Gladiators hope a little edge will stop their slide

Adam Candee

Friday, April 23, 2004 | 10:20 a.m.

Sunday, noon, Thomas & Mack Center

Radio: KBAD 920-AM (delayed broadcast at 4 p.m.)

Last week: Detroit lost at Los Angeles, 62-55; Las Vegas had a bye.

Key matchup: Detroit QB Andy Kelly vs. Las Vegas secondary. The same key as it has been for the past month. Unless the Gladiators' secondary can get some stops and give the offense some field position, it could be another long day.

Notes: Las Vegas claimed WR/LB Coco Blalock off waivers from Columbus this week. A former Gladiator, Blalock is expected to help in the return game, where Las Vegas is in need of an upgrade. Blalock has one return for a score this year, and he also has 43 receptions ... Gladiators OS Marcus Nash played for Detroit last year in his AFL rookie season ... Las Vegas leads the all-time series against the Fury, 3-1.

Next week: Detroit vs. Chicago (Sunday); Las Vegas vs. Indiana (Sunday).

At his wit's end and needing six consecutive wins to even think about a playoff berth, Frank Haege is turning to the Little Man for a little help.

The Gladiators' coach reached back to his college coaching days and brought out the inspirational foot-tall action figure, who accompanied the team to practice and meetings all week long. A four-game losing streak, 3-7 record and concerns about an owner unhappy with an underachieving team will drive a coach to such things.

"The Little Man is that little voice in your head, that little negative vibe that says, 'Hey, when the going gets tough, you're not going to get it done. You're not going to make the play, catch the pass, or whatever,' " he said. "So we're trying to make a cognitive effort."

Haege went on to say that he has never lost a game when he invoked the Little Man's powers. Seated nearby, Gladiators offensive specialist Marcus Nash overheard his coach and playfully shot back, "What took you so long to bring it out?"

That is exactly what Haege is shooting for going into Sunday's home game against Detroit: a little bit of levity and if he's lucky, some hope as well.

"We're just having a little fun with it, just trying to lighten things up," Haege said.

College, pro or whatever, the Gladiators need a spark to the flickering fire of their playoff chances. Even a six-game winning streak to close the season would not necessarily guarantee a playoff spot. And history stands against that kind of streak -- the Gladiators have not won more than three consecutive games since 1997.

"We're basically in the playoffs right now," Gladiators fullback/ linebacker Frank Carter said. "If we want anything to do with the playoffs, we basically have got to play with a playoff attitude right now."

The Fury (4-6) is also in a dire situation. A disheartening loss to league doormat Grand Rapids followed by a tough defeat at Los Angeles left Detroit in the desperate company of Las Vegas.

Both teams need to win out to have realistic playoff hopes, but Gladiators quarterback Clint Dolezel was quick to caution that neither team can win six games on Sunday.

"We can't look at six," Dolezel said. "We've got to get one win first."

Carter breaks it down even more, saying the Gladiators should not even focus on getting a win.

"I had a talk with the team Monday, and what I told the team was not to think about winning the game, not to think about winning the next game, but play 100 percent every play," Carter said. "And I guarantee you we'll win every game."

Las Vegas will take the field for the first time in 15 days against Detroit, but even the two-week break did little to improve the Gladiators' injury situation. The team placed defensive back Chameion Sutton and lineman Steve Konopka on injured reserve this week, both with knee sprains. Seven Gladiators -- including offensive specialist Terril Shaw (gluteal strain), who was initially expected back this week -- are on injured reserve.

Sutton's injury is a particularly cruel blow for a team already paper-thin in the secondary. Sutton was signed from the practice squad earlier this year after DS T.J. Hill went down with a torn ACL. Las Vegas ranks second-to-last in the league in scoring defense at 54.4 points per game.

"The continuity of losing four or five (defensive specialists) has definitely hurt our secondary," Dolezel said.

While the bye did not bring physical health, it did bring some mental peace to a team in need of it.

"It was a wonderful time for the bye because it definitely relaxed your mind," Carter said. "Guys came back so much more focused and so much more prepared to win -- not to play, but to play and win."

Haege, who is returning this week from a one-game league suspension for his actions during the team's March 14 win over Arizona, knows well that his fate may rest on the team's performance over the next six weeks. Team owner Jim Ferraro opened his wallet to upgrade the roster this offseason and that spending has not translated into wins.

"If I don't win football games, I don't have a job," Haege said. "That's just the way it is. So I try not to worry about that and just do what I need to do to win the next football game."