Another Quarterback, Another Loss

Look, I've tried to keep my personal feelings about Coach Siegfried's choices at quarterback rather restrained, as he is privy to information that I'm not. However, I don't think I can bite my tongue any longer on this topic. Saturday night, he made the "surprise" decision to start Bryan Randall at QB. I say "surprise," because it stuck with Coach's running process: Start a QB for a few games, then go to the next guy to change things up if the games aren't going perfectly. Before walking into the arena, I had a fear that this very thing would happen.

This is not to say that he wasn't doing a fairly good job. In fact, the game started beautifully, with him marching the team down to score, then "Gingabread" LeFlore made a perfect interception from Cleveland's John Dutton and we went right back to score. On those two drives, the worst thing that happened was that Randall couldn't seem to keep both shoes on. However, things went downhill fairly quickly after that.

Although Randall threw for over 300 yards on the night, he also threw two picks. He should actually be fairly pleased with this, because there were 4-5 other ones that should have been picks. He had great moves in the pocket and was able to get out of a lot of trouble there throughout the game. He also wasn't afraid to air it out. Unfortunately, he was so focused on his own receivers, he seemed utterly blind to the 2-3 defenders that were around them.

He also suffered the same issues that every other new QB has had with the Power: Not knowing the routes, not realizing that Joystick is 5'8" and generally just not being worked into the offense yet. The one advantage that all of our new QBs have is actually not knowing their receivers. They don't have a favorite yet, so they spread it around and keep the defense guessing.

So, now to the main issue: Too much confidence during a game, not enough between them.

I realize that both Stull and Hines were injured when they were relieved, but they're still a symptom of the disease. The disease is the simple fact that we lost Rowley, and he was who the Power hung their whole season on. This is an exaggerated version of what happened last year when we lost Bernard Morris early in the season. I don't know if it's that Coach panics, if it's because he never gains confidence in his backups, or if he always wants to try the next best thing in order to hopefully find the spark that sets the powder keg off.

Hines did well enough in the opening game, but when the time came to sign a backup, the Power regained Bill Stull. Because he played a few games for us last season and might have been better on paper, he became the starter in Hines' place. Rather than stick with the guy who already won a game against ugly odds, they went with "experience." I don't agree, but I can see the logic.

When we got shellacked against Philly, Stull played the whole game. Again, I can see the logic, because he'd just gotten in the lineup after being on the team for a few days and he needed to get into the swing. However, the next week in Milwaukee, he was still struggling and played way too long, especially since he was hurt enough to go on IR. I would have pulled him before things got that bad and put back in Hines. Not replace him in the lineup, just give him a break. Instead, they kept him in until he was beyond use.

The change from Hines to Cassidy two games later was more organic - Hines got hurt, Cassidy came in and he began to find his footing. However, the "spark" still didn't seem to be there, so once again, Coach puts in yet another QB this week who doesn't know his way around, he struggled, we lost.

We need to pick a QB and stick with him. At this point, it might be too late. We've dug ourselves into a deep hole that we're only going to get out of with help (thank you for losing this week, Mustangs.) So, Cassidy, Randall - pick one and let him go to town and grow into a QB. Even with year-to-year contracts, we might get someone we can line up behind for next season. However, next week Bill Stull will be eligible to return from IR if he's feeling up to it and I will bet dollars to donuts that Siegfried will put him right back in because he's their starter and he's back.

If that doesn't work out, we'll have Hines back two weeks after that. Once again, anyone know what Anthony Morelli's up to these days?

I haven't said much about the actual game itself, and I apologize. Are defense played very well, but just couldn't quite put up enough stops. The usual suspects were there and in action (although, Joystick had a bit of trouble holding onto the ball) and the ingredients were there. Sure, we had little answer for Robert Redd on returns, and we just could not for the life of us stop Domini Goodman (come on, Gingabread- LeFlore? Goodman? The Dodgeball references are writing themselves!) but the fact is, we had no center. No heart. For the second season in a row, we have no anchor in the position of QB, and that tells more of the story than anyone else on the field. We haven't had anyone that's truly awful at the position, but have just never been able to give anyone the time to develop.

Until that happens, we just cannot excel.

Elsewhere in the league

• Due more to poor clock management and going for a touchdown instead of a field goal than individual performance at QB, Chicago lost to the Talons by one point. It was a great back and forth game that Chicago should not have lost, but I predicted they would.
• Unsurprisingly, Spokane beat Jacksonville by a comfortable, but not overwhelming amount.
• Philly continued their bloodthirsty march through the AFL this week, and the Preds fall once more.
• Utah at Milwaukee was a close game, but as mentioned, the Blaze can't afford to drop any. They won a by a hair at 61-58.
• I called this one as well, except that I thought it would be close. It was not. Not at all. Sabercats storm some barns of their own, 76-33
• Coming into Sunday, AZ saw that Utah and San Jose weren't going to give an inch in the division, so they absolutely schooled Georgia, 60-27. Unrelenting offense and a safety-inducing defense made it so Georgia never had a chance - but despite the score, Georgia played some very impressive defense. They got thwumped, but they still made the Rats work for it.
• I didn't want to hold the column just for the a Monday night game that even I'm unlikely to watch. Unless the Command actually manages to pull an upset and win for the first time this season, I went 100% on my picks this week. Suck it, Keller - maybe we need to put money on this league.

