HISTORY COULD BE ON THEIR SIDE
The Dragons are hoping to duplicate the success of other teams in recent football history that had to win three straight on the road to play for a championship.
When you look at the situation the Dragons are in, there are several moments in recent football history that you can point to for inspiration as the boys being their quest for an ArenaBowl title on Friday night in Dallas.
You only have to stay right here in the AFL for two examples of why you can't count the Dragons out, even though they are the sixth seed in the National Conference. In 2006, the Chicago Rush qualified for the playoffs as the #5 seed with a record of 7-9 and won three straight road playoff games before knocking off Orlando to win ArenaBowl XX in Las Vegas. Then, last year, the Columbus Destroyers were 7-9 and won three consecutive road contests in the playoffs before losing to San Jose at ArenaBowl XXI in New Orleans.
There were also a couple of recent NFL teams that had to follow a similar path. The Pittsburgh Steelers had to win three straight away from Heinz Field before knocking off the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XL.
And then, of course, we have a team in our own backyard that just pulled off the same feat. The Giants scored road victories over Tampa Bay, Dallas, and Green Bay this past season before upsetting the New England Patriots to win Super Bowl XLII. There is an interesting comparison between the Giants' road to a title and how the Dragons quest will begin. The Giants were swept by the Cowboys during the regular season but came away victorious in the NFC Divisional playoff game in Dallas. The Dragons were swept by the Desperados during the regular season including a game in Dallas two weeks ago on June 14th.
Can the Dragons duplicate the Giants' playoff magic?
Why not?
There's no denying that this will not be easy. For the Dragons to get to ArenaBowl XXII on July 27th in New Orleans, they will have to climb some pretty steep mountains.
First, they have to win Friday in Dallas against a very good Desperados team that has beaten the Dragons five straight times. Then, they would have to head down the New Jersey Turnpike and knock off the top-seeded Philadelphia Soul, a team that beat the Dragons twice this season. After that, the Dragons would then have to win on the road in either Georgia, Orlando, or Cleveland to punch their ticket to New Orleans.
It sounds like an impossible dream. But who says dreams can't come true? For the Dragons, just being in the playoffs is a major step forward from a disappointing 5-11 campaign a year ago. But why just be satisfied with being in the dance?
This is a team that has been in playoff mode almost the entire season. After a 1-4 start, they reeled off five straight wins and notched 7 victories in a span of nine games to put them in a position to clinch a playoff spot. They have one of the greatest quarterbacks in league history in Aaron Garcia. Even without Jason Willis, the Dragons have a deep group of receivers including Kevin Swayne and Chris Anthony. And for the first time in a quite some time, the Dragons have a defense that can cause problems for opposing teams. They have defensive playmakers like Henry Taylor, Levy Brown, Idris Price, John Walker, and Billy Parker.
After surviving two close calls against the Dragons, I can guarantee you that Desperados head coach Will McClay will make sure his team does not take anything for granted.
After Sunday's game, Dragons head coach Weylan Harding said that he hopes his players aren't ready to go home because he isn't. After working so hard to get in, I can't imagine that the players are content with just making it. The feeling all season around the team was that if they just found a way to make the playoffs that they could do some damage.
The opportunity is there for the taking. In any sport, the playoffs have been a platform for superstars and unsung heroes alike to make a name for themselves. For many of the Dragons, it's a chance they've been waiting on for quite a while.
As the slogan says for the lottery, "You have to be in it to win it."
Hey, you never know!
