The Arena season is officially over, and it went out with a roar, not a whimper.
This game was billed as a match-up between the to biggest powerhouses in the league, in what promised to be a no-holds barred, knock-down, drag-out, high-scoring slugfest - and it was, in every possible way. This was the highest-scoring Arena Bowl in history, with a combined total 143 points, with the margin of victory of only 3 points.
Coming into this game, I was worried about a few things. For one, I didn't think that Jacksonville's defense was up to the task. Jacksonville did not turn out to be at a disadvantage here, as the defenses were very evenly matched. Although both teams were successful on third downs (5/7 both ways), neither was able to convert a forth down. Only the other hand, both teams were five for six in red zone attempts. So, neither was that impressive when it comes down to it - just matched. However, Jacksonville was able to force several fumbles and snag the game's one pick. The fact of the matter is, Garcia was able to counter Arizona's strong defense, while at the same time, his team was able to pull out the big plays.
The other major thing - and this was the major, major one - was Garcia's age, how much he, and, by extension the rest of the team - had left in the tank. Ultimately, it was proven that the answer was "enough." He came out of the gate firing, and completed 12/14 passing attempts. The opening half saw the Sharks put up 32 points to Arizona's 35 - the difference coming because of missed PATs. The third quarter - as is very common in this league - was slow for both teams. The difference is that Garcia started looking tired at this point. He went on a run of incomplete passes (that really effected his overall numbers for the game) and I started to worry that this was it; age was catching up with him.
I was wrong.
Jacksonville ended up putting up 35 points in the forth - an Arena Bowl record - with 3 scores coming in the final 90 seconds. Arizona put up 28 themselves, but it wasn't enough. With only 2 seconds left in the game, Garcia fired one at the end zone, connecting with Jeron Harvey and putting this beast to bed.
I don't want to take anything away from Nick Davila of Arizona. His nearly 340 yards, 8 touchdowns and only one interception is a credit to him and his team. Add in another 2 rushing, and you have the recipe for success. Against any other quarterback, that would have enough to absolutely crush the opponent. It as just his bad luck to play Jacksonville this year. Garcia clocked over 400 yards, no interceptions, was nearly perfect if you ignore that third-quarter slump, and helped the team score 10 touchdowns.
The list of records set in this game is far long too recount here and can be found elsewhere on the web, but there's some that I'd like to address for Mr. Garcia. His passing yards are a league record in the Arena Bowl, and his career passing yards are also a league record. The same can be said for the total touchdowns of the game and career. His attempts and completions in this game are second only to one Kurt "Greatest Show on Turf" Warner. This is a very important fact, as Warner was announced as an AFL Hall of Fame inductee at half time (sure to be one of the few to be in for both the AFL and NFL someday.)
After the final whistle, seeing Garcia standing on the field with his three kids - his eldest daughter crying at his side - one couldn't help but assume that this was it. With 17 years in the league, crossing the big 4-0 barrier, well over 1000 touchdowns, yards few can hope to touch and now - finally - that illusive title ring, what does he have left to prove? Despite the shameful booing of the Arizona fans (the downside of championships being played with home-field advantage) no one could ever take that glorious moment away from him, and I'd be surprised to see him come back next season.
So, that's it for 2011. It was a great season with a lot of great games, made even better that we had a home team to root for. In just a few weeks, we're back to regular season "real" football. Watching a bit of the preseason this weekend, I can't help but get my late-summer reminder that the NFL is somehow less intimate, less about the fun. The high stakes seriousness of it is what makes it awesome, but it's always nice to have a few months of a game that can be viewed as just that - a game.
Thank you all for reading for these last 21 weeks, and I hope you'll come back again next year. Now, say tuned for the "n'at" to step back for the Steelers and Mr. Keller's coverage.
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