Inside the Steelers War Room: Rounds 4-7

In my draft primer, I broke down what positions I think the Steelers should be targeting in this year's draft, the strengths and weaknesses of this year's class, and the importance of a great haul of prospects to the Steelers.

We're three rounds deep and they still have a lot of work to do.  They grabbed two offensive linemen and an inside linebacker, which means they still definitely need at least one cornerback, a running back, a defensive tackle, a defensive end, another linebacker, a safety, and maybe another offensive lineman.  They have four picks in the seventh round, so the least important of those positions (in their eyes) will be filled out in that round.  I just hope that's not where they take a running back, because that's what I think is their biggest remaining need.  Hopefully they take one in the fourth or fifth round.

Thus far in the draft, I think they're doing a great job.  If you want to hear from someone who really knows what he's talking about, follow Jim Wexell on Twitter.  I knew nothing about Sean Spence before I checked out his Twitter page and took a look at what Wex had to say.  When I saw that the Steelers took Spence, I was confused and frustrated.  After I took a look at Wex's page, I was excited.

First of all, Wex actually talked to linebackers coach Keith Butler.  Butler said, as I theorized, that Stevenson Sylvester will take over for James Farrior next season.  Spence will back up Lawrence Timmons and contribute on special teams.  Spence doesn't have great workout numbers -- probably why he fell to late in the third round -- but he's a solid player in space, plays faster than his 40 times, and is a leader on the field with excellent instincts.  I'm not big on workout warriors myself, so I think it's great that they took a solid football guy in the third round at a need position.

I'm totally fine with the fact that they took offensive linemen with the first two picks.  Offensive tackle Mike Adams of Ohio State not only fills a need, but it was a value pick.  Adams was ranked in the low-to-high 30s on most boards that I saw and the Steelers got him at 56 overall.  He's a huge dude at 6'7" and 323 pounds and has great feet.  The book on him is that he needs to find his way to the weight room -- only 19 reps on the 225 pound bench press -- and that he needs to get tougher in general.  He has a tendency to play smaller than he is and he tested positive for marijuana at the combine.

There are negatives and positives, but you can't teach a guy to be gigantic and have quick feet.  With DeCastro and Adams added to the mix, that gives the Steelers the kind of flexibility and options that they were lacking last year.  The opening day line could be Adams, Foster/Legursky, Pouncey, DeCastro, Gilbert. It would be great if that's the way it plays out, since they'd still have some quality depth behind those guys and it also means that the line got considerably younger and more athletic, pretty much overnight.  Even if Adams and DeCastro don't crack the line-up in 2012, they still provide flexibility and options.  I love what they've done so far.

Regarding who they'll take today, I don't have any more insight than I had in the first three rounds, where I was 0-for-3 with my picks.  However, that doesn't mean I'm not going to try.  In rounds 4-6, I think they should take a running back, cornerback, and defensive tackle.  Here are the guys at those positions that I think should still be available.

Round 4:


Defensive tackle: My boy Alameda Ta'amu of Washington is still available, as well as Josh Chapman of Alabama.

Running back: Chris Polk, Washington and Lamar Miller, Miami (Fla).  If Miller is still sitting there when the Steelers pick, they should grab him.

Cornerback: Coty Sensabugh, Clemson, Alfonzo Dennard, Nebraska, Ryan Steed, Furman.

With the 119th pick of the 2012 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers Select:
Alameda Ta'amu, Defensive Tackle, University of Washington


Round 5:


Fifth round has been my sweet spot historically, so I'm just going to make a pick.  I correctly tabbed Brian St. Pierre in 2003 and Joe Burnett in 2005.  Backing all that up is that it looks like WVU cornerback Keith Tandy should still be available and Wex likes him a lot.  That's a slam dunk right there.

With the 159th pick of the 2012 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers Select:
Keith Tandy, Cornerback, West Virginia


Round 6:


Running back or bust here, provided they didn't select one in a previous round.  But, just in case they don't take my advice and pick the guys I identified for rounds four and five, here's some guys that should be available when the Steelers will be on the clock for the 193rd overall pick.

Running back: Terrance Ganaway of Baylor is a big dude (about 6', 240 pounds) and Vick Ballard of Mississippi State at about 6 feet and 215 pounds could be a good fit as well.

Cornerback: Donnie Fletcher, Boston College, Charles Brown, North Carolina.

Defensive end: Jack Crawford, Penn State, Malik Jackson, Tennessee.

With the 193rd pick of the 2012 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers Select:
Terrance Ganaway, Running Back, Baylor


Round 7:


Let's close things out with a safety, defensive end, another cornerback, and another linebacker.

