Young Avengers Look Like A Playoff Team
Mike Chanpong
Monday June 4, 2007
Los Angeles Avengers fans, get ready. Your team is going to make the playoffs.
Yes, I know Kevin Ingram is on injured reserve.
Yes, I know the secondary has been plagued with injuries.
Yes, I know Greg Hopkins isn’t suiting up anymore.
But the reason the Avengers are going to make the playoffs is very simple – they play two out of their last three games at the Staples Center. And their final three games are against Arizona, Las Vegas and Utah – teams with a combined record of 12-28.
It’s no secret the Avengers are a different team at home than on the road. At home they’ve won four out of six games. They beat Georgia and they beat Chicago. They play smart football. So far this season the Avengers have only committed three turnovers at home.
On the road it’s been another story. Through seven games they’ve committed 16 turnovers and won only three of seven.
The turnover difference is a sign that the Avengers are a young team with a lot of talent. At home they’ve shown they can play with the best teams in the AFL. But facing a hostile environment on the road they’re prone to committing rookie mistakes.
The mistakes on the road are to be expected with a young team. But winning games against Georgia and Chicago? Even teams loaded with veterans don’t do that!
A lot of credit should go to Head Coach Ed Hodgkiss and his coaching staff. Just take a quick look at the Avengers roster. They’ve suited up 29 players this year and 12 of them are rookies. Ten of those rookies started at least one game. Five starters, including quarterback Sonny Cumbie, are in only their second year of Arena football.
Couple the fact that the Avengers are young with the amount of key injuries they’ve had, and its obvious Hodgkiss has done a tremendous job. With Ingram and Lenzie Jackson out, young receivers like LaShaun Ward, Terrance Stubbs, and Robert Quiroga have stepped up.
The same goes for the secondary, where mid-season acquisitions Eddie Canonico and Terrance Joseph – guys who weren’t even with the team at the beginning of the year – play significant roles on defense.
And through it all, Hodgkiss has the Avengers right where they want to be – on the verge of reaching the playoffs.
There’s three games left in the season.
The Avengers must win two.
Will they do it?
You bet.
