Old nemesis awaits Gladiators in ‘must-win’

Adam Candee

Friday, April 15, 2005 | 10:26 a.m.

10 a.m., Wachovia Center TV: NBC (3) Radio: ESPN 920-AM

The uniform is different, but the southpaw slinger inside it is the same quarterback who has owned the Gladiators the past two years.

Las Vegas travels Sunday to take on Tony Graziani and the Philadelphia Soul in yet another crucial game for its playoff hopes. The Gladiators (6-5) will have to find a way to solve Graziani and the Soul (5-6) to gain some momentum for possibly their most difficult stretch of the season.

"We know this is a must-win for us," Las Vegas coach Ron James said. "If we're going to keep up in the playoff hunt, we need to be as near to perfect as we can from here on out."

Perfect is what Graziani was when facing the Gladiators as a member of the Los Angeles Avengers. Graziani threw for 779 yards on 58-of-77 passing (75 percent) with 20 touchdowns and no interceptions. Las Vegas lost all three of its games against Graziani's Avengers since 2003.

James said the Gladiators' approach against Graziani could look similar to what it has been against the league's other top quarterbacks: don't let them have the ball. The Gladiators had success against New York's Aaron Garcia by running a ball control offense and keeping the Dragons off the field.

"It's quite similar because you have to look at how explosive the offense around him is," James said.

Aiding the Gladiators defense is the return of linebacker Frank Carter, who missed the past two games with a high ankle sprain. Carter still leads the league with nine sacks despite the time off and his presence in the pass rush is key to the Gladiators' hopes of slowing down the Philadelphia offense.

The Las Vegas defense, once the best in the league in points allowed, has slipped to sixth in recent weeks at 47.2 points per game. James said having Carter back helps in that respect in a number of ways.

"Being without Carter the last couple of weeks was like being without our heartbeat," James said.

The Gladiators dropped important games against American Conference leaders San Jose (6-4) and Colorado (8-2). Last week's whitewash of Grand Rapids is the last easy game on the Las Vegas schedule until the final week against Arizona.

For the Gladiators to make the playoffs, they must find a way to come through in this type of game -- one that is not just about survival, but about getting ahead of the game. The Gladiators have not been more than two games over .500 since arriving here almost three years ago.

"For one reason or another, we've had some difficulties in some of the bigger games we've played so far," James said.

James still sees plenty of room for optimism, though, as his team plays against both of the teams it is likely to battle for the final wildcard playoff spot down the stretch. After next week's bye, Las Vegas travels to Chicago (6-4) and, two weeks later, to Los Angeles (6-4).

"We control our destiny in this whole thing," James said.