With the 231st pick of the 2012 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers Select:
Duke Ihenacho, Safety, San Diego State


With the 240th pick of the 2012 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers Select:
Scott Soloman, Defensive End, Rice (could also play outside linebacker)


With the 246th pick of the 2012 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers Select:
Jeremy Lane, Cornerback, Northwestern State


With the 248th pick of the 2012 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers Select:
Shawn Loiseau, Linebacker, Merrimack

Inside the Steelers War Room: Rounds 2 and 3

In my draft primer, I broke down what positions I think the Steelers should be targeting in this year's draft, the strengths and weaknesses of this year's class, and the importance of a great haul of prospects to the Steelers.

Thus far, I think they're off to a fantastic start.  The reason that I didn't have David DeCastro in my first round preview is that I didn't think there was any way he'd be available at 24.  Strangely enough, I did think that Dontari Poe would be there and the Chiefs screwed up that prediction by taking him 11th overall.

At any rate, the Steelers needed an offensive lineman, preferably an interior lineman, and they got a great one in DeCastro.  He's physical, plays with a mean streak, pulls and traps very well, and is a strong kid that holds his own in pass protection.  With him, Pouncey, and probably Legursky or Foster on the inside, it makes for a pretty talented threesome, provided they all stay healthy.

DeCastro reminds me a lot of Alan Faneca and I'm very excited about the prospect of him starting at right guard from day one, but I'm trying to manage expectations and not get too excited.  I have not succeeded thus far.  Still very excited.

A number of people were very confused by the fact that the Steelers passed on Dont'a Hightower when he was available.  A number of people -- myself included -- got very nervous when the Patriots traded up to 25th overall to grab Hightower when he became available.  But, the fact that the Steelers were on the clock for less than a minute tells me that they didn't think DeCastro would fall to them.  It also tells me what I suspected in my round one preview: That they don't think Hightower will be a huge contributor in their system and they think they have a suitable replacement for James Farrior on the roster.  If the fact that the defense didn't miss a beat last season with Farrior playing only part-time, plus the fact that they cut Farrior, didn't prove that out, the fact that they passed on Hightower should be the last bit of evidence everyone needs.  Looks like Stevenson Sylvester will be starting at Farrior's old position in 2012.

What about rounds two and three, which start tonight at 7 p.m. on ESPN?

The Steelers still need to pick up some quality guys at nose tackle, running back, and cornerback, which are the three positions I think (and hope) they focus on in the next three rounds.  For the two rounds on tap tonight, here are their options.

Round 2:

I still haven't given up on Wisconsin center/guard Peter Konz.  If he's still there, he'll be another one that kind of fell into their laps.  I don't think he will be there, but, after DeCastro fell to them, I want to leave that option open.

Only two offensive tackles came off the board in the first round, which means there's still a bunch of talent available.  Guys like Cordy Glenn, Jonathan Martin, and Bobby Massie should come off the board pretty quickly pretty early, but enough teams should have filled their OT needs that Ohio State's Mike Adams or California's Mitchel Schwartz should still be available.  Either of those guys would be a great value pick in round two, even if that means they didn't take a defensive tackle, a cornerback, or a running back.

Lamichael James is still out there, too, and three running backs have already been taken, but he's a little on the small side (5'8", 194 pounds) and his injury history is definitely a concern.  With Mendenhall already banged up and the Steelers thin at the position, I think they'll stay away from anyone that is more likely to get hurt.  I also think they can wait on a running back until the third round and still get a good one.

Only three defensive tackles were taken, which is a low number for the first round.  That means Penn State's Devon Still or Washington's Alameda Ta'amu could be available.  Still has a higher ranking, but Ta'amu is 6'2" and 348, so he's more likely to be available and more likely to be able to fill Big Snacks shoes (and pants).


There were also only three cornerbacks picked in the first round, another low number.  I think there will be a run on cornerbacks and offensive tackles early in first round, which means that defensive tackle is probably their best bet.  On top of that, there's Janoris Jenkins.  He has serious talent on the field and serious issues off the field.  Drafting a guy with character concerns is a risky proposition with Kaiser Goodell on the throne, but Jenkins might have too much upside to pass on.  If he's still available at the end of the second round, he might keep sliding.  He's worth a shot in the third round if he's still sitting there.  Stranger things have happened (see: McCoy, Colt).

They'll have a lot of options, but I think they'll pull the trigger on...

With the 56th Pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers Select:
Alameda Ta'amu, Defensive Tackle, University of Washington

Round 3:

If they wait until after this round to get a running back or offensive tackle, then the pickings will be pretty slim.  There's actually a bunch of guys that could at least contribute at cornerback in the fourth round and beyond.  After the top two guys (Morris Claiborne and Stephon Gilmore) there isn't a shutdown corner and someone is probably going to take a chance on Jenkins.  After Jenkins, there isn't a huge difference between the fifth-rated guy and the tenth-rated guy.

If they took Ta'amu -- or some other defensive tackle like Still -- in the second round, then offensive tackle or running back are their two best options.

