Talking Avengers With Myself
Mike Chanpong
Friday June 29, 2007
After the Los Angeles Avengers disappointing loss to the Utah Blaze last week, I left the Staples Center with so many questions in my head that I found myself sitting in post-game traffic talking to myself. The conversation went something like this:
Q: What’s wrong with you? Why are you talking to yourself?
A: Just look at this mess. Every time I leave the Staples Center after an Avengers game, the freeway is a sea of brake lights.
Q: Aren’t you used to that yet? How long have you been living in LA now?
A: I don’t care what anyone says. You never get used to the traffic here.
Q: Geez…you’re a little crabby tonight huh?
A: Yeah, I guess. The Avengers’ loss to Utah tonight isn’t sitting well with me.
Q: What’s your problem? The Avengers already clinched a first round home playoff game. It was just a meaningless end of the regular season game, right?
A: I don’t know about that. I got the feeling that the Avengers really wanted to eliminate Utah from the playoffs and they just couldn’t do it.
Q: Well maybe Utah wanted it more. They were fighting for their season.
A: Yes, but now the Avengers are most likely going to have to play Utah again next week in the playoffs. And Utah is not a team that anyone wants to face.
Q: What’s so great about Utah? They’re a .500 team.
A: Maybe on the surface they’re a .500 team. But this team has so many weapons. Joe Germaine has thrown for over 5,000 yards this year and Siaha Burley has over 2,000 yards receiving. This is a team that can score a ton of points in a hurry.
Q: Well they only scored 47 points tonight and they intercepted six passes. That’s not what I call scoring a bunch of points.
A: Maybe not, but the Avengers defense played really well. It’s the offense that has to step up.
Q: Yeah the interceptions were uncharacteristic. But those were just fluke turnovers right?
A: I’d like to think that, but in two games versus Utah this year, the Avengers have turned the ball over 10 times! For whatever reason, Utah’s defense has come up big.
Q: But the Avengers defense has been come up big all season too, right? I mean, they’re a different team defensively than they were the first time they played Utah, right?
A: They’re more experienced that’s for sure. The problem seems to be scoring points.
Q: Well they’ve got Kevin Ingram and Lenzie Jackson back. That helps, right?
A: Definitely. But Lonnie Ford hurt his knee, and that means Josh Jefferies will probably have to step up and play a big role on offense.
Q: Well Josh Jefferies is no rookie. He can play fullback. What are you worried about?
A: I’m not worried. I’m just pointing out that the offense is not at full strength again.
Q: Well what team this time of year really is at full strength?
A: No one. But the Avengers are going to need to be perfect on offense if they’re going to go deep in the playoffs.
Q: So what are you saying? You don’t think they have a chance?
A: Well they’re at home for the first playoff game so they always have a chance, but they’ve got to find a way to get some defensive stops. And they need to score a lot of points.
Q: Wait a minute. Isn’t that what arena football is about? Getting defense stops and scoring points?
A: I guess if you put it simply, yeah.
Q: Well then quit overanalyzing everything. It all comes down to the basics. If the Avengers play mistake free football on offense and good defense, they’ll go far in the playoffs. That’s the bottom line.
A: I guess you’re right. And they’ve played well all season up to this point, so it’s not like they don’t know how to win.
Q: Exactly.
A: Thank you.
Q: So now that we got that out of the way, why don’t you going ahead and start driving. Traffic is starting to move.
A: Good idea. I’m done talking to myself.
