The Santa Ana Star
Otters' Wrights have best days amid back to back losses
This inaugural season for the Otters has been nothing if not turbulent. At times they have appeared unbeatable, and at others they seem like they can't overcome even the simplest of hurdles. So far, the highs and lows have averaged out to a .500 record as the team grips on to 2nd place in the ASFC. While QB Josh Bercovici led the team to a 2-1 record, his performance in the loss to the Yetis was enough for the team to bring back Mike Boss. Boss showed a drastic improvement over his earlier performance, but it still wasn't enough as the Otters lost another heartbreaker despite showing a good game all around.
While the team may be struggling again, two players on the Otters offense showing up in a bigger role than ever before are the preseason fan favorite Wright Brothers. Tight End George Wright's 10 receptions in the last two weeks leads the entire team, and he has added onto that with a particularly impressive blocking game against the Wraiths. In Week 6, Wright caught 6 passes and had 3 pancake blocks to pave the way for an incredible running performance. For Omar Wright's part, he has averaged 5.6 yards per carry over the past two weeks and made the highlight reel multiple times with an incredible game against the Wraiths. Despite these two high level performances, the team only scored one touchdown each week and went on to lose both games. This begs the question of why these two players are becoming more of a focus as the offense struggles.
"It will take a little time to work out chemistry on the field," George Wright told a reporter, "when you are switching QBs around it affects timing and the preference of the guy throwing the ball dictates what the receiver has to do. Everything's just a bit different for everyone involved and it can have an effect. These are things you work out in the preseason and training camp, but I think we'll get back into the groove pretty soon."
When asked why he has had so many targets and receptions in lately, George said, "I think I'm a comfortable target, I'm big and I don't go very far so I'm pretty easy to find. I'm happy to be pulling my weight as a receiver now instead of just as a blocker."
Omar Wright's story is just a little different. He has always been the feature back on the Otters, but has struggled to come into that role amid fierce competition from the hefty Leroy Jenkins. With 8.1 yards per carry against the Wraiths, he showed definitively that he has the skill and speed to produce at an elite level.
"I'm just following what the coaches are saying and doing my part on every play." Omar said in a brief interview, "We're all working as a team and our mindset is to focus on each game we play, not on what happened last week. If you're coming off a win you feel like you can duplicate that success, and if you get a loss you work that much harder to improve so you can turn it around. That's what we'll do."
The Otters seem to be in prime shape on defense and get impressive numbers in offensive production. The problems for the team show themselves in the red zone. Far too often the offense works its way into opposing territory before settling for a field goal or doing nothing at all. That one fatal flaw means the time of possession and yardage are all for naught since the Otters' opponents haven't been so kind in return.
Regarding this, George Wright Jr. simply said, "Yeah... we need to score."
Otters' Wrights have best days amid back to back losses
This inaugural season for the Otters has been nothing if not turbulent. At times they have appeared unbeatable, and at others they seem like they can't overcome even the simplest of hurdles. So far, the highs and lows have averaged out to a .500 record as the team grips on to 2nd place in the ASFC. While QB Josh Bercovici led the team to a 2-1 record, his performance in the loss to the Yetis was enough for the team to bring back Mike Boss. Boss showed a drastic improvement over his earlier performance, but it still wasn't enough as the Otters lost another heartbreaker despite showing a good game all around.
While the team may be struggling again, two players on the Otters offense showing up in a bigger role than ever before are the preseason fan favorite Wright Brothers. Tight End George Wright's 10 receptions in the last two weeks leads the entire team, and he has added onto that with a particularly impressive blocking game against the Wraiths. In Week 6, Wright caught 6 passes and had 3 pancake blocks to pave the way for an incredible running performance. For Omar Wright's part, he has averaged 5.6 yards per carry over the past two weeks and made the highlight reel multiple times with an incredible game against the Wraiths. Despite these two high level performances, the team only scored one touchdown each week and went on to lose both games. This begs the question of why these two players are becoming more of a focus as the offense struggles.
"It will take a little time to work out chemistry on the field," George Wright told a reporter, "when you are switching QBs around it affects timing and the preference of the guy throwing the ball dictates what the receiver has to do. Everything's just a bit different for everyone involved and it can have an effect. These are things you work out in the preseason and training camp, but I think we'll get back into the groove pretty soon."
When asked why he has had so many targets and receptions in lately, George said, "I think I'm a comfortable target, I'm big and I don't go very far so I'm pretty easy to find. I'm happy to be pulling my weight as a receiver now instead of just as a blocker."
Omar Wright's story is just a little different. He has always been the feature back on the Otters, but has struggled to come into that role amid fierce competition from the hefty Leroy Jenkins. With 8.1 yards per carry against the Wraiths, he showed definitively that he has the skill and speed to produce at an elite level.
"I'm just following what the coaches are saying and doing my part on every play." Omar said in a brief interview, "We're all working as a team and our mindset is to focus on each game we play, not on what happened last week. If you're coming off a win you feel like you can duplicate that success, and if you get a loss you work that much harder to improve so you can turn it around. That's what we'll do."
The Otters seem to be in prime shape on defense and get impressive numbers in offensive production. The problems for the team show themselves in the red zone. Far too often the offense works its way into opposing territory before settling for a field goal or doing nothing at all. That one fatal flaw means the time of possession and yardage are all for naught since the Otters' opponents haven't been so kind in return.
Regarding this, George Wright Jr. simply said, "Yeah... we need to score."
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