Avery racked up the yards in Week 1 – Look for the Chicago “Enforcer” to have a great game against the hapless Hitmen in Week 4, and finally put Chicago in the win column.
Chicago – (21 February 2001) — The Chicago Enforcers and the XFL make their debut at Chicago’s Soldier Field this Saturday night when the (0-3) Enforcers take on the (0-3) NY/NJ Hitmen.
Some might say the Enforcers are a lousy team in disarray. I disagree. Why would anyone want to fight the February weather on the shore Lake Michigan? Here’s why: If you look at each of their three losses you will see that the Enforcers had a more than realistic shot to win each and every game.
Against Orlando, time was the Enforcers enemy in that they didn’t have enough of it. Running Back John Avery won the first ever XFL Offensive Player of the week award as the Enforcers lost a shootout by only 4 points.
Against the Xtreme, time was again the enemy, but only because Chicago had too much of it to work with! It didn’t help that the officials credited Damon Dunn with a TD on a clearly dropped ball, but the Enforcers could have made just one other PAT or held LA later in the game. Either way, that game was the most exciting the XFL has seen this season.
The Enforcers were primed to achieve victory this past weekend, but another twist of cruel fate made the ball bounce off of Tyji Armstrong directly to Dwayne Butler who ripped our hearts out once again.
The Enforcers are not bad. The announcer on TNN stated that the Enforcers are, “The Best 0-3 team in the XFL.” At the time they were the only 0-3 team, but that wasn’t the point. The Enforcers could easily be 3-0, and last week showed that Orlando is not the super-power everyone thinks they are. If Chicago can take care of their own business against divisional foes and get a little help from the strong western teams, they’ll be right back in the playoff hunt.
I’ll be watching this weekend from Rochester, NY of all places, I hope you all in Chicago will be watching too!
ENFORCERS TO WATCH:
Aaron Bailey: Bailey showed he can be a deep threat by burning the Birmingham secondary numerous times. It’s only a matter of time before Timmy Lester starts dropping bombs into the hands of the fleet-footed Bailey.
Aaron Humphrey: It’s interesting that my defensive spotlight is also placed on an “Aaron.” Humphrey is built in the mold of a Kevin Greene. Being a Steelers fan, I like the fact that Chicago tends to play a disguised 3-4, capitalizing on their depth at Linebacker. Humphrey was a leader on the defense Sunday, jarring Bostic at every opportunity. Look for him to have an even bigger game against a weaker NY O-line.
