Rattlers fall to 1-3 at home at midway point of season
It’s the midway point in the Rattlers’ first season in the Indoor Football League, and more flaws than strengths were on display in a 60-51 loss to the Spokane Empire on Saturday night that dropped them to 1-3 at home.
The Rattlers didn’t lose inside Talking Stick Resort Arena last year in their last season playing in the Arena Football League. Their only loss in the Valley was in the ArenaBowl to the Philadelphia Soul, but that game was moved to Glendale because the Mercury needed the Phoenix arena for a WNBA game.
“We’re one and three at home,” coach Kevin Guy said. “I didn’t think the Rattlers would ever be in that situation. We also have played some of the best teams at home. But there’s no excuse for it. We’ve got to win at home.”
The Rattlers (4-4), for the most part, owned Spokane at home in their history. But that was when the team was called the Shock and was playing in the AFL.
Now the Empire (6-2), Spokane had a one-year head start into the net-less IFL, while the Rattlers (4-4) basically overhauled their roster after their 24th season in the AFL with new quarterbacks, running backs, linemen and mostly new receivers.
But defensive backs Arkeith Brown and Allen “Bubba” Chapman are veterans of the AFL game with the Rattlers, and they weren’t able to make plays against Charles Dowdell, who threw six touchdown passes, two each to Bryan Pray and Devonn Brown, on Saturday.
“We could not make a play on a ball to save our life,” Guy said. “We’ve got to get mentally tougher. I’m sure when I look at the film, it’s going to be technique. We went in with a game plan, felt good about it. If you look at first couple of drives, we were stopping them. You’ve to give Coach Shak (Adam Shackleford) credit. He had his team ready to play.”
After making a stop to start the game, the Rattlers were penalized on their first pass, a big play that was returned and put them at their 3. Quarterback Cody Sokol, making his fourth straight start, was stopped in the end zone for a safety on a read-option run. That turned into a ninepoint turnaround after the Empire then scored a touchdown on their next possession.
That put the Rattlers into catch-up mode the rest of the game. Sokol threw a careerhigh six touchdown passes and gave Arizona the lead a couple of times before the Empire went from man-coverage to zone. The Rattlers only made one stop in the second half, and that came when the Empire were trying to run out the clock in the final minute with a nine-point lead.
Sokol, who was 22 of 34 for 252 yards, misfired on his last eight throws, his last one intercepted.
“There are plays you wish you could get back,” Sokol said. “Every game, you wish you could get back a couple of plays. But you can’t whine about it. You’ve got to keep fighting.”
Guy has a decision to make now. Does he stick with Sokol or go back to Darron Thomas at quarterback?
He gave both quarterbacks four games to see who the right guy is to replace Nick Davila, who set numerous Rattlers passing records and led them to three consecutive ArenaBowl titles, before retiring and becoming a Rattlers assistant once the team made the move into the IFL.