Week 4 Preview - Power host the Talons

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Now, on to football.

If we have to have a short turn-around, we should be glad that we face the Tulsa Talons on Saturday night. I would love to just write “they suck, we're gonna win” and move on, but football (of any flavor) is not that simple.

Look, Tulsa is bad. We should have this one, but there are lingering doubts that I have after this week's match-up against the Mustangs. With our developing habit of starting strong and slacking off, coupled with Tulsa likely making us want to play soft, they could surprise us. Any given Su- er, any given extended weekend, any team can win, and remembering that is job number one for the Power this weekend.

Here are some things that Pittsburgh can watch for and exploit:

1. Kickoffs – Tulsa is weak at kicking off and they go short. Also, they are not very good at covering the return. In two out of their three games so far this season, they have averaged nearly 30 yards allowed per. This gives their opponents excellent field position on every drive and they have been making good use of it.
2. 4^th down conversions – they are very hit and miss at converting this, with slightly more misses. If our defense can step up and stop the passing game, we have a good chance to turn it over there and hopefully get good field position.
3. Weak end zone defense – I know what you’re thinking – Don’t you mean red zone or goal-line? Not really. They actually seem to fight to keep people out of the end zone, but once they’re there, they leave them wide open. We shouldn't have as much need to rely on Rue for points as there always seems to be an open receiver when Tulsa is defending the goal line.

Things to watch for and stop:

1. The passing game – I know Keller seems to feel that covering the pass is too hard, but it's still possible. Reid is mobile and when he connects, he connects big. The opening game, he threw for over 200 yards, and even in the last two butt-kickings, he's still pulled off over 100. The Power needs to cover downfield and break up those deep passes.
2. Disorganization can be a good thing (for them) – Whereas I like the fact that McCabe spreads it around, he does it with purpose. Reid takes it to a new level. There is only one player that he’s passed to in all three games (Copeland, averaging about 50 yards a game) and only two he's gone to in any two separate games. Now, I don't know if this is by design or just because they're trying to find something – anything – that works, but whatever it is, it is hard to predict and defend against. Best idea is to just bring the hammer down on him and just not give him a chance to throw.
3. Mobile quarterback – We ran into trouble with that last week, and Bobby Reid is one of top rushers in the league.

The simple fact is, Tulsa is a team in drastic need of redesign. There's a lot of difference between a team like the Mustangs who are 0-3, but tend to hang in there, and a team like the Talons, that is 0-3 and gets decisively beat. There is only one game so far this season where they have finished within less than 20 points. But, they are obviously aware of this. News came out yesterday that they’ve quietly picked up former Sabercat Rodney Wright. He brings with him twice the receptions and yards as Tulsa’s current top receiver. Will this be the secret weapon that makes the difference? Will he even play this weekend? I don’t know. He’s not listed on Tulsa’s team website on the depth chart, or even on the team. Speculation might just be the secret to making Saturday interesting.

Another of those “intangible” angles for this week is Peter Fields. If you look this 6’4”, 330lbs offensive lineman up on Tulsa’s site, you will see a big “N/A” next to the college line. Not only did Mr. Fields not play football in college, he’s not even American. This native of Great Britain moved here just to play football. A veteran of the Indoor Football League (whole other can of worms), he left after three seasons to move up to the AFL level. Interestingly enough, he signed with the Power in November. Obviously, this didn’t work out, as he’s out there protecting Bobby Reid this season. It’s always interesting to see a player with a lot of heart come into a place that seemed to say, “You’re not good enough for us.” Sometimes, they prove the sentiment right. Other times, they come in and just tear the place apart to say, “How do you like me now?”

So, without looking past them, what can we take out of this game?

First of all, a team that should be a cream puff like this is a great chance to work on fundamentals. As Keller pointed out in his review, McCabe needs some more fine-detail work. Although I am still going to chalk up at least one of those INTs to the fact that he was throwing to a non-existent end-zone corner, I totally agree that he needs work on his focus. If nothing else, this team should allow him a few extra seconds in the pocket to take a deep breath and find the right guy.

Also in the QB slot, we can think about Morelli. This might be a good time to get him a few reps and work him in as a backup. If – and it is an if – we jump out to a 30+ point lead over them like their last two opponents, I see no reason not to get him a little playing time. We lost our starter after a game and a half, and if that happens to McCabe, I don't want untested command behind center.

Let me stress again that I am not looking past this game – I am just very confident about it. However, what we cannot forget is the fact that amongst the three teams that beat Tulsa, there is only one loss. They have faced undefeated, tough teams. We might find out that we're facing a team that has just been totally outclassed by skill – and we better hope that isn't the case, because we have to play every one of those teams later.

Honestly, we lucked out as an expansion team. We ended up with a season front-loaded with weak teams. Of our upcoming matches, three of the teams are currently standing at 0-3 (the Voodoo even fired their offensive coordinator this week.) The Sharks and the Force are both going to offer challenges, but are beatable. After that, it gets tough. Real tough.

The second half of the season, we have to meet the division-leading Gladiators twice, the Vigilantes, the Rattlers, and the Sabercats. If that wasn't enough, we have rematches against rival Mustangs and Soul – two games that were decided by a total of 8 pts. The next 5 games are our chance to work out kinks, get some games in the W column and gel as a team. After that, we are in for a brutal downhill drive to the end of the season. Seriously, I cannot stress that enough. As teams look right now, I am scared of every second half game except the Blaze – and then only by comparison.

Bottom line is that the Power get through this week, then have a bye next week. Hopefully they handily take care of the Talons and have two weeks to review film and figure out new tactics. Then, we have a few more weeks of teams we can try them out on before the hammer officially comes down.

Elsewhere in the league:

1. As I suspected, the Barnstormers bounced a Czech and are starting a new kicker this week
2. Despite being winless and showing a lot of empty seats, the Mustangs have signed a three-year lease at their arena, so we might be able to count on a rivalry there
3. The NFL Network game of the week is the Sharks @ Tampa Bay. TB is off to a rough start after a coaching scandal, but they're generally a very, very good team. Also, Jacksonville's QB has now thrown for over 26 miles in his career.
4. Mustangs host the Soul on Monday night. Whoever wins gains a divisional win, so this game has repercussions down the line.