Saving a season one game at a time

June 2, 2004 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Central Valley Coyotes News Release


As the losses have multiplied this year, so has the frustration for the Coyotes. Entering the second half stretch of the season with a 1-7 record, Head Coach Cree Morris believes the season can still be saved. But only if the players believe and stop trying to turn a whole season around in one play.

"The season isn't over yet," said Morris. "We have eight games beginning with San Diego and we have the capabilities of turning this thing around. We can't force wins by trying to make plays not in our control. We have to trust in our teammates and in ourselves to get the job done."

During a interview yesterday at practice with the media, Morris acknowledged his frustration, but he also said he still sees determination.

"Of course the first half of the season has been disappointing and I don't think there is anyone in this organization who thought we would have started the season this way," said Morris. "I'm sure there is some frustration out there, but I also believe that there is determination and a lot of fight left in this team. We've had our chances at winning games all season long, we just haven't capitalized."

The past two losses were at the hands of Hawaiian Islanders and Bakersfield Blitz, each game had numerous similarities in determining the outcome. Both featured turnovers and penalties, and both found the Coyotes only trailing by less then seven points at halftime.

"When you look at the past two games , we had opportunities in each of those games, but mistakes set us back," added Morris. "We can't allow these mental mistakes to happen or the other team is going to take advantage of them. Despite the penalties and turnovers we are still putting ourselves in situations to win. We just need to finish. We have to keep working hard and striving to be the best."

"I've been in this league long enough to know that anything is possible in any given week. Right now I think we don't need to focus on the big picture, but instead focus on the next team and that is San Diego. If you look back to how the guys practiced last week and how they played in the Bakersfield game, we beat ourselves but there was great effort. It's just one of those games where we didn't hit a play here or there and our execution came back to haunt us. I think if we come with the same hard work attitude this week, hopefully, we can grab a win and get on a roll."

One might ask why the Coyotes haven't made to many personnel changes throughout the entire year. Morris believes this team has the ability to be great and he will stay the course with the squad.

"We are going to continue to do the things that we have done all year long as a team and staff. We definitely have the talent on this football team, it shows every game we play. As coaches we have to prepare these guys for Saturday and put them into a position to be productive on the field whether it's on offense, defense or special teams. I don't think you can change your overall approach to a team, but you can recognize your strengths and utilize them to the best of your ability. We go out every Saturday night trying to win a football game. Because our record is 1-7, we are not going to change the way we approach a game as a team or staff."

"This game boils down to attacking your opponent's weaknesses with your strengths. To put it even more simply, we just need to score more points than the other team."

"We know what the franchise did last year and we recognize that that there is history, but maybe there is history we need to create ourselves," said Morris. "We just have to take the remainder of the season one game at a time. Then we need to concentrate on playing 60 minutes of football."



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