Wranglers Q&A
Mick Cornett
Tuesday May 1, 2001
Depends upon when you are watching. Lopez has had some amazing hot streaks. He looked absolutely brilliant during a 20-minute stretch last Saturday night in Detroit, throwing for touchdowns on four successive drives. But overall the team committed six turnovers in the game and Lopez was involved (directly or indirectly) in five of them. As a man, he demands respect. Lopez is a stand-up professional; never makes an excuse. But in this league, you live and die with your quarterback. For the year, he has ten touchdown passes and three interceptions. His passer rating indicates he’s an average AFL quarterback. Oklahoma is 2-1 but it would be a surprise if any of their first three opponents ended up in the playoffs.
Is Carlos Johnson ever going to play?
He should be back this week. Johnson led the league in receptions last year but was hurt during practice for the playoffs and hasn’t played since. He’s lost his starting offensive specialist job to Lamont Cooper but should see time at the WR/LB spot. If Johnson is healthy, it gives the Wranglers another deep threat. His return could also give the team an emotional boost.
How is Lamont Cooper playing?
Cooper is so fast that defenders stand ten yards off the line of scrimmage. That frequently allows Lopez to hook up with Cooper on short passes but they have trouble going deep. Cooper had his first kick-return for a touchdown since joining the Wranglers last week. It was the 15th of his career, that’s third on the AFL’s all-time list. The other teams have a genuine fear for Lamont Cooper and that dynamic affects every play.
How is the secondary playing since defensive specialist Barry Dillard suffered that season-ending injury in week-one?
They have done well. However, the Wranglers have yet to face a team with a star quarterback or a highly-touted group of receivers. That luxury is over. San Jose has great receivers and Arizona quarterback Sherdrick Bonner may be the best in the league. Those are the next two teams on the schedule (assuming Bonner will be recovered from injury in time).
Mick Cornett was a writer for ArenaFan Online from 2000 to 2001.
