’re a professional and you go out and perform like a professional," said Shell. "We’ve done that the last two weeks. We haven’t been playing for anything other than being the spoiler and the fact that we may not be here. For these guys to come out and play like they have I’m so proud to be associated with them because they’ve really come out and shown their professionalism. The fans deserve that; they pay to come out and watch them play. For them to come out and perform like they did when they could have just turned it in, it’s a pretty impressive group of guys with character."
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.
