Dragons Win Overshadowed By Garcia's Injury
Dwayne Smith
Thursday March 2, 2006
During the first drive of the third quarter, the Predators defensive end Henry Taylor collected one of his four sacks this afternoon, setting quarterback Aaron Garcia back for a five yard loss and much more. On the play Garcia would suffer a fracture of his right tibia, leaving him out indefinitely. Generally an injury like this can take from a few weeks to 8 months for recovery based on the severity. At time of this article no timetable for Garcia’s recovery has been given.
Up by seven points over the Predators at the time of the injury, backup quarterback Juston Wood entered the game. Showing a great deal of confidence in their backup quarterback, Wood was called upon to throw a deep ball to offensive specialist Kevin Swayne. The former New York Jets receiver was open in the end zone but the pass came up a little short and was deflected by Orlando defensive back Lin-J Shell. Wood admitted early nerves and explained, "I have some work to do" but admitted his faith in his teammates on defense who would eventually help seal the victory. While New York would have to settle for a field goal and a ten-point lead, the Dragon’s underperforming defense and special teams would step up.
After forcing the Predators into a field goal, defensive specialist DeShane Dennis, the US Army Ironman of Game, would make the play that broke the game wide open. On a missed field goal, Dennis cleanly caught the missed attempt and zipped down the sideline making agile moves and slicing through the Predators special teams coverage for an electrifying score. The 11,678 fans in attendance leapt to their feet, enjoying a 38-21 lead that was never seriously threatened.
Head Coach Weylon Harding who has stated before that his defense and special teams were a work in progress following a tumultuous off-season that featured key defections was pleased with the effort on Sunday. Especially after a road trip that left them with the Arena Football League’s third worst scoring defense coming into Sunday afternoon’s victory. Noting the youth in his defense Harding explained, "We learned some hard lessons on the road… (we saw) somewhat of a graduation today." The improvement will need to continue on a short week with the Dragons set to face the Columbus Destroyers at home on Friday.
Harding is optimistic that Wood’s experience with the offense and practice will lead to a smooth transition. As for the coach’s feelings about the loss of Garcia, it’s a little more personal. "I played against him, I coached against him, now I coach him. I’ve always admired his toughness, his leadership… you love to root for a guy like that… you can’t put into words how much he means to us."
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.
