Dragons can't finish against Rush
by David Holusha
April 3, 2005 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
New York Dragons
It was all set up perfectly. Like so many storybook endings for the New York Dragons this season, the opportunity to snatch one more final second victory was in their grasp. With the Dragons defense mounting the desperately needed heroic stop â preventing the Chicago Rush's from scoring on their final drive of the game, the ball and game rested firmly in the hands of superstar quarterback Aaron Garcia.
That he failed to convert on 4 consecutive passes, causing the Dragons to come up short by a score of 44-43 left the rabid crowd of 11,719 in stunned disappointment.
"The timing may have been a little bit off on some of the throws, but I can't fault his decision as far as making his throws to his receivers", said head coach Weylan Harding. "Receivers have got to catch the ball too", said Harding in defense of his embattled quarterback.
"I trust my offensive coordinator, and I trust my quarterback to check out the schemes and do their job," continued the coach.
"Their defense did a good job on that drive," said quarterback Aaron Garcia. "The whole game they kind of played off (laying back), giving us the underneath stuff. Trying to make us work our way down, and we did that pretty much the entire game."
"On that last drive they tightened everything up a little bit. In that situation, the receivers and I have to be on the same page. We missed barely on a couple, but we missed. That's not the way you want to end it."
"Offensively we played real well up until that point. When we made the two-point conversion and were only down by one point I was confident we were going to win the game. I feel like if we are in that position, nine out of ten times that's what's going to happen," said Garcia.
Overall, Garcia did not have a bad game. He completed 21 passes on 36 attempts for 228 yards, culminating with four touchdowns to four separate receivers and not a single interception.
The Dragons put themselves in a hole in the second quarter when they uncharacteristically turned the ball over. Up until that point the two sides had been trading scores and in fact, NY had the advantage of a Chicago missed point after attempt. With NY driving, WR DaShane Dennis displayed some nifty running after a catch for a first down deep in Chicago territory. Garcia went right back to him on the next play, but this time the ball was stripped loose after Dennis tried to rush for additional yards, as he did on the prior play.
"You really can't try to inhibit a guys instincts," said Harding. "He wants to score and he's giving his all out effort. Of course you need to protect the ball, but you don't want the player to be too cautious. I don't fault him at all for that turnover," said the coach.
One continued bright spot of the season so far is the impressive play of DS Chris Angel, who had yet another hard-hitting game on defense. The lean but rugged 200 lb back is fearless, as he brings down much larger men with remarkable consistency. Chicago's 290 lb Charlie Cook and 260 lb Bob McMillen were stopped dead by Angel's relentless pursuit.
"Defensively we started off a little slow, but made plays at those crucial moments when we needed them," said Harding.
Despite the disheartening loss, the fan enthusiasm for the entire Arena football experience after the game was as strong as ever. What makes the Arena game so great is its wonderful interaction with the fans. Along with the players sticking around afterwards to sign autographs, there are the dazzling Firedancers as well. Much to the delight of many, the Firedancers have done a calendar which can be purchased at the games. Picking up a must-have copy for myself, I was thrilled to get personalized autographs and notes from Dina, Beth and Nicole on my copy.
The Dragons now head back out on the road to play next Sunday in LA and then off to Orlando the following week. They return home to host Philadelphia on April 24.
I welcome any and all critiques and comments regarding this or any of my other articles at dave_h_80_83@yahoo.com.
Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from April 3, 2005
- Pred upend Avengers in OT - Orlando Predators
- Harrell Sets Record as Crush Rolls - Colorado Crush
- Avengers Lose by a Foot, 55-54 - OSC Original by Tim Peterson
- Dragons can't finish against Rush - OSC Original by David Holusha
- Crush place Hunter on IR, activate Anderson, Pickens - Colorado Crush
- Rampage caged in second half, lose 40-27 - Grand Rapids Rampage
- Destroyers' comeback bid falls short - Columbus Destroyers
- Soul win franchise-record third straight game - Philadelphia Soul
- Kats scratch out victory in second half - Nashville Kats
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer(s), and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
