Righting the Ship
Matt Eichenblatt
Wednesday March 19, 2008
Force fans, go to bed—the Force aren’t winless anymore.
In what was a performance reminiscent of the typical onslaughts of a season ago, the Georgia Force put together by far their best performance of the year this past Saturday, disposing of the Los Angeles Avengers, 58-34.
If you think the 10,156 fans inside the new venue of the Force, the Gwinnett Arena, were relieved, it doesn’t even compare to that of head coach, Doug Plank.
“Well we didn’t do anything different this week, even though we were 0-2,” remarked Plank.
“You would wake up in the morning and eat breakfast the same way, but we were still 0-2. I went to the movies the other day but it still got to me that we were 0-2. It starts to get to you after a while, and I’m sure glad we got this win.”
The Force did a lot of things right Saturday night that were very familiar to those who witnessed this offense romp up and down the field last year. First, the Force opened up downfield, as Quarterback Chris Greisen threw three touchdown passes over 40 yards long, one to WR Troy Bergeron and two to newcomer, WR Charles Pauley.
The man to man coverage the Avengers were playing was “an open invitation to go downfield,” according to Coach Plank. The offense was clicking with the insertion of Pauley in place of departed receiver Brett Holmes, and the return of WR Willis Marshall.
Though the receiving core for the Force isn’t as daunting as it was in years past, don’t sleep on this group of receivers. The performance they put on Saturday against a previously undefeated Los Angeles team should provide ample caution to future opponents and defensive coordinators who still find it to be a bright idea to play cover one defense against this group.
While the offense’s surge might get the headlines, the defense for the Force Saturday night was the real show-stopper. Highlighted by an eight play red-zone stand, the Force defense caused two key turnovers and stifled and Avengers offense that came into the game red-hot.
But if you hadn’t noticed, the return of linebacker Eric Johnson might have had something to do to it.
“You just have to love his energy,” said Plank of Johnson. “Eric is one of those guys you want on the field in any situation. His playmaking abilities and his full throttle attitude are what draw you to a guy like him—it was nice to get him back on the field tonight.”
Now that Georgia has gotten their first win under their belts, it’s time to get down to business.
The next opponent for the Force is their long time nemesis, the Orlando Predators. With the exception of last year, the “Jungle” has long been a place of pain and suffering for this Georgia team, which makes this game against these two teams all the more passionate. For the Force to win Sunday, they need to make sure they watch the tape of their game Saturday against L.A., and study something that can’t be measured in X’s and O’s: passion and intensity.
The team last week did a great job of cutting down penalties and making mental errors, but the most noticeable bump in their game was how they played the game. They were a full throttle team for sixty minutes, and even if they made a mistake, they didn’t let it disrupt their focus.
One of the best attributes about Coach Plank is his ability to manage people and not let a team get too high or too low. If the Force want to continue to right the ship this season, it is imperative that their head stays level, but they continue to play with emotion, because, that’s what football is all about.
This Saturday in Orlando, it’s a game between two teams that really don’t like each other and have history to support that hate. Make a note, the most even-keeled team will win this game.