At offensive tackle in this range, I like Zebrie Sanders (partly just for his name, partly because the Steelers have had luck with Seminoles) and Auburn's Brandon Mosley.  Both are athletic and strong enough and both are in the 6'5", 315 pound range.  They don't have the tools and skills needed to step right in and start, but they have enough raw materials to work with that they could definitely help the Steelers in the next two seasons.

At running back, I really like Temple's Bernard Pierce.  He's got good size (6', 218), good speed (4.49 in the 40), and he was fairly productive for a pretty crappy Temple team.  He's not an all star, but you don't usually get all stars in the third round.  He has enough going for him that, with an improved offensive line and a commitment to the run game, he could be a productive option in the Steeler offense.

With the 89th Pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers Select:
Bernard Pierce, Running Back, Temple

Ladies and Gentlemen - Start Your Vuvazelas! It's the Gladiators preview.

Okay, folks - Hockey's over, Buccos suck and after the draft, no one will really care about the NFL for several more months (except for vehement discussions about why the hell Colbert drafted a safety in the 2nd round or something.) So, in the mean time, lets give the Power all the support we can.

And let me tell you: THE SEASON IS NOT OVER.

Yes, the Power has struggled. Yes, things look bleak - but this game has huge implications.

Let me break this down: The race is for #2 in our division and a wild card berth. That's a fact, and we have to live with it. Philly is so good that they can have two of their top recievers get injured, put a 5' 3", 150lb guy in their place, and still dominate. Dan Raudabaugh is the heir apparent to the throne of either Aaron Garcia or Mark Grieb. Unless the entire team gets fired (What are the chances of that?) they are going to win our division. Again, this is just the facts.

Right now, we're 2-4, Milwaukee is 2-3 and Cleveland is 3-3. The Mustangs are playing the Blaze this weekend, and I don't see them winning that. We're playing Cleveland. If we win, we have tied records, one division win apiece and us with the head-to-head. Meanwhile, in the central division, #1 is between Tampa, Georgia and New Orleans, all at 3-3 right now.

So, in other words, a win this weekend against Cleveland puts us very, very firmly in the hunt for a wildcard spot. It's not a sure thing by any means, but it's the difference between "also played" and "here we go!"

So, what will it take? The same stuff I've been saying every week, basically. The team is growing in skill and confidence every week. I still count last week's loss as a moral win, because of how well the Power played. If that team shows up, and the Gladiators I've seen the last few weeks shows up, we can beat them.

Early on, Cleveland was hot and boasted one of the best defenses in the league. However, they've lost two out of their last three games, and that third one was a pathetic win against the Predators. They also lost to the so-so-but-getting-better Force, and won against the winless Command. Their one no-bullshit, bona fida win came against Philly, the Soul's only loss of the season. That game scares me, but the sum total of the others gives me a lot of hope.

John Dutton, their QB is no slouch. We didn't need to play him last year because of an injury, and he's the main weapon. Last week, he became the 6th QB in history to throw for 700 career TDs. Thing is, he's also been throwing a lot of picks.

So, that's the deal - Okay team, won a big one, good defense, lost some silly ones, QB who throws picks but can get the job done...which one am I referring to? I think we're pretty evenly matched, even though people tend to favor the Gladiators. Either way, game kicks off at 7:30 at Consol and on the CW - grab your vuvazelas and make some noise!

Elsewhere in the league

• Chicago at San Antonio. Early game at 3:30 on Saturday. Both teams have looked shakier than their records show. It pains me to say, but you gotta go with the QB and the home team - both point towards Aaron Garcia.
• Spokane at Jacksonville. Big win last week for the Sharks, but the Shock should have this one sewn up.
• Philly at Orlando. Well...Philly's gonna get another win.
• Utah at Milwaukee. As I said earlier, even though I liked the Mustangs early on, the Blaze is a tough team in the toughest division and can't afford to drop any games. I see them coming in and taking care of business.
• Cats at Barnstormers. I've been adopting a "never bet against the 'Stormers" stance, but I have an earlier pact with San Jose. Cats by a hair.
• As I mentioned earlier, the Force are in a three-way, 3-3 tie for first. Arizona is in the same position at 4-2. It's a tough-ass division, and I'll take the Ratts.
• With the Voodoo having the week off, the Force likely to lose to AZ, and the NFL GotW being Monday night, Tampa Bay needs to get their personal NFL Network tie-breaker. KC Command is winless, and I don't see them taking down the Storm.
  

Inside the Steelers War Room: Round 1

If you haven't done so already, I'd recommend reading my Steelers Draft Primer.  I need the click-throughs and that also outlines what positions I think they need to draft this year and how I/they will approach things.

Just as a disclaimer, I don't have any idea what they will actually do.  I don't have any inside sources or scoops.  All attempts e-mail and phone communications with Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert have only been met with restraining orders.  However, I have observed a great deal about their draft tendencies over the years and I've done a great deal of general draft analysis, so I'm at least better at guessing than that dude in HR that smells like kitty litter.

