Dallas hopes late season disappointments mean bad news for the rest of AFL
Scott Smithey
Wednesday June 25, 2008
The last two seasons Dallas has headed into the playoffs on a high and as AFL’s favorite to win the championship. The Desperados were going into the playoffs with the leagues best record and feeling confident, fat, and sassy about their chances of winning a ring. Twelve wins in 2006, fifteen wins in 2007, gaudy stats, impressive looking personal and team records, only meant that Dallas would exit the playoffs in a pair of early round upsets. So much for resting, taking much needed breaks, and “getting” healthy for the playoffs.
So, for me, missing out on a Conference Championship and the much coveted bye is a good thing. Yes Dallas has to win it the hard way with consecutive wins. Yes Dallas lost two of the last three games including a chance to win the top seed. Yes they lost Josh Bush, the Arena Football Leagues 2nd leading returner and an electric receiver to a broken ankle in the 4th quarter of the last game. To most, this doesn’t seem like the perfect way to enter the playoffs with sincere desires of winning it all. To Dallas and their fans, it may be just what the doctor ordered.
Here is what is getting me excited about Dallas’ chances. Dallas now enters the playoffs hungry and challenged. It seemed as though Dallas felt like all they had to do was show up and they would win the last couple of years. From listening to the players and observing the body language, now Dallas is living up to the name Desperados. They have to play every game and every play with desperation and a sense of urgency. With the latest addition to the list of injuries that have occurred, Dallas will have to fight through adversity as it has all year. Colston Weatherington said it the best in a recent interview with the Dallas Morning News, “I want to play," Weatherington said. "That bye week has been a struggle for us the last couple of years. Hopefully everything's going in our favor this year not having a bye so we can just work our way right on up to get our ring."
Dallas gets to go to work immediately on the New York Dragons. They know exactly who to look at on video and who to prepare for. There will not be any time for reading press clippings or taking exotic vacations while waiting for an opponent. Even Head Coach Will McClay sounded relieved in a Star Telegram interview."We get an opportunity to get right back on the horse and play at home," Desperados coach Will McClay said. "We haven’t done that in the past couple years; maybe it’s the right recipe."
The last thing that has Dallas excited when they should be worried is this year’s team. Dallas has a nice collection of stars like professional football’s all time passing leader in Clint Doelzel and as McClay calls him, “pound for pound the best player in Arena Football,” Will Pettis. Dallas has a defense that has performed dominantly from time to time. They held New York to 31 points the first time they met this season. The biggest factor on this year’s team has to be their depth. Dallas has played without key players in the majority of the season. They seem to play at their best when the role players have had to step up.
Finally, the second season starts this Friday at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. The Desperados know that they have earned the right to play at home in the first round, but have learned the lesson of not taking anything for granted. Dallas comes in with a lot of baggage that most would consider a kiss of death. Dallas and its fans consider it a welcome change that might change their recent playoff fate.
Scott Smithey is a high school teacher and coach (23 years). He has a degree in Journalism and has pioneered high school student newspapers. He is also a high school coach with seven years experience as a head coach and has coached soccer, track, baseball and powerlifting. Scott is married to a high school teacher and coach, and has three sons active in football at the high school and collegiate levels. He is pationate about sports, family and photography.
