“File Under Brain Cramp”
That gem courtesy of Roughnecks assistant coach Terry Sanderson from today’s NLL coach’s call.
To help carpet-bomb the media in advance of each weekend, the NLL makes team coaches available to us a day or two before the weekend’s action begins. This time, it was Sanderson speaking for the team and pinch hitting for head coach Troy Cordingley.
The ‘brain cramp’ line was part of his rather amusing response to my question about what happened to the Riggers on defense between the first and second half of the home opener against San Jose.
As mentioned in previous posts, the game was a tale of two entirely different halves, Calgary dominating the first 30…the next 29 belonging to the Stealth before the home side stormed back late to force a brief and ill-fated overtime.
Sanderson says that while they enjoy playing the new system, there’s still something of a learning curve. Combine that with a steady parade to the penalty box, some subtle adjustments from Stealth coach Walt Christianson, a brain cramp or two, and you have a recipe for disaster.
Still, despite fact the team has started at 0-2…a record that could be exactly the opposite without the aforementioned second half collapses, Sanderson remains confident better times are ahead.
“Both games could have gone either way,” he says. “It’ll come sooner or later. We’re not going to change many things.”
“There’s a period of adjustment. We felt we could have won either one.”
The Roughnecks and the Stealth finish up the home-and-home at the HP Pavillion Friday. Saturday, the boys are back at the ‘Dome to face the Portland Lumberjax.