Part 3 - Highs And Lows of Travelling
The Kansas City Coyotes exit week 2 of the DSFL season sporting a 1-1 record. This record was representative of what balanced out to be an average start for the organisation to the new league season; a tough 24-9 home loss to the Myrtle Beach Buccaneers first, before a resounding bounce-back performance resulting in a 21-6 home win over the Norfolk SeaWolves. In truth, facing the Buccaneers and the SeaWolves - two organisations with a strong and proud history in the DSFL - in your first two games is a hard schedule to overcome. And because of that, it is unsurprising to find that the front office was somewhat pleased to come away sporting a .500 winning percentage. A whole different challenge was set to come up in the coming 2 weeks. These challenges aren't just down to the teams that are being faced however. The biggest challenge that will be faced in weeks 3 and 4 is the adversity of an away crowd.
Away games are a massively different experience for rookie players in professional American Football. The cheers and praise you feel at home as you take the field turns to jeers and criticism from the stands of locals. Every offensive snap is met with a wall of noise making QB cadence almost impossible to understand and use correctly. Close calls in terms of yardage are given to the home team, with the away team left to question how close those calls truly were. And the travelling from your home stadium to a stadium hundreds and hundreds of miles away makes it tough to feel comfortable in what is a very different environment. It would be fair to state that away games - while still possessing the same gameplay as home games - are an entirely different kettle of fish for an organisation to handle. Especially an organisation in the DSFL like that of the Kansas City Coyotes. The vast majority of starting players this season, like most normal seasons, are rookies. Of course, they've experiences away games in the preseason about a month ago; however, preseason football - like the difference between home and away games - provides a completely different atmosphere to regular season games. The pressure is on for these rookies to hit the ground running in unfamiliar circumstances. And, in this part, it will be discovered just how much pressure they can overcome as they journey to Portland and Dallas.
Week 3 - @ Portland Pythons
The Portland Pythons were the opponents for the Coyotes to start off this away trip. The Pythons stumbled out of the gates this year, falling to 0-2 through 2 games. Looking simply at the win loss record, one would assume that the Pythons were simply a small bump in the road for most teams and should be overcome somewhat easily. However, what the win loss record fails to take into account is the difficulty of these first games that the Pythons had. For they, in their first 2 weeks, had an away trip to the same 2 teams that the Coyotes battled hard to get a 1-1 home record against; the Myrtle Beach Buccaneers and the Norfolk SeaWolves. It is unquestionable that those teams were difficult to overcome even with a home advantage for the Coyotes, so with context it is unsurprising that the Pythons would fall to both seeing as they had to deal with the home crowd being against them both times. The Week 2 game against the Buccaneers was especially impressive; only losing by 7 points (24-17) to a team that had looked almost impossible to match for most teams throughout preseason and the first week.
Because of the context behind the 0-2, the entire Coyotes team understood that the Pythons were not to be overlooked as they journeyed halfway across the continent to make their way to the Pythons' stadium. Upon reaching Portland, it was obvious the nerves had started to kick in. The warmups after reaching the stadium told the same story, as the team struggled to adapt to the completely new surroundings that greeted them when they walked through the stadium gates. Like Dorothy, they sure were not in Kansas (City) anymore, and they were about to find out how difficult it could get outwith the safe structure of their home field.
The first half was a somewhat interesting affair. The Coyotes received the ball from the kickoff and, after an 8-play drive, settled for a field goal from 36 yards out. On the first drive from the Pythons, the home crowd would be quieted somewhat as O'Donnell would throw a pass straight into the arms of Coyotes safety Jon Bois, leading to the second Coyotes drive starting inside the Pythons half. Within 2 plays, the Coyotes were 6 yards away from the endzone. However, 3 incompletions in a row meant the Coyotes left this trip to the redzone with only 3 more points. This great redzone stand from the Pythons, however, would also reinvigorate the fans, and do a lot to turn around the momentum that had began so clearly in favour of the Coyotes. The Pythons would falter on offence again and were forced to punt the ball away, giving Kansas City the ball at their own 14. 12 offensive plays would follow, a drive that would extend all the way into the second quarter. It looked like the Coyotes were still in control until...
