Hey, Power fans. Mr. Keller was nice (or daring) enough to give me a press pass for this blog during our Power season, so expect to see some coverage throughout the spring and summer. Enjoy!
The problem with writing a preview for a new team's second game based solely on the one game they've played is a lot like previewing a new show based on the pilot. A lot can change from a show's pilot to the first real episode. The network can decide some things didn't work, actors can get cut, even the whole theme of the show can change based on the numbers and fan response. You really can't tell what to expect until you watch the second episode.
Similarly, I don't think that we can really judge much about the Power until after this weekend. There are some areas where they are going to have to make some adjustments, to be sure. For one thing, Morris needs to keep the ball out of the other team's hands. Friday night, we saw 3 turnovers, which ultimately proved to be the Power's undoing. Another is protecting the QB. Although not horrible, they did let up a crucial safety, which is always concerning.
On the plus side, there are some bright points that I hope to see developed. Right now, the Power is looking strong in the passing game, which is even more important in the Arena. Had it not been for an unfortunate turnover mid-way through the game, they most likely would have kept themselves out in front of the Soul after getting on the board early. Morris was 24 for 37 (with 3 interceptions) for 264 yards and 5 touchdowns– A strong first outing for the new team's starting QB.
Right now, the key match-up is Morris and Mic “The Joystick” Washington. More than once during the game, I heard, “Wow, he is not Nate's brother, that's for sure!” Why did they say this? Mainly because he hauled in 9 for 111 yards, averaging 12+ yards per. (12 yards per catch might not be impressive in the NFL, but that’s a lot more distance when your field is only 50 yards long.) If this combo keeps it up moving forward, it will be something to watch. If you have season tickets, get used to hearing an over-zealous arena announcer screaming that nickname (as uncomfortable as it might make us to wonder where it came from.)
It was a strong first outing for the Power, that honestly, they should have won. For those of you new to the sport, it was a fine lesson in “it's ain't over until it's over.” With less than a minute left, the Power were down by one and just needed to get in field goal range (though they are not common to see.) Unfortunately, a missed block and some garbled communication lead to a soul-crushing (Or, in this case Soul-rallying) safety with 35 seconds left to go.
Stupidly, in my frustration, I was easily persuaded to start heading out of the arena. The whole way up the stairs, my Steelers mind was screaming “DAMNIT!” while my Power mind was whispering, “Uh, dude? 35 seconds...” Stopping at a monitor in the hall, we were just in time to see a field goal sail through the uprights with 6 seconds to go. OT was upon us at 52 all. There was a mad rush back to the seats for everyone who hadn't made it out the doors.
Of course, on the second play of OT, Morris tosses out a pick-six and we didn't get to enjoy the Arena rule of “both sides get a possession.”
A last note on week one to address: the crowd. The infamous “12th man.” The intangible.
Although there were still a good number of seats in the 100s empty (take note, Power fans!) the general admission sections were packed. I think the night's total was 13,401, which is pretty darn full. The energy was high, the beer was flowing and the place was actually shaking. People were drunk, excited, had no clue what was going on and were having great time. I've never seen a wave make it all the way around a venue that many times. If crowds actually do win games, they should have put 3 on the board themselves.
To return to the television analogy, I'm not putting any stock in the opening game's attendance. Viewership always drops after the pilot – how much it drops is what spells success or doom for the show.
As I mentioned above, most people had no idea what was going on. I was constantly clarifying any rules that the continuous explanations from the announcer didn't cover. It also didn't help that the refs' mics worked about as often as Charlie Sheen has in the last few weeks. People don't like having to think at a sports game – it's entertainment and diversion. It's especially bad when a flag goes out, the home team gets penalized and no one knows why.
On the way out, I heard more than one person say, “It was fun, but I don't think I'll be back.” Yep. There it is. A lot of the turn-out was people either wondering what it was all about or hearing that all their friends were going and hey, tickets are $15. Now that they know, well, maybe they'll be back, maybe they won't. At that point, few had heard that the NFL was toast for the foreseeable and they were probably stuck in a rut of “it was fun, but it wasn't the Steelers.”
How will the lockout effect attendance? Honestly, I don't think much. It's not going to be until the end of August before most Pittsburghers are going to advance past the “denial” phase and realize that there really isn't going to be a season. At that point, it will be too late.
If you watch any televised games, you'll see that there is always a lot of space. Many teams offer dollar day-of seats, or even free seats for opposing fans who make the drive. (Imagine for a second if the Ravens offered discount seats for people wearing black n gold just to get more asses-in-seats.) As such, attendance is going drop down to more believable and sustainable levels this week. Even so, because this is a football town, I see us averaging more than most other teams. I'll call it 6-8K a game (but I hope more.)
So, what can we expect for this week? I really hope to see more out of the Morris/Washington duo. Also, I'm gonna keep my eye on Joshua Rue, as he was hustling Friday night and it's fun to yell, “RUUUUUUUUUUUUUEE!” I also hope to see the team gel a bit more after the high of their home opener. It's tough to say what we'll see out of the opposing team. The Barnstormers actually had a week 1 bye, so I couldn't scope them out. They were an expansion team last year who went 7-9. It's not great, but in a league with as much turnover as the AFL, you can't judge teams on last year unless they are named The Rush, The Storm or The Sabercats. So, gut check says that we should be able to take them based on how strong we played last week and the fact they are going to be having their season-opening jitters.
But it ain't over until it's over.
No comments:
Post a Comment