A Little Rest Will Do the Gladiators Good
Will Burge
Wednesday March 26, 2008
The VooDoo worked their black magic by forcing Raymond Philyaw, one of the leagues most efficient passers, into turnovers and eventually out of the game. Philyaw left in the third quarter with a sore right hand. An MRI on Saturday came back negative.
After an extra weeks rest, Philyaw is expected to be back for the showdown with the Dallas Desperados. This is fantastic news for the Gladiators. Before Fridays 63-24 loss to New Orleans, Cleveland was 3-0. Mostly because their star quarterback has played phenomenal since the first snap of the year.
Through three games Philyaw had thrown 16 touchdowns and only one interception. He was averaging nearly 250 yards, over five touchdowns, and threw just one interception. Not to mention, he had rushed for a touchdown and had played every down for his team.
To say he is Cleveland’s MVP up to this point in the season would be a vast understatement. Others may have created more exciting plays and better numbers, but this franchise needed a consistent quarterback to lead their troops into battle.
Last years main quarterback was Brian Jones. In fifteen games he threw for 1824 yards, 25 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. That’s a meager 121 yards per game and just over a 2 to 1 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Through three games this year Philyaw was averaging 247 yards per game and his ratio was 16 to 1. He was brought in to be the leader and face of the new franchise. He was just that until Friday.
In their first tough road test of the season the Gladiators failed miserably. The thirty nine point beat down that New Orleans put on Cleveland was quite unexpected. Despite the fact that the VooDoo had won two straight and Cleveland had beaten some sub-par opponents, the Gladiators’ offense had been one of the most potent in the league.
They were averaging almost 64 points per game and managed forty less than that in the road loss. A bevy of turnovers and blown secondary assignments were major contributors to the defeat but Philyaw remains the key ingredient.
For Cleveland to continue to succeed, they need a healthy and efficient quarterback. The same quarterback who was controlling the clock and winning games to start the season needs to return to full form against Dallas. Fortunately for the Gladiators, this injury came right before a bye week.
The extra rest should result in a healthy Philyaw and hopefully a statement win. It would be a statement not only because it would be the first major road victory for a young team, but because it would be against a perennial Arena Bowl contender.
A championship team is built upon statement wins. Those wins are the foundation for elevated playoff performances and eventually championship trophies. At least, that is the formula the Gladiators are trying to follow. That formula begins with a healthy Raymond Philyaw.
Will Burge is a journalism student in Cleveland, Ohio. He is currently working at ESPN 850 WKNR which is the flagship station for The Cleveland Gladiators. Will also reports and writes articles for High School Sports in the Greater Cleveland Area. He has been an avid fan of Arena Football for the past four years.
