LAS VEGAS, Nev. (March 9, 2005) – Gladiators owner Jim Ferraro's patience lasts only so long, and it is that patience that is being tested.

He and the front office assembled what they believed was a championship team, one that has been decimated by injuries this season and is 3-3 largely as a result.

Still, the Gladiators should be at least 4-2, even without quarterback Clint Dolezel for the past month because of a broken finger on his throwing hand. They had the Wranglers all but beaten last week, but coach Ron James inexplicably sent out the kicking unit after a touchdown put Las Vegas ahead by five points with 1:48 left. He tried to call timeout before the kick, but it was too late, and the Wranglers came back to win on the final play.

Ferraro was livid, saying he couldn't understand the decision. Later in the week, he was calmer, but still didn't get the reasoning.

"What happened last game won't happen again," Ferraro said. "If you go for it and call a play that doesn't work out, that's fine. Certain things are obvious. We can't make obvious mistakes. There isn't room for obvious mistakes."

Still, Ferraro isn't ready to make an even worse decision and let James go. Nevertheless, this is a team designed to win, and even though James is just in his first season as head coach, there is no honeymoon period.

"I'm not going to put him on a tight leash so that he can't perform," Ferraro said. "He's on a long leash. But a dog on a long leash can still run away."

James said he welcomed working for an owner who won't accept losing.

"I like the fact that he's a go-getter," James said. "He's a guy that looks at the bottom line, and the bottom line is winning in this sport. So I anticipate us winning a lot of football games and me being successful here as a coach and our team being successful as a team. That goes hand in hand with his philosophy.

"I accepted that when I accepted the job. If I'm going to stand out here and accept you patting me on the back when we win or the crowd doing the same thing, I've got to be able to step in and take the heat when things don't go right."

Things must start going right for the Gladiators now. They received a major boost with the return of Dolezel for this weekend's game at Columbus, and he will be counted on to help revive an offense that is scoring a league-low 35.2 points a game.

Ferraro said he wants more downfield passing and onside kicks, and James said that would have been the plan anyway with Dolezel's return.

"At Columbus, we're going to let loose, and it's my order to let loose," Ferraro said.

"Whether Clint isn't in there or is in there, we were a little more conservative than we needed to be. The game is a high-scoring game and not a conservative game."

QUICK THOUGHTS

• Now that the Storm is getting healthy, don't be surprised if the road to the ArenaBowl runs through Tampa Bay.

Wide receiver/defensive back T.T. Toliver, offensive specialist Freddie Solomon, lineman Kelvin Kinney and fullback/linebacker David White returned from injuries to help the Storm to a convincing 70-50 victory over Grand Rapids last weekend.

Tampa Bay had lost its two previous games, but now at 3-2 are looking much closer to the team that won the championship two years ago.

• First, the Rattlers didn't act quickly enough to remake an aging roster. But, most importantly, they fired coach Danny White and his staff after last season. The same White who had just taken the Rattlers to their third consecutive ArenaBowl.

Word is he wasn't a players' coach, but results are what truly matter, and White provided those. Utah will get his services beginning next season, and don't surprised to see that team quickly in contention.

In the meantime, the Rattlers have lost five in a row, and can only blame themselves for this mess.

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