Tough Run to Playoffs for Wranglers
Mick Cornett
Wednesday July 11, 2001
Yes, the Oklahoma Wranglers can still make the playoffs. But, judging by the way they are performing on the field, there isn’t any reason to believe they will. To get into a tie-breaking situation for one of the final playoff spots, Oklahoma would have to win its last two games: on the road at Grand Rapids and at home against Los Angeles.
Grand Rapids has really improved since it lost to Oklahoma last year in the Myriad. Where the Wranglers have struggled in tight games, the Rampage seem to have mastered the close-shave as seven of their first eight wins were by eight or fewer points.
Oklahoma Wranglers head coach Bob Cortese said he was ‘embarrassed’ by his team’s performance against Nashville. The Kats won the game 73-47. What seemed to particularly anger Cortese was his team’s play on kick coverage. Nashville’s Ron Carpenter returned three kicks for touchdowns and several more times was not even touched by a Wrangler until he was past the 10-yard line.
Cooper is on pace to break the AFL’s all-time record for all-purpose yardage (kick-return, rushing, receiving combined). Not that it’s helped much. One man doesn’t make a team and the Wranglers’ coach is well aware of that.
Cortese made it clear that he was disappointed in the effort of several veteran players and, without mentioning names, hinted he would make a number of roster changes in the off-season.
Mick Cornett was a writer for ArenaFan Online from 2000 to 2001.