Here's who I think they like/should take in the first round, in order:

1. Dontari Poe, DT, Memphis
2. Kevin Zeitler, G, Wisconsin
3. Peter Konz, C, Wisconsin
4. Dont'a Hightower, ILB, Alabama

If all of those guys are off the board (not bloody likely, but possible), I think they try to trade down and stockpile picks.  This is a top-heavy draft in terms of "can't miss" guys and Colbert has said that he doesn't think there's anyone in the first round in their range that can make an immediate impact.  Since they need all the able bodies they can find to fill holes in the roster, trading down makes sense.  But, the vast majority of impact players they've drafted in the past few years have come from the first round, so I don't think they should opt completely out of Thursday's action.  This is also a deep draft at a number of positions -- lots of guys without talent, but only a handful of guys that look like sure-fire stars -- which means they can still nab a good player even if that player is the fourth or fifth best at his position.

Here's how the four players I mentioned break down...

Dontari Poe:

Poe is an interesting case because he was a popular pick for the Steelers by draft analysts in early mocks.  Then he went and had a huge workout at the scouting combine in February (4.9 40, weighed in at 346 pounds and actually looked pretty slender, 44 reps on the bench press) and he subsequently skyrocketed up the boards in mock drafts.

Then the analysts did what most NFL teams had probably already done before overrating Poe: They looked at the game film.  Poe's athleticism in shorts and a t-shirt didn't translate to the field.  He was deemed soft at the point of attack and not the dominant force everyone was expecting from such a freakishly athletic player that was facing off against Conference USA competition.  He had only 33 tackles last year.

Basically, Poe was deemed to be a workout warrior, not a great football player.  He dropped out of the top 10 or 15 picks in mock drafts and, recently, has been picked by the Steelers all the way at #24.

So... why do I think he's their number one priority?  Because guys that are as big and athletic as Poe don't grow on trees.  Because his upside is worth a shot at 24th overall.  Because the Steelers brought him in for a visit and think he's next Casey Hampton.  All that -- especially the last one, given that the Steelers have shown a good track record of taking defensive tackles from Joe Green to Joel Steed to Big Snack -- make me think they'll be lucky to take him if he's still there.

With a number of teams in front of the Steelers that like athleticism and upside such as the Jaguars, Bills, Cardinals, and Jets, he probably won't be there.  If he is, I say pull the trigger and pat yourselves on the back, Tomlin and Colbert.

Kevin Zeitler:


This is an unbelievably unsexy pick, but it also makes a lot of sense.  The Steelers need a lot of help on the inside.  Zeitler's the second-rated guard in the draft.  He's great at trapping and pulling, which is something that the Steelers are known for liking to do.  Wisconsin has a long-standing reputation for producing quality offensive linemen for the NFL, especially interior guys (some dude named Mike Webster went there).  Every interior linemen the Steelers have drafted in the first round has been an unsexy pick (Alan Faneca, Kendall Simmons, Maurkice Pouncey) and they've all worked out.

It's a low risk pick and, with the talent on hand at guard, there's a good chance that Zeitler will contribute right away.  He's smart, fast enough, and has the quick feet (4.61 in the short shuttle) to get out in front of the tailback on a counter or a sweep.  He could stand to gain a couple pounds of muscle, but he's a good size at about 6-foot-4 and 314 pounds.

Nice, solid player that will be able to start and play well for the next ten years, just like Pouncey.  I have no problem with that.

Peter Konz:


Everything I just said about Zeitler, but change his height to 6-foot-5.  Seriously, he's even the same weight as Zeitler.  Both are smart, stable guys with a low ceiling and a high floor.  Both are ranked in the 30s overall, which make both of them reaches at 24th overall.  But, hey, safe pick.

Konz is the number one rated center in the draft, but he projects better as a guard prospect.  He doesn't have great straightline speed and, strange as it may sound with him being 314 pounds and all, he needs to bulk up.  He only had 18 reps on the 225-pound bench press.  That's 18 more than I can do, but it was the worst among center prospects.  He shows great burst and strength on tape, but he's a little too spread out and not compactly built enough to take on big nose tackles at the line.  Regardless of whether he plays guard or center, he's going to need to find his way to the weight room and I think the Steelers have the coaches in place to encourage him in that direction.

Zeitler is really 2a and Konz is 2b, mainly because guard is Zeitler's natural position.  Again, it's a safe pick and I would be comfortable with that.

And, just to throw this out there, I don't see them taking an offensive tackle in the first round.  They haven't taken a tackle in the first round since 1996 (Jamain Stephens).  The reason for that, I think, is that the best tackle available when they pick is usually the fifth or sixth rated guy in that draft.  For their money in the first round, they'd rather take the first or second rated guy at a position, even if tackle is a greater need.  It's hard to argue with the results, since they've been able to grab a bunch of dudes from Florida and plug them in and win games for the past 20 years or so.

Dont'a Hightower:


His name is pronounced "Dont-ay" which is something that I learned only recently.  See, there's a "Dont" and then there's an apostrophe, and then there's an "A" which is how things break down.  Someone on a local news station pronounced it "Donta" and you can now look down your noses at that person.  That's the kind of inside scoop you get at Steelers N At.

