AVENGERS AWAKEN TOO LATE IN OPENER SAN JOSE 52, AVENGERS 30.

Byline: Daily News

Avengers coaches and players tout this year's roster as being far superior to the one that limped to a 3-11 record last season, and they were proved correct Saturday night.

Except for the pesky little matter of the first half.

The Avengers unveiled their revamped team against the San Jose SaberCats and couldn't make up for a dreadful start in a 52-30 road loss, the Arena Football League opener for both teams, in front of 13,803 at the Compaq Center.

``I'm not lowering my expectations at all for this team,'' coach Stan Brock said. ``But it's frustrating when you think you're ready to play and you're really not. We just did not execute in the first half.''

The Avengers scored four second-half touchdowns after trailing 31-3 at halftime point, but that improvement didn't mask some glaring deficiencies.

The defense, supposedly bolstered by the addition of defensive back Mark Ricks, was picked apart by San Jose quarterback John Dutton in the first half, while the offense scored just three points.

Of course, it was only the first game, and the Avengers were just getting to know each other while competing against one of the top teams in the league, but San Jose dominated despite its own troubles.

Two of the SaberCats' top offensive weapons, receivers Steve Papin and Jerry Reese, missed the game with injuries, and Dutton was making his first start as San Jose's quarterback. But perhaps most disturbing for the Avengers was the poor efforts by those players who Brock had touted in the week leading up to the game.

San Jose receivers Barry Wagner (6-foot-3) and James Roe (6-1) won the vast majority of the battles against Ricks and Delvin Myles, two Avengers defensive backs each generously listed as 5-10.

The Avengers' offense accomplished little early on. Quarterback Todd Marinovich, who missed a week of training camp because of his committment to a drug-treatment program, did not look sharp in the first half.

``There's a big difference between playing in practice, which Todd did a little bit of, and playing in a game situation,'' Brock said.

Marinovich completed 23 of 49 attempts for 244 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. He also suffered from at least six dropped passes. Antony Rice had seven receptions for 68 yards and one touchdown and Travis Hannah had six catches for 76 yards and two touchdowns.

Marinovich also might have been affected by the second play of the game, when he tripped over the foot of offensive lineman Chris Butterfield and twisted his ankle.

San Jose scored on all five of its first-half possesions and took a 31-0 lead in the final minute of the second quarter on a 9-yard pass from Dutton to Wagner. Brian Reaves' 27-yard field goal as time expired cut the halftime deficit to 31-3.

Marinovich's timing improved in the second half, and the Avengers rallied to close to 38-23 before San Jose recovered an onside kick attempt and scored the game-clinching touchdown.

``We were getting our butts kicked pretty well, but we came out and did some good things in the second half,'' Brock said.