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+---- Thread: *Howl On: Part 2 - The Kickoff Homestand (/showthread.php?tid=20169)
*Howl On: Part 2 - The Kickoff Homestand - Matty7478 - 03-15-2020
Part 2 - The Kickoff Homestand
A month has passed since the return of football in the form of preseason. In the 4 games that have taken place in that time, the Kansas City Coyotes have found holes in their gameplans and overall style of play, and have spent much of this month attempting to nullify said issues. In a league full of rookies looking to develop their game in search of the big time, tactical battles become all the more important - with wins and losses coming down to who has the ability to adapt to adverse game conditions better. And with a new front office set up coming in for this season, it is not at all surprising that it would take some time to get the tactics right so that they mesh well with the teams current chemistry.
However, with the final whistle blowing in the week 4 game at home to the Dallas Birddogs, the time for testing was over. Soon, a plethora of big things would happen in quick succession; depth charts would be finalised, starting roles would be handed out, team captains would be chosen and playbooks would be fleshed out completely. All of these things happen quickly out of necessity over choice. Because within a week of that blowout win over Dallas, the Coyotes would run out onto the field and begin their 2 game homestand against the teams that chewed them out only a few weeks prior - the Myrtle Beach Buccaneers and the Norfolk SeaWolves.
In the reverse matches that took place in Myrtle Beach and Norfolk respectively, the Coyotes had a very tough time on both sides of the ball; offensively they only managed a measly 16 points, while conceding a total of 52 points on the other side of the ball. Therefore, this would act as a pair of revenge games in what would be the first of three homesteads this season. Homesteads matter a lot at the professional level of our sport, with a recent study showing that home teams in the NSFL win 64% of games played. Even if it were different teams than those who had dismantled them all of a month ago, these home games are key to making a run at the Ultimini game and taking the big trophy. But the fact that these are also revenge game would make the Coyotes faithful even more hungry for a good result. The crowd was hooked and ready for kickoff. The players - having been preparing for many months - were excited to get going. It was time for Season 21 of the DSFL to finally kick off.
Week 1 - vs. Myrtle Beach Buccaneers
As with four weeks ago, everyone in the Coyotes organisation knew that the Buccaneers would be one of their toughest challenges in the league overall. The Buccaneers have a dominant offence, and a defence that never let a team score more than 16 points all the way through preseason. With 5 players on their squad with over 200 TPE who are spread across the major skill groups to build a strong backbone, the talent they have is unquestionable. And with the confidence having those players gives you, it is not a surprise that Bucs fans are expecting a run to the Ultimini this season. However as discussed before, homestands are so important in both the NSFL and the DSFL - so the Coyotes were hungrier than ever to give their fans something to cheer for on the opening day of Season 21.
The teams run out onto the field. The Kansas City faithful rise and cheer as their new Coyotes don their favourite uniforms for the first time in a competitive game. And with a kick from Matthew McDairmid, the Kansas City Coyotes season has begun.
Starting from their own 3 yard line thanks to a bad return from their kick returner, the Buccaneers began trying to drive down the field like they had done for the last 4 weeks in preseason. And they seemed to be doing a good job of recreating the magic from earlier weeks. That was, until a wayward pass just inside the Kansas City half led to an interception from safety Cosmo Kramer that brought the Kansas City faithful to their feet. The first defensive possession had went as well as could be hoped, and the crowd would only help to build upon the momentum that they had just suddenly seized.
The prevailing feeling at the time throughout the stadium was one of positivity - however, this was as close to positive as the game would get for the Coyotes. After a few first downs, McDairmid would successfully kick a 21 yard field goal to make it 3-0 to the Coyotes. But, by halftime, the scoreline had become much worse reading for the Coyote faithful - Buccaneers 17 - 3 Coyotes. There was a quiet expectation that the game would go like this among those in the stadium, especially after the performance 4 weeks prior, but being given hope in the first few minutes only made it harder to handle. From the start of the second half, the Buccaneers run game took control as it normally does and - outside of a touchdown midway through the 3rd - Myrtle Beach had full control. On a platform of 312 rushing yards, the Buccaneers ended up taking the game over the Coyotes with a final score of 24-9. And despite all the improvements the Coyotes seemed to have made over the 4 weeks prior to the season beginning at home, they still were not at a level that could match the power on the Myrtle Beach Buccaneers.
Week 2 - vs. Norfolk SeaWolves
After the loss at home against the Buccaneers, the Coyotes sat at 0-1. They were reeling off the result and how dominated they were, especially after they had perceived themselves to had grown after the first time they faced in preseason. There was no time to grieve the loss however, as the recently anointed team captains - Chester Sweets, Eddie Jeeta and Phat Boi - had to pick up their comrades and get them on track for the second part of their early season homestead.
Their opponents for this match, the Norfolk SeaWolves, were another team that handed them a hearty defeat during preseason. And to add to this tough match-up even more, the SeaWolves sat at 1-0 after dismantling the Portland Pythons the week prior by a scoreline of 31-9. They did this mainly through their rush attack - gaining 217 yards on the ground in total - but also helped themselves out with a pick 6 from safety Matt Cross. After week 1 of the regular season - along with the preseason game between these two teams in Norfolk - it was obvious that the Coyotes had to improve their rushing defence to deal with an attack like that of the SeaWolves. However, for many people surrounding the organisation that seemed to be an almost impossible task for the Coyotes to pull off. Especially considering how hyped they had gotten before week 1 only for their hopes to be completely dashed, it would be crazy to expect that the fans would be as receptive to a sudden recovery as they had been before.
Like the week before, as McDairmid kicked the game off, there was a silent trepidation in the air; would the Coyotes start as well as last time? Even if they did, would they actually be able to hold onto that for any length of time? Could the Coyotes actually win a game from this homestand? If they didn't, serious questions may have been asked about the chances of players, never mind winning the big prize at seasons end. Those troubles however, would leave the stadium long before the final whistles blew. As, after Norfolk drove down the field for a 27 yard field goal, Kansas City would watch as Andrew Nova ran in for a 6 yard touchdown after a 6 minute long drive. This was different from the first game for multiple reasons in the end - Norfolk scored 0 points in the 2nd and 3rd quarters combined, while the Coyotes would score again in the 2nd quarter to head into the break up 14-3.
In the end, even after not actually being able to fully stop the SeaWolves rushing attack - their rushing stats combined for 202 yards - the Coyotes sent the SeaWolves back to Norfolk with a score of 21-6. In a complete turnaround of fortunes from the previous week, the Coyotes had shown the form that many believed they always had within them. After this result, the Kansas City Coyotes stood with a 1-1 record, from what was considered by many to be a supremely tough early homestand to have. The Coyotes will likely have a tough time building upon that result in the next 2 away games; even though their opposition - the Portland Pythons and the Dallas Birddogs - have failed to impress at the start of the season, home teams are currently 7-1 over away teams. The one loss a home team suffered, of course, was the Coyotes in their tough matchup with the Buccaneers.
In conclusion, winning out over weeks 3 and 4 would be tough to ask of a team like the Coyotes who seem so inconsistent at this time of the season. However, if they were able to go 1-1 over the next two weeks, in a similar vein to their homestand in weeks 1 and 2, then there is still a chance the Coyotes will challenge the top teams in the conference right up until playoff season is upon us.
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