Monday, Feb. 2, 2004 | 9:08 a.m.
Sifting through a bag filled with shiny new toys, Frank Haege still finds himself looking for the batteries.
Such is the nature of the Las Vegas Gladiators' coach, who is preparing to open the team's second season in town with a new-look roster in Friday night's opener at Colorado.
"I'm always kind of a pessimist," Haege said. "I always think we're terrible."
The Gladiators closed their two-week training camp Friday with most terming it a success. The offense appears to be humming behind new quarterback Clint Dolezel and offensive specialist Terrill Shaw and the defense looks poised to better last season's mediocre performance.
Let's see how all of that promise on paper translates onto the field, Haege said.
"You're never satisfied," Haege said. "You always wish you were sharper on everything, but I think we've done what we need to get ready."
The team completed preseason housekeeping over the weekend, trimming its roster down to 22 players. Las Vegas returns just seven players from last season's group that bowed out in the opening round of the Arena Football League playoffs.
Foremost among the newcomers is Dolezel. Acquired via trade from Grand Rapids in the offseason, Dolezel, 33, is a former ArenaBowl champion and one of the league's most accomplished quarterbacks. His physical capabilities are matched by his intelligence, allowing Dolezel to work with Haege in designing an offense that both men hope can score more quickly than last season's plodding edition.
"We spent a lot of time in the offseason putting together the playbook," Haege said. "We took the things I like doing and combined them with the thing he likes doing. It's been a good relationship. We're working together to try to team it up and take a lot of responsibility and a lot of ownership of what we're going to do on game day."
Said Dolezel: "With his plays and my plays combined, I think it's even a better offense than I've played in the last couple of years. That's saying a lot."
Still, even with all the offensive skill brought in by the Las Vegas front office, Dolezel cautions that the Gladiators will not be in top form Friday night.
"We won't be into our form until probably week five or week six," Dolezel said. "That's just how it is. You get in a rhythm and you get guys together."
"That's what it takes sometimes. I get worried if you come together right away because you start peaking a little bit early."
Defensive specialist Jeroid Johnson, one of the few holdovers from last season's team, echoes that sentiment for his unit.
"It's very difficult when you come with a whole new team," Johnson said. "You go into a new camp, you're trying to learn a new system, and you're trying to learn different players' tendencies and what things they like to do on and off the field."
Haege said that the coaching staff is winning that battle.
"I think the guys are buying in," Haege said. "That's half the battle: To get people to buy into what you're doing."
The Gladiators practice through Wednesday and leave Thursday for Denver.
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