NLL Insider

When the Mammoth won the NLL Championship in 2006, they averaged 12.5 goals per game and boasted the league’s best offense. It’s no secret their offensive production has gone down slightly and after bottoming out with a 14-5 loss to Portland in their home opener, the team once known for it’s electric offense is retooling with the goal of finding their stride once again.

And the man selected to bring Colorado’s offense back to glory: Dan Perreault, who was brought in as the team’s new offensive coordinator on January 20th. Since then, Colorado has shown flashes of brilliance, posting a solid victory over Minnesota and a come-from-behind win over then-undefeated Calgary. Perreault took a few minutes to talk about the process of breaking bad habits, shifting offensive philosophies and the long road ahead.

Q: When you first came to Colorado, what was the biggest problem that needed to be fixed with the offense?
A: I don’t know that there was a real problem. It was more that we weren’t playing as a five man unit. We were hanging onto the ball and when the ball’s not moving the offense bogs down. So trying to encourage more ball movement. And that’s a common problem. And the other was trying to get everyone to believe they’re a goal-scorer. I think with the kind of offense that we have, everyone has to contribute. When the team is down, the offense feels like it’s their job to put the ball in the net, which is true, but then they start to force things and take it on themselves individually because they’re good players. When you’re ahead, it’s a different game to play than when you’re down by three and guys are forcing shots. They want to make something happen, but they’re going about it the wrong way.

Q: How would you describe your offensive philosophy?
A: It’s ball movement but our feet have to be moving too. We have to get heads moving and send cutters through. Eventually the defense will miss an assignment or make a mistake. The goalie’s feet are moving each time the ball moves so we can get an opportunity there. We’re really encouraging the ball movement and also moving our feet so we’re not just standing and not getting anything accomplished.

Q: How do you implement that philosophy?
A: I told them that we have some good ball players but if we think we’re going to get it done individually, it’s not going to happen. We have to do it as a five-man unit. Sometimes we revert back to old habits like we did this weekend. We stopped moving and cutting and moving the ball and we fell back a little bit. It’s just something we have to be repetitive and I know lot of coaches are saying the same thing, but we just have to stay on ‘em. If the ball’s not moving we let them know that each shift when they come off the floor.

Q: How do you overcome the added challenge of trying to revamp the offense when you don’t get to work with the team on a regular basis?
A: That’s just the way it is and most teams are in the same situation. In the two hours that we have we just have to totally be prepared. We’ll watch game film and show them the positives and then show them the results. We have to make best use of our time because obviously we don’t have two practices a week. We’d like more practice time but all the teams are in the same boat and that’s just the way it is.

Q: The team has shown really great things on offense but also had some down games. What can you do to be more consistent?
A: I think in this league you need to be consistent offensively. You should be around the 13 goal mark and we’ve hit that. That’s where we want to be but we haven’t done it consistently yet. I’m not going to make excuses but we miss Dan Carey. He gets points right there. The five guys on the floor, it’s going to be up to them to do their job.

Q: From a leadership standpoint, how have Gavin Prout and Brian Langtry been in getting everyone on the same page?
A: Gavin’s always very good that way. Always talking. Always communicating. He’s a dangerous player and other teams will give him special attention. Langtry is also a good leader. He’s a special player, especially in key moments of the game. Having him and Gavin out there is a pretty good combination.

Q: What have you seen in Matt Danowski as he adjusts to the indoor game?
A: The box game is new to Matt and it’s fun coaching a player like that because there’s so much talent. They want to score goals but they want to get it done in their particular way. They’re creative on their own but they also need to fit into what we’re trying to change. Matt’s slowly learning the game and we’re starting to see good things from him. There are some field habits there that we have to correct him on but he’s showing good things in the box game.

Q: Obviously, you have a lot of snipers on the bench, but how does the loss of Dan Carey affect you from here on out?
A: We just have to do it as a group and chip away at it. Tyler Crompton is one of those players who just doesn’t stop working. He sets a good example with his work ethic. Jed Prossner’s played some defense this season but we plan on using him a little more on offense. We have to downplay injuries and move forward. It will be good for Prossner to step up. There’s also experience on the left side with (Chris) Gill and (Gary) Rosyski. We have some pretty heavy ball players. We just have to get them to buy into what we’re doing as a group, which they are. In a tight game, we don’t care who scores as long as someone does it.

Q: With that in mind, what’s the next step as you move forward toward midseason?
A: We have to keep moving the ball and moving our feet and continue to transition to get the ball in our hands. There’s good goaltending in this league and it’s hard to beat them from the outside so you have to get them moving. We weren’t that sharp last weekend and we’re working on it. We show flashes of some good things happening but we’re not there yet. We want to be consistent.

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