PORTLAND, Ore. (Oct. 30, 2013) The Portland Stumpers are currently in ninth place with a record of 2-6. The season started out promising, but some injuries to key players really hurt the team in critical weeks. The Stumper’s Jamaal Charles, C.J. Spiller, Brandon Jacobs, and Demarco Murray have all been fighting injuries at some point throughout the season.
“The team overall is doing a great job when they are all healthy, but injuries are really setting us back some weeks. We keep getting so close to winning games, we just need that extra push at the end to finish the game with a ‘W’” said Daniel Martinez, head coach of the Stumpers.
The Stumpers have lost some really close games; week 1, the Stumpers put up 104 points but were no match to the Oklahoma City Pioneer’s 158 points. Week 4, the Stumpers lost by less than a point to the Austin Aardvarks with a score of 134.24 to 135.04. Finally, the Stumpers lost another extremely close game to the Honolulu Pineapples last week with a score of 101.48 to 103.30. The full scoring list can be found on Game Center.
“If you can rush the passer like that in this environment, it’s going to be a very tough place to play. You’re not going to be able to get to your progressions, and you’re not going to be able to get the ball to certain spots” said Stumper’s quarterback Tony Romo after the lost to the East Coast Egrets.
The Stumpers are working hard to turn the season around and coach Martinez has changed the practice routine to include and implement more cardio workouts.
“There is no reason why we shouldn’t be winning these close games, and it’s not just one game that we lost where the score was close, it’s several. This tells me that my team is not in shape, and that I am not doing my job right. I don’t think it’s lack of mental toughness, I know how much these guys want to win, and how badly they want to make Portland proud.” said coach Martinez.
The Portland Stumpers aim to make a positive and measurable impact on the community through the success of the franchise. For more information email stumperspr@portlandfootball.com or visit www.portlandstumpers.com