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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Improved Shock looking for win No. 2

The Spokane Shock finally cracked the win column a week ago. To make it a regular occurrence, they probably need to shorten their to-do list. The Shock forced six turnovers to outlast Orlando in overtime last week, helping overcome issues on offense, special teams and in the defensive secondary. Improvements in those areas have become the focus as Spokane (1-3) visits New Orleans (1-4) Saturday night at 5 at the Smoothie King Center. Head coach Andy Olson challenged his defensive front a week ago and the unit responded with six sacks and four forced fumbles. Olson has been disappointed with the special teams for weeks and he wasn’t pleased with the fact that defensive backs didn’t have a single pass break-up last Saturday. Quarterback Carson Coffman had mixed results, delivering the game-winning touchdown pass and playing turnover-free but he’s completed just 53 percent of his 64 attempts. Some of the rust was to be expected with Coffman returning to action after missing a month with a knee injury. “We really haven’t even had a chance to work with the kid yet,” Olson said. “I anticipate him improving every week.” New Orleans has dropped four straight, failing to surpass 42 points in each of those losses. The Voodoo ranks 11th or 12th in the 12-team Arena Football League in nine statistical categories, including 12th in scoring (38 ppg) and turnover margin (minus-6). Adam Kennedy has been intercepted five times, third most among AFL quarterbacks. His 91.9 passer rating doesn’t rank in the top 10. New Orleans’ defense has been middle of the pack but boasts a talented secondary with Tracy Belton, Cortez Stubbs, Cameron McGlenn and Rayshaun Kizer. “Their defense has kept them in games,” Olson said. “Kennedy is one of the better young quarterbacks that I’ve seen. They’re hungry being 1-4. They’re as desperate for a win as we are.” Spokane is trying to work its way up the Pacific Division standings and National Conference pecking order. “When you get a win it definitely builds team camaraderie,” defensive end Derrick Summers said. “Now we have the confidence and know how it feels to win and we’re going to keep it rolling.”