“We’re excited about playing this game. We had a bye week that came after a loss and whenever you don’t play well you definitely want to get back out on the field and prove that you can play better,” said Coach Darren Arbet.

The SaberCats have had the past two weeks to get their mental game and physical game balanced. Defensive back Clevan Thomas used his bye week wisely as he knows that in the AFL you can’t take any days off.

“I watched film on Spokane, watched our Arizona game, corrected my mistakes and things I needed to get better on and improve on. I went home and spent time with my family because mentally and emotionally that plays a huge role. Also, I went home and got on that beach in the sand to get my feet real quick and faster. That’s basically what I did to prepare for this week,” said Thomas. 

After a loss to the Rattlers in week three, the SaberCats made some changes to their roster and in response the level of intensity and competition on the field has grown. 

Coach Arbet describes this weeks practice as, “Very intense and very physical. There have been some changes on the team so anytime you have some changes and guys losing their jobs, it gets pretty physical.”

Fred Williams echoed that stating, “It (practice) was very intense, the effort and the energy out there has picked up 100-percent.”

The SaberCats are fully accounting for the level of talent they’ll be going up against on the Shock’s roster.  

The Shock have been riding an early season wave of momentum as they defeated the defending ArenaBowl Champions last week in Arizona with a score of 66-49. Quarterback Erik Meyer has contributed to the Shock’s undefeated season as he’s thrown 32 touchdowns, has a passing efficiency of 135.9, and has yet to throw a single interception. Posing a threat to the SaberCats defense is the dynamic duo of receivers Adron Tennell and rookie Karmar Jorden, as they lead the team with a combined 774 yards and 23 touchdowns. 

“Meyer is playing great right now, we’re going to have to put pressure on him, cover those tall receiver’s and just play hard,” said Coach Arbet.

Coach Arbet also spoke highly of the Shock’s explosive offensive line and their ability to protect the quarterback, allowing him to connect with his playmaking receivers. 

“The quarterback gets the ball out, he’s real intelligent. The receivers go up and get the ball they don’t wait until the ball comes down, the offensive line blocks real physical. I know the offensive line is playing well right now because the quarterback is small and he’s getting the ball out in time, he doesn’t throw the ball away, he hasn’t taken too many sacks, and he hasn’t thrown any picks,” said veteran Clevan Thomas.

Thomas also discussed his strategy and focus going into this game, “I mean basically just cover receivers because Meyer is known to scramble, break contain, and extend plays. So receivers are running two or three routes because he extends the play and gets outside of the pocket, so our mind set is to cover our guy until the whistle blows.”  

On the other side of the ball, the Shock’s defense proved that they’re a burden to go up against as they were able to force the Rattlers into a 4-and out stop in last week’s battle.

“Their defense, when they stopped Arizona, who I think is a good football team, they were putting pressure on the quarterback, something that we couldn’t do. Their DB’s were covering most receivers, something else we couldn’t do. They’re really an explosive team,” said Coach Arbet.

Coach Arbet’s point of emphasis this week for the players was to, “Just stay focused, stay the course, believe in each other, play hard and be detailed.”

Fred Williams shares his thoughts on the team’s mentality entering this week’s rivalry game, “We’ve got to start the game off and finish the game the way we start. So we can’t be up and down, there’s going to be mistakes made but we have to continue to keep in mind the ‘bend and don’t break’ rule.”

“It’s still early, we’re still working on our chemistry and we all just have to continue to keep in mind the one goal and that’s to win a championship. So it’s more of mental challenge for us, we have the opportunity to see what we’re going to do after a loss. I look forward to getting a victory, we’re confident and we’re ready,” said Williams. 

Leanne is a freelance sports journalist residing in the San Francisco Bay Area as she finishes up her Mass Communication, Media Production B.A. at Cal State University, East Bay. This will be her second season as a correspondent covering the San Jose SaberCats.