Power vs. Barnstormers Review: Keller's Take

Again, Weidman already beat me to the punch with a strong review of Saturday night's game, but I figured I'd throw out a few thoughts anyway.

1. It's really amazing the things you pick up when you're as close to the action as we are.  We're four rows back in Section 104, so we can not only hear the players swearing at each other and the refs, we can pick up on the little things that get lost when you're sitting in the nosebleed section at an NFL game (or even when you have good seats, but the field is still 40 yards from the stands).  I noticed that Brad Banks has a noodle arm and couldn't break a pane of glass from five yards out.  I also noticed that he got happy feet really quickly.  In addition, I saw that Todd Blythe of the Barnstormers is a massive dude, but still quick, which explains why the Power couldn't stop him.
2. The other thing I noticed was that defensive back Carlos Campbell is a good player.  Well, he's aggressive and he's a solid cover guy, but he doesn't like to tackle.  Still, he's a good player.  He's classified as just a defensive back -- they don't have the cornerback or safety positions in the AFL -- so I was wrong to call him a safety in my last post.  If you're an NFL fan, though, and you've been following the game your whole life, it's tough to not classify him as a safety.  He covers the motion receiver and he usually starts about ten yards off the line of scrimmage.  In the game against the Soul, he showcased some major stones when he ran up to the line and challenged the motion receiver at the snap, trying to chuck the receiver off the route.  This is a ballsy move for two reasons: One, the receiver is probably bigger than you and could knock you down, considering he has a head of steam; and, Two, if he gets past you or you miss your chuck, he's long gone and it's an easy score.  The thing is that, every time Campbell whiffed when he tried to jam Iowa receiver Jesse Schmidt, he just let the receiver go and concentrated on defending receivers that were running short routes.  That spoke to the fact that Campbell didn't respect Banks' deep arm and I saw the Barnstormers safety doing the same thing when Bernard Morris was in the game.
3. Which brings us to Morris.  I mentioned previously that I didn't think he threw a good long ball and it's possible that Iowa used that summation as a scouting report.  From what I've heard, Morris left the game because of an arm injury, but I think it's safe to say that the offense was more effective with Kevin McCabe behind center.  McCabe's first pass was a laser -- or at least a laser by Morris' standards -- to Jerome Mathis that traveled 35 yards in the air.  I'm not sure if McCabe was trying to make a statement with that throw, but I think he gets the start against the Mustangs.  I feel as though he earned it, even though fan favorite Joshua Rue was voted the game's most valuable player.  I'm thinking McCabe keeps the starting job unless he really starts to flounder or gets hurt.  If nothing else, Morris is an excellent back-up.
4. Speaking of Mathis, I forgot that he was a talented receiver.  I always remembered him as a special teams guy who was better at covering kicks -- so good, in fact, that he was voted to the Pro Bowl when he played for the Texans -- and returning kicks than he was as a receiver.  Maybe he is much better at returning and covering kicks than he is as a receiver, but he's still a damn good receiver.  With him, The Joystick, Whatchu Talkin' About Willis, and Dewalt, that's a fine group of wideouts.  Hopefully, McCabe can keep spreading the love.  And I didn't even mention Irving Campbell.
5. The defense looked sharp, forcing three turnovers, and the secondary was much improved.  I think the addition of Josh Lay at cornerback was a huge upgrade.  I'm not sure where he was in the first game, but he stepped up in Week 2.  Sure, he dropped an interception, but he also caught one.  The man has better hands than Ike Taylor!  Though, to be clear, Taylor would dominate in Arena Ball, possibly as a two-way player, since he played tailback in college.  
6. But, don't start thinking about that championship parade through downtown just yet.  The Power still lost to the Soul, who got crushed by Chicago on Friday night.  As Weidman pointed out, Iowa did plenty to help the Power's cause, so maybe the Barnstormers aren't the best yardstick to measure the talent of this team. 

Still, winning feels better than losing and that was a nice win on Saturday night.