Kats vs. Avengers, The Sequel
Charliy Nash
Monday July 9, 2001
The D Line
The Kats defensive line picked up more sacks than a bagboy in the express line. The key to Nashville’s defense is to knock the opposing QB down early, hard, and often. This strategy was effective enough to knock two Los Angeles QBs out of the game. Starter Todd Marinovich, bothered by pain in the elbow of his throwing arm, did not return from the locker room after halftime. Tony Graziani injured his medial collateral ligament (knee) and may be lost for the remainder of the season. This left OS Shannon “Skinny” Culver as the Avengers’ emergency QB. James Baron, C.J. MacLain, Rupert Grant, and William Gaines combined for five sacks. What looked like a big sack by LB Travis Reece got even better when Graziani lost the ball and Baron picked up the fumble.
The O Line
When the Kats had the ball, the line gave Brown all the time he needed. With strong blocking in front of him, and his outstanding ability to scramble when needed, Brown was 9 of 18 passing for 96 yards and 2 TD’s.
Receivers
Scott Thomas drew the duty of stepping in for injured OS Tyronne Jones. Thomas doesn’t fit the typical mold for an offensive specialist. He’s 6’ 2” 205 pounds and was a defensive back in college. This unlikely fill-in grabbed 7 passes for 77 yards and 1 TD, earning game MVP honors. The key word there is earning. Once Thomas got the ball in his hands he fought for every inch he could get. Kats fans might have been reminded of Jeff Russell’s toughness watching Thomas power through tacklers. This is no coincidence -- it was Russell who recommended Thomas to Kats head coach Pat Sperduto. And speaking of tough receivers, when he wasn’t busy knocking down quarterbacks, James Baron caught 4 passes for 14 yards and a touchdown.
The Secondary
Kats WR/LB Cory Fleming has now been named the Ironman of the game in the last three games since returning from his broken ankle. He was the second leading receiver for the Kats (4 catches, 45 yards) and the third leading receiver for the Avengers. He picked off two passes, returning one for a touchdown. DS Cliff Green also ran back an interception for a touchdown, and WR/LB L.C. Stevens grabbed a deflected pass to give the Kats four interceptions.
The Running Men
One of the reasons that it’s hard to come back on the Kats once they get a lead is their running game. Nashville has three players with over 100 rushing yards. FB’s Travis Reece and Rupert Grant, and WR/DB Jarrick Hillery can keep the ball on the ground and use up the clock. The three of them combined for 13 running plays. Reece picked up 22 yards and a TD on 5 carries.
Special Teams
Give K Steve McLaughlin a lot of credit for neutralizing Los Angeles’ potent kick return game. McLauglin hit the slack net with several of his kickoffs, not allowing the return to get started. When the balls did come of the net (or the metal bar) the coverage team swarmed. Avengers’ KR Mark Ricks managed only 38 total yards on three returns. Kats’ KR Ron Carpenter netted 66 yards on two returns. A late onside kick by the Avengers was fielded cleanly by OL/DL Ben Crosland, who wisely just held on to the ball and fell on it. The Avengers were able to block two Nashville kicks.
Playoff Picture
Nashville’s victory, coupled with the Florida Bobcats’ defeat of the Orlando Predators, makes Friday’s regular season finale with the Tampa Bay Storm the biggest game of the season. A victory of six points or more by the Kats will give them the Southern Division championship and a first round bye in the playoffs.
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.
