Limping Into the Playoffs
Charliy Nash
Friday May 5, 2006
Rookie DS Eric Joyce suffered a season-ending knee injury in his first game. Monty Montgomery tried to come back too soon from torn rib cartilage and will be unavailable this week. Jarrick Hillery and Chris Angel are still on injured reserve; Reggie Stephens is out for the season. The Kats needed help quickly, and turned to a familiar face.
"I knew they had some injuries, but I didn’t know the specifics," explained DeRon Jenkins, "So when Bre [secondary coach Brenard Wilson] called and explained the situation to me, I felt like I could help them, step in and play kind of right away, same coaches, same system, so it worked out." Jenkins had decided not to play football, instead devoting more time to his successful construction business. While he has been away from football, he has stayed in good shape, "I stay in shape pretty decently all year round. I’m always doing something, whether it’s playing football with 12-year old, or playing basketball two or three times a week. I’m pretty comfortable with my shape. Obviously I have to continue to practice to get into football shape."
The Kats have backed their way into the playoffs. They now have two weeks to get some players healthy a build some positive momentum. With so many key players injured, having a veteran in the defensive backfield who is familiar wih the system could be just what the doctor ordered.
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.
