Cats Jockey for High Playoff Position
Keith Murphy
Wednesday July 10, 2002
Carolina, on the other hand, is just playing for pride and, as Cape Fear head coach Chris Siegfried points out, the Rhinos gave the ‘Cats quite a battle just three weeks ago, “They could have very easily beaten us just a few weeks ago. They’re going to look at this weekend’s game and say, ‘hey, we’ve got a chance to beat a playoff team.’ For them winning games like this is going to be a motivational tool for next season and a recruiting tool for the coaches. Not to mention vindication that they are a better team than their record shows. Our guys won’t be taking Carolina lightly.”
Many of the playoff-bound teams suffered letdowns after they clinched a berth, but Siegfried says that his squad understands the importance of the last three regular season games. “These guys have no trouble staying focused. These guys don’t want to lose their jobs so that’s their focus. We’ve had so much turnover on the team this year that they’re not going to lose any focus. They’ve learned that if they’re not performing then they’re not playing. That’s their focus. Guys that relax and lose their focus don’t play on this team.”
Siegfried argues that his team knows that all the ‘Cats have secured is an invitation. “The only thing we know about the playoffs is who we’re going to play in the first round. We still don’t know where we’re going to play that game. So, if we lose one of these three games and Richmond wins out we’re going to be on the road. Right now we feel we have to win all three games to have a home field playoff game. Since on of those games is Richmond we still have a huge task ahead. As far as we’re concerned, Richmond is still Goliath. But I’ll worry about that next week.”
Cape Fear, as usual, comes into this week’s game a bit beaten up, they’ll be missing WR/LB Troy Esprit for the next couple of weeks due to an elbow dislocation. Siegfried says that the ‘Cats, however, are healthy where it matters, “Our big guys are healthy and that’s really the most important part. That’s where we are going to win and lose games so that’s my biggest concern. Not to downplay the skill guys but even if you have the best skill guys in the world if you don’t have a good line it won’t matter.” Cape Fear strengthened an already powerful line with the addition of Voncellies Allen a 6 foot 1 inch 305 pound OL/DL who was released this week by the Carolina Cobras of AFL. Allen played his collegiate ball at Georgia Southern.
Leading the line is af2 sack king E. J. Burt who was honored by the league as a co-defensive player of the week after rolling up 4.5 sacks versus Albany to run his record total to 25. Burt’s play has led to a series of calls from NFL teams who are interested in knowing if he is the “as good as advertised.” Siegfried says, “I have talked to four NFL teams in the last two days that have called me about E. J. after being called by an opposing coach who said that he’s the ‘real deal.’ I tell them [the NFL teams] that if this gets this kid into the NFL, that’s great. . . but. . . Thankfully, the NFL teams aren’t going to take him from us right before the playoffs. But, hey, E. J. is special and that’s what it’s all about. It’s about getting these guys to another level. . . but, after the playoffs.”
With each win, the Cape Fear Wildcats continue to set records for performance by an expansion team. Last weekend’s win gave the ‘Cats 11 wins, breaking the mark set by the Macon Knights last season. Siegfried says that he doesn’t even want to think about those kinds of records right now. “The time for feeling good about all that kind of stuff is going to come in September. That’s the kind of stuff I’ll use to keep my job. Realistically we’ve still got three more games this season so we’ve still got a lot of unfinished business.”
The Wildcats have also enjoyed fan support that exceeds that of many expansion franchises. Siegfried expects even better support in the future. “A large part of our fan base is overseas right now. For us to be averaging close to 5 thousand over the course of the season is pretty good. I think we’re establishing a real solid fan base for next year. We don’t get a lot of military support with all the stuff that’s going on but the local fan support is just steadily increasing.”
Dr. Murphy has nearly 20 years of media experience ranging from radio to the Internet. He has served as webmaster for two AF2 teams and the football team at Fort Valley State University. He is a professor at FVSU and directs www.bunniwerks.org, a non-profit rabbit rescue organization. He has been commissioned as a Kentucky Colonel. Murphy is also serving as a first party editor of af2 stories for ArenaFfan. For more information about Dr. Murphy see: www.keithmurphy.info