Riding the Wave of Momentum
Patrick Daly
Tuesday March 28, 2006
This past Friday night, the Arizona Rattlers found themselves in the role of that second team. In a hard played first half, the Rattlers saw everything go their opponent’s way. Whether it was an ankle injury that knocked offensive specialist Darrell Jones out of the game, a long catch in which wide receiver/defensive back Curtis Fagan was ruled out of bounds, or a long catch and run for a touchdown by wide receiver/defensive back Randy Gatewood on the first half’s last play that was negated by a holding call, it was the Los Angeles Avengers that went into halftime with a 35-24 lead and momentum clearly on their side.
But the second half was written as a completely different story. The Rattlers turned their 11-point halftime deficit into a 13-point win by outscoring the Avengers, 34-10, in the second half.
"Early on in the first half we struggled a little bit," said Rattlers wide receiver/defensive back Randy Gatewood. "We dug ourselves a hole. We were down 11 going into halftime. We went in at halftime and said, ‘Let’s start playing Rattler football. Let’s go out and execute.’ We felt like we had some bad calls in the first half, but we didn’t let that get us down and we came back in the second half."
While each half played out like two different games, Arizona played better in the first half than the score indicated, and they used that disappointment and frustration to take over the game in the second half. With those tools at their disposal, the Rattlers took the momentum that eluded them in the first half and stymied the Avengers.
"We were playing with good energy in the first half," said Rattlers head coach Gene Nudo. "Early on we dropped some balls. We dropped a screen pass that might have been a touchdown. We dropped an interception that might have been a stop. We played with energy right down to the wire. We had a touchdown on that last play [of the first half] get called back. All that did was fuel our guys. They went into the locker room and just seethed for about 12 minutes. Then they came out smoking."
After taking the initial lead in the game at 7-0, Arizona didn’t lead again until early in the fourth quarter, but it was a defensive touchdown, a fumble recovery in the end zone by Rattlers lineman Kelvin Ingram, that allowed the Rattlers to tie the game at 38-38. That turned the tide.
"We had our backs against the wall and we felt like we were playing against the refs," said Ingram. "We came out told everybody we could still play football. As a team we had to step up and make a play. That’s all we talked about in the locker room; somebody needed to step up and make a play."
In addition to the players making plays on the field, Nudo gave credit to Rattlers defensive coordinator Mike Church for taking players that have been plugged in to fill holes left by injuries, particularly on defense, and directing the second half turnaround that limited Los Angeles to 10 second half points.
"Mike has always done a good job wherever he’s been in this league and I think this may be the best job he’s ever done with the group of guys that we have," said Nudo. "We’ve got a DB from Philly (defensive specialist Joe Todd), we’ve got a DB waived from Utah (defensive specialist Erin Damond) and we’ve got a DB that got waived from Kansas City (defensive specialist Art Smith). You me tell if those guys aren’t out there playing. We’ve got a guy who couldn’t get on the field in Nashville (wide receiver/linebacker Cosmo DeMatteo). We’re like the old Redskins; the Over the Hill Gang rides again."
And in the last four games, the other teams’ losses have been the Rattlers’ gain.
Show me the way to San Jose
With the momentum gained in the win over the Avengers, Arizona takes their four-game winning streak back on the road to face their biggest rival in the San Jose SaberCats. The Rattlers bring with them their 5-4 record that’s currently good enough for first place in the Western Division, even after many people wrote this team off after their 0-3.
"I think a lot of people wrote us off early on because we were struggling," said Gatewood. "I think we’ve got some momentum going now."
That momentum has grown into confidence that was lacking during the first few weeks of the season, and this is now a team that believes that they’re poised to do even better things.
"As long as we keep playing like we’re playing we feel we have a chance to do some good things around here," said Ingram. "San Jose is a good team and it’s going to be a dogfight up there."
The SaberCats won the first meeting between these two teams with a 58-50 victory in week two, but they’ve only managed two wins in the past six games, leaving San Jose at 3-6. The SaberCats need this win to stay in the division race, while the Rattlers are looking to solidify their hold on the top spot in the west. Although, no matter either team’s record, this is a game that will have both teams ready to play.
"That’s our rival," said Nudo. "If you can’t get the fire in your belly for that one, you never will."
700-Touchdown Club
Rattlers quarterback Sherdrick Bonner joined exclusive company on Friday night when he tossed his 700th touchdown pass. With his fifth touchdown toss of the evening, the third of five to Gatewood on the night, Bonner joined Aaron Garcia, Andy Kelly and Clint Dolezel as the only quarterbacks in Arena Football League history to surpass the 700-touchdown mark.
"We’ve been together a long time," said Gatewood about his relationship with Bonner. "He knows me, in and out. I know what he’s thinking, most of the time. It’s one of those relationships where as long as we’ve been together it’s been a great run. The guy had his 700th touchdown and I was glad to be a part of it. I think he’s the best quarterback to come through this league and I’ve been blessed to have him as my quarterback throughout my career."
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.