Another VooDoo Loss And A Little Lesson For Me

Jack Bedell
Thursday June 7, 2007

I have to admit it.  With the New Orleans VooDoo down 34-14 to the Tampa Bay Storm last Saturday, heading into halftime staring a sixth straight loss right in the eye, I figured the team had simply had enough of playing its way out of holes.

Like some kind of recurring nightmare, the VooDoo’s own mistakes have put them behind and scrapping back for the last month and a half against Austin, Georgia, Orlando, Philadelphia, and twice last week against New York and Tampa Bay.  It’s been an interception here, a fumble there, six or seven untimely penalties, and on and on since week four.

So, yes, I figured the team would come out like zombies in the second half down three scores and watching yet another quarterback throw in the high 70% range against the depleted VooDoo secondary, unable to even get a sniff at a defensive stop.

I was dead wrong, though.  Something else came out of the New Orleans locker room after the half—CHARACTER.  

Instead of dead-man-walking it, the offense kept attacking.  Tyronne Jones kept catching passes, fighting for yards afterwards, and finding the endzone.  So did Wendell Williams and Tony Locke.  All three receivers posting 100-yard games.  And Steve Bellasari, the guy pitching them the ball, kept taking everything the tremendous Tampa Bay rush threw at him, getting the ball off, then peeling himself off the turf to do it again.

Roc Haith and the rest of the VooDoo defensive backfield kept putting helmets on people and harassing Storm receivers enough to slow down Tampa Bay’s offense, forcing a couple of field goals to help close the gap.

Even Special teams stepped up with Locke providing good field position with great effort on his returns and Jonathan Ruffin executing a perfect onside kick in the closing minutes to give the VooDoo a chance to pull off the white whale of a comeback.

Fact is, I was so proud of the character the VooDoo displayed in the second half, that I did something I haven’t done in my three years covering the team.  I went down to the bench to watch the end of the game with the players.  

Down there, I learned something about the team that’s hard to see from the press box—winning, or losing like they eventually did Saturday night, they’re grinding, and they’re doing it together down three or down 30.

Now I know what they mean when they say a team’s playing for pride.  I saw it up close Saturday, and I’m positive I’ll see the rest of the season.  Win or lose.

Up Next

If the pressure of a six-game losing streak wasn’t enough of a hurdle, the VooDoo head into Dallas to face the league-leading Desperados.  I’m afraid pride won’t be enough to come out of this one with a ‘W’.