Carolina Legends Defeather the Birds - Pappy Knuckles's Blog

Pappy Knuckles's Blog

Carolina Legends Defeather the Birds

Posted on December 24, 2008 at 06:34 AM.

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CAROLINA LEGENDS WIN FIRST GAME OF SEASON

The Carolina Legends kicked off their season at home against the Atlanta Birds. In the first quarter, Jim Harbaugh connected on a 72 yard touchdown pass to Alvin Harper. With the lead in hand, the Legends never looked back.

Catcatch22's Atlanta Birds seemed frustrated by the Legend's defense for the majority of the game. They were only able to muster 3 points until the final minutes. Although they eventually finished with 17, it wasn't enough to come away with a win.

The Carolina Legends move to 1-0 and will next meet the Los Angeles Trojans. Coach Pappy Knuckles promised fans a better brand of football this season, and so far he is keeping his word. Can his team put together two wins in a row?

Atlanta Birds 0 3 0 14 17
Carolina Legends 10 3 10 0 23

Jim Harbaugh - 129 YDS, 1 TD, 111.6 QB Rating
Alvin Harper - 72 YDS, 1 TD
Ronnie Lott - 1 INT, 1 TD
Al Del Greco - 3/3 FG (54,30,47)

Test Ronnie Lott and You Will Lose

Reporter: How does it feel to be 1-0?

Pappy: It feels a lot better than being 0-1. It took us five weeks to get our first win last season, so it was important for us to come out and make a statement. We maintained our lead and did what was needed to win the ball game. I'm proud of the team.

Reporter: What do you think was the key to victory?

Pappy: This game was all about special teams and defense. There were a lot of so-called experts calling me foolish for drafting Al Del Greco. They thought that we would be better off with another defensive back or some offensive line help. I learned last season that a good kicker can be the difference between a win or a loss, so drafting him was very important. Nine of our 23 points came from field goals. When he hit his first one from 54 yards I could tell that he was feeling good. Last year we were scared to kick the ball, but now we have a leg that we believe in.

I can't say enough about Ronnie Lott. The ball didn't get thrown his way very much, but he definitely made the Birds pay for it when they did. That 80 yard interception return was a thing of beauty. We were pretty confident that the game was over at that point.

Reporter: You play Catcatch22 two more times this season. Do you think the next game is going to be any different?

Pappy: We know that we can be destroyed by any team in this league if we don't stay focused. The Birds really seemed to get it going with Charley Taylor late in the game. We're going to need to pay more attention to him next time around. Ottis Anderson didn't have a big game, but he ran over quite a few of my guys. Limiting his yards will be essential if we want to win again.

Reporter: Jim Harbaugh only completed 4 passes. Are you concerned that your passing game might be an issue?

Pappy: Jim Harbaugh threw the ball exceptionally well. Our problem was all of the drops. Ross Poli-Dixon dropped two wide open catches that would've gone for huge gains. He's our go-to tight end and we need him to step up.

I think Jim did a good job of not making any mistakes. He took whatever the defense gave him and didn't try to force anything. We need him to continue playing smart football.

Reporter: What about Gale Sayers? He only finished with 62 yards on the ground. That's a far cry from the numbers that OJ was putting up last year.

Pappy: This is only the first game of the season, I'm not worried about it. Gale will definitely have his fair share of big games throughout the season. Winning is the most important thing right now, and we accomplished that today. I think our difficulty running the ball came down to Rod Woodson. The guy tackled Gale even if he looked at the ball too hard. His solid tackling stopped a lot of big runs from developing.

Reporter: You next face off against Tommy Trojan's Los Angeles Trojans. What are your thoughts going into that game?

Pappy: Tommy is a hell of a coach, and I anticipate a great game. Last season he beat us in two close ones, so I'm anxious to even the score. Offensively he has a lot that we need to be concerned about, but my players are hungry. When we see the Trojans on the field it's time to eat.

Honestly, I don't know if L.A. has any heart. I think that they're more concerned about getting interviewed and making Sportscenter than winning games. Naming their team after the head coach was a terrible move for them. Tommy has gone Hollywood, and I think his love for glory is going to hurt the team. My prediction is that we're going to win by 7.

Reporter: Seven points? Are you sure you want to make that prediction?

Pappy: Actually, let's make that 9.

Comments

# 1 RogueHominid @ Dec 24

Ouch

. Love it! Gone Hollywood, huh? I don't have far to go; it's next door. I almost took L.C. "Hollywood Bags" Greenwood over Buoniconti--that would have been a more appropriate choice, I suppose. I'm anxious to see how your D performs. I'm actually hooking up my box now, so it shouldn't be long . . .

Congrats on your victory in the first game, btw!