LAS VEGAS, Nev. (Feb. 9, 2005) – The scary part is the silence.

Rattlers owner Robert Sarver would not comment for this column, and that is not a good sign for Arizona fans or for the Arena Football League.

If he truly is committed to keep the Rattlers alive after this season, he would publicly say so. Instead, his "no comment" speaks volumes.

He didn't offer The Arizona Republic much more before the season, saying, "I don't know" when asked how critical this year was for keeping the club alive.

I don't know?

Here's what he meant: Yes, it is a critical year, and the decision has just about been made. Unless I can load this franchise off on someone else or find another sucker willing to go in with me, goodbye Rattlers.

The league can't stand by and let this happen.

This isn't Carolina, Detroit or Indiana – franchises that disappeared after last season. Their passings were disappointing, but the league quickly moved on.

This is the Rattlers, an ArenaBowl fixture even if half the team is over 80.

Losing the Rattlers would be the AFL's version of seeing the Colts leave in the middle of the night or the Browns depart.

The league doesn't sound concerned, but this is the time to be proactive. If Sarver isn't going to commit to the Rattlers, commissioner David Baker should step in and make sure he has someone who will guarantee their return next season and beyond.

Robert Sarver is not that owner.

QUICK THOUGHTS ...

• I'm not so surprised that Rampage quarterback Michael Bishop rushed for 100 yards last weekend, I'm amazed he's the first player to do it. It's incredible how overlooked the running game is in the AFL. If a team developed a dangerous running attack, it would be almost impossible to stop. As it is now, defensive coordinators have to worry about one part of an offense, but would be pulling all-nighters if opponents started running successfully.

• If quarterback Clint Dolezel misses a month, as he is expected to, the Gladiators are all but doomed. They were sloppy in an opening victory against the Avengers and downright horrible last weekend in a loss to the SaberCats. This is a team that entered the season with high hopes of making an ArenaBowl run. Without Dolezel, the Gladiators are looking right at another postseason vacation.

• Oddsmakers quickly moved the line favoring the Dragons from 4 to 10 points when Dolezel was put on injured reserve.

• The Wranglers also are without their starting quarterback. Bobby Pesavento injured his knee last weekend, but backup John Fitzgerald played well enough to maybe eventually claim the job as his own. He passed for 234 yards and six touchdowns in a 62-45 loss to the storm. Interestingly, this weekend the Wranglers will try to stop Avengers quarterback John Kaleo, who played in Austin last season.

• Sounds like Rampage rookie coach Sparky McEwen either is sending a message he will not put up with poor performances, or he is panicking two games into the season. He spent this week unloading three defensive specialists and a two-way player. Maybe no one told McEwen when he was hired that he was taking over a bad team.

• The Kats also have had defensive concerns, recording just one sack through the first two games. Help is on the way, though. Linemen James Baron and Wes Stephens are back in the lineup after missing the first two games with injuries. The return of Baron, who has been All-AFL six times, is especially crucial.

• There is a giddiness in Tampa Bay these days, but the Predators will win this weekend's I-4 War.

• See, told you the SaberCats would be back. Not that beating the Gladiators is any great feat these days.

• OK, so I was wrong about New York not supporting Arena Football. A sellout for the Dragons last weekend? Unbelievable. If only the city's media would recognize the sport exists there, then the league could really take off because everyone knows the power of the New York media.

Mark Anderson is the AFLWA executive director. He also covers the Gladiators for the Las Vegas Review-Journal.