SaberCats Start Preparation for ArenaBowl XXI
Adam Markowitz
Saturday July 28, 2007
For QB Mark Grieb, Sunday’s game represents a chance to become just the 2nd quarterback in AFL history to win two championships as the starter for the same team. The other? Orlando Predators head coach and former Tampa Bay Storm QB Jay Gruden. Since the run to the championship in 2004, Grieb has had simply astounding playoff numbers. In 12 playoff games, Grieb has completed 68.2% of his passes for 3600 yards, and 76 touchdowns against just five interceptions. His best game was ArenaBowl XVIII, a 69-62 victory for the SaberCats over the Arizona Rattlers. That day, Grieb completed 27 of 36 passes for 328 yards with eight TDs and no picks. If he has a similar outing this Sunday, the Cats will be lifting the Foster Trophy.
To stop an offense that put up 1012 points, the 2nd best in AFL history is going to be quite the challenge for the Destroyers defense. Grieb said, “It starts with coaching. Then it trickles down to myself and a lot of our veteran players.” He continued, “Sometimes you just have to go out and do it.”
Two other cogs in the San Jose offense are receivers James Roe and Ben Nelson, dubbed “Shock and Awe” by the SaberCats fans. The two combined for 227 catches and 65 TDs for the San Jose. Nelson, last year’s Rookie of the Year, spoke only the highest praise for his quarterback. “Mark is on all the time. He always puts the ball in a spot you can catch it. To me, he’s the most accurate passer in this league.”
While the Cats offense certainly turned heads this season, the defense allowed a mere 47.5 points per game, 2nd best in the AFL. Though the unit struggled against John Dutton and the Colorado Crush in their first playoff game, surrendering a season-high 67 points, they bounced back against a hobbled Matt D’Orazio and the Chicago Rush, only allowing 49 points.
Though the Destroyers only scored 50.1 points per game, Columbus QB Matt Nagy has been terrific since the last regular season game against New York, which solidified a playoff spot. In his last 4 starts, Nagy has completed 69.6% of his passes for 1010 yards, 21 TDs, and only 2 INTs. The team has averaged a whopping 65.5 points per game during that stretch.
Veteran DB (and fellow Florida State graduate) Clevan Thomas gave all of the accolades to his coaching staff as well. “Having a great defensive coordinator like Coach Kevin Guy, he pretty much changed our defense according to the game.” Thomas led the SaberCats with nine interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns in 2007.
Perhaps the best story for the SaberCats in this ArenaBowl is DL Ronald Jones. Jones recorded five sacks and four forced fumbles in 2007, but was suspended by Coach Darren Arbet for the Western Conference Championship game. He went to college at Southern Mississippi and is from Perkinston, MS, a town that was devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. For Jones, this game means more than just a championship.
“It’s great to be back home to realize that you’ll be playing in front of most of your family and friends. It really kicks you into a third and fourth gear,” said Jones.
Today, someone close to the SaberCats told me that last night the media was totally staying away from the team. All of the attention seemed to be on the Destroyers and the Cinderella story.
But if it were up to Coach Arbet and the SaberCats, Cinderella’s carriage is 24 hours from turning into a pumpkin.
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.
