Case Cookus #10 and Head Coach John DeFilippo of the Memphis Showboats speak during the second quarter against the San Antonio Brahmas at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium on April 06, 2024 in Memphis, Tennessee. (Photo by Wes Hale/UFL/Getty Images)
With the Memphis Showboats preparing for their week four game in St. Louis, head coach John DeFilippo is fully aware of the huge crowd his squad will meet when they step out on the field at The Dome at America’s Center. In fact, he is counting on a raucous St. Louis crowd to fire up his team.
“We’ve had crowd noise at practice the last two days and all of our team periods. We’re excited for the opportunity to get to play in this atmosphere. This is what football is all about,” DeFilippo said. “It’s great when you have fans that are very supportive of the other team. A lot of times on the road, you feel like it’s you against the world, so that’s kind of a theme I brought up to our team this week.”
“It makes it fun,” DeFilippo said. “You tighten the ropes a little bit, and you tighten the wagons and say, ‘Hey, we have the whole world against us. Let’s go out and prove these guys wrong!'”
Not only are the Showboats preparing to meet the Battlehawks in their home stadium, but coach DeFilippo is also preparing his squad to take on St. Louis’s quarterback A.J. McCarron, a player he respects.
“He’s seen it all. He’s been in a lot of systems. He’s been around a lot of good coaches. Been around a lot of good starters,” DeFillipo said about McCarron. “He’s formed his own path in terms of being in the NFL, XFL, and UFL, and he loves playing football. Anytime a guy is experienced and loves playing football, you have your hands full.”
With the Showboats coming off a demoralizing loss to the Birmingham Stallions, the team is determined to move on and prove themselves against their next opponent. Still, Coach DeFilippo took a moment to reflect on their loss and took part of the responsibility for being slow to react to the Stallions’ play.
“Tough game. last week,” DeFilippo said. “They owned both sides of the line of scrimmage on both sides of the football fairly easily. I could have gotten into some quick game stuff earlier, some different protections earlier.”
As for his decision to pull Case Cookus, something that was shown as an “All Access” moment during the television broadcast, DeFilippo explained the decision, and how Cookus was currently dealing with the situation.
“We’ve talked about it several times,” DeFilippo said. “You know Case, and he is doing well mentally right now. I think he knows he needs to play better, and I think we all know we need to play better around him. We missed two touchdown throws in the first half: we didn’t throw one, and we threw another behind the receiver. So, we have to do better there.”
DeFilippo explained that he was not immediately aware that his conversation with Cookus was on television.
“I went back and watched it,” DeFilippo said. “That was just the truth, and it was time for us to make a change. I thought he was getting banged around in there, and we have a lot of football to be played. So it was time to get Troy (Williams) in there and see what he could do.”
It is clear the Showboats are clamoring to improve themselves in a highly competitive football league.
“Our league is unbelievably competitive,” DeFilippo said. “First couple of weeks, and as a coaching staff and players, you’re still trying to find out what we’re good at and how guys react in games.”
“We’re just finding our way,” DeFilippo said. “That’s not an excuse why we’re one and two—not an excuse at all. It’s a reality.”
DeFilippo and the Memphis Showboats are ready for their next dose of reality when they visit the St. Louis Battlehawks on Saturday, April 20, 2024, at 12:30 PM Eastern. The game will air on ABC, and good tickets are available at Ticketmaster and Stubhub.
