Pretender or Contender?
Matt Eichenblatt
Saturday March 11, 2006
With the return of star OS Chris Jackson who was missing the past two games with a groin injury, the Force offense rolled over the Destroyer defense in convincing fashion, as Matt Nagy threw 7 touchdown passes, including 4 to Jackson. The Force never trailed, and enjoyed as much as 21 point lead during the game.
Despite the success the Force had in Columbus on Friday night, there seems to be some uncertainty about the direction of the team. At 4-3, the Force are in prime position to get back to the playoffs, but how far will they go?
In the four victories they have had this season, the Force have tallied a total margin of victory 87. In their three losses this season, the Force have lost by a total of 4 points. That’s right; four measly points, which begs the question: Are the Force unlucky, or simply not that good?
Let’s explore the first option and say the Force are 4-3 because they simply haven’t gotten the right bounces. Last year, Georgia enjoyed a lot of luck as far as calls and the injury bug is concerned. With controversial calls going their way in key moments, such as the last play of the National Conference Championship where the was no call on an apparent pass interference on a game tying two-point conversion attempt against the Orlando Predators, the Force cruised to an 11-5 record and an appearance in Arena Bowl XIX.
This year the Force have had plenty of bad bounces go their way. There was the no-call interference on the two point conversion attempt at the end of the Colorado game, the missed extra points, and the injuries to key players like Chris Jackson. It would be simple to go ahead and say it was simply, ‘bad luck.’
I for one refuse to base any outcome on luck.
The 2006 Georgia Force are not a bad team, nor are they are an unlucky one; they are simply undisciplined. If you look at the Force’s three losses, the most common theme they share besides a close score are an abundance of mental errors. In their first loss of the year against Colorado, the Force special teams unit committed numerous errors that led to the loss. Against Tampa Bay, the defense laid an egg by letting the Storm get out to a quick two touchdown lead and allowing a total of 61 points. In the most recent loss against the Austin Wranglers, poor coaching and offensive execution squandered a 14 point lead in the second half, leading to another 1-point loss.
After the Austin game, Georgia head coach Doug Plank summarized the loss with perfect quote, "We didn’t play bad, we just didn’t make enough plays to win the game."
With nine games left in the season, there is plenty of time for the Force to make a run at the Southern division crown, but can they beat the elite teams of the league to do so? While the Force boast a winning record, the combined record of the opponents cannot do they same; it is a meager 11-17. Besides Orlando, the Force have yet to beat a ‘legitimate’ team.
After the Force visit San Jose this coming week, they begin a four-week stretch in which they play each of their Southern division rivals for the second time this season. This stretch of games will prove to be crucial in the division race and will finally give Force fans the answer to the question of legitimacy.
There is no question the Force are talented; with almost everyone returning from their National Conference Championship team, Georgia still possesses the weapons to beat any team in the AFL. But is this team as hungry as last year’s team? As much as I want to say yes, I simply don’t think they are.
Luckily for the Force, they still have nine games to get back into the Southern division race, and prove me wrong. Its gut check time Georgia, let’s see what you’ve got.
Matt Eichenblatt is a free-lance writer from the Atlanta area. He has followed Arena Football since 1999 and has been attending Georgia Force games since they moved from Nashville five years ago. As well as being a football enthusiast, he is also looking forward to graduating from the University of Alabama with a degree in Finance and Communications.
