Brock Gone But Avengers Won`t be Better Off
Keith Antigiovanni
Wednesday May 2, 2001
The question that Avenger fans should be asking is: Are the Avengers playing poorly because of Brock or is it other factors, including a team of 75% rookies, injuries, or a difficult schedule?
“Football is the ultimate team sport. It takes time to jell people together and to get the communication down between the players,” Brock said.
There is no question that this year’s Avengers team has far more talent than in 2000. Credit owner Casey Wasserman for being aggressive in the free agency market and for his desire to make LA into a winner. But with the large roster turnover this year, the Avengers team chemistry is similar to that of an expansion team with all the new faces. Only six of last year’s 24 players are returning.
Injuries are another problem the Avengers have had this season. Oh sure every team uses that as an excuse and it won’t raise any sympathy among the other teams, but in LA’s case it’s a huge factor. Of the six returning players, three have been injured so far this season, including starting quarterback Todd Marinovich, last year’s sack leader OL/DL Victor Hall, and defensive back Anthony Rice. The returning players were counted on as being leaders but their injuries have left a void on the field.
Let’s also look at the schedule so far. This is another excuse that teams traditionally use for a poor record but again in the Avengers case it’s important to mention. Two of the three games have been against the top teams in the league, Arizona and San Jose.
The Houston game might have been the most disappointing loss because the Avengers were expected to win, but maybe that’s a case of high expectations. After all Houston is 1-2, but they only lost to San Jose by 5 points and lost by a point to Oklahoma on opening day. Also consider that the ThunderBears are playing all road games this season.
“We have a very good core group of players and they will turn around eventually and win games, probably even this year,” Brock added.
I don’t believe Brock was the problem. Let’s examine a little history. Two years ago the Avengers hired Brock after he successfully built the Portland Forest Dragons (now the Oklahoma Wranglers) into a near playoff contender. While at Portland, Brock assumed the head coaching duties midway through the 1997 season as the Forest Dragons limped to a 2-12 record. The following year, Brock’s first full season with the team, they improved to 4-10 and then in 1999 he guided them to a 7-7 record.
Though Oklahoma finished 7-7 in 2000, they are viewed as a team on the rise and at the very least not the doormat they were while in Portland. If nothing else, give Brock credit for taking the league mutt and turning them into a respectable franchise. Brock was probably hired by the Avengers because of his experience as a player in the NFL and for what he did in Portland.
If you’re going to hire a guy to build a team from scratch, then one year and three games is certainly not enough time. When an expansion team starts out, the assumption is that they will take their lumps for the first two, maybe three, sometimes five seasons. Maybe the success of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Carolina Panthers in their second seasons when they both reached the conference finals raised the expectations too far.
What’s in Brock’s future?
“I’m packing my stuff and going back up to Oregon. Have no real immediate plans just spending more time with my family.” When asked what he would do if Portland got an AFL or AF2 team Brock responded “I would sure be interested in interviewing for the job. I think Portland is a great town.”
To Avenger fans: “I did the best I could do with the time that I had,” 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.