As far as Hightowers prospects, he's the guy that 95% of all mock drafts on the Internet have the Steelers selecting.  I can definitely see it.  Hightower played on the inside in the 3-4 defense at Alabama.  He's a big kid (6-foot-2, 265 pounds) that can take on blockers and has great instincts.  He's fast for such a big dude (4.68 in the 40) and he seems to cover more ground than his speed would indicate because he's so good at diagnosing plays before they develop.  The only red flag is his injury history.  He tore his ACL and was redshirted for his freshman year because of it.  You know who else had knee issues in college?  Danny Vulva.  You know who else?  Hines Ward, who was incredibly durable over his 14 year career and ran around and hit people a lot more than Vulva.  So, that's a crapshoot.

If you're saying, "This guy sounds awesome!  Why's he the fourth guy on your list?"  Well, to be clear, I don't have any problems with the Steelers drafting any of these guys.  This list is ordered by preference.  I prefer Poe over everyone else because they love him and he has the chance to be a real impact player.  A dynamic nose tackle has a better chance of making a huge contribution to this defense than a dynamic inside linebacker.

As much as I love James Farrior, there was only so much that a player at his position could do to in the scheme the Steelers run.  A guy playing at a high level makes a big impact on the defense as a whole, regardless of scheme, as Farrior proved in 2004 and 2008.  His other years with the Steelers, he was a solid player; a cog in the machinery that tallied up tackles.  In 2011, he struggled and was relegated to part-time duty, and the defense didn't miss a beat with Stevenson Sylvester and Larry Foote in there.  I think they'll be just fine with another cog, either a free agent or a guy like Sylvester.  Hightower can play Farrior's position and that's about it.  He can't play Lawrence Timmons' position and he can't be moved to the outside.  A first round pick seems like a big investment for another cog.

Poe has more upside, Zeitler or Konz can provide some stability to an offensive line that was ripped apart last season due to injuries.  On top of all that, Hightower is the second-rated inside linebacker in the draft.  With all the 3-4 teams ahead of the Steelers, I'm not convinced he's going to be sitting there at 24.

Will they go safe?  Will they go upside?  Will they go Hightower?  Will any of these guys be available when they pick?  I have no idea.  That's what makes this time of year so interesting.  My best guess?

With the 24th pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers select:
Dontari Poe, Defensive Tackle, University of Memphis

Steelers Draft Primer

I'm going to break things down a little differently this year.  In previous years, I've just thrown out one massive post and hoped for the best.

This year, I'm going to try to approach it like real NFL teams do, except that I don't have unlimited resources, a staff, or really anything to base my picks on other than what I've read on the Internet.  The draft is broken up into three days, with Round 1 on Thursday, Rounds 2 and 3 on Friday, and Rounds 4-7 on Saturday.  At this point, teams have a good idea of who they're targeting in general and a rough idea of where those players might be available in each round.  But, really, they only have a slightly better feel for what's going to actually happen after Kaiser Goodell steps up to the podium and announces the Andrew Luck pick than the rest of us.  Trades happen, players are taken higher or lower than expected, and need sometimes trumps best athlete available.

The Steelers have a lot more holes to fill this year than in previous drafts and are heavier on needs.  But, they've tended to pick the best player available throughout the Kevin Colbert era and I think that will continue in this year's draft.

Having said that, here's what they need (in no particular order):

1. At least two offensive linemen, since they've struggled with injuries and could use help at every offensive line position but center
2. Preferably two defensive linemen, but definitely a nose tackle
3. At least one linebacker, with a preference towards inside linebacker (replacement for James Farrior)
4. A running back
5. At least one cornerback
6. A safety

That's eight guys if you assume the minimums and the Steelers have ten picks.  I'd be fine if they spent the two extra picks on offensive linemen because they need the bodies for camp.  But, with Casey Hampton turning 35 in September and losing Aaron Smith and Chris Hoke from the defensive line, I wouldn't be opposed to a 3-3 split on offensive and defensive linemen.

Now that we have an idea of what they're looking for, we can talk strategy.  However, I'm not ready to do that yet, so I'm going to post something tomorrow on what their strategy should be in Round 1 and who I think they should/will take.  Based on what they do in Round 1, I'll talk about what they should/will do in Rounds 2 and 3, then rinse, repeat for Saturday.

It'll be just like being in the Steelers war room.  Except that Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin won't be there.  And you're just sitting there in your underwear and an old Dan Kreider jersey, trying to explain to your wife why you feel the need to yell at Bernie Kosar, even though he's just announcing the Browns third round pick.

All levity aside, this is an extremely important draft for the Steelers.  Not only do they need to re-stock the cabinets with a number of players on offense and defense on the wrong side of 30, they're tight up against the cap and had to make a number of cuts, so they need a lot of cheap labor to fill roster holes.  Their recent draft history hasn't been great, particularly the 2008 class.  Only two players are on the roster out of seven picks.  That would be Rashard Mendenhall, who will begin the season on the Physically Unable to Perform list and hasn't exactly been a superstar and Ryan Mundy, who has filled in well when needed, but is still a backup.  As a point of reference, there are still two players each from the 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005 draft classes that will likely be on the active roster when the 2012 season kicks off.  There are also only two players left from the 2007 draft class, but those two guys are Lawrence Timmons and LaMarr Woodley.

