Post by fwp on Apr 3, 2010 6:17:57 GMT -5
www.lacrossetribune.com/sports/article_d7006c16-3edb-11df-baa9-001cc4c03286.html
Gilbert Brown has placed the responsibility on their shoulders.
Brown, the La Crosse Spartans' coach, wants tonight's home opener against the Omaha Beef to go well. He wants to have the right game plan in place so the expansion Spartans (0-3) pick up their first win.
Executing that game plan, says Brown, will be up to his players.
"I'm not the one out there playing. They're the ones out there playing," Brown said. "The guys we have on this team have got to gel with each other."
Here's how a team that's been outscored 150-45 this season can make that happen:
Staying focused
Opening the season with three straight road games was difficult for La Crosse. So was playing three teams (Wichita, Green Bay, Sioux Falls) with a combined record of 10-2.
But Brown also knows "mental mistakes" - e.g. missed tackles, interceptions, going 1-for-12 on field-goal attempts - have plagued La Crosse. Clean up the mistakes, says Brown, and the Spartans will be in a much better place.
"The guys are learning," Brown said. "We played better against Sioux Falls (a 45-13 loss on Sunday). Now, the players just need to find the niche and keep going."
Consistency on offense
The Spartans, who are averaging 11.3 points and 79.8 yards a game, have yet to click on offense. It hasn’t helped that La Crosse has used three different starting quarterbacks.
Kewan Dewberry, who will make his second start tonight, hopes to be the one who gets the offense going.
Dewberry, who played in af2 with the Lexington Horsemen in 2007 and ‘08, slowly is getting more comfortable with his new team. He knows he’s surrounded by the likes of WR Antonio Overstreet (9 catches, 133 yds., 2 TDs) and RB Ulysses Odom, the IFL’s leading scorer last season with the El Paso Generals.
Now, Dewberry hopes he and the rest of the offense will be in sync.
“The more confident this team is, the more confident I’m going to be,” said Dewberry, who was 7-for-19 for 76 yards against Sioux Falls. “Going into this week, I do feel pretty confident about our chances.”
Stronger defense
Spartans safety Paul Simpson glanced at the statistics. And he had to admit, the numbers weren’t half bad.
Yards allowed by La Crosse per game: 185.3. Passing yards allowed per game: 124.8. Rushing yards allowed per game: 60.5. Plus, the Spartans have one of the IFL’s top tacklers in LB Blake Freese (28).
Still, Simpson knew the number that mattered — namely, 37.5 points allowed per game — was unacceptable. And he knew the Spartans’ defense would face another tough challenge tonight from Omaha, a team that averages 49 points a game, and QB Ben Sankey (46-for-71, 536 yds., 12 TDs, 3 INTs).
“We’ve got a great defensive line, and they’ll be a big key to (tonight’s game),” said Simpson, who has 17 tackles and an interception. “We’ve got to force Sankey out of his element and make him throw bad balls.”
HOME OPENER
La Crosse Spartans (0-3) vs. Omaha Beef (1-2),
7:30 p.m. today, La Crosse Center
Gilbert Brown has placed the responsibility on their shoulders.
Brown, the La Crosse Spartans' coach, wants tonight's home opener against the Omaha Beef to go well. He wants to have the right game plan in place so the expansion Spartans (0-3) pick up their first win.
Executing that game plan, says Brown, will be up to his players.
"I'm not the one out there playing. They're the ones out there playing," Brown said. "The guys we have on this team have got to gel with each other."
Here's how a team that's been outscored 150-45 this season can make that happen:
Staying focused
Opening the season with three straight road games was difficult for La Crosse. So was playing three teams (Wichita, Green Bay, Sioux Falls) with a combined record of 10-2.
But Brown also knows "mental mistakes" - e.g. missed tackles, interceptions, going 1-for-12 on field-goal attempts - have plagued La Crosse. Clean up the mistakes, says Brown, and the Spartans will be in a much better place.
"The guys are learning," Brown said. "We played better against Sioux Falls (a 45-13 loss on Sunday). Now, the players just need to find the niche and keep going."
Consistency on offense
The Spartans, who are averaging 11.3 points and 79.8 yards a game, have yet to click on offense. It hasn’t helped that La Crosse has used three different starting quarterbacks.
Kewan Dewberry, who will make his second start tonight, hopes to be the one who gets the offense going.
Dewberry, who played in af2 with the Lexington Horsemen in 2007 and ‘08, slowly is getting more comfortable with his new team. He knows he’s surrounded by the likes of WR Antonio Overstreet (9 catches, 133 yds., 2 TDs) and RB Ulysses Odom, the IFL’s leading scorer last season with the El Paso Generals.
Now, Dewberry hopes he and the rest of the offense will be in sync.
“The more confident this team is, the more confident I’m going to be,” said Dewberry, who was 7-for-19 for 76 yards against Sioux Falls. “Going into this week, I do feel pretty confident about our chances.”
Stronger defense
Spartans safety Paul Simpson glanced at the statistics. And he had to admit, the numbers weren’t half bad.
Yards allowed by La Crosse per game: 185.3. Passing yards allowed per game: 124.8. Rushing yards allowed per game: 60.5. Plus, the Spartans have one of the IFL’s top tacklers in LB Blake Freese (28).
Still, Simpson knew the number that mattered — namely, 37.5 points allowed per game — was unacceptable. And he knew the Spartans’ defense would face another tough challenge tonight from Omaha, a team that averages 49 points a game, and QB Ben Sankey (46-for-71, 536 yds., 12 TDs, 3 INTs).
“We’ve got a great defensive line, and they’ll be a big key to (tonight’s game),” said Simpson, who has 17 tackles and an interception. “We’ve got to force Sankey out of his element and make him throw bad balls.”
HOME OPENER
La Crosse Spartans (0-3) vs. Omaha Beef (1-2),
7:30 p.m. today, La Crosse Center