Gladiators give Whelihan a spin at QB

Adam Candee

Friday, Feb. 25, 2005 | 9:37 a.m.

Craig Whelihan, come on down: It's your turn to help the Gladiators defense continue to defy statistics and stay afloat in the Western Division.

Gladiators coach Ron James named Whelihan as the starting quarterback for Saturday's game at Nashville, where Las Vegas (2-2) begins a three-game stretch against some of the lowliest teams in the league.

Whelihan, a 10-year journeyman who last saw significant game action with Indiana in 2003, replaces Rod Robinson, who started the past two games in place of injured starter Clint Dolezel. Robinson committed nine turnovers in two starts and limited second-half action against San Jose.

"That was an easy decision," James said. "I just looked at practice (Wednesday) and said, 'Here we go.' "

With Dolezel possibly ready to return next week against Austin, Whelihan is charged with cutting down on costly mistakes like the ones that killed the Gladiators in last week's 38-13 loss to Georgia.

"A lot of the mistakes we've had tend to fall back to the quarterback spot," James said. "That's just the nature of the position."

Las Vegas committed five turnovers and 20 penalties -- seven of which, according to James, were later deemed incorrect by the league -- in an atrocious showing against the Force.

"I don't think about turnovers, don't think about penalties," Whelihan said. "If you think about that, it gets in your head and it starts happening."

Cut out of training camp and re-signed after Dolezel went on injured reserve after Week 2 with a broken right middle finger, Whelihan is the third different quarterback to start for Las Vegas in the past four weeks. He does not possess the same arm strength as Dolezel or Robinson, but getting a week's worth of practice with Marcus Nash and the rest of the receiving corps could be a big advantage for Whelihan.

"This week has been huge for me in the sense that I've gotten so many reps," Whelihan said. "I'm pretty comfortable with our receivers and with our offense."

The offense has scored just 131 points in four weeks to rank 17th and last in the Arena Football League, and the painful statistics don't stop there. Las Vegas ranks last in the league in turnover margin (minus-7), scoring efficiency (42.9 percent), third-down conversions (23.8 percent), red zone efficiency (57.1 percent) and combined passer rating (78.9).

Thanks to an outstanding defensive unit that ranks first in the league in total defense (221.8 yards per game) and fourth in scoring defense (44.5 points per game), the Gladiators have still managed two wins in a situation where they could easily have none.

"We're very fortunate and with the way we've played offensively, it's pretty nice," Dolezel said.

The Gladiators are likely catching Nashville at the best possible time to cure the offense. The expansion Kats (1-3) will be without top receiver/defensive back Jarrick Hillery and could be without quarterback Leon Murray, who is questionable for the game.

A win in Nashville could give Las Vegas momentum to face Austin (1-3) and Columbus (1-2) in a stretch that James once thought could be a chance for his team to pick up some easier wins.

"We definitely looked at it that way at the beginning of the season," James said. "But we didn't count on the injuries we have. We don't consider any team a softball."

The Gladiators have bigger problems in house, like finding a way to score. They are likely to get a boost from Nash, who is close to recovered from the sprained knee he suffered in Week 2 at San Jose. He practiced all week with Whelihan, and Dolezel said adjusting to a new quarterback is less an issue for the receivers than overcoming the disappointment of the first four games on offense.

"I think they're frustrated, like the rest of us," Dolezel said. "They're ready to get in the end zone and get there a lot."