A New Record and New AFL Rules
Charliy Nash
Thursday April 5, 2001
Sounds Familiar
With Fleming out of the line up, other receivers will need to take up the slack. Haven’t I heard that somewhere before? If we turn the clock back to the middle of last season we find the Kats in this same situation. During last year’s drive for the playoffs, Fleming injured his other ankle and the team had to find ways to win without their star. Two players who carried a major part of that load last season were Freddie Scott and Jarrick Hillery. Both are ready for the challenge again. “Unfortunately it’s the nature of the game where injuries can happen and our prayers are with him,” remarked Scott. “A little bit more is going to be placed on our shoulders, but I think we can still pull it off and have a successful and competitive team.” Hillery is also optimistic about the team’s chances. “Honestly I think we’re going to be okay,” he explained, “but we’ve got to go out there and play Kats football.”
“We went through it last year and we’re pretty much used to the situation,” reflected veteran Darryl Hammond, “so there’s nothing we can do about it but play ball.” Hammond has seen a lot of players come and go in Arena Football, and likes what he sees in the rookie WR’s on the roster. “A lot of them look really good.” Still the Kats wanted more insurance, so they signed NFLE standout L.C. Stevens. “He’s impressive,” said an enthusiastic coach Pat Sperduto, “He’s a big target. He’s tough to handle off the line of scrimmage.”
It’s Alive
Last Friday night I couldn’t figure out why players were risking injury chasing after missed PAT’s. It’s a dead ball, right? It was last year, but there have been a few rule changes. A missed PAT is now a live ball; either team can score two points off a blocked or missed extra point kick. Other rule changes increase the yardage on certain penalties. What had been three-yard penalties are now five yards. Penalties that previously drew eight yards are now good (or bad) for ten yards. Must be inflation.
Charliy Nash has covered both incarnations of the Nashville Kats, and now has make the 2 hour drive to Huntsville for an Arena Football fix. He also covers the Tennessee Titans as a blogger for nfl.com and still hopes this will eventually lead to a paying gig.
