The Jamestown Chiefs of the Northeastern Football Alliance have run into their first scheduling snafu of their inaugural season.
Saturday was supposed to be their second home game of the season at Strider Field. Instead, Week Seven has turned into their bye week while an extra away game was tacked on the end of their schedule.
After the Glover City Colonials left the league merely four days before kickoff of the 2009 season, the problems continued for the Chiefs staff to fill that week-seven hole.
See CHIEFS, Page B-3
''We found a team from West Virginia to play us, and they folded two weeks ago,'' Jamestown Chiefs coach Brendan Carter said. ''I've been spending all kinds of time on the phone trying to find someone to play us.''
The only offer Carter received was from the Buffalo Gladiators, who could only promise 15 players in uniform.
''That's not fair to the fans,'' Carter said. ''We'll take the bye week.''
Despite the recent collapses of the established teams, the large crowd from the Chiefs' first home game and the continued support from the local community reinforced that semi-professional football is here to stay.
The extra time off will be beneficial, but Carter won't be adding trick plays, hitting the waiver wire, or spending extra time on the practice field.
Instead, he's inviting them over to his house.
''Tuesday and Thursday night we watched film at my house,'' Carter said. ''When I can show them their mistakes on film it's different than when I tell them.''
They started with the Watertown game from last week. Tuesday was film-breakdown night for the defense with the offense going on Thursday.
It was wise to divide the film study into two nights.
''I've got a decent size house, but 15-to-20 guys trying to squeeze in my living room wasn't easy. It was worse when we had the (offensive) lineman here,'' Carter joked.
All kidding aside, Carter's film analysis is exactly what the Chiefs' players need during the bye week, but the time off to get healthy won't hurt either.
''We could use a bye week. We're a little banged up right now,'' offensive tackle Marc Scapelitte said during a workout at the Lakewood YMCA on Thursday.
The Chiefs were playing short-handed against Watertown in last week's 22-20 loss to the Revolution. They were down seven starters and were expected to go into this week's game still missing four or five regular players.
With the extra time off, Carter expects to go into Strider Field next Saturday against the Lyndonville Tigers with a full roster.
''Having a bye week isn't a bad thing and we're getting better every week,'' Carter said. ''Going into Lyndonville we should have everyone back.''
The bye week is good, but losing a home game wasn't something anyone on the Chiefs' staff wanted. After their first game was such a success, the players and the coaching staff were eager to hit the turf again.
''It's all about community support,'' Carter stressed. ''People want to come see us play and we would have loved to keep this home game, but it just wasn't in the cards.''
In the first half at home against Monroe County two weeks ago, Jamestown accomplished a rare feat. In fact it was so rare, that it hasn't happened to the Sting in 13 years.
They were shutout.
Upon further review, that's something the Chiefs can learn from.
''Look at you guys. You look like a bunch of caged animals,'' Carter said to his team during film review. ''I wanted to show them defensively that they can step up and be that wild animal that is let go on the snap of the ball.''
In Carter's halftime speech last week in Watertown, he wanted points on the board to start the second half.
''I challenged the guys,'' Carter recalled. ''I basically said to them, this is where we begin. It's the beginning of the rest of the season. No more mistakes, no more mental errors. Play how we're capable of playing.''
A nice return set the Chiefs up with a first-and-10 at the 45-yard line. Four plays later, they scored a touchdown.
Now they must focus on the Tigers. The first time they played, the Chiefs lost, 27-0, but now they're more experienced, more prepared and, after the bye, they'll be healthy again.
Playing at home won't hurt either.
''We have a very good football team,'' Carter reiterated. ''We're just making too many mistakes to come away with wins. Seventy-five to eighty-percent of the time we're playing good football.''
During the other 20-to-25-percent of the game, the Chiefs are getting handcuffed by too many mistakes. An extra week of practice should help work out the kinks.
The game against Lyndonville will be held at Strider Field and is scheduled for 5 p.m., Aug. 15.