Fujiwara steps back to throw at the Pythons 45 yard line. Throwing to Johnson, the throw is short and is undercut by the Pythons rookie Kehla at the 30 yard line. He returns the ball 60 yards to the Kansas City 10. The crowd became recharged and overjoyed. The momentum switch had occurred in a massive way. 3 plays later, Tatsu Nakamura would punch the ball in for the first touchdown of the game and - with one twist of fate - the Pythons led 7-6. The Coyotes lost their way, and would struggle offensively for the rest of the half. A few drives later, they would fumble the ball and fail to recover it, in an act that proves the pressure had started to make them crack. Another Portland score in the form of a 30 yard field goal meant the Pythons led 10-6 going into the half. The half time was seen as a blessing for the Coyotes. It seemed like a chance for them to focus their minds, block out the Portland fan's noise and come out ready for a good performance in the 2nd half.
That was not what happened however. If anything, the Coyotes came out of the half time break even more nervous than before. Incomplete passes, an inability to get key first downs, and a slew of unnecessary penalties hamstrung the Coyotes throughout the 2nd half. And, in the end, the only 2 chances to actually score came from the Pythons - and they missed both of those field goals. However, the Coyotes could not make them pay and the game ended 10-6. The most demoralising part of this loss was the penalties taken by the Coyotes throughout this game: through the first 2 weeks, Kansas City had given up a combined 4 penalties for 32 yards. In this game alone against the Pythons, they gave up 11 penalties for 75 yards. Giving up these penalties, especially when attempting to drive down the field, was what truly crippled the Coyotes in this game. They won the total yardage battle 323-295, but with so many penalties there was not much they could do. The away field disadvantage had overcome them, and because of the way they crumbled under the pressure, they fell to a record of 1-2 through three weeks.
Week 4 - @ Dallas Birddogs
After a disappointing trip to Portland, the Coyotes would next make the long trip south to Dallas to fight against the Birddogs. The Birddogs are an expansion team that through the first 3 games also sat at 1-2. Their win came at home against the Minnesota Grey Ducks, a team that would go on to beat the Buccaneers in week 3 and end their unbeaten run. What this proves is that Dallas - like all teams at this level - are a team that can compete and would not be easy to overcome, especially at home. As the Coyotes ventured into Dallas, the same feelings as the Portland loss started to enter their minds. The nervous energy began to take a hold, and that had a chance to lead to serious trouble for the Coyotes as a unit.
As they entered the stadium, they crossed paths with some Dallas players. Still sporting that nervous energy, one of the Dallas players took the chance to talk trash to the team who had scored so poorly in Portland the week before.
That comment led to more trouble than they could ever imagine.
A fire was lit under the Kansas City offence; no longer were they nervous, as that nervous energy had been overrun by motivation to make those words meaningless. The game began with an 81 yard return from kickoff by Eddie Jeeta, and a 10 yard pass to Ahmed led to the first touchdown within a minute of kickoff. By the end of the first quarter, 3 touchdowns were scored, the score being Kansas City 21-0 Dallas. Dallas responded at the start of the 2nd with a touchdown of their own, but 2 Lefty Louis field goals made the score 28-7 to the Coyotes at half time.
The Birddogs and their fans were floored by this offensive performance by the Coyotes. In fact, the Coyotes fans were likely just as surprised. This was the same team who were overawed by the occasion when faced with an away game all of a week ago, but now they went about their business as if they were consummate professionals. This likely speaks of the niche that the Coyotes have been creating for themselves this season. In truth, they so far have been consistent in their inconsistency; one week they are top of the class and scoring like everyone knows they can. Meanwhile, the next week they can barely string a single drive together and gather penalties like rare trading cards. If they are to be successful in this season, they must gain the ability to play well under all circumstances. And only time will tell if that can happen.
Back in Dallas, after 4 more Lefty Louis field goals and a touchdown for each side, the final whistle blew and the scoreline read: Kansas City 46-14 Dallas. In a game that truly beggars belief, the Coyotes dismantled a team on a road trip that seemed to be a challenge at first sight. The trip back to Kansas City was a joyous one for fans and players alike as the players knew an opportunity to go on a run would show itself in the coming 2 weeks. In these weeks, they would have home games against the 1-3 division rival London Royals and the 2-2 Tijuana Luchadores. While no game in the DSFL is ever considered easy, with the strength of schedule coming up after these games are over, the Coyotes will be hopeful they can turn both the Royals and the Luchadores over and put themselves in a good position to hold onto a playoff spot throughout the rest of the year.
