Friday, May 16, 2003 | 9:16 a.m.
They all but gave away a division title and first-round home game by losing four of their past five games, and instead face a likely trip to a summer vacation hotspot like Grand Rapids or Detroit to open the playoffs.
Yet it is the kicker to that sentence that soothes the Las Vegas Gladiators, who head into Sunday's regular-season finale against Buffalo at the Thomas & Mack knowing that own a postseason berth despite a 7-8 record.
Reality does not bite hard, if at all, in the Arena Football League, as 12 of 16 teams qualify for the playoffs.
"We didn't have the most spectacular season, but we got the job done and that's all that matters," Gladiators wideout Mike Horacek said.
The job is far from finished for the Gladiators, who desperately need something positive against Buffalo (5-10). Just two games ago, Las Vegas defeated Detroit to take control of the Eastern Division at 7-6, a game ahead of the Fury and two games up on New York. The following week, the Gladiators began selling tickets for a potential first-round home game.
The Gladiators have since dropped a last-second heartbreaker at home to New York and fell apart in the fourth quarter of their rematch at Detroit. That mini-collapse left them holding the 12th and final playoff spot, wishing that winless Carolina (0-15) can somehow upend New York (7-8) and that Tampa Bay (11-4) can down Detroit (8-7).
If New York and Detroit both lose today, the Gladiators would need a win Sunday to clinch the division title and a home game. Otherwise, they are likely to be hitting the road next weekend.
"People are going to be taking us for granted," Gladiators defensive back Damon Mason said. "People are going to look at our mistakes and think we're this team or that team, but they haven't really seen us play our best. That's a good thing for us."
Last year's Eastern Division champions, the Gladiators will have a chance to show their best against a Buffalo team which they beat earlier in the season. The Gladiators need to improve on offense and defense -- among the 12 current playoff teams, they rank ninth in points against and 11th in points scored.
The Gladiators will already know if they can win the division or if they are just playing for seeding Sunday.
"I think a lot of the pressure's off," Mason said. "There should be no pressure at all."
Coach Frank Haege, however, feels the pressure of preparing for an opponent with nothing to lose.
"It's a scary thing playing a team that doesn't have anything to play for," Haege said. "They can just let it hang out. They can onside kick every time, fake field goal every time, run a double pass. You never know what they're going to do."
Defense will be the focus this week. The Gladiators did not record a single defensive stop last week in Detroit, allowing the Fury to score touchdown on all 11 of their possessions. The game did not fall apart for the Gladiators until the fourth quarter, when the Fury outscored them, 28-3.
"In the fourth quarter, the wheels kind of fell off the apple cart," Haege said. "Defensively, we definitely need some confidence back."
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