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By Andrew Levy -- A year ago the Los Angeles Avengers were opening the season after a disappointing five win campaign. This year they do so after a nine win season and a postseason victory. The New Orleans VooDoo can look across the sideline for proof that a team can turn its fortunes around in a hurry.
The Avengers host the VooDoo this Friday to open the 2008 season. Coming off their own 5-11 season, New Orleans will look to make an Avengers-like turnaround. Meanwhile, the Avengers look to build on their first playoff win in franchise history. Though it seems the two teams should have different expectations, like every team, their goal is the same.
"Our ultimate goal is to win ArenaBowl," said Los Angeles coach Ed Hodgkiss, "but it starts with New Orleans and we want to be very good at home this year."
If that goal is to be reached, the road for the Avengers would not only start with New Orleans, but it would also end there. ArenaBowl XXII will be held in New Orleans, giving the VooDoo a chance to play at home if they were to reach the championship game.
"No question we use that as motivation," said New Orleans coach Mike Neu. "It can be done. There have been quick turnarounds in not just Arena Football, but in any sport."
While the ultimate goal may be the same with every team, how they go about achieving that goal will undoubtedly be different. Los Angeles heads into the game after an offseason where they added to their key pieces from last season. New Orleans, on the other hand, had a busy offseason, making a number of moves to improve several positions.
"We are definitely going to use it for momentum," Hodgkiss said about the Avengers' playoff win. "It's a monkey off our back...We feel like we've kept our players that got us that far last year and upgraded our team through free agency as well. So by doing that, hopefully we can get a little bit further."
One such upgrade was the one made to an already solid receiving corps. The Avengers added WR Timon Marshall to a group that returns Kevin Ingram and Rob Turner. The addition gives Los Angeles three 1,000 yard receivers.
"Our receivers are very talented," Hodgkiss said. "We've added a couple guys, Timon Marshall specifically, with great speed, which we probably didn't have in the past. We feel like he'll really stretch the field."
Marshall also provides a huge boost on special teams. "We went from being the worst in the league in kickoff returns to getting the best kick returner in the league," Hodgkiss said. "We're excited about improving that aspect of our team and he's a threat every time he gets the ball off the net."
Trying to stop Marshall and the Avenger wide receivers will be a revamped VooDoo defense. Perhaps the biggest addition, in a New Orleans offseason that saw many, was DB Lin-J Shell.
"Getting Lin-J Shell was a big addition," said Neu. "He played for one of the best defenses in the league with the Orlando Predators. He's got a good feel for the game. He's a very physical player, solid tackler and good in coverage."
Neu said that the team upgraded in every spot they could. He noted the additions of wide receivers like Chris Horn. Neu said players like Horn will be counted on even more with the loss of free-agent acquisition Derrick Lewis. Lewis, signed in the offseason from Austin, recorded 1,903 receiving yards and 41 touchdowns last season, but was injured in training camp in what his coach called a "freak injury."
"It'll be important for the whole group of wide receivers to step up," Neu said. "I think [the Lewis injury] has made the team that much closer. They've really rallied around each other. We're going to spread the ball around. There's no one guy who you can really say is our go-to guy. It'll be more like a wide receiver by committee."
Helping to ease the loss of Lewis and looking to spread the ball around will be second year QB Steve Bellisari, who threw for 47 touchdowns and just 12 interceptions, starting in just five games last season. Neu credited Bellisari for his increased leadership and game management skills heading into this season.
"He knows he doesn't always have to make the big play," Neu said. "His overall leadership, on and off the field, has been great...He's also dropped 15 pounds. Not that he had to or that it was an issue, but it shows he's been working hard and is focused."
Both coaches said that they have had a strong focus on red zone play during training camp. Much of that is due to the new rule change that allows the Jack linebacker to roam more freely sideline to sideline.
"I think everyone in this league is probably doing the same thing - trying hard to develop some things to do down there [in the red zone] as far as running the ball," Hodgkiss said. "With the new rule allowing the Jack linebacker to get out of the box, it's going to make it a lot tougher to throw the ball into the end zone when you're very close, so we've been working very hard on our run game down there."
Neu said that one of the keys to beating Los Angeles will be limiting their big plays. This early in the season it is difficult to rely on game film because the only film available is from last year. In addition to old Avengers games, Neu said that the team will watch film on individual players who are new to the team and played for a different team last season. To make things even more difficult for the coaches, there is no film to scout how an opponent will use the Jack linebacker in their defensive schemes.
"Especially early in the season, you have to rely on fundamentals," Neu said. "You have to rely on what you see in training camp. You can't change your whole game plan. That's where you might have to make in-game adjustments [with the play of the Jack linebacker]."
Sufficient game film or not, the 2008 season will kickoff Friday night when New Orleans travels to Los Angeles. The VooDoo will look to start the season on a positive note after an unsuccessful season last year. The Avengers have been there before, having posted an identical 5-11 record in 2006, before winning a playoff game last season.
Heading into the opener, it is obvious Los Angeles is focused on taking their success to the next level.
"We've got a tough stretch of some away games after that opening home game so we'd love to get off to a great start and get ahead of the schedule a little bit," said Los Angeles coach Ed Hodgkiss. "But it's definitely a marathon...We want to win enough games to get home field advantage throughout the playoffs, so that all starts with the first game."
On the other sideline, New Orleans would love to bypass the initial step the Avengers took last year and head straight for the ArenaBowl.
"Playing in the ArenaBowl at home would be one of those things that'd be hard to describe," New Orleans coach Mike Neu said. "One of those things too good to be true. It'd almost be like I'd have to pinch myself to believe it."
