Midseason Report Card for Arizona
Patrick Daly
Friday June 7, 2002
In Arizona, the Rattlers have gotten off to a reasonable start, although their 5-2 record is only good enough for second place in the Western Division. With San Jose off to a 7-0 start, the Rattlers will need some help to catch the SaberCats, even if Arizona can win all of their remaining games.
“Seven games is a lot of games,” Rattlers head coach Danny White said. “They just have to lose one game, besides us, and we win the division. It’s tough in this league, as competitive as it is. San Jose is a good team, but it’s really hard to go undefeated. No one has ever done it. We’re in a position where we have to get help from somebody, but the toughest part of their schedule is coming up for them. We’re going to have to get some help from someone to win the division. If not, we’ll go in as a wild card and or whatever we have to do. As long as we get into the playoffs anything can happen.”
While that may be bad news, the good news is that their 5-2 record would put the Rattlers in the playoffs as the number three seed if the playoffs started today. However, that doesn’t mean Arizona is satisfied with that spot.
“We want to be 7-0, but last week was one of those nights,” White said. “We have them from time to time, but we really feel like we should have won the San Jose game and be sitting at 6-1 and in the division lead. We’ve got to fight and keep playing hard, and make sure that we don’t let that be the reason we don’t win the championship.”
The current, combined records of Arizona’s remaining opponents is 28-21, although remove San Jose and it’s an even 21-21 with no team holding a record worse than 3-4. San Jose must go on the road for their three remaining division games, and they could get tripped up against Chicago or Indiana.
Losing is never enjoyable, but many great teams have learned the most from their failures, rather than their successes. After rolling off five straight wins, the Rattlers struggled noticeably against Grand Rapids last week. As a result of the loss, the team put in a more physical practice this week in order to avoid a repeat performance.
“We’ve worked harder,” White said. “We went in full pads both workdays and we hit both days. That’s something we don’t normally do. I think we’ve just got to get a little bit tougher mentally and eliminate mental mistakes. That’s what has been killing us.
“The effort was better than it appeared at the time. At the time I was disappointed because I got the feeling we let down, but after watching the film there really wasn’t any let down. It was a game right up to the very end, we just had some mental mistakes and, really, we didn’t get a break in the game. We didn’t get a break on any of the calls. We didn’t get a break on any of the balls that were on the ground; they seemed to bounce right to [Grand Rapids]. Then you combine that with a kind of a mediocre effort in terms of mental discipline—we made too many mental mistakes.”
The Rattlers begin the second half of the season in Carolina, where they face yet another division leader in the 4-3 Cobras. The Cobras have struggled offensively, but have benefited from a surprisingly weak Southern Division, where perennial playoff teams Orlando and Tampa Bay have struggled early.
“They’re a division-leading team, so they’ve got a lot at stake,” White said. “They’ve got a reason to play hard. They’re at home. We’ve got every reason to believe we’re going to get the best they’ve got. They’re a team that can play very, very well. They haven’t been consistent this year, but when they do play well they’re a tough team to beat. There’s no reason to think they won’t play well against us.”
Midseason Grades
Quarterback—Sherdrick Bonner came into the season in great shape and it’s paid dividends. In the AFL, no team can succeed without a strong signal-caller and Bonner has proved what a difference it makes to have one of the best quarterbacks in the league. Backups Chad DeGrenier and Chris Hixson haven’t seen much time, but DeGrenier has proven himself when given the opportunity. Grade: A
Fullback/Linebacker—Bo Kelly leads the Rattlers in rushing and he’s tied with Avengers fullback Chad Dukes for second in the league. Along with Greg Gales and John Peaua, he has contributed to a strong pass rush from the linebacker spot. Grade: B
Receiver/Defensive Back—Randy Gatewood and rookie Orshawante Bryant rank second and third, respectively, on the team in receptions and receiving yards. Bryant has done a good job in the transition from offensive specialist to playing both ways, although he’ll need to cut down on the dropped balls during the second half of the season. Gatewood’s veteran leadership will be critical down the stretch. Grade: B
Receiver/Linebacker—Even though he may have lost a step, Hunkie Cooper is a critical part of this Arizona team, both on the field and off. He knows the game and puts himself in position to make plays. Offseason acquisition Bobby McGowens was hurt earlier in the year, but he’ll bring size to this position. Unfortunately, the crowded Arizona roster has kept him off of the field now that he’s healthy again. Grade: B+
Offensive Specialist—In his second year, Chris Horn has improved significantly over last season, and he should only continue to get better. Horn ranks near the top in receptions (1st-tied), receiving yards (2nd) and touchdowns (3rd). With more of the offense centered around Horn, Maurice Bryant hasn’t seen much playing time, but he’s made strong contributions in the two games he’s played. Grade: A
Offensive/Defensive Line—Take away the game against Grand Rapids and this squad has been a huge part of the Rattlers’ early success. Stacy Evans and Wendall Gaines have made their presence known, while the Rattlers get strong leadership from Mark Tucker and Joe Burch. Sebastian Barrie can be a force on the defensive side of the ball and Charlie Morris has improved. Grade: A-
Defensive Specialist—With Cecil Doggette out earlier in the season, Jerrick Bledsoe and Ricky Parker stepped up into more key roles. This unit has played so well, the Rattlers have been able to slowly bring along Doggette and Derek Stingley, who suffered a shoulder injury in the preseason. The occasional blown coverage keeps this squad from being perfect, which is nearly impossible in this offensively oriented game. Grade: B+
Special Teams—When Chris Sailer is on, he’s really on. When he’s off, well, you know the story. Sailer has made some of his kickoffs difficult to return, which takes pressure off of the coverage team, but he hasn’t been consistent. Between Horn, Cooper and Orshawante Bryant, good kick returns have given the Rattlers a shorter field to work with. The Rattlers need a little more consistency from the kicking game, especially when the playoffs roll around. Grade: B
Overall, the Rattlers are in good shape, but they’ll be hard pressed to catch San Jose before the end of the season. With a top four finish the Rattlers would assure a first round bye, which would allow Arizona to enter the playoffs much fresher than their first opponent.
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.
