Post by Carolina on Jul 3, 2006 22:11:18 GMT -5
It has been an interesting half a season for the Colonels so far. The Colonels began the season with high hopes of erasing last years horrible 2-10 record. Unfortunately, those hopes didn't come true as the team began the year with an 0-4 record. During that time period, the offense could only manage one touchdown, with the rest of the points coming from the leg of Kicker Micheal Husted, and one safety by Defensive End George Gause. 3 of those losses came against what many consider to be elite teams, Dallas, Kansas City and Jacksonville. The loss to Jacksonville was the obvious low point for the Colonels, as they were destroyed 30-2 at the hands of the Predators. Ironically, the next week would represent the best game of the year so far, as the Colonels beat division rivals Orlando 38-27 to give the Colonels their first win of the season. The Colonels followed up with a 23-18 win over New York, and currently sit at 2-4 which is good enough for a 3rd place tie with the Washington Glory in the East Division.
3 Biggest News Stories in first half of season.
1. Head Coach Norm Chow: Is he on hot seat or not?
Many fans have been quite upset with the lack of offensive production, and there was an especially high amount of anger directed toward Chow after the Colonels loss to Jacksonville. After the game many fans expressed the idea that Chow should resign or be fired. According to Owner and General Manager Daniel Casey, nothing will be looked at until after the season, and that includes the contracts of players and coaches. So with that in mind, all we can do is wait and see what the rest of the season will bring.
2. The Lackluster Offense.
The Colonels offensive problems are known league round. As a matter of fact, the offense was in dead last in most categories for the first 4 weeks of the year. The most disappointing stat was the one touchdown in four games. What makes this lack of offense even worse is the fact that Head Coach Norm Chow is considered to be one of the best offensive coaches in all of football. Of course, the biggest problem has been the Quarterback position, but part of that is the fact that Rob Johnson was hurt for the first three weeks, and now it appears that he is back on track.
3. Quarterback and Corner back changes
As mentioned before, the Quarterback position has been the one spot that seems to have put a hold on the Colonels offense. It started when Rob Johnson went down with an injury on the first offensive play of the year against Dallas. Kyle Orton, in his second year out of Purdue stepped in and did an average job against both Dallas and Washington. Unfortunately for Orton, he ran into the Kansas City Monarchs, and ended his time as starting QB by throwing 6 interceptions in the 23-6 loss. Rob Johnson stepped in the next week against Jacksonville and played nothing like the way that got him the starting nod in preseason as he only completed 43 percent of his passes in the 30-2 blowout. Johnson seems to have fixed his problem as he has had two great games back to back and ironically both games have been Colonels wins. The Corner back position has been a revolving door since preseason when Nickel back Micheal Waddell went out with a season ending injury. Then highly touted free agent Brian Williams sent down against Dallas, and had to miss a couple of weeks. During this time, Joey Eloms and Jason Bray were shouldering the responsibility of shutting down their opposing receivers. The problem was that it seemed not to matter who the Corners were, as the Colonels continued to be among the worst in the league in the number of passing touchdowns given up. In recent weeks, veteran Willie Williams has been added to the roster in hopes of improving the depth in the defensive backfield.
Mid Season MVP'S
Mid Season Offensive MVP- RB Jason Brookins
On a team that has struggled to move the ball and score points as much as the Colonels have, Jason Brookins has been the most consistent threat. He has rushed for 508 yards on 81 carries for a cool 6.3 avg and 3 touchdowns. He is more than just a rushing threat, as he is also the team's leading receiver with 28 catches for 252 yards. He has had back to back 100 yard games, and he took much pleasure in running over his former teammates from New York. There is no doubt that the Colonels will go as far as Brookins legs will carry them.
Mid Season Co-Defensive MVP's- LB Lee Jackson and DE George Gause.
While it was pretty easy to choose one MVP for the Offense, it was a little harder for the defensive side of the ball. So, two players were chosen, Outside Linebacker Lee Jackson, and Defensive End George Gause. Jackson has been the heart and soul of not just the Colonels defense, but the entire team. He as consistently made big plays with none bigger than his 62 yard interception return for a touchdown that sealed the Colonels win over the Orlando Rage in Week 5. His team high 56 tackles ranks him in the top ten of the league, and he is on pace to have an all-star year.
George Gause is in his second year out of the University of South Carolina, and he is already establishing himself as one of the premier Defensive Ends in the league. He leads the team with 7 sacks, and is on pace to get 14 for the year. His pressure on the QB has allowed the rest of the Colonels defense to make plays.
Outlook for the rest of the year:
While the Colonels 2nd half schedule is not as tough as the first half, there are still several big games. Of course the three division games are the most important, and with two of those at home, there is a good chance for some wins. The remainder of the non-division games includes a match up next week against winless Pittsburgh, a trip to Sin City to take on the Las Vegas Outlaws, and a home game against the Seattle Reign. Even though the Colonels are 2-4, there are still 6 games to play, and there is a chance the team could compete for the division if the cards fall right. Whatever the case may be, one can only hope for more exciting XFL football in the second half of the 2006 season.