Arena team tries not to get rattled for 3-game

Friday, March 17, 2006 | 7:10 a.m.

As the Las Vegas Gladiators of the Arena Football League begin tonight what could prove to be a crucial three-game stretch against division opponents, head coach Ron James hasn't had to give the traditional "big game" speech to fire up his players.

The Gladiators have been facing games such as tonight's showdown with the Arizona Rattlers at the Thomas & Mack Center after starting the season by losing four of their first five games. Las Vegas (3-4) is riding a two-game winning streak going into tonight's 7:30 contest with the Rattlers (3-4).

After Arizona, the Gladiators will face Arena Football League Western Division foes Utah and Los Angeles in the next two weeks.

"The approach (to these three games) really is no different than the last two or three," James said. "The only challenge, really, is that we maintain that same type of focus throughout the next three games."

But that's not to say the Gladiators are taking this stretch of games lightly.

"There definitely is a lot of emphasis on the next three games - starting with (Arizona)," James said. "This is a division game, it's a game that can get us back to .500 - all those things that you talk about in the locker room but all of which are important."

And James said he likes what he has seen from his squad after making several playbook and personnel changes three weeks ago.

"I think we've got a bunch that, for the last few weeks, has really stayed focused," James said. "The turnaround is just based on one fact: We're focusing on what we've been doing well and eliminating what we hadn't been doing well.

"Now it's really a question of maintaining the same pressure on the other teams that we've been putting on people that walk into our building."

Blalock out

James said the Gladiators would miss wide receiver/linebacker Coco Blalock, who was placed on injured reserve this week after suffering a foot injury in practice Tuesday.

"That's a big loss," James said, "both in the kickoff return department and the ability to catch the ball and create something. But we'll plug in and move on - that's football."

Blalock, who is among the AFL leaders in kickoff return yardage and average per return, was replaced on the roster by Maurice Bryant.

Off the net

The number of Gladiators turnovers in a 66-41 victory over Grand Rapids last Friday

3-1

The Gladiators' record this season at the Thomas & Mack Center