Partlow Takes Reigns for Wranglers
Adam Markowitz
Thursday June 29, 2006
It should come as no surprise that, almost a month later, the Wranglers have selected an offensive mind, Colorado Crush offensive coordinator Brian Partlow to be their next head coach. The 2007 Wrangler season will mark the first as a head coach for Partlow, who has coached as an offensive assistant under Mike Dailey since 2001 with the Indiana Firebirds. Partlow followed Coach Dailey to Colorado, where he has since helped turn QB John Dutton and OS Damien Harrell into two of the game’s biggest superstars.
But is this the turn that the Wranglers needed to make? Partlow will certainly bring a new offensive swagger to a team that averaged just 49.1 points per game during Coach Foster’s tenure as head coach, but this team has always prided itself on defense. There are two types of teams in the AFL, those that outscore you to win, and those that beat you on defense. Even dating back to his Albany Firebird days, Coach Dailey always had one of the top offenses in the AFL, and was clearly out to outscore you in a game.
The problem here? Look at the Wranglers roster for the 2007. Coach Foster and the front office did a tremendous job resigning players from the 2005 team in 2006, and added key pieces like OS Derrick Lewis and DSs Damon Mason and Donvetis Franklin to make the team a real contender in 2006. As this season winded down, once again the Wranglers wrapped up 18 players for the 2007 season. But these players fit the defensive scheme, perhaps not fitting what is required for success in Partlow’s offensive scheme.
As offensive coordinator of the Indiana Firebirds, Partlow had offensive weapons such as QB Raymond Philyaw, OS Eddie Brown, and WR/DB Evan Hlavacek to work with. The weapons aside from that, though were limited, and the team went 7-7 and 6-10 in those two seasons. In Colorado, Partlow helped develop the offense, but also had the help of several holdovers from the Indiana franchise to help turn the Crush into one of the most powerful offenses the league has ever seen. The championship team for Colorado in 2005 had everything that an offensive coordinator could have ever wanted. Dutton had Arena Bowl experience and was also mentored by one of the league’s best passers ever in Mark Grieb, a huge target in 6’3" Damien Harrell, and also had 3 other receivers that caught 70 passes and had double digits in touchdowns. The defense that year gave up over 54 points per game and only gave up 2 fewer points than it scored all season.
Now go back to the Wranglers roster for the 2007 season. Two of the team’s critical receivers for next season are Kevin Nickerson and Sedrick Robinson, 5’8" and 5’9" respectively. OS Derrick Lewis, the Wranglers go-to guy near the end zone, appears as though he may latch on permanently with the Houston Texans, creating a void in the most important position on the field on offense, save the quarterback. QB John Fitzgerald isn’t exactly what you’d call a gunslinger in the AFL either, as he hasn’t had a season in his career of more than 75 TD passes or 4000 yards. Chance Mock will be the trendy choice to start next season for the Wranglers being a University of Texas product, but the Wranglers very well could test free agency to fill the quarterback position with guys that fit Partlow’s mold.
Is the big play explosiveness there for Austin in 2007? Sure. Nickerson and Robinson can certainly stretch the field. But this team sure looks a lot more like the 2002 and 2003 Firebirds than the 2005 Crush. That’s not to say that the Partlow can’t work magic in the heart of Texas, or build a team through free agency, but it sure seems like the roster is nowhere near an offensive dream. This could lead to a bit of a rebuilding season for Austin.
My question for the Doug MacGregor and the Wrangler front office now is simple. Why change now? I can understand replacing Coach Foster after the team’s lackluster performances on offense at certain points this season, but with potential defensive minded coaches in waiting such as Les Moss from the Predators or James Fuller from the Desperadoes, why turn to an offensive mind and change the mold of your franchise now? The team finally found success playing hard-nosed, grind it out football. They fit the persona of their coach and all of what the state of Texas represents. Why change now?
I must digress. My apologies are already in line to Coach Partlow and the Wranglers for seemingly writing them off for the 2007 season. I don’t mean it like that. I just hope that the bling, glitz, and glamour that came with Primetime joining the ownership group of the Wranglers didn’t force the team to turn in this direction. This is a calculated risk by the Wranglers to start putting more points on the board and creating a more exciting product for fans to watch, but the risk better pay off in the win column. The way the Wranglers are set up now, defense will remain a key, if not the key for success in 2007.
So to Coach Partlow and the staff that he will set up, I wish you the best of luck. I sincerely hope you find success in your first head coaching job. I just hope the big shoes that you have to fill from the best campaign in team history are filled properly, or this will be a move that is questioned by the rest of the Arena Football League for quite some time to come.
Adam Markowitz is an accountant living in Orlando. Adam is an old school AFLer, having followed the AFL since 1991. He attended or covered well over 200 games, including 17 ArenaBowls. Adam worked for the Arena Football League for two years as a columnist and historian before retiring in 2017 when the 50-yard indoor war left the Sunshine State. Adam still muses about the AFL on ArenaFan from time to time, and you can follow him on Twitter @adammarkowitzea.
