Questions loom after last second loss to Cleveland
Harrison Brown
Monday August 4, 2014
Three times this season, the buzzer has sounded with the Cleveland Gladiators losing and then seconds later, they still pull out the win. It seems like the Gladiators have destiny on their side, having beaten the Soul on three different buzzer beaters. This time Shane Austin was on the bench, and kicker Aaron Pettrey was on the field from 36 yards away. The rest is history.
Rayshaun Kizer walked away with four interception, “We just had a good game plan this week, I just made plays when I had the opportunity.” Rayshaun Kizer said after the game. “I was just praying it would go right or the left.” Rayshaun Kizer as well as most of the team will hit free agency next year. “We’ll see, I’m playing it by ear right now. A lot of guys on this team are free agents.” When asked if he was interested in coming back Kizer said “Yeah, I like Philadelphia.”
Defensively, the team deserved to win the game, with five interceptions from the defensive backs. The defensive line had pressure on quarterback Shane Austin, a huge reason why he threw so many interceptions. “Going into this game, we’d played them twice, so we knew exactly what they wanted to run against us on offense.” Defensive back James Romain said on the Gladiators game plan.
Offensively the Soul struggled with the Gladiators gameplan. On most plays a defensive end would sit back and spy on the quarterback. The offensive lineman, in pass protection would be farther back than where he needed to be, and a defensive end could jump up and disrupt passes. This stopped the Soul from being able to throw to the sideline and forced them to have to throw down the middle or to the endzone. Derrick Ross put up no rushing touchdowns, an unusual feat for him. He did catch a touchdown late in the game from 13 yards out.
There certainly are questions about the state of the Soul’s roster heading into the offseason. According to sources, the team is looking to go younger going into next season. This may not be the biggest news though, as Dolezel and the gang always seem to get a little younger each offseason. The core group of veterans will hit free agency next season and most have said they’d like to come back. But as everyone knows, in the AFL anything can happen.
