One Last Chance
Charliy Nash
Friday May 12, 2006
There are valid reasons for their optimism. The defensive woes have been largely caused by the absence of several key players due to injury. After being so depleted that QB Leon Murray had to play a series at linebacker, this week will see the return of Monty Montgomery, Jarrick Hillery, and Darryl Hammond. "Some of the healthy bodies coming back will help us significantly," coach Pat Sperduto said, "That was part of the purpose. We didn’t want to put guys who were banged up in and go limping into the playoffs, so we pulled them out specifically for those reasons and hoped some of the young guys would make a difference."
Some of those young guys apparently didn’t live up to Sperduto’s expectations, as four players were waived earlier in the week. To bolster the ailing defense the Kats 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." At the start of the season 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 condition, "I stay in shape pretty decently all year round. I’m always doing something, whether it’s playing football with my 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."
One encouraging sign from last week was the return of pressure from the defensive line. After a long drought the Kats notched three sacks against Los Angeles. "Our line is a big part of it," said lineman Joe Minucci who had one of the sacks, "If we can get sacks and get pressure on the QB, it’s going to help out the DB’s and take a lot of pressure off of them, some of the guys who have been banged up."
Another reason for optimism has been the improved performance of the offense. The Kats have scored over 50 points in four of their last five games. "These last three or four games we’ve played a lot better," said quarterback Clint Stoerner, "We’ve been a little more crisp and been on the same page. We’ve been more in control of what we’re doing."
While a four game losing streak is impossible to ignore, pessimists are hard to find in the Kats’ locker room. They believe they can fix it. They know they can fix it. As Minucci put it, "A victory would cure it all."
Date Change for Cory's Camp
Cory Fleming's high school football camp has been rescheduled from this weekend to June 29 - July 1. The camp will take place at LaVerge Memorial Park and the cost is $50. Call (615) 812-7437 for registration or information.
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.
