Friday, May 6, 2005 | 9:50 a.m.
7 p.m. Saturday, Thomas & Mack Center TV: FSN; Radio: ESPN 920-AM
Out of cushion and coming off a costly loss, they are fighting for playoff oxygen Saturday night at the Thomas & Mack Center.
Who are they? Well, take your pick because the Gladiators and the Dallas Desperados stand in the same dire situation. Both are clinging to playoff hopes and both are playing good but not great football.
That description pretty much sums up the Gladiators' three seasons in Las Vegas. While they have taken three distinctly different roads, all of them have led to the Gladiators battling to overcome a middling record to claim the last of the available playoff spots.
"It's strange," Gladiators coach Ron James said. "There've been so many ups and downs that we've had this year and we've gone through so many more injuries than we did the year prior. And we're still in the same situation. It's kind of eerie."
Las Vegas played an average regular season and snuck into the playoffs in 2003 with an 8-8 mark before getting blasted at Arizona in its first-round game. The Gladiators tanked early last year before rallying late but falling short of the playoffs, again at 8-8.
Standing at 7-6 with three games remaining and battling four other teams for four playoff berths, the Gladiators are borrowing from Philadelphia Soul owner Jon Bon Jovi's lyrics in the song "Wanted: Dead or Alive" -- It's all the same, only the names will change.
They played well enough to win last week at Chicago, but the Gladiators again fell short against a tough conference opponent, just as they did against San Jose and Colorado. How they go about winning against Dallas (7-5-1) and changing their fortunes in important games is not a simple situation.
"If I had all the answers about getting it done, we wouldn't need to line up," Gladiators defensive back Marvin Taylor said.
And what about this week's opponent, a Dallas squad with a strong offense and well-reputed defense? Taylor said it's better to just focus on what his team needs to do.
"(Expletive) Dallas, really," Taylor said. "That's the way I feel about every team right now. (Expletive) Dallas. We just need a win."
They actually need three. Closing the season with three consecutive victories would guarantee Las Vegas a playoff berth. There are a number of scenarios in which the Gladiators could qualify for the postseason if they only win two of three games, but those require significant help from other teams.
The Desperados, playing in the much tougher National Conference, fell into a large hole by losing at home to New York last week. Five teams hold better records than Dallas in its conference, so only wins and help will get the Desperados to the postseason.
"The loser is basically out," Gladiators quarterback Clint Dolezel said.
Playing in the Thomas & Mack Center for the first time in a month, Las Vegas needs a better defensive performance than it got last week, when it did not record a single stop against Chicago in a 63-62 loss that came down to the final possession. Once the top-ranked defense in the league, the unit has slipped to sixth at 48.5 points against per game.
With Dolezel and the offense clicking - he's thrown 52 touchdown passes in the past seven weeks to lead the league - the pressure falls to the defense against a very solid Dallas receiving corps.
"You can do all you can over there, but a good throw and a decent route in this game is a touchdown," Dolezel said of defense.
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