The Kansas City Coyotes exit week 2 of the DSFL season sporting a 1-1 record. This record was representative of what balanced out to be an average start for the organisation to the new league season; a tough 24-9 home loss to the Myrtle Beach Buccaneers first, before a resounding bounce-back performance resulting in a 21-6 home win over the Norfolk SeaWolves. In truth, facing the Buccaneers and the SeaWolves - two organisations with a strong and proud history in the DSFL - in your first two games is a hard schedule to overcome. And because of that, it is unsurprising to find that the front office was somewhat pleased to come away sporting a .500 winning percentage. A whole different challenge was set to come up in the coming 2 weeks. These challenges aren't just down to the teams that are being faced however. The biggest challenge that will be faced in weeks 3 and 4 is the adversity of an away crowd.
Away games are a massively different experience for rookie players in professional American Football. The cheers and praise you feel at home as you take the field turns to jeers and criticism from the stands of locals. Every offensive snap is met with a wall of noise making QB cadence almost impossible to understand and use correctly. Close calls in terms of yardage are given to the home team, with the away team left to question how close those calls truly were. And the travelling from your home stadium to a stadium hundreds and hundreds of miles away makes it tough to feel comfortable in what is a very different environment. It would be fair to state that away games - while still possessing the same gameplay as home games - are an entirely different kettle of fish for an organisation to handle. Especially an organisation in the DSFL like that of the Kansas City Coyotes. The vast majority of starting players this season, like most normal seasons, are rookies. Of course, they've experiences away games in the preseason about a month ago; however, preseason football - like the difference between home and away games - provides a completely different atmosphere to regular season games. The pressure is on for these rookies to hit the ground running in unfamiliar circumstances. And, in this part, it will be discovered just how much pressure they can overcome as they journey to Portland and Dallas.
Week 3 - @ Portland Pythons
The Portland Pythons were the opponents for the Coyotes to start off this away trip. The Pythons stumbled out of the gates this year, falling to 0-2 through 2 games. Looking simply at the win loss record, one would assume that the Pythons were simply a small bump in the road for most teams and should be overcome somewhat easily. However, what the win loss record fails to take into account is the difficulty of these first games that the Pythons had. For they, in their first 2 weeks, had an away trip to the same 2 teams that the Coyotes battled hard to get a 1-1 home record against; the Myrtle Beach Buccaneers and the Norfolk SeaWolves. It is unquestionable that those teams were difficult to overcome even with a home advantage for the Coyotes, so with context it is unsurprising that the Pythons would fall to both seeing as they had to deal with the home crowd being against them both times. The Week 2 game against the Buccaneers was especially impressive; only losing by 7 points (24-17) to a team that had looked almost impossible to match for most teams throughout preseason and the first week.
Because of the context behind the 0-2, the entire Coyotes team understood that the Pythons were not to be overlooked as they journeyed halfway across the continent to make their way to the Pythons' stadium. Upon reaching Portland, it was obvious the nerves had started to kick in. The warmups after reaching the stadium told the same story, as the team struggled to adapt to the completely new surroundings that greeted them when they walked through the stadium gates. Like Dorothy, they sure were not in Kansas (City) anymore, and they were about to find out how difficult it could get outwith the safe structure of their home field.
The first half was a somewhat interesting affair. The Coyotes received the ball from the kickoff and, after an 8-play drive, settled for a field goal from 36 yards out. On the first drive from the Pythons, the home crowd would be quieted somewhat as O'Donnell would throw a pass straight into the arms of Coyotes safety Jon Bois, leading to the second Coyotes drive starting inside the Pythons half. Within 2 plays, the Coyotes were 6 yards away from the endzone. However, 3 incompletions in a row meant the Coyotes left this trip to the redzone with only 3 more points. This great redzone stand from the Pythons, however, would also reinvigorate the fans, and do a lot to turn around the momentum that had began so clearly in favour of the Coyotes. The Pythons would falter on offence again and were forced to punt the ball away, giving Kansas City the ball at their own 14. 12 offensive plays would follow, a drive that would extend all the way into the second quarter. It looked like the Coyotes were still in control until...
