Post by Banana Cat on Mar 30, 2011 5:44:25 GMT -5
[/img]trib.com/sports/football/article_c8b45f45-595e-500a-a649-29d8ee7ccd94.html
Cavs adjust to new league
By JACK NOWLIN Star-Tribune staff writer
March 28, 2011
The first noticeable difference came in the opening game.
The Wyoming Cavalry, playing their inaugural season in the Indoor Football League after spending the previous three years in the American Indoor Football Association, lost their season opener to the Colorado Ice on March 6.
It marked the first time the Cavs, who had advanced to the AIFA championship game each of the past three years, had been under .500 in at least seven years.
“There’s no doubt the level of competition [in the IFL] is better week in and week out,” Cavs coach Dan Maciejczak said before a recent practice. “We’re not going to be facing those teams that are falling apart where we’re going to get those 40- and 50-point wins.”
Those margins of victories were commonplace the past few years, with the Cavs topping the 80-point mark on four occasions and averaging more than 50 points per game during their three-year AIFA run.
The Cavs averaged just 33.5 points per game in their first two IFL games, but Maciejczak and the returning players believe that’s more a result of rule changes than the team’s shift in personnel.
The major change is in the defensive backfield.
The IFL defense calls for four defensive backs - two safeties and two cornerbacks - and a linebacker matching up against three receivers. The AIFA defense, on the other hand, had three defensive backs and two linebackers that had to stay within a five-yard box of the center prior to the ball being snapped.
“It took a little time with the spacing on defense and figuring out all the different defensive players that could move,” Cavs veteran defensive lineman Tomasi Kongaika said. “But we’re starting to get back to how we played in 2007 with the [National Indoor Football League] rules.
“I like this league a lot better because it’s a lot more like outdoor [football] where everybody is able to move around on defense.”
Obviously, the constantly shifting defense puts more pressure on the offense.
And with a first-year quarterback in Joe McLain and a number of new receivers, the Cavs offense is still finding its way.
But veteran Cavs wideout BJ Charlton has already seen McLain and the offense making progress.
“As receivers, we’re seeing a lot more man-to-man [defense],” Charlton said. “Over the last couple of years, we saw a lot of zone, so I think now we’re more able to take advantage of our individual talents.
“I think we’re working more as a unit on offense.”
The other big change for the Cavs this season is the addition of a kicker, which the team didn’t carry in years past.
Already, former Buffalo and Chadron State (Neb.) College standout Travis Atter has made a difference.
He had three field goals in the Cavs’ 37-34 victory over the Amarillo (Texas) Venom on March 18.
“I think suiting up a kicker this year was a good deal for us,” Maciejczak said. “Overall, it’s kind of fun to get back to the rules we had when I broke into the game.
“It’s fun to get back to a lot of the old things we used to do instead of trying to figure out how to change for the AIFA.
“It’s different, but it’s fun at the same time.”
And that’s one thing that hasn’t changed for the Cavs.
By JACK NOWLIN Star-Tribune staff writer
March 28, 2011
Cavalry tracker
SUNDAY: Wyoming at Arizona (n).
RECORDS: Cavalry (1-1, 0-1 Mountain West Division); Adrenaline (0-3, 0-1 Mountain West).
CH-CH-CHANGES: The Cavs have added a kicker and had to adjust to rule changes in their first year in the Indoor Football League.
HE SAID IT: "I like this league a lot better because it's a lot more like outdoor [football] where everybody is able to move around on defense." - Cavs defensive lineman Tomasi Kongaika.
NEXT: Arizona at Wyoming, 7:05 p.m., Friday.
The first noticeable difference came in the opening game.
The Wyoming Cavalry, playing their inaugural season in the Indoor Football League after spending the previous three years in the American Indoor Football Association, lost their season opener to the Colorado Ice on March 6.
It marked the first time the Cavs, who had advanced to the AIFA championship game each of the past three years, had been under .500 in at least seven years.
“There’s no doubt the level of competition [in the IFL] is better week in and week out,” Cavs coach Dan Maciejczak said before a recent practice. “We’re not going to be facing those teams that are falling apart where we’re going to get those 40- and 50-point wins.”
Those margins of victories were commonplace the past few years, with the Cavs topping the 80-point mark on four occasions and averaging more than 50 points per game during their three-year AIFA run.
The Cavs averaged just 33.5 points per game in their first two IFL games, but Maciejczak and the returning players believe that’s more a result of rule changes than the team’s shift in personnel.
The major change is in the defensive backfield.
The IFL defense calls for four defensive backs - two safeties and two cornerbacks - and a linebacker matching up against three receivers. The AIFA defense, on the other hand, had three defensive backs and two linebackers that had to stay within a five-yard box of the center prior to the ball being snapped.
“It took a little time with the spacing on defense and figuring out all the different defensive players that could move,” Cavs veteran defensive lineman Tomasi Kongaika said. “But we’re starting to get back to how we played in 2007 with the [National Indoor Football League] rules.
“I like this league a lot better because it’s a lot more like outdoor [football] where everybody is able to move around on defense.”
Obviously, the constantly shifting defense puts more pressure on the offense.
And with a first-year quarterback in Joe McLain and a number of new receivers, the Cavs offense is still finding its way.
But veteran Cavs wideout BJ Charlton has already seen McLain and the offense making progress.
“As receivers, we’re seeing a lot more man-to-man [defense],” Charlton said. “Over the last couple of years, we saw a lot of zone, so I think now we’re more able to take advantage of our individual talents.
“I think we’re working more as a unit on offense.”
The other big change for the Cavs this season is the addition of a kicker, which the team didn’t carry in years past.
Already, former Buffalo and Chadron State (Neb.) College standout Travis Atter has made a difference.
He had three field goals in the Cavs’ 37-34 victory over the Amarillo (Texas) Venom on March 18.
“I think suiting up a kicker this year was a good deal for us,” Maciejczak said. “Overall, it’s kind of fun to get back to the rules we had when I broke into the game.
“It’s fun to get back to a lot of the old things we used to do instead of trying to figure out how to change for the AIFA.
“It’s different, but it’s fun at the same time.”
And that’s one thing that hasn’t changed for the Cavs.