Orlando's Students Take Down Their Mentor
Published on May 9, 2003 under Arena Football League (AFL)
Orlando Predators News Release
ORLANDO â Carolina Cobras coach Eddie Khayat had been good to Orlando Predators coach Fran Papasedero as well as Jay Gruden, giving Papasedero a chance to play and allowing Gruden to get his coaching feet wet when Khayat was Head Coach for the Nashville Kats.
Papasedero and Gruden showed their appreciation Friday night by taking part in the Predators' beating up Khayat's still-winless Cobras 41-24, before a TD Waterhouse Centre gathering of 12,752.
In the arenaball equivalent of Darth Vader vaporizing former mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi in the first Star Wars (or is Episode Four? We can't keep that George Lucas stuff straight), Papasedero and Gruden ensured that the Predators get to watch the first round of the Arena Football League from the sports bar of their choice and that we as a front office get to baby sit an NBC crew for the quarterfinals three weeks from now.
Show an 0-14 team mercy? Not when playoff homefield advantage is at stake, baby. In addition to celebrating the 100th game played in the Jungle, the Preds (11-4) get a bye and are assured of a home game as no lower than the fourth seed.
Even if you played for Khayat, like Papasedero did.
"We need every win we can. We don't want anything bad to happen,'' said Papasedero, whose team won its fifth straight. "It's tough for me to see Eddie in a situation like this where he has a team that doesn't perform the way he coaches. I have a lot of respect for the guy, but by the same token, I'd like to see him with a team that can back him up.
Gruden threw four touchdown passes, Duke Pettijohn rushed for two and Orlando's defense forced two turnovers and denied the Cobras twice when they got inside the Predators five-yard line.
In fact, Carolina's only touchdown in the first 30 minutes was a 56-yard kickoff return by Alvin Ashley, the first Predator special teams miscue of that type this season.
Gruden was having a workman-like effort, setting up the Cobras for the big play with the short pass to Travis McGriff or Thabiti Davis before unloading twice Cory Fleming and once to Lamont Moore. All of his first-half touchdown strikes went for 21 yards or more.
He wasn't that happy though.
"We need to get better,'' said Gruden, who finished 14 of 27 for 193 yards. " Forty-one points isn't going to do against the Los Angeleses, San Joses and Tampa Bays.
Orlando's other score in a 27-10 first half lead was a one-yard Pettijohn push set up by a Charlie McLain fumble recovery and return to the Carolina one. Earlier, Pettijohn forced a fumble that Matt Sweeney recovered to stop the Cobras' first drive.
Carolina closed to ten on two occasions in the second half, but could not avoid becoming the first team in the AFL's 17-year history to lose 15 games in one season. The 1996 Memphis Pharaohs were 0-14 in as many games back in 1996.
McGriff led the Preds with seven catches for 71 yards. Cory Fleming took "Ironman of the Game" honors with three touchdowns on just four receptions, EJ Burt tied Jerry Odom's 1992 Orlando Predators single season record with eighth quarterback sack of the season and Gruden continued his near perfect season, upping his touchdown total to 44 with just two interceptions all season.
Arena Football League Stories from May 9, 2003
- Orlando's Students Take Down Their Mentor - Orlando Predators
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