Murray: The Time is Now

Published on May 12, 2004 under arenafootball2 (af2)
Central Valley Coyotes News Release


Editor's Note: One of the most significant moves the Coyotes made during the 2004 off-season was acquiring Doug Murray as defensive coordinator. Murray spent the pas two seasons at UC Davis as the secondary coach.

In Central Valley, Murray inherits a defense that finished 3rd in the af2 last season. The team also acquired talented players in the off-season, including linebacker Kevin Nelson, defensive specialists Halakilangi Muagututia, and Jermaine Smith to add to the veteran leadership of defensive end Ricky Leung-Wai, defensive specialist VonKeith Spencer and linebacker Howard Maxwell.

Murray's comments will appear regularly on Centralvalleycoyotes.com throughout the 2004 season.

Talk about the game last weekend in Green Bay?

"They did a great job all night long of executing plays. They're a good team, but we knew that going into the week. We showed signs of talent, and then we reverted back to the beginning with blown coverages and missed assignments. So I think we are going to have to go back to the drawing board and map everything out so that everyone is on the same page."

How much of a factor was Randall Lane?

"He wasn't the reason we lost the game in Green Bay. We shot ourselves in the foot with penalties and mental mistakes. I'm not trying to take anything away from the kid, he ran good routes and was able to get separation from our defensive backs."

Marshall Blount recorded 4-solo tackles last week in Green Bay, he is also 2nd on the team in tackles, how has he developed over the past five games?

"Marshall has developed into a really good arenafootball2 player. Coming in as a rookie, he had to adjust to the game, but now I think he has the hang of it and he has helped us out on both sides of the ball. Defensively the kid is very smart and catches on to new techniques quickly. He is going to be a very big asset to us during the remainder of the season."

VonKeith Spencer appeared to injure his shoulder last weekend in Green Bay, what is his status for this weekend?

"He banged up his shoulder a little bit on a tackle he made in the second quarter, but he should be at 100 percent on Saturday. He has been getting treatment from our training staff this week and the shoulder is healing nicely. He'll be ready to go on gameday."

How does Rio Grande Valley look on film?

"They're a very consistent team, they don't turn the ball over to often and they don't make to many mistakes. They've had three big wins this season and they almost knocked off the number team [Wichita Stealth]in the league last week. So they have the capability of playing with anybody in this league. In order to be successful we have to put pressure on their quarterback Burch, and be smart in the secondary."

The Dorados have only faced three teams this season, compared to the five that the Coyotes have faced, do you think facing different teams helps you out more?

"I think that depends on the coach and players. Myself personally I like to face different teams because each team shows you new plays and different formations which helps you prepare for any other team that comes out in that formation. I've had a chance to see five different offense's with five different schemes, so that has allowed me to develop my defensive schemes to counter similar situations."

After the Rio Grande Valley game the team heads into a five game divisional stretch against Hawaii, Bakersfield and San Diego, how important is it to get a win this week heading into that stretch?

"Obviously you want to get a win heading into a important stretch like that. Right now we need to only concern ourselves with the Dorados, we'll worry about the other teams during the appropriate week. That's not to say that five game stretch is not important. They're very important. Right now we're in the cellar of the West and if we're going to make a run at the division title the time has to be now?

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