Nashville Prepares for Football Doubleheader
Charliy Nash
Thursday August 9, 2001
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After the win over Toronto, some of the younger Kats players were looking forward to getting even with San Jose for that heartbreaking loss earlier this season. This week the tone has changed. The Kats are not dwelling on that disappointing game. They see the Sabercats not as an object of revenge, but as the last obstacle between them and a return to the Arena Bowl. Payback is not an issue; winning is.
“It’s the next step of the trilogy,” said FB/LB Rupert “Dogghead” Grant, one of the team’s emotional leaders, “Part two of the trilogy. We feel like we have a three game season. We wanted to take care of that first part and we did. And now it’s part two.” Don’t get the idea that the Kats are looking past this week’s opponent. “We know that San Jose is a really talented team,” Grant continued, “but we feel like we have as much talent as they do with even more intensity.”
“As far as revenge, we try not to play on that too much,” agreed lineman James Baron, “Our goal this year was to get back to the championship and win it, and San Jose is the next team in our way.” The loss to the Sabercats ignited the Kats, inspiring them to go out and devastate their next three opponents. Their ultimate goal is now in sight, only one thing stands in the way. “We have to come out and play smart football. The championship game is what we are focused on, and that’s what we want to get back to. Whether it had been San Jose, Chicago, whoever would have won and would have had to come in here, we’d have taken the same approach.”
DS Cliff Green echoes those sentiments. “It doesn’t matter that it’s San Jose. It could be Indiana or Grand Rapids,” he explained, “It’s a playoff game. That’s how I’m looking at it.” Green feels that a second meeting between two teams, the defense gains an advantage.
“It’s a huge advantage. Mark Grieb’s a good quarterback, but we have the number one defense in the league and I don’t think he’s used to having pressure like that and having good DB’s – we have a solid defense so they’ll have to prove that they can put up points against us.”
“This isn’t about revenge,” confirmed Head Coach Pat Sperduto, “This is about getting to a championship game, and something that our guys have been through. The fact that it takes a big performance this week to get to that next week. And they know that, that’s critical.”
The last time these two teams met the Kats let a big lead slip away. The Kats played 55 minutes of good football, only to fall short and lose in overtime. This time the stakes are higher. This time it’s the playoffs. This time the winner goes to the Arena Bowl. It’s nothing personal San Jose, but you’re next.
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.
