Defense Needs to Make Big Play
Josh Fisher
Friday June 1, 2007
Friday night in Orlando the Utah Blaze turned a blocked PAT into a two-point return. A three point swing that turned out to be the difference in a 65-62 win over the Orlando Predators. The win snapped a five-game losing streak for the Blaze, and moved them back into the sixth seed in the hunt for the playoffs.
Although it was a blocked kick that sealed the win, the Blaze defense has struggled to make a big play all season. Through 13 games the team has recorded a total of five interceptions. There are 15 players throughout the Arena Football League with at least five interceptions by themselves. Ahmad Hawkins of the Nashville Kats has 12 interceptions. That is more than double what the entire Blaze team has recorded.
Utah hasn’t recorded an interception in six straight games. The complete drought goes back 214 pass attempts. The team’s last pick came on the final pass of the first half of the Los Angeles game. That pass was a desperation heave off the net pulled in by Clarence Lawson to end the half.
To find an interception of consequence you have to go back 10 games against Grand Rapids. That is 293 pass attempts against the defense with zero interceptions that mean anything. In that game against the Rampage, Orshawante Bryant recorded three interceptions. That is three of the teams five total for the year.
Utah is tied with Austin for last in the league with those five interceptions. Austin is the only team worse in interception percentage. The Blaze come up with an interception every 1.2 percent of the time there is an attempt, while Austin is at 1.1 percent.
The Blaze also struggle in getting to the quarterback. The Blaze has only recorded 10 sacks so far in 2007. That is tied for 12th in the 19 team league. Orlando and Georgia have recorded 21 to lead the AFL. Greg White of the Predators has 13 sacks himself.
Utah hasn’t recorded a quarterback sack in its last four games. It has been 163 pass attempts since the team’s last sack, when they got to San Jose quarterback Mark Grieb. There have been eight games this year that the team has recorded zero sacks.
A lot of the team’s problems can be due to lack of continuity. The Blaze have started 21 different players on defense this season. Chris Janek is the only player to start all 13 games, while Lawson’s 11 starts make him the only other guy with more than nine starts.
The defensive line has seen seven different starters, including four guys with less than five starts. Steve Konopka, who was a big free agent signing in the off-season, has made only seven starts due to injury but did return to the lineup against Orlando.
The defensive backfield has been even worse. There has been 10 different players that have made starts at DB this season. Other than Lawson (11) and Bryant (7) nobody has more than four starts. It does appear they have found the three they would like to finish the year with. Jacoby Shepherd, Leroy Smith, and Lawson have been the three starters the last few weeks.
With three games left, all against teams with a winning record, the defense will have to make some big plays to help the Blaze make a playoff run. They are getting healthy as Bryant and Frank Carter could return this week. If Carter starts that would give the Blaze the starting defense they would like to finish the season with, assuming they can all stay healthy down the stretch.
