Offensively challenged Gladiators tied for first

Adam Candee

Wednesday, March 2, 2005 | 9:23 a.m.

Another week of survival left Gladiators coach Ron James in a historical mood this week.

"We're Rasputin," James said. "We survived it again."

Just like the infamous Russian monk, the Gladiators keep surviving against the odds, their latest feat a 40-32 win Saturday night at Nashville. Their offense still ranks last in the league in scoring (34.2 points per game) and their turnover margin (minus-8) remains the worst in arena football, but somehow, Las Vegas is tied for the Western Division lead at 3-2 with a pair of games against lesser opponents up next.

The challenge, however, continues to grow as the team's injury situation worsens. Starting wideout/defensive back Dameon Porter, one of the team's marquee offseason signings, will miss the rest of the regular season with a broken left arm suffered last week.

Porter leaped to defend a pass in the end zone and his left arm crumbled underneath him as he tried to brace his fall. James said Porter, who had to stay behind in Nashville for an extra night to have a pin inserted in his arm, will miss at least three months with a compound fracture. In five games, Porter amassed 14 receptions for 117 yards, and totaled 14.5 tackles with two interceptions as well.

Las Vegas signed rookie defensive back Kelly Malveaux to fill Porter's roster spot, but he is not likely to see much time. Donald Malloy will get the start in the defensive backfield for the Gladiators on Friday night against Austin (1-4) at the Thomas & Mack Center, teaming with Marvin Taylor and Cornelius Bonner.

Porter's injury forces Bonner, who had lined up at defensive specialist, to play both ways, as he did in 2004. Bonner is a very capable offensive player, catching 55 passes for 732 yards and 11 touchdowns last season.

The Gladiators also expect defensive backs T.J. Hill (torn ACL) and Chameion Sutton (back strain) to return from injured reserve in the near future to bolster the secondary.

In the Gladiators' other notable injury situation, third-string quarterback Craig Whelihan is likely to make his second start this week as James plays it safe with starter Clint Dolezel. While Dolezel's broken right middle finger may be physically healed, he has not seen any action since the second week of the season at San Jose.

"He could play this week, but I'm kind of doubting it," James said. "(Whelihan) had a decent game for us. We'll probably let him roll on unless Clint is 100 percent."

Replacing Rod Robinson after two inconsistent starts, Whelihan played a solid game for the Gladiators at Nashville. He earned offensive player of the game honors by completing 26 of 39 passes for 267 yards, tossing five touchdowns and one interception.