They've had a more consistent track record since 2009.  The 2009 draft brought Ziggy Hood, Keenan Lewis,  David Johnson, and Mike Wallace.  In 2010, there was Maurkice Pouncey, Jason Worilds, Stevenson Sylvester, Jonathan Dwyer, and Antonio Brown.  In 2011, Cameron Heyward has real potential, Marcus Gilbert, Cortez Allen, and Curtis Brown.

There's some quality in there for sure, but mostly just a large quantity of contributors.  In this year's draft, they need quantity and quality.  It could be that the guys that are drafted this year make a huge contribution simply because there are no other options.  But, it could also be that the guys drafted in previous years didn't get a chance because there were veterans in front of them, keeping them from contributing.  It will be an interesting test of Kevin Colbert's and Mike Tomlin's assessment of talent.

The good news is that the 2012 draft class is a deep one, especially along the offensive and defensive lines, with quality and value available into the fourth round.  The bad news is that there's no "sure thing" running backs outside of Trent Richardson and the cornerback class is also top-heavy, without a lot of talent after the second round.  That means that it's highly unlikely that the Steelers will be able to find starters or high quality contributors at all positions where they have holes.

The priorities, I think, are along the offensive and defensive lines, at cornerback, and at running back.  If the first four rounds are some combination of those positions, I will be satisfied.  If they aren't, I will have to hope that the Steeler brain trust knows what they're doing.  History has shown that they generally do, but recent history has shown that they miss more than they hit.  I guess we'll see.

Buried in the Graveyard

This is one of those games that's beyond frustrating to write about. Not just because we dropped another one. Not even because we dropped such a close one - but because if we had been doing better this season, we would have almost been able to look on this game with a bit of pride, despite the loss.

All things considered, the Power played a great game, and kept at it until the final whistle. I was pretty worried about Cassidy coming into his old house and playing against a defense that knows him - especially when that defense is known for takeaways, and Cassidy having gotten picked so much last week. Fact is, he threw for 226 yards, five TDs and only one INT. That's really not a bad job at all. By way of comparison, Aaron Garcia - voted the 4th best QB in Arena history - only threw for about 60 more yards Sunday night (with the same TDs and INTs) and he lost by 30 more points. Again, not a bad performance for our 4th QB of the season.

Our defense stood strong and put ups some big stops. Plays were broken up, fumbles recovered, passes intercepted. All of our regular standouts were there: LaRico Stevenson, Bryan Williams, newcomer Sanderson, and of course, Chris "Dodgeball" Le-


...er, okay. "Gingabread." Point is, they did well.

The standout of the evening was "Superman" Berry, returning home to NOLA. He was all over the place. He ended with nearly 300 yards, a kickoff return TD, a receiving TD, hell - he even threw for a touchdown on a trick play. Pouring salt on the wounds, he took it to the next level by slapping a Power sticker right on the Voodoo logo in the end zone on that return.

The down point of the evening was Colin "Money" Wagner, who did not live up to his (me-given) nickname. (You can't tweet me, buddy - I don't do Twitter. Go bug Keller.) Now, before people jump on me about my past post concerning my feelings on kickers being blamed for losses. I never said that a kicker can't be responsible for a loss, just that they are often unfairly hung with that. However, when a kicker misses two PATs, three FGs and his team loses by three points...yeah. That's his fault. Now, one of those PATs was a bad spot and two of the FGs were from extreme ranges (one of which being when the offense committed penalties that kept them from the end zone), but the math majors out there will notice that leaves 4 points out there.

End of the night left us on the wrong side of 51-48, and another loss in our record. Next week is our hands-down, no-bullshit, must-win, do-or-die game against the hated Gladiators.

Elsewhere in the league

• Georgia at Orlando. This was a snore-fest. Orlando finally got a win, but it was 27-24 win. Georgia remains at the top of their division in a 3-way 3-3 tie. Take note, Power - Wildcard is always a possibility in this conference.
• Philly continues their march of burning everything down and quest to be the first team to ever hit 100 points. They made Tampa look like a third-rate team on the NFL Network Friday, winning 83-48.
• Utah wins the rematch against the Barnstormers in one of this week's two nail-biters - 63-62.
• I would like everyone to take a minute to thank Jacksonville for coming up BIG in the last seconds of their game this week and putting Cleveland within reach of us in our division, 54-49.
• The Rush put the Mustangs down for us by one point Saturday, 62-61.
• KC held the Sabercats back more than I thought they'd be able to, but still remain the one winless team in the league, 49-35. I wish I knew how, but the Ustream feed was out.
• Finally, the Arena Bowl rematch between Aaron Garcia and Nick Davila played out a bit differently this time. The Talons were completely routed 68-34 by the Rattlers.

