Post by Banana Cat on Jun 3, 2011 4:13:33 GMT -5
From LFL360:
ALL-STARS TAKE THE RISK IN LAS VEGAS
For some hopeful tryouts of the Las Vegas Sin, it’s another shot to regain the feeling of playing in the LFL they love and lost. For others, it’s a new opportunity to prove they still belong in a league that has flourished with talent over the last few years. For most, trying out for the Las Vegas Sin is a gamble worth the risk. And for a coach who is inheriting the most talented group of players to ever grace the LFL field, the stakes are high.
Tasha Pryor, Linda Brenner, Sarah Swanson, Taira Turley, and Laurel Creel. These are just some of the superstar talents who MIGHT be wearing a Sin uniform this year.
Might being the key word. With a potential player list full of superstars who once carried their former teams, being a star is no longer the biggest question flowing through these player’s minds. Just being on the team is.
Take Linda Brenner, once ALl-LFL Quarterback of the Dallas Desire, who had a breakout year in 2009 followed by a less than stellar 2010 season. The once superstar of the LFL is now forced to battle for position with Seattle’s former up-and-comer, Laurel Creel.
Sin coach Chris Wray hopes that both can make the squad, “I hope to see both have some time on the field this year,” Wray said in an interview with 360, but the quiet confidence that once surrounded Brenner is now more humbled. When asked about her move to Vegas, Brenner only responded with: “Maybe.”
And this is precisely the problem the Sin faces this season. Too much of a good thing, too much talent, excess in the city of excess.
Coach Wray knows all too well the fine-line between a good team and too much of a good thing. “Yes, we have been blessed with some great players,” Wray stated, “but we still have get them to play together. Most of them are from teams where they had to carry the load. Now they have to learn to trust each other and just play ball.”
And the bigger problem is: getting the Sin to perform as a team and MAKE it to the playoffs would only live up to lowest of fan expectations.The pressure to perform with this much talent, and expectations that are already “Playoffs or bust,” means a championship may be the only satisfying end to their debut season.
And let’s not forget, the LA Temptation are in their conference. The Sin are going have to go through the 2-time defending champs to even have a shot at the title.
Like the Yankees of the MLB, the Celtics and Heat of the NBA, expectations are high for a team that inherits as much talent as the Las Vegas Sin. There will be heartbreak for some of yesteryear’s LFL All-Stars trying out. There will be turmoil at first, and winning is not going to be easy for Vegas. But if they can turn an All-Star group into an All-Star team then we may be looking at the making of a dynasty.
For some hopeful tryouts of the Las Vegas Sin, it’s another shot to regain the feeling of playing in the LFL they love and lost. For others, it’s a new opportunity to prove they still belong in a league that has flourished with talent over the last few years. For most, trying out for the Las Vegas Sin is a gamble worth the risk. And for a coach who is inheriting the most talented group of players to ever grace the LFL field, the stakes are high.
Tasha Pryor, Linda Brenner, Sarah Swanson, Taira Turley, and Laurel Creel. These are just some of the superstar talents who MIGHT be wearing a Sin uniform this year.
Might being the key word. With a potential player list full of superstars who once carried their former teams, being a star is no longer the biggest question flowing through these player’s minds. Just being on the team is.
Take Linda Brenner, once ALl-LFL Quarterback of the Dallas Desire, who had a breakout year in 2009 followed by a less than stellar 2010 season. The once superstar of the LFL is now forced to battle for position with Seattle’s former up-and-comer, Laurel Creel.
Sin coach Chris Wray hopes that both can make the squad, “I hope to see both have some time on the field this year,” Wray said in an interview with 360, but the quiet confidence that once surrounded Brenner is now more humbled. When asked about her move to Vegas, Brenner only responded with: “Maybe.”
And this is precisely the problem the Sin faces this season. Too much of a good thing, too much talent, excess in the city of excess.
Coach Wray knows all too well the fine-line between a good team and too much of a good thing. “Yes, we have been blessed with some great players,” Wray stated, “but we still have get them to play together. Most of them are from teams where they had to carry the load. Now they have to learn to trust each other and just play ball.”
And the bigger problem is: getting the Sin to perform as a team and MAKE it to the playoffs would only live up to lowest of fan expectations.The pressure to perform with this much talent, and expectations that are already “Playoffs or bust,” means a championship may be the only satisfying end to their debut season.
And let’s not forget, the LA Temptation are in their conference. The Sin are going have to go through the 2-time defending champs to even have a shot at the title.
Like the Yankees of the MLB, the Celtics and Heat of the NBA, expectations are high for a team that inherits as much talent as the Las Vegas Sin. There will be heartbreak for some of yesteryear’s LFL All-Stars trying out. There will be turmoil at first, and winning is not going to be easy for Vegas. But if they can turn an All-Star group into an All-Star team then we may be looking at the making of a dynasty.