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)
When asked how preparations were going for the Showboats’ upcoming game against the Michigan Panthers, head coach John DeFilippo made sure to say how important this game was for Memphis.
“Huge game for us,” DeFilippo said. “Obviously, a home game in the division. We’re at a point where we need to win a football game. We need to have a good week and win our first game at home.”
Coach DeFilippo’s message for his squad is simple. They need to play better in the second half of the game.
“We need to come out and finish in the second half,” DeFilippo said. “The games that we’ve been in have been close; we haven’t finished in the second half, on all three phases. So that’s the key for us, to obviously get the lead early and then close it out in the second half.”
More specifically, DeFilippo feels the Showboats’ lack of performance after the halftime break has brought the squad down.
“It’s been rough sledding,” DeFilippo explained. “Last week was a prime example of what happened. We started off with the offense with two three-and-outs, went the wrong way on pass protection, and took a sack on the first play of the second half. Where we are right now as a team, our margin of error is very small. We have to be better.”
“We have to challenge people at the line of scrimmage,” DeFilippo gave McCarron as an example. “We can’t just let people run scott-free down the middle of the field on us. You have to jam people to let the rush get home. We saw A.J. McCarron just dice us apart last week. We didn’t get any pressure on the quarterback, and it’s hard when you don’t get your hands on any of the wide outs or the tight ends. We have to disrupt their passing game a little bit.”
With the head coach knowing what needs to be done, should we expect a winning performance from Memphis in UFL Week 5? Coach DeFilippo believes stopping Wes Hills’ running game is the key to beating Michigan.
“Their running back… we’re very familiar with,” DeFilippo said. “He gets downhill, he’s a big man, and he’s underrated. You have to do a great job of containing Wes Hills and hitting him in the hole, because Wes is one of those runners that always falls forward for another one or two yards after contact.”
DeFilippo also commented on roster changes the Showboats made this week in hopes of improving their outcome, namely waiving safety Christian McFarland and bringing in defensive back D.J. Daniel.
“We needed more coverage at the safety spot,” DeFilippo explained. “So, we’re going to bump T. J. Green over to play safety, and we brought in D.J. Daniel to play corner. Safety is T.J.’s natural position anyway, as he played safety at Clemson.”
In terms of injuries, the picture was not completely clear at this time when it came to quarterback Case Cookus and offensive tackle James Tunstall.
“James did not practice today. Case was limited today. But those two guys are going to try to fight to play, and we’ll see how that goes throughout the week,” DeFilippo said.
DeFilippo and his squad get the chance to prove themselves in front of home town fans this weekend when they host the Michigan Panthers at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium on Sunday, April 28, 2024, at 2:00 PM (3:00 PM Eastern). The game will air on FOX, with streaming options available. Good tickets are available at Ticketmaster and Stubhub.
