Arenabowl XV: A Boxer versus a Pro Wrestler
Kevin Sheller
Friday August 17, 2001
I stood there, listening, tape recorder turned off. I wanted something different.
Although not in the same room at the same time (who arranges these things anyway? I think a good old-fashioned arm-wrestling match before the game would have been a good way for the two coaches to kick off the weekend) I tried to pick the coaches’ brains on how the two teams matched up.
My conversation with Spertudo went well. I asked him to name the number one Rampage strength. Easy. “Quarterback,” he said. The number one Rampage weakness? That one was harder. He said a lot of words as he tried to come to the answer on his own, but finally decided that the Rampage secondary was the only possible weakness – mainly because they had to keep switching players during the season.
 Pat Sperduto takes questions at Van Andel Arena on Friday Image courtesy of |
Great. Wonderful. So now. The tough one: The Kats’ biggest weakness.
Spertudo hemmed and hawed. He looked at the rafters and looked at the ground. Don’t you hate interview questions like that? He finally told me that the team’s injuries this season have been the Kats’ biggest weakness. They have had to move guys around and had to rely on some depth this season. As he continued to talk, he turned this weakness into a strength, saying that whole team unity thing was the reason that they still made it to the ArenaBowl, despite the injuries.
So I asked him, “Is the team all healed up for this one?”
“I think we are,” said Sperduto, “This is probably the closest we’ve been in a while.”
Ah-Ha! Sounds like that weakness doesn’t apply. So I asked him again. This time, he gave in to my prodding.
“Our biggest weakness is that we’ve been susceptible at times to give up the big play. We are a team of opportunity. We have to continue to create turnovers. If we don’t create turnovers, we won’t win. Our football team is one of havoc.”
Interesting, since the Rampage appear to be the exact opposite of the Kats. The Rampage are methodical; they find a way to score; they find a way to win; and they don’t create a lot of turnovers. (Grand Rapids is minus seven in the turnover ratio on the season). And they depend on consistency.
To put it simply: “They cause turnovers,” said Trigg about Nashville. “They’ve had the ball 29 more times than we have – with the same amount of points – so I clearly I think we’re a better offense.”
This looks like a perfect matchup.
Smooth versus chaos. A pleasant concert audience versus a rowdy football crowd. A boxer versus a pro wrestler. An Olympic rowing team versus all my aunts and uncles thrown in a canoe.
Whichever. The Grand Rapids Rampage versus the Nashville Kats, winner take all.
Kevin Sheller ia founder of Arenafan Online and was the principal owner until 2004. Kevin graduated from the University of Akron with a degree in technical writing, and has been a member of the Arena Football Internet community since 1993. He has worked as a professional web programmer and is also the executive producer for a computer/video game company. The most recent Xbox title to his credit is called Hunter: The Reckoning.
