Mustangs Give Excuses and Weak Performance
John Hoh
Thursday May 31, 2001
But 0-5 is 0-5, whether you play the division leaders or the division doormats. Even playing the elite teams – an average team can expect to squeak out a win.
Milwaukee entered the Friday night tilt against the expansion Chicago Rush with optimism. They had played the San Jose SaberCats tough just one week before. Had McDougal not thrown two crucial interceptions, the Mustangs might have pulled out the victory.
Someone forgot to inform the “expansion” Chicago Rush that they shouldn’t be competitive. Having already upset the Indiana Firebirds, the Rush was feeling its oats in their first meeting with their friendly rivals to the north.
How bad was the game for the Mustangs? The final 69-46 score betrays the domination of the Rush in this game. The no-competition was evident as Chicago (3-3) took a 21-3 lead early in the second quarter, 35-6 at halftime, and 42-6 after Chicago scored early in the second half. The result is Milwaukee’s second 0-6 start in its history. The previous 0-6 start was Milwaukee’s winless inaugural season, a prospect that seems likely to repeat itself this season.
Cliched phrases are becoming as standard in the Mustangs’ playbook as the hook and curl: "Just as easy as we got in this hole, I think this team can get out," quarterback Kevin McDougal asserted. "We are playing hard but things are just not going our way."
"I think it`s all coming around," Frazier stated emphatically. "And I think there`s enough games left to get the thing turned around."
"Eliminate the mistakes," he said. "Let (quarterback Kevin) McDougal get his feet wet; get used to the receivers again. Continue to play hard on special teams. Cut those turnovers down. I think you`ll find we`ve got a chance to win all nine of our last nine games."
The fans at the MKE Corral are getting restless. One fan had a pink sign representing Coach Frazier’s pink slip. The defense has given up big plays, the offense sputters—Remy Hamilton has kicked several field goals of more than 55 yards. Turnovers pop up at inopportune times.
Milwaukee plays on the road for the next two games—against the Oklahoma Wranglers (2-5) and the Detroit Fury (2-4). Both games are crucial for the Mustangs who are not only 0-6 on the season, but already 0-3 in a division they talked of winning in the preseason.
John L. Hoh, Jr., is a free-lance writer from Milwaukee who grew up in Appleton, Wisconsin, as an avid Dolphins fan. He followed Arena Football since its inception, at one point watching tape-delayed games on low-powered WAV-TV in Waukesha. His happiest day was when Milwaukee was awarded the Mustangs franchise; his saddest when the Mustangs were contracted out of the league. John is married to his wife Maija (13+ years) and has a young son, Matthew. John pines for the return of the Arena Football League to Milwaukee.
