Long Road Begins in San Jose
Patrick Daly
Friday April 20, 2001
“We’ve always had a tough one coming out of the gate,” said quarterback Sherdrick Bonner.
Wide receiver/defensive back Randy Gatewood agreed, “I think that for the last few years we’ve started off with Tampa or Orlando or San Jose… or Iowa the last four out of five years.”
It’s hard to call this first contest a must-win game, but this is certainly not a game either team can afford to lose. In 2000, both teams finished with 12-2 records, but it was the head-to-head points tiebreaker that gave San Jose the Western Division title, the first title not earned by the Rattlers in five seasons. Both teams return as strong as ever, and will most likely battle to the wire.
 Fullback/linebacker Bob McMillen will be seen in San Jose colors this weekend when the SaberCats face-off against McMill Image courtesy of Andrew Mason |
The Rattlers will be without the services of offensive specialist Calvin Schexnayder for at least one game due to a separated shoulder suffered in the final preseason game against Los Angeles, but Arizona certainly doesn’t have a shortage of offensive weapons. With targets like Hunkie Cooper, Randy Gatewood, Corey McCoy, Muhammad Oliver and rookie Chris Horn, QB Sherdrick Bonner has plenty of tools to work with on offense. In fact, when Bonner was asked about his favorite target his reply was simple. “Anybody in the endzone.”
Injuries will also affect the Sabercats this week. Lineman Sam Hernandez, who was named Lineman of the Year for the 2000 season and has been a force for San Jose on the line, is expected to miss at least a few more games. Meanwhile, offensive specialist and kick returner Steve Papin is currently questionable due to a hamstring problem that kept him out of San Jose’s opener against Los Angeles.
In order to win in San Jose, the Rattlers have a few items to key on aside from the obvious things like minimizing turnovers and putting pressure on the quarterback. First, Arizona needs to keep Barry Wagner and James Roe in check and force quarterback John Dutton to find other options. Second, the line needs to give Bonner enough time to find the open receiver and distribute the ball. Finally, the defense needs to avoid giving up big plays that could force a high-scoring shootout. Overall, Arizona has the talent to win this game, but it’ll come down to execution.
After San Jose, the Rattlers travel to Los Angeles for the second of four straight division games that open the season before facing Houston in Arizona’s home opener on May 5th. The Rattlers also got some good news on Thursday as they’ve brought wide receiver/defensive back Maurice Bryant back into the fold after a brief stint on the roster of the NFL Tennessee Titans. Bryant should bolster an already strong receiving corps that will also be stronger if Schexnayder returns to the lineup in Los Angeles.
Patrick Daly has been an Arena Football League enthusiast since he first stumbled across the late-night ESPN broadcasts and has followed the Arizona Rattlers since their inaugural season in 1992. He graduated from Arizona State University with an engineering degree and is currently a member of a web development team for Direct Alliance in Tempe. Patrick currently resides in the Phoenix suburb of Chandler, Arizona with his beautiful wife, son and a very large football helmet collection.
