The
"Grill"
Miscellaneous
Coach's Forum
February 15, 2004
Coach Grieb:
Coach's Corner First of all, no injuries to report. We came in against a very good Mudfish team, arguably the best in league, and we knew we needed this game. We just came up short. We made a few mistakes, especially at the end of the first half, and that is my fault. I thought our team came out strong in the fourth quarter, and I felt we really had them on the ropes. Good teams find ways to win, and unfortunately for us, we haven't been able to find those ways to win lately. Still, I think overall we had a lot to build on with this game, and now we have to focus on making things happen against the Salty Dogz.
1st question: What happened to your defense on the last drive?
Coach Grieb - I thought we did all we could to hold them out of the endzone. We knew a field goal wasn't going to be enough for them, and they needed a touchdown. With zero time outs left, we knew it was going to be tough for them to march down the field, but Jay Fiedler proved why he is a big-time starting quarterback. I thought we picked the right play on that touchdown, but our guys weren't able to make the play they needed to make.
2nd question - How do you think Drew Brees played today?
Coach Grieb - Considering that we were hoping not to have to throw the ball as much today, and having to change our game plan in the second half, I think he did fairly well, much better than last week. I think he would've liked to have that interception back at the end of the first half, but overall he did well. He drove us down the field masterfully on the last two touchdowns.
3rd question -Why weren't you able to run the ball as successfully this time around?
Coach Grieb - This run defense that the Mudfish have is top-notch. We knew it would be difficult to run against them, but we thought we would be able run. Unfortunately, we didn't have much success.
4th question - 4 losses is difficult to overcome. What does your team have to do to change their fortunes?
Coach Grieb - A big thing is that we are not winning the turnover battle. Our offense turned the ball over twice today, and the Mudfish were able to convert. We couldn't get the interception at the end, actually on a couple of plays. Turnovers will kill you, especially in close games.
Question 5 - What can you expect from the Salty Dogz?
Coach Grieb - We can expect fireworks. We know they run a similar offense to that of the Shamrocks, but they run a little more frequently. We can't afford to get into a shoot-out with them, so we have to concentrate on ball control - something we weren't able to do today.