2010 Cleveland Gladiators season
| 2010 Cleveland Gladiators season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Steve Thonn |
| Home field | Quicken Loans Arena |
| Results | |
| Record | 7–9 |
| Division place | 3rd NC Midwest |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
The 2010 Cleveland Gladiators season was the 11th season for the franchise in the Arena Football League, and the second while in Cleveland. The team was coached by Steve Thonn and played their home games at Quicken Loans Arena. The Gladiators missed out on the playoffs by finishing 5th in the National Conference with a 7–9 record.
y - Clinched division
x - Clinched playoff berth
The Gladiators began their season at home against the Rattlers on April 3. Their final regular season game was on July 31, when they hosted the Iron.
All times are EDT
At halftime, the Gladiators led by three touchdowns, and never trailed in the entire game until giving up a 3-yard touchdown pass to go down 61–56 with 3:30 remaining. Quarterback John Dutton threw a pick on what would prove to be Cleveland's final drive, as their defense was unable to keep Arizona from running out the clock to end the game. It was just one of Dutton's 4 interceptions on the night, though he did have 7 touchdowns, and threw for 287 yards.
In a closely contested game that saw neither team at any point lead by more than a touchdown, the Gladiators fell to 0–2 after being unable to come up with the game's last score. Following a 13-yard passing touchdown and successful extra point to tie the game at 56–56, the Gladiators allowed the Rush to drive all the way to the 4-yard line, where the Rush kicked a field goal to go ahead. After taking the ensuing kickoff for a touchback, Brent Holmes caught a pass as time expired, but did not get far with the ball, failing to even cross midfield before being tackled, ending the game. Contributing to the loss was Cleveland's turnovers. Quarterback John Dutton threw for 379 yards, but had 3 interceptions in the game. Brent Holmes, Chris Johnson, and Ben Nelson each had over 100 yards receiving in the losing effort.
The Gladiators held a 14–0 lead early in the 2nd quarter, but the lead was cut to only 3 points at halftime when they allowed 4 touchdowns in the remainder of the half, including a kickoff returned for a touchdown, and a pair of 1-yard rushes into the end zone. In the 3rd quarter the Gladiators failed to score, falling into a hole they couldn't climb out of, as both teams scored 3 touchdowns each in the final quarter. Quarterback John Dutton attempted 50 passes, completing 35 for 309 yards and 7 touchdowns.
...
Wikipedia