Arizona Finding Chemistry
Patrick Daly
Saturday May 25, 2002
Despite losing their opener in San Jose, the Rattlers have rolled to a 4-1 record and they come off of a 53-30 win over division rival Dallas. Through it all, the key to success has been how well each player fills his role as part of the team, rather than spectacular individual performances.
The Rattlers secondary has stepped up with a of number players, such as defensive specialist Jerrick Bledsoe, filling crucial roles. On defense, it’s the man in the middle who calls the plays and sets the tone for the team, so Bledsoe’s performance during Cecil Doggette`s absence has been vital.
“I feel really good about the chemistry of those guys in the secondary,” Rattlers head coach Danny White said. “Cecil coming back is going to add a lot of leadership. Who’d have thought that Jerrick Bledsoe was going to be our middle guy on defense and win a couple of games for us. Given all that, I’m real pleased with them.”
The improving defense has taken pressure off of the offense, especially over the last two weeks. Arizona has grabbed early leads in wins over Georgia and Dallas, which has put the offense in a more comfortable position.
 Danny White Image courtesy of Mike Wright |
“If you can get to a two-possession lead, it takes incredible pressure off of the offense. Now you can experiment a little bit. You can do some things, that if it costs you and you end up getting stopped; you’re not in jeopardy of losing the game, because you’ve got that cushion there. Just getting that two-possession cushion—or three possessions is even better—that takes all the pressure off of you. Now you can have fun.”
In Dallas, the Rattlers built a 21-0 lead in the first quarter and avoided a late first half surge by the Desperados. Until last week, Dallas had lost only two games, both by one-point margins, but a dominating performance by the Rattlers let them coast through most of the game.
“I expected them to come out and execute a little better than they did,” said Rattlers offensive specialist Chris Horn. “At the same time, we were causing a lot of their mistakes with the defensive pressure we were putting on them. It was a little bit shocking to jump out to 21-0.”
The visiting Chicago Rush have built a 3-2 record and lead the Central Division, but they haven’t really found consistency. Chicago has alternated wins and losses during the first five weeks while battling injuries and inconsistent play. Offensive specialist Joe Douglass is out, while receiver/defensive back Dameon Porter, the 2001 Ironman of the Year, is banged up.
“They’re a team that’s had a lot of injuries,” White said. “They haven’t been able to develop any continuity and chemistry. There will be some changes again for them this week. As long as you’ve got James Baron on defense, anything can happen at any time. He’s the one thing that scares you. When he is lined up over the center you’ve got to worry about fumbled snaps, you’ve got to worry about sacks. He’ll cause interceptions. He can really cause an offense a lot of problems.”
On the offensive side of the ball, Chicago can look at times a bit like the Rattlers. Rather than rely on a quick-strike offense, the Rush prefer to chip away at the defense to set up the long pass.
“We’re a team that can run eight to 10 plays, back to back, without fumbling or throwing an interception, because it’s something we work on in practice all of the time. It’s part of our nature. Very few teams in our league are like that. Most teams, they need to score within four or five plays or they start getting nervous. We’re not that way and Chicago is not that way. They don’t mind running a ten-play drive as long as they get points. They’re used to that.
“They present some interesting challenges for us. The first challenge for us to is to control their pass rush so that we can get the ball to our receivers, which are the strength of our offense. The second challenge is to be alert defensively and find ways to put pressure on their quarterback and still account for the deceptive game, because they have a very, very good one.”
Putting pressure on Chicago quarterback Billy Dicken starts up front with the Rattlers defensive line. Over the last two weeks, lineman Stacy Evans has recorded three sacks while becoming a disruptive force up front.
“It’s what we expect out of him,” White said. “It kind of started in Atlanta when he had his family all there. I think that helped him a little bit. He kind of carried that over to Dallas. I think Stacy has been a little bit disappointed in the past, because he is capable of really dominating the game. So is Wendell Gaines. Those two guys can dominate a game any time they want to. Sometimes you have to somehow get them motivated to do it.”
When you’re winning, games are much more fun. Although they’re still looking up at San Jose in the Western Division, the Rattlers are having fun.
“I’m just having a blast,” Horn said. “I’m getting to come in. I’m playing a lot more than I did last year, which was one of my goals coming into this year. I’ve been able to keep up my level of play, which has been another one of my goals.”
When it all comes down to it, football is a team sport. Even teams laden with talent can falter when too many players play as individuals.
“One of the things Danny talked about just yesterday in practice is that good teams understand their roles,” Horn said. “I think that’s something this team has been very professional at so far. As far as talent, we’re extremely talented. You can call plays to just about anybody and they’re a viable weapon to get into the endzone. It’s been an interesting mix the way all of the talent has come together. I guess the best way to describe it is it’s just good chemistry at this point.
“I would kind of say, without being cocky, it’s more of a confidence thing. This team, when you step on the field, you can see it in everybody’s eyes as teammates. Especially down the stretch in the fourth quarter, we feel like we are going to win the game. We have confidence in each other. We have confidence in ourselves to make the plays we need to make when they need to be made. It’s a good feeling and it’s a good thing to be a part of.”
Players to watch
OS Chris Horn, Arizona—Horn continues to be a player to watch as, going into the weekend, he leads the AFL in money receptions -- catches that result in either a first down or touchdown.
QB Sherdrick Bonner, Arizona—Going into week six, Bonner leads the league in touchdown passes. He continues to look sharp and, with enough time, can pick the defense apart.
OL/DL James Baron, Chicago—A team with such a disruptive force on line can hold a big advantage over their opponent. Baron compiled 26.5 sacks during his five seasons in Nashville and he can surprise you with an occasional reception.
OL/DL Stacy Evans, Arizona—Can Evans keep up the level of play he’s produced over the last two weeks? If so, it’ll put the Rattlers in a good position to win this game.
Patrick Daly has been an Arena Football League enthusiast since he first stumbled across the late-night ESPN broadcasts and has followed the Arizona Rattlers since their inaugural season in 1992. He graduated from Arizona State University with an engineering degree and is currently a member of a web development team for Direct Alliance in Tempe. Patrick currently resides in the Phoenix suburb of Chandler, Arizona with his beautiful wife, son and a very large football helmet collection.
