Kats Role Players Will Need to Shine
Charliy Nash
Thursday July 5, 2001
“We’re going to wait and see,” Brown said. “Andy is scheduled to practice Thursday. I’m just going to continue to work and – we’ll see.” Brown was one of the many Kats’ players who had family in attendance for the Oklahoma game, in which he relieved the injured Kelly completing 4 of 6 passes for 2 touchdowns. “We had the lead when I came in, so my job was to help us win the game, not to lose the lead. So I played a little conservative, held the ball a couple times and just took what the defense gave me.”
Many University of Oklahoma fans remembered Brown from his days playing for rival Texas. “He didn’t get too good a response when they announced ‘From the University of Texas, James Brown;’ they didn’t like that too much,” joked Kelly. “It’s good to know that if something does happen, we’ve got a guy who can step in, knows what’s going on, and is a good athlete who can make plays. I thought he did a good job the other night.”
Of his dislocated digit Kelly says, “The swelling’s starting to go down and I’m starting to get some of the range of motion back into it. We’ll know more on Thursday.”
Another key player who was standing on the sidelines in practice was OS Tyronne Jones. Still recovering from a groin pull he received in an unusual play during the Oklahoma game, Jones is not likely to play against Los Angeles this week. Trainer Bob Fresorger says that Jones is making progress. “He’s feeling a lot better today than he has before, so we’ll just play him day by day, see where he’s at.”
Music City vs. Movie City
Earlier in the season, this second game between the Kats and the Avengers looked like an odd quirk of scheduling. With 12 weeks gone, this game is now very important to both teams. The Kats need another confidence building win before their regular season finale. The Avengers have turned their season around after a slow start, and are now playing to remain in playoff contention.
“They’re a good football team,” said Kats head coach Pat Sperduto. “They’ve revamped personnel. I’ve always thought Coach Lyles was going to be a good one. He’s a good friend. I think the world of him and I knew that he’d get them on track and he’s done that.”
In the first game the Kats had difficulty containing Avenger KR Mark Ricks, but since then Nashville’s kick coverage has vastly improved. One of the men most responsible for this turnaround is assistant coach Brennan Booth. “We’re a lot better when we get in front of people,” explained Booth. “That’s what we’ve been doing the past couple of weeks. Pat’s put me kind of in charge of it, so I’ve been taking real pride in it, and it’s turned out for the best for us.”
OL/DL Ben Crosland, who missed the last two games with a concussion, made the pivotal play in the first match-up when he grabbed Los Angeles QB Todd Marinovich by his distinctive red footwear. “If he wears those Chuck Taylor All Stars, that’s just wanting me to prove that I can get at him,” said Crosland, who is tied for the league lead with five sacks.
New on the Web
WR/LB Cory Fleming now has his own website: www.coryfleming.com. You can find information here on the Cory Fleming Football Camp for kids that will be held on July 21 in LaVergne, TN.
Charliy Nash has covered both incarnations of the Nashville Kats, and now has make the 2 hour drive to Huntsville for an Arena Football fix. He also covers the Tennessee Titans as a blogger for nfl.com and still hopes this will eventually lead to a paying gig.