Fujiwara steps back to throw at the Pythons 45 yard line. Throwing to Johnson, the throw is short and is undercut by the Pythons rookie Kehla at the 30 yard line. He returns the ball 60 yards to the Kansas City 10. The crowd became recharged and overjoyed. The momentum switch had occurred in a massive way. 3 plays later, Tatsu Nakamura would punch the ball in for the first touchdown of the game and - with one twist of fate - the Pythons led 7-6. The Coyotes lost their way, and would struggle offensively for the rest of the half. A few drives later, they would fumble the ball and fail to recover it, in an act that proves the pressure had started to make them crack. Another Portland score in the form of a 30 yard field goal meant the Pythons led 10-6 going into the half. The half time was seen as a blessing for the Coyotes. It seemed like a chance for them to focus their minds, block out the Portland fan's noise and come out ready for a good performance in the 2nd half.
That was not what happened however. If anything, the Coyotes came out of the half time break even more nervous than before. Incomplete passes, an inability to get key first downs, and a slew of unnecessary penalties hamstrung the Coyotes throughout the 2nd half. And, in the end, the only 2 chances to actually score came from the Pythons - and they missed both of those field goals. However, the Coyotes could not make them pay and the game ended 10-6. The most demoralising part of this loss was the penalties taken by the Coyotes throughout this game: through the first 2 weeks, Kansas City had given up a combined 4 penalties for 32 yards. In this game alone against the Pythons, they gave up 11 penalties for 75 yards. Giving up these penalties, especially when attempting to drive down the field, was what truly crippled the Coyotes in this game. They won the total yardage battle 323-295, but with so many penalties there was not much they could do. The away field disadvantage had overcome them, and because of the way they crumbled under the pressure, they fell to a record of 1-2 through three weeks.
Week 4 - @ Dallas Birddogs
After a disappointing trip to Portland, the Coyotes would next make the long trip south to Dallas to fight against the Birddogs. The Birddogs are an expansion team that through the first 3 games also sat at 1-2. Their win came at home against the Minnesota Grey Ducks, a team that would go on to beat the Buccaneers in week 3 and end their unbeaten run. What this proves is that Dallas - like all teams at this level - are a team that can compete and would not be easy to overcome, especially at home. As the Coyotes ventured into Dallas, the same feelings as the Portland loss started to enter their minds. The nervous energy began to take a hold, and that had a chance to lead to serious trouble for the Coyotes as a unit.
As they entered the stadium, they crossed paths with some Dallas players. Still sporting that nervous energy, one of the Dallas players took the chance to talk trash to the team who had scored so poorly in Portland the week before.
That comment led to more trouble than they could ever imagine.
A fire was lit under the Kansas City offence; no longer were they nervous, as that nervous energy had been overrun by motivation to make those words meaningless. The game began with an 81 yard return from kickoff by Eddie Jeeta, and a 10 yard pass to Ahmed led to the first touchdown within a minute of kickoff. By the end of the first quarter, 3 touchdowns were scored, the score being Kansas City 21-0 Dallas. Dallas responded at the start of the 2nd with a touchdown of their own, but 2 Lefty Louis field goals made the score 28-7 to the Coyotes at half time.
The Birddogs and their fans were floored by this offensive performance by the Coyotes. In fact, the Coyotes fans were likely just as surprised. This was the same team who were overawed by the occasion when faced with an away game all of a week ago, but now they went about their business as if they were consummate professionals. This likely speaks of the niche that the Coyotes have been creating for themselves this season. In truth, they so far have been consistent in their inconsistency; one week they are top of the class and scoring like everyone knows they can. Meanwhile, the next week they can barely string a single drive together and gather penalties like rare trading cards. If they are to be successful in this season, they must gain the ability to play well under all circumstances. And only time will tell if that can happen.
Back in Dallas, after 4 more Lefty Louis field goals and a touchdown for each side, the final whistle blew and the scoreline read: Kansas City 46-14 Dallas. In a game that truly beggars belief, the Coyotes dismantled a team on a road trip that seemed to be a challenge at first sight. The trip back to Kansas City was a joyous one for fans and players alike as the players knew an opportunity to go on a run would show itself in the coming 2 weeks. In these weeks, they would have home games against the 1-3 division rival London Royals and the 2-2 Tijuana Luchadores. While no game in the DSFL is ever considered easy, with the strength of schedule coming up after these games are over, the Coyotes will be hopeful they can turn both the Royals and the Luchadores over and put themselves in a good position to hold onto a playoff spot throughout the rest of the year.
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