|
| |
 |
|
|
|
Game 6: March 10, 2001
Las Vegas Outlaws at Orlando Rage |
>>
Game
Stats | Game
Boxscore
|
| |
SUMMARY
 With
another chance to take the lead in the Western Division, the Outlaws
managed once more to shoot themselves in the foot by losing 27-15
against the still-unbeaten Orlando Rage. The Outlaws offense
once again sputtered and misfired, and the defense failed to take
charge in the fourth quarter. The Outlaws defense risked losing
the title of the league's best defense as they gave up a season-high
27 points, with 13 of them scored in the fourth quarter alone.
The Outlaws also managed to become the most penalized team in the
league, a most ignoble distinction, and one which manages to haunt
the Outlaws in nearly every game.
The Outlaws remain 6-0 in scramble recoveries, with Chris Chukwuma
(#22, aka "Chuckwagon") doing the honors in place of Jamel
Williams. The Outlaws started off with Ryan Clement (#16)
back in the saddle at QB, and RB Rod Smart (#30, aka "He Hate
Me") was called upon once more to try to pound the defense.
The Outlaws stumbled around midfield, punting the ball and forcing
the Rage to start deep in their own territory. The Outlaws
defensive linemen quickly forced & recovered a fumble on the
Rage 4-yard line, and after a quick pass from Ryan Clement to RB
Ben Snell (#33, aka "Thoro") the Outlaws were on top 6-0.
The PAT failed, as Rod Smart was stopped short. The Rage answered
on a long drive for a touchdown and a PAT, taking the lead 7-6.
After a spectacular 68-yard kick return by WR Yo Murphy (#88), the
Outlaws' K Paul McCallum (#17) managed to boot a 41-yard field goal
to retake the lead, 9-7, near the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the Outlaws offense found themselves once
again starting in holes, a result of constant penalties: the receivers
are still being flagged for illegal formations for being covered,
and holding penalties are becoming an Outlaws trademark. The
defense also started giving up big passing plays, and this would
be exploited all night long by the Rage. The Rage jumped on
top 14-9 after an 8-yard touchdown run by RB Brian Shay and a successful
PAT, and went into halftime with the lead.
In the second half, the Outlaws again failed to make the necessary
adjustments to plays and commitments, which was successfully exploited
by the Rage. The best the Outlaws could do in the third quarter
was a McCallum 42-yard field goal to close the Rage lead at 14-12.
In the fourth quarter, however, the Outlaws actually found themselves
in the lead with a McCallum 18-yard field goal, making the score
15-14. But this came as a disappointment, since the Outlaws
had a golden opportunity with 3rd-and-goal on the goal line, and
came up short when Rod Smart was tackled for a loss at the 5-yard
line. The offensive line became fairly porous and failed to
adequately protect QB Ryan Clement, resulting in several sacks and
hurries. The rest of the story is all Rage, as they managed
to kick in their afterburners and score 13 unanswered points, 6
of them from a Ryan Clement fumble that was recovered by DE Sedrick
Clark in the endzone. The Outlaws were attempting a long drive
to retake the lead with just over one minute left to play when the
fumble occurred; the Rage pass rush managed once more to collapse
the Outlaws pocket and not only sack Ryan Clement in the endzone
but force the ball loose from him. Once again, the Outlaws
came up short in the second half after a decent first half, and
their offensive production is still largely AWOL.
OUTLAWS GRADES:
OFFENSE: D
The offense didn't completely fall on their faces, but they failed
to come up big when they had to. Third-down conversions continue
to remain a mystery to the offense, and holding calls will soon
hold be copyrighted to the Outlaws. However, Rod Smart did
run for over 100 yards again, and the offensive line has shown tremendous
improvement in their run-blocking. Yo Murphy managed 5 receptions
for 60 yards, and Ben Snell scored the lone touchdown for the Outlaws.
Ryan Clement went 20-30 for 159 yards and a touchdown, with no interceptions
but one fumble (and for a Rage touchdown at that).
DEFENSE:
F
The defense failed miserably during this critical game. Not
only did they give up a season-high 27 points, but the secondary
was continually burned and they allowed a decent running attack
by the Rage. The defensive backs struggled all night long,
and it was not uncommon to see Rage passing gains of over 20 yards.
The defense allowed Rage QB Jeff Brohm to pass for a season-high
235 yards, including two touchdown passes. Although the defense
did force a fumble in the first quarter that set up an Outlaws touchdown
and sacked/knocked down/hurried up Brohm throughout the game, they
failed to come through on critical plays.
SPECIAL TEAMS:
C
Kickoff and punt coverage has improved dramatically, but kick/punt
receiving still suffers from ineffective blocking. Yo Murphy
had a marvelous 68-yard kick return that set up a Paul McCallum
field goal, and McCallum booted three field goals to go 3-3 on the
night.
COACHING: B-
The coaches did what they could, but the big story here is mental
mistakes by the players themselves. Whatever adjustments the
Outlaws attempted to make during halftime failed to take hold with
the players.
ANALYSIS
The Outlaws are like a good salesperson that gets everyone excited
about a great deal, but then leave you hanging by failing to close
the deal. The second-half Outlaws are not the same as the
first-half Outlaws, and they desperately need to discover how to
play solid, mistake-free football in the second half; the games
are four quarters long, not two or three. It is plausible
that many players may be adversely affected by a flu bug, as several
players did miss practice during the week, and this may be the underlying
story of the Outlaws loss. But, the Outlaws still have a lot
of work to do on trying to not only develop more offense, but also
figuring out how to convert on critical third-down plays. |
| |
| |
|
|
