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Game 7: March 17, 2001
Birmingham Bolts at Las Vegas Outlaws |
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Game
Stats | Game
Boxscore
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SUMMARY
 A
huge win for the Outlaws tonight, as they improve to 4-3 and their
offense finally came to life against the Birmingham Bolts; they
were without star running back Rod Smart (#30, aka "He Hate
Me"), who was out with a knee injury. Although the team
struggled in the first half, they came out with a vengeance in the
second half, something they haven't done all season. Tonight
also marks the first time that an Outlaws quarterback threw for
more than 2 touchdowns in a game, as Ryan Clement (#16) threw for
3, and completed 13 of 22 passes. This was a critical performance
for the Outlaws, as it marked the last chance to get their offense
in gear before facing their three division rivals to close out the
season, and still remain optimistic about the postseason.
Also featured tonight was the unveiling of the official naming of
the Outlaws' league-leading defense; over 1,000 fans submitted entries
for consideration, and the winning title was "Dealers of Doom".
The Outlaws are 7-0 on the season in recovering opening scrambles,
and tonight's duty was handled by CB Kory Blackwell (#24).
Kory recovered the scramble in style, and the Outlaws chose to receive.
On their opening drive, however, they started off with their usual
lackluster style, going three-and-out, and with Clement being sacked.
A series of penalties and short completions found the Bolts first-and-goal
on the Outlaws' 1-yard line, but the Dealers of Doom stopped Bolts
RB James Bostic (#33) twice on short runs up the middle. On
third-and-goal, the Dealers again stopped Bostic short, and as he
tried to reach the ball over the goal line, LB Mike Crawford (#44)
knocked the ball out of his hands. The ball was picked up
by CB Jamel Williams (#28) on the 1-yard line, and he ran it back
99 yards for the first score of the game. The PAT failed,
and the score was 6-0 Outlaws. The Bolts responded by a series
of short completions and found themselves again within scoring range,
but held to a field goal to make the score 6-3.
In the second quarter, the Outlaws struggled again on offense, but
they were helped by a 60+yard punt return by WR Yo Murphy (#88)
that put the Outlaws deep in Bolts territory. This resulted
in a 19-yard touchdown toss from Ryan Clement to WR Todd Floyd (#81).
Floyd was recently back in the starting lineup after concussion
problems suffered several games ago. The PAT failed again,
and the Outlaws led 12-3. The Dealers of Doom seemed to adjust
to the Bolts offense quickly, as they stifled them throughout the
second quarter, and indeed, the rest of the game. On the next
Outlaws offensive drive, Ryan Clement found himself under pressure
and made a bad throw that was intercepted by Bolts DB Eric Sloan
(#37), and taken back 70 yards for a touchdown. The Outlaws'
lead was now reduced to 12-9, at which it remained into halftime.
During the first half, Ryan Clement seemed to be rushing himself,
and failing to scan the entire field before throwing. His
protection could have been better, but for the most part he did
not seem comfortable while throwing. In a post-game interview,
he even mentioned this, and said that during halftime he made a
conscious effort to relax, concentrate, and make better reads.
He took a shot to the chin that left his face bloody, and this was
bandaged up during the break. When asked if this was the cause
of his rattle, he said he wasn't sure, but he did realize that he
needed to step up and improve his game if the Outlaws were to have
any chance in the second half. During the first half, the
Outlaws offense again seemed to shoot themselves in the foot with
penalties and failures to convert third downs. The Outlaws
were using RB Ben Snell (#33, aka "Thoro") with some success
between the tackles, and RB Chris Chukwuma (#22, aka "Chuckwagon")
outside the tackles with very limited success. The Outlaws
were struggling with the run in short-yardage situations, as they
failed to make either PAT in the first half with Snell runs.
The second half opened horribly for the Outlaws offense, as they
quickly found themselves backed up to their own goal line after
some of their trademarked penalties and miscues; Clement then fumbled
to give the Bolts a first-and-goal on the 3-yard line. However,
the Dealers of Doom lived up to their new name and held the Bolts
to a field goal, tying the game 12-12. On the following offensive
possession, the Outlaws showed nothing new and punted short; it
was recovered by S Jason Kaiser (#35) at the Bolts' 48-yard line,
and the Outlaws capped this spark with a 9-yard touchdown pass from
Clement to TE Rickey Brady (#86), who leveled DB Sloan (#37) in
the endzone, a fit of payback for Sloan's earlier pick. Since
the earlier PAT's involved Snell runs between the tackles, this
time it was a Clement pass to a wide-open WR Yo Murphy (#88) to
make the score 19-12, Outlaws. This drive seemed to spark
the Outlaws offense, as they managed to subsequently mount several
successful drives and finally convert critical third-downs.
