Saturday, April 5, 2008

SaberCats @ Voodoo Recap

The Voodoo continue to win, and in convincing fashion. This one was another blowout, Voodoo 72 Sabercats 43. The Graveyard crowd has yet to see their team lose. We were not expected to be this good this season, but we now own the third best record in the league. I've said it once and I'll say it again, these guys are good and the whole Voodoo experience is a blast.



Game Notes:
  • Another dominating performance. I thought this one would be closer, but it was over in the second quarter.
  • I said the secondary would be key in this game, and they were. 3 interceptions, 2 for touchdowns. Not to mention a couple more that just barely slipped out of the Voodoo hands. Could have easily been five. Calvin Spears and Norman LeJeune each brought one back for a score. Umar Muhammad had the third. Great job all around. Seriously, is Jason David watching game tape on this?
  • Saintil had 3 TD's but all were under 10 yds. He only had 74 total yds.
  • Jason Geathers picked up Cleannord Saintil's slack and had a good game with 188 yds and 2 TD's. Pretty much the only bright spot for San Jose tonight.
  • Play of the game: AFL defensive player of the month in March Calvin Spears' first quarter pick six. It put the Voodoo in the lead and they never looked back. The Graveyard erupted after the play. I have never heard it so loud in there.
  • The Voodoo defensive line applied great pressure, forcing bad passes and throw aways and helping the DB's make those interceptions.
  • No Voodoo receivers broke 100 yds, but James Jordan had a great game with 3 TD's. He has been on fire as of late and Winprine's go to guy. Runner up for play of the game was his REMARKABLE 4th down catch in the 2nd quarter with Omarr Smith ALL OVER him. I watched it again on TV and it really doesn't do it justice. Seriously, sick catch! I think he retired early, in the fourth quarter.
  • Wimprine spread the ball around, played a great game and had 5 TD's. He was announced as the player of the game. He also threw a 47 yard bomb to Javarus Dudley, the longest scoring pass in franchise history. Toward the end of the 4th quarter he called it a night and Steve Bellisari came in, not to be outdone, and threw a 45 yard TD pass himself.
  • Steve Bellisari, a QB mind you, also delivered a huge hit on a special teams kick return. That is the second time we have seen him rock someone and end their dream of reaching the end zone.
  • By the fourth quarter everyone was in high spirits and the cameramen were getting some funny stuff from the fans to put up on the big screen. You gotta love the unreserved innocence of kids dancing and attempting "the sprinkler."
  • Tom Benson and his wife were in attendance in their corner luxury box. He owns the team and doesn't have a mid-field seat?
  • As part of the AFL's "it's all about the fans" policy, it seems every stoppage in play there are Voodoo personnel walking onto the field to throw t-shirts, beads, Frisbee's etc. into the crowd.
  • Something you may not know if you haven't been to a game: those cameramen are out there ON THE FIELD during play to get close angles. Literally getting into the huddle and kneeling 10 yards behind the line of scrimmage DURING the play. If there is a quick turnover and change in direction, those camera guys better book it.
  • My favorite moment: One of the refs needed a ball to spot on the current yard line before the snap and got thrown 2 different balls at the same time. One flew over his head, which he kinda went to grab, while the other hit him right in the crotch. Classic!
The Voodoo are now 5-1, on a five game winning streak. They face a tough competitor next week in the undefeated Dallas Desperados. This will be their first real test and I'm a little worried about this one. But hey, is New Orleans a hot city for sports right now or what!?

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