The San Diego Fleet entered the Alamodome to boos, and their night didn't improve much from there. Held to just six points by the San Antonio Commanders, we have a lot to discuss about how the Fleet might adjust in their upcoming games.
The Good:
The defense. With three sacks (D. Moore 1.5, T. Tupou 1, A Barrett .5) and two interceptions (R. Moeller 1, R. Brooks 1), the defense showed up and kept the team in the game. Keeping the Commanders to 6 points at the half and allowing only 9 more the rest of the game with a couple impressive red zone stands, the defense will look to build upon their success. They looked a bit gassed in the final quarter, but that's understandable when the offense can't keep you off the field.
Ryan Moeller doesn't need gloves to make big plays for the @AAFFleet. pic.twitter.com/N4jgDauXDj— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) February 10, 2019
The run game. Ja'Quan Gardner looked great, finding holes and running with good acceleration and movement. He finished with 8 carries for 55 yards, good for a 6.9 YPC. He also hauled in 2 of 3 targets for 17 yards. Phillip Nelson also chipped in 20 yards on 3 rushes after he was brought in for the benched Mike Bercovici, which brings me to the bad.
The Bad:
The blocking. Clearly the least impressive aspect of last night's game, the Fleet's Oline was almost non-existent. Sacked six times, Bercovici hardly had any time in the pocket to make things happen. The first sack he took set the tone for the rest of the game, forcing Bercovici to get the ball out of his hands quickly or face another punishing hit like the one from Shaan Washington.
His release was quick, and he had some nice throws including one to TE Gavin Escobar (4/6, 66) where he directed traffic and Escobar slipped behind the corner for a nice gain, but they were overshadowed by his two interceptions. Frustrated by his QB play, coach Mike Martz pulled the plug on Bercovici at the end of the 3rd quarter and inserted Phillip Nelson. Bercovici ended the game going 15/25 for 176 yards, two interceptions, and no touchdowns. He also rushed once for 14 yards. Faced with the same Oline that Bercovici had, Nelson didn't fare much better, finishing 5/10 for 68 yards and an interception (that ended the Fleet's chances of a comeback), along with his 20 yards on the ground.
Like my colleague Paul asks in his article about our QB situation, did Bercovici have a bad enough game on his own to warrant being benched? He had some poor throws, but behind that line it's hard to know if it warranted his benching. And if Nelson (who has been named the week two starter) has a bad game as well, what then? Hopefully, Martz has a plan in place.
Our next game will be at home against Atlanta, Sunday, February 17th at 5pm western/8pm eastern.
You can find player stats and the full play-by-play here.
The blocking. Clearly the least impressive aspect of last night's game, the Fleet's Oline was almost non-existent. Sacked six times, Bercovici hardly had any time in the pocket to make things happen. The first sack he took set the tone for the rest of the game, forcing Bercovici to get the ball out of his hands quickly or face another punishing hit like the one from Shaan Washington.
Shaan Washington can BRING IT. pic.twitter.com/7VqYNk3DwD— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) February 10, 2019
His release was quick, and he had some nice throws including one to TE Gavin Escobar (4/6, 66) where he directed traffic and Escobar slipped behind the corner for a nice gain, but they were overshadowed by his two interceptions. Frustrated by his QB play, coach Mike Martz pulled the plug on Bercovici at the end of the 3rd quarter and inserted Phillip Nelson. Bercovici ended the game going 15/25 for 176 yards, two interceptions, and no touchdowns. He also rushed once for 14 yards. Faced with the same Oline that Bercovici had, Nelson didn't fare much better, finishing 5/10 for 68 yards and an interception (that ended the Fleet's chances of a comeback), along with his 20 yards on the ground.
The biggest interception in @aafcommanders history!— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) February 10, 2019
What a play by Zack Sanchez! pic.twitter.com/h0OYbyOtPk
Like my colleague Paul asks in his article about our QB situation, did Bercovici have a bad enough game on his own to warrant being benched? He had some poor throws, but behind that line it's hard to know if it warranted his benching. And if Nelson (who has been named the week two starter) has a bad game as well, what then? Hopefully, Martz has a plan in place.
Our next game will be at home against Atlanta, Sunday, February 17th at 5pm western/8pm eastern.
You can find player stats and the full play-by-play here.
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