On the Bolts' next possession, the Dealers of Doom struck yet again,
forcing a QB Jay Barker (#7) fumble that was recovered by DE Antonio
Edwards (#95) in Bolts territory. During the next drive, Chukwuma
broke free outside and galloped down the sidelines to near the Bolts
20. The Outlaws then scored another touchdown with a Clement
pass to Murphy; the PAT failed, and the score was notched up to
25-12. The Bolts offense vaporized under the constant Dealers
of Doom pressure, and on the next Outlaws possession they had to
settle for a Paul McCallum (#17) 33-yard field goal, and the score
increased to 28-12. The Outlaws caught a lucky break here
too, as during a Chukwuma return of a Bolts punt, he fumbled in
Outlaws territory, but it was negated by a Bolts penalty (player
illegally downfield). On the Bolts' final offensive drive,
S Chris Bayne (#20) was called for defensive holding, and this appeared
to give the Bolts some life; but, on the next play Bayne vindicated
himself by intercepting Barker's pass and running it into the endzone
for a touchdown. The final score became Outlaws 34, Bolts
12.
The Outlaws defense came back to life, holding the Bolts to just
61 total net offensive yards, RB Bostic to just 6 net rushing yards,
recording seven more sacks, and scoring 12 points. Most impressive
were the two goal-line stands by the Dealers of Doom, in which they
kept the Bolts out of the endzone both times, with a total of six
plays ran either on or close to the 1-yard line. The
Bolts offense managed to score only 6 points, with the additional
6 coming from an Eric Sloan interception return. The Outlaws
also managed to finally turn on their offense, and in the second
half at that, at last figuring out how to convert third downs into
firsts. Previously, the Outlaws would manage big plays on
first or second downs, but then misfire on a third down and fail
to convert it.
OUTLAWS GRADES:
OFFENSE: B+
The offense struggled in the first half, and appeared headed in
the same direction as they had in every previous game. However,
they finally woke up in the second half and played magnificently,
finally discovering how to convert third downs into firsts.
Clement was 13 for 22, with one interception and 3 touchdowns.
Snell and Chukwuma posted modest numbers, but both played solidly
and held on to the ball. Improvements can still be made on
the offensive line's pass protection, as well as run-blocking in
short-yardage/short-field situations; they will have to step up
their level of play next week against Los Angeles if they hope to
have a chance of winning. Clement will also have to settle
down and concentrate on reading the entire field, as he did in the
second half; his fumbling and interceptions will be exploited by
a very opportunistic Xtreme team. However, much credit is
due to Clement, as he is playing with a broken left pinky, and this
is hindering his grip on the ball; he even blamed his fumble on
this. He also took quite a shot to the chin that will require
stitches, his throwing shoulder still isn't healed 100%, and his
hip, knee, and ankle are bothering him. Clement demonstrated
that he is a warrior, but this should serve as a call to action
for the offensive line to better protect him.
DEFENSE:
A
A solid, outstanding performance by the Dealers of Doom, as they
lived up to their new nickname. They held Jay Barker to 141
total yards, and the Bolts offense to only 61 net yards on the night.
Bostic was held to just 6 net rushing yards on 18 carries, as well
as the afore-mentioned magnificent goal-line stands. Barker
was sacked 7 times, giving the Dealers 31 total sacks on the year.
Barker was also knocked down nearly 20 times throughout the game,
as the Dealers of Doom collapsed the Bolts' protection nearly every
play. WR Stepfret Williams (#80) was covered on nearly every
play, and largely taken out of the game for Barker; in fact, the
secondary played magnificently the entire game, overcoming their
deficiencies in the previous two games. The Dealers also added
12 more points to their scoring on the year, leading the league
in yet another category. The Dealers will have to play at
this level, or better, next week against a high-scoring and very
talented Xtreme offense.
SPECIAL TEAMS: A+
Kory Blackwell recovers the opening scramble to extend the streak
to 7-0 for the Outlaws' regular season, Paul McCallum makes his
only field goal attempt to go 10-13 on the season, Jason Kaiser
recovers a McCallum punt in Bolts territory that results in an Outlaws
touchdown drive, a 60+yard punt return by Yo Murphy that set up
another Outlaws touchdown, and good coverage of kicks and punts
made the special teams shine tonight.
COACHING:
A
Solid coaching with good calls, and helping the players to accept
the adjustments made during the game, proved to be the winning strategy
for the coaches.
ANALYSIS
Although this game was not a statistical necessity for the Outlaws
to make and survive the postseason, it was absolutely necessary
for them to discover how to play four quarters of offense.
Next week against the Los Angeles Xtreme will be the deciding factor
for the Outlaws' postseason survival chances, as the Xtreme are
rightfully in the lead atop the Western Division. For the
Outlaws to have any chance of rivaling the Xtreme for not only first
place, but postseason survival, they absolutely had to get their
offense on track during this game against the Bolts. The Dealers
of Doom also had to tighten their game up, as it appeared the the
elimination of the bump-and-run rule might spell disaster for the
Outlaws secondary. But, on both sides of the ball they answered
the challenge and won handily.
Areas that still need improvement are: pass protection; short-yardage/short-field
run blocking; improved third-down conversion rates; and decrease
penalties. They did manage to address the third-down conversions
and penalties, as improvements were made in both areas, but there
still remains room for further improvements. In particular,
the Outlaws offense needs to improve their short-yardage/short-field
performance, as evidenced by the PAT failures; if they are forced
into goal-line offenses against the Xtreme, they will absolutely
have to score touchdowns (and not field goals) to win.
Overall, a very impressive win by the Outlaws, as well as a very
solid and consistent performance, and one leaving fans anxious to
see if they can remain at this level (or even higher) next week
in a critical game at Los Angeles. |
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