Avengers Seek First Win of 2001 Versus Rattlers
Keith Antigiovanni
Friday April 27, 2001
“It was a very disappointing game. The intensity wasn’t there for us and the fire seemed to go out in the second half,” Avenger Head Coach Stan Brock said.
Quarterback Todd Marinovich didn’t help the LA cause by throwing three interceptions. One of which came on a play when a Houston defender jerked his head around by grabbing Marinovich’s facemask. The play put him out of the game. “Interceptions are a funny thing. They’re not always the quarterback’s fault. Sometimes it comes when the protection breaks down or when the receivers run incorrect routes. That last interception was from poor protection,” Brock said
 Marinovich did not have an easy time of it against Arizona in 2000 Image courtesy of Mike Wright |
“Wilhelm is a very smart guy. He did exactly what we wanted him to do,” Brock said.
The offensive/defensive lines continue to struggle for LA. The offense for the second straight week had difficulty protecting Marinovich while the defensive line again failed to register a sack. “We’ve had some injuries so far, forcing us to shuffle players around,” said Brock. Currently linemen Victor Hall and Vince Amey are listed as injured. Amey will probably be out for the season.
As odd as it sounds, the Avengers will get a break this week against Arizona because Rattlers starting quarterback Sherdrick Bonner is out for at least three weeks with a torn meniscus in his knee. He was injured last week against the San Jose Sabercats in the first half of that game. In his place will start Chad May, a journeyman quarterback in both the NFL and AFL. Arizona lost in its opener last week on the road against San Jose 51-37 after a week 1 bye.
“The Rattlers are one of the premier teams in the history of Arena League. This will be a big challenge for us, so our guys need to step up and play,” Brock said.
Keith Antigiovanni is a free-lance writer in San Diego, California. He has worked for several local newspapers covering sports, government and business. Keith started writing in 1995 after graduating with a Bachelors Degree in Mass Media Communications from the University of San Diego. Aside from working as a sportswriter he has a side business of providing marketing assistance/research for small businesses and also directs,produces and hosts a regular public access television show on Time-Warner Cable named "San Diego Yesterday". Antigiovanni is also a member of the San Diego Sportswriter Association.
