Blake Brings Feet, Arm and Brain to Bear in Comeback Win
Special to edMaddenReports
by Daniel K. Wiems
Dawn has broken on the morning after, and the echo of the name still rings in the memory of what has transpired.
Patrick Blake.
Down 31-7 with two minutes remaining in the third quarter, most teams would have thrown in the proverbial towel – given the second team a chance to play and show something positive for the next week.
There was no panic.
With Patrick Blake at the helm, having played a well-below-average game to this point, common wisdom would have said that the rookie quarterback or one of the Quinns could have done a better job of captaining the ship. Coach Crennel would hear none of this, however.
Despite backing Quinn, the younger, in preseason and being overridden by G.M. Collins who placed the mantle of leadership on young Patrick Blake, Crennel did not give in to the call from offensive coordinator Sean Payton that demanded the removal of Blake from the game.
He was rewarded for his trust by 28 unanswered points, by way of the nimble feet of Patrick Blake.
Rushing for three touchdowns is not something new for Blake, the nimble-footed second-year quarterback who starred in college in an option offense. He just hadn’t done it in the pros.
“I saw some openings today and I just took advantage of them,” said Blake who had Miami linebackers on their heels through the fourth quarter.
“Guys in this league are so much faster than they were at State. I’m just glad I can still get around well enough.”
It wasn’t just Blake, or Julius Jones who enjoyed decent success against the Dolphins, both on the ground and through the air. Nor was it Vinnie Vincent, the dynamic receiver who has stepped in to be Blake’s number one option. The defense stepped their game up a notch as well, pinning their ears back and knocking RB Ricky Williams around behind the line.
Williams got away for a long touchdown reception, but aside from that, he was largely ineffectual. For that, the Salsa Cats can thank Cletidus Hunt and Kabeer Gbaja-Biamilla. Both linemen were behind the line of scrimmage on most of the Dolphins’ plays in the fourth.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do in the backfield, limiting yards after the catch, but for the most part, the boys did a good job.” Said Crennel, happy to be 3-0 after a preseason where wins were nonexistent.
“It’s just nice to go shooting out of the gate. Even when we have to scramble back from 24 down that late in the game. It’s nice to know we can turn it on when we have to.”
Can the winning streak continue? It is with a positive outlook that the Santa Fe Salsa Cats turn their attention to next week and a feeling of immortality has suffused this team – an attitude that can turn a winning season into a Super season.
by Daniel K. Wiems
Dawn has broken on the morning after, and the echo of the name still rings in the memory of what has transpired.
Patrick Blake.
Down 31-7 with two minutes remaining in the third quarter, most teams would have thrown in the proverbial towel – given the second team a chance to play and show something positive for the next week.
There was no panic.
With Patrick Blake at the helm, having played a well-below-average game to this point, common wisdom would have said that the rookie quarterback or one of the Quinns could have done a better job of captaining the ship. Coach Crennel would hear none of this, however.
Despite backing Quinn, the younger, in preseason and being overridden by G.M. Collins who placed the mantle of leadership on young Patrick Blake, Crennel did not give in to the call from offensive coordinator Sean Payton that demanded the removal of Blake from the game.
He was rewarded for his trust by 28 unanswered points, by way of the nimble feet of Patrick Blake.
Rushing for three touchdowns is not something new for Blake, the nimble-footed second-year quarterback who starred in college in an option offense. He just hadn’t done it in the pros.
“I saw some openings today and I just took advantage of them,” said Blake who had Miami linebackers on their heels through the fourth quarter.
“Guys in this league are so much faster than they were at State. I’m just glad I can still get around well enough.”
It wasn’t just Blake, or Julius Jones who enjoyed decent success against the Dolphins, both on the ground and through the air. Nor was it Vinnie Vincent, the dynamic receiver who has stepped in to be Blake’s number one option. The defense stepped their game up a notch as well, pinning their ears back and knocking RB Ricky Williams around behind the line.
Williams got away for a long touchdown reception, but aside from that, he was largely ineffectual. For that, the Salsa Cats can thank Cletidus Hunt and Kabeer Gbaja-Biamilla. Both linemen were behind the line of scrimmage on most of the Dolphins’ plays in the fourth.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do in the backfield, limiting yards after the catch, but for the most part, the boys did a good job.” Said Crennel, happy to be 3-0 after a preseason where wins were nonexistent.
“It’s just nice to go shooting out of the gate. Even when we have to scramble back from 24 down that late in the game. It’s nice to know we can turn it on when we have to.”
Can the winning streak continue? It is with a positive outlook that the Santa Fe Salsa Cats turn their attention to next week and a feeling of immortality has suffused this team – an attitude that can turn a winning season into a Super season.
posted by Liam J. | 10:02 AM
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