Friday, March 25, 2005 | 9:38 a.m.
With a 5-3 record and a key showdown against San Jose coming Monday at the Thomas & Mack Center, the Gladiators have reached the midway point of the season in relatively good position.
Here's a look at the Gladiators' midseason report card, with grades from both head coach Ron James and from the Sun:
Offense
This grade probably should be an incomplete, but the Gladiators can be evaluated on the curve of being without starting quarterback Clint Dolezel for more than a month after he broke the thumb on his throwing hand.
Craig Whelihan stole the backup quarterback job from Rod Robinson after limiting turnovers in his two starts in place of Dolezel. Robinson committed eight turnovers in two starts and was cut.
Dolezel and offensive specialist Marcus Nash, who was bothered by a mild knee sprain, are back at full strength and showing it with 10 touchdown hookups in the past two games. Even without Dolezel, Nash ranks among the league's best with 62 receptions, 888 yards and 18 total touchdowns. The receiving corps of Junior Lord, Joe Douglass, Coco Blalock and Cornelius Bonner gives Dolezel a number of versatile targets that can play off Nash.
The fullback tandem of Frank Carter and Rodney Filer is making the run a part of the Las Vegas offense again. The highest grade for the unit goes to the offensive line, which has gone seven straight games without allowing a sack and has given up just one in eight games.
The Gladiators rank near the bottom of the league at 42.6 points per game and 20 turnovers committed, but those figures are solid bets to improve with Dolezel and Nash healthy and clicking in the second half.
Defense
Defensive coordinator Stan Davis is the midseason MVP for Las Vegas. His unit is the reason that the team is still in playoff contention, allowing a league-best 43.6 points per game. If it can perform at a similar level in the second half, the Gladiators will be formidable.
Talk of the defense has to start with the improved pass rush, evidenced by linebacker Carter's league-leading nine sacks and seven tackles for loss. Linemen Wilky Bazile and Thaddeus Bullard create a strong push on the edges, which figures to get stronger with Steve Konopka back from a groin injury.
The pass coverage is good, although the loss of cornerback Dameon Porter to a broken arm leaves the Gladiators thin beyond their starters.
Donald Malloy and Jeremy Unertl have filled in well enough and Bonner goes largely unnoticed, but he leads the team with 38.5 tackles and his steady play is an asset. Marvin Taylor ranks among league leaders with three interceptions, playing excellent at times and suspect at others. Taylor must look like a hamper to officials because they always throw their yellow laundry at him.
The defense could force a few more turnovers, but that's a hair-splitting criticism.
Special teams
The good news is that the catastrophic mistakes of last year are no more. The bad news is that's the only good news.
Return specialist Blalock took one kickoff for a touchdown, but his 19.3-yard average is nothing remarkable. Blalock remains a constant threat to break a long return, though, which would quickly increase that average. Douglass has performed well as the second return man.
Advertised as the cure to the Gladiators' kicking woes of a year ago, free agent acquisition Mark Lewis has not been consistent. Going 5-for-9 on field goals is respectable, but Lewis' 34-for-43 mark on extra points ranks 15th in the 17-team league and is a notable problem. A couple of those misses have put the Gladiators in difficult situations in the final minutes of games.
Give the Gladiators credit for no longer hurting themselves in this phase of the game. The next step is to turn it into a strong point.
Coaching
James operates under a bright spotlight after being chosen over bigger names like Danny White to take over a team built for a playoff run. Dolezel's injury dealt an early challenge to James, who did not let the Gladiators get down. They pulled through four games without their most indispensable player at 2-2, thanks in part to strong backup play from Whelihan.
A blemish on James' record is his mishandling of the end of the Austin game, a costly loss that could have separated Las Vegas from the division pack. In a situation where James needed to go for a two-point conversion, he did not and it cost the Gladiators the game. To his credit, James owned up to the mistake and Las Vegas correctly handled a similar situation last week against Arizona.
The Gladiators still take too many penalties; their 85 are the second-most in the league. That number has improved in recent weeks, however, and James seems to be someone who quickly adapts to mistakes and improves upon them.
Second-half outlook
It boils down to this: The Gladiators are in a five-team race for four playoff spots in the weak American Conference, giving them a pretty good chance to qualify for the postseason. Western Division foes Los Angeles (4-3) and San Jose (4-3), along with Colorado (5-2) and Chicago (4-4), are the competition and the Gladiators face each of those teams in the second half of the season.
With Dolezel and Nash healthy, they are already beginning to make good on their preseason claim that the offense is as good as any in the league. The defense had a hiccup against the Rattlers, but usually gets enough stops to allow the offense to give the Gladiators an edge.
It would take a monumental collapse for Las Vegas not to make the playoffs. A 10-6 record seems within reach, and that would likely be enough to get to the postseason.
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