Gladiators dispel VooDoo at home

Adam Candee

Monday, March 1, 2004 | 9:51 a.m.

Two consecutive weeks of outstanding defense have led to two consecutive wins for the rejuvenated Las Vegas Gladiators.

Wait ... their defense? This is the Arena Football League, right? Home of the 70-63 barnburner?

It is definitely still the 50-yard indoor war -- heavy on the latter part, as evidenced in Sunday's 50-30 win against New Orleans at the Thomas & Mack Center. But Las Vegas winning with a defense that has allowed just 149 points, tops among teams having played four games.

"This is the best defense I've played with since I've been playing arena football," Gladiators quarterback Clint Dolezel said.

That is high praise coming from an eight-year veteran with an ArenaBowl championship ring. Of course, Dolezel has reason to praise the defense after it kept Las Vegas (2-2) from being blown out early by the expansion VooDoo (3-1).

The Gladiators gave up an opening-drive touchdown to New Orleans and T.J. Hill fumbled the ensuing kickoff return to give the ball right back to the VooDoo. They followed that with a three-and-out drive on three incompletions. In fact, Las Vegas did not gain an offensive yard until the final play of the first quarter.

Thanks to another stellar showing from the defense that held Grand Rapids to just 14 points last week, Las Vegas dug in and did not fold. The Gladiators held New Orleans to two field goal tries, only one of which was converted for a 10-0 lead.

"The first fumble, and then we got stopped on three downs, and they only scored 10 points," Las Vegas coach Frank Haege said. "And then to be 17-17 at halftime is an unbelievable testament to the defense."

Dolezel, who finished with six combined touchdowns, and the offense needed only that opening to break through. Las Vegas scored 38 points over the second and third quarters while holding New Orleans to just seven. In any kind of football, that is a winning formula, but Gladiators defensive specialist Marvin Taylor is not ready to take any credit yet.

"It's too early to give yourself any compliments," Taylor said. "We haven't done anything yet."

Taylor, acquired from Chicago just days before the season, had one of two interceptions of VooDoo quarterback John Fitzgerald. The Gladiators forced four turnovers in all and are now tied with Carolina and Chicago for the league's best turnover margin at plus-6.

It was a different kind of defense, however, that motivated the team Sunday - defending their home field.

"In the pregame warmup, they had some guys who came up to midfield and started taunting our guys," Haege said. "That just set the tone for the game."

"The guys, they take that personal if somebody comes to your house and starts running their mouth in pregame. I think they guys got a little bit fired up and then that kind of escalated into what happened at the end of the first half."

That is when Gladiators wideout Marcus Nash came off the line and wound up with a roundhouse to the head of VooDoo defensive back Lamont Moore, using the swing to get past Moore and to fire up his teammates.

"He wasn't going to run by him," Haege said. "He wanted to run over him, no doubt about it."

Soon after, Nash drew a pass interference and a personal foul call against VooDoo defensive back Monty Montgomery on the same play, setting up a field goal by Brian Gowins to draw Las Vegas even at 17 at halftime.

Taylor said all the jawing done by New Orleans is wasted effort.

"That doesn't put points on the board," Taylor said. "That only wears you out. Running your mouth wears you out. You've got to play smart."