Power in the Graveyard

That right there is an awesome name for a band.

I have long said that some teams just have better marketing than others. The Voodoo, with their Voodoo Doll dance team, playing in the Graveyard...you just can't compete with that. (Rattlers/Sidewinders/Snake Pit comes damn close.) For a long time, this marketing was needed simply because no one was showing up to see a football team that can't win at home. (I'm not trying to be subtle there - I'm trying to be damned obvious.)

At the beginning of the season, my look forward was essentially,
Predators - AAAAAAAAAAH!
Philly - Hmmm...
Mustangs - HA!
Barnstormers - Meh
Predators - AAAAAAAAAAH!: The Return
Voodoo - Gimme

Unfortunately, a lot has changed since then. Just a couple of weeks ago, no matter how good or bad the Power were playing, I could say, "Well, at least we're playing the Voodoo at home." Until they tangled with the Storm on the 6th, they had not won in the Graveyard in 4 whole years. Even though that time included a league suspension and a year in Shreveport, the fact remains that this was a lot of home games to lose.

Right now, both teams are sitting on an ugly 2-3 record and are looking to bring their season around. However, their losses (and the way they lost) speaks volumes. They've also lost to Philly and the Mustangs, so that's a wash. Last week, they lost to the Talons because they got cocky and forgot that Garcia can never be counted out. The Power's third loss was a game we should have won at home against the Barnstormers.

Where we've only been able to win against the hapless and winless Predators, the Voodoo have put up wins against both the Storm (3-2) and Blaze (3-2), both pretty strong teams in tough divisions.

Coach has said that Cassidy will be starting this week, even though we've signed Bryan Randall (Practice squad for the Falcons, Bucs and Steelers before bouncing around the other indoor leagues.) I'm not super excited about it, but he's what we've got. If he's calmed down and gotten in the groove more since last week, fantastic. If not, we're frickin' doomed.

The main thing that the Voodoo have going for them is the fact that they don't like to share. Someone else has the ball, they're going to take it away. They are one of the league leaders in takeaways, averaging about 3 a game. Alvin Ray Jacksonhas got four in the last three games, and Jeremy Kellem has one every game. Given the fact that our QBs throw picks like it's their job, and Cassidy threw 4 last week alone, this is the scariest thing about the game this weekend.

PJ Berry is continuing to come into his own, and is making waves in the league once again as a return man. Randy Hymes has been looking good at fulfilling the DeWalt role (all signs and rumors point to him having officially left the team), Joystick is all over the place and newcomer Christian Wise making the game-winner last week are all good things, but I still think that our offense has a few more levels they can climb to.

Honestly, the Power need to do what they did last week at home, and that's play even harder in the second half than the first. The Voodoo blew a halftime lead against the Talons last week because they lost focus in the second half. Yes, I still think the crowd was at least 35% of the reason we made that comeback, but now the Power remembers that it's not over until it's over.

Anything else to say would be rehashing things I've been saying for six weeks. We all know what the Power has to do, the only question is will they? Articles around the net are already writing them off - not just in the standings, but in the league as a whole. Attendance is half of what it was last year, and they need some big wins to get some viewers back. Once again, it's up to us, the fans to make it happen.

The game is on Ustream at 8, and rebroadcast on the CW Saturday at 7:30.

Elsewhere in the league

• The Predators return home to face the Force Friday night. Playoffs are pretty damn much out of the picture for them for the first time in 19 years, but they still need a win for pride. That being said, the Force have been getting better each week and should have this one.
• Tampa Bay matches up with Philly on the road. Chances are, Philly will continue to dominate.
• I'm picking the Blaze in the next one over the Barnstormers only because they have home-field advantage. It's going to be a tough one either way.
• I'd love to say that Jacksonville is going to stroll into Cleveland and hand their asses to them...I'd love to, but I can't.
  
• Hopefully Milwaukee continues to slide in the standings when they visit Chicago Saturday. The Rush should beat them, but despite their record, it seems like luck has been their best player.
• Kansas City is the only other winless team in the league and they need to play the Cats on their own turf. It is to laugh.
• Sunday night, the Talons travel to the Snake Pit to let Garcia and Nick Davila have a rematch. Should be exciting, but should be a win for the Ratts.
  

Don't Call It a Comeback, the Power's Been Here For (2) years!

Happy 500th post, everyone! I'm hoping that this milestone will inspire yinz guys to reach 500 comments in response to our posts. Thanks for reading!

I have spent the last couple of days trying to process the Power's insane, history-making OT win against the Predators Saturday night. We won, and no one can take it away from us - not even the refs (more on that, later) - but there are still some very troubling things about the state of our team that have me concerned.

But for the game itself....oh, mama...the game. "A Tale of Two Halves" doesn't really cut it, and "A Tale of Three Quarters and Oh-Yeah-We're-Supposed-To-Play-Four" is a bit wordy. Let's just say, the game that we saw for most of 45 minutes was vastly different than the one we saw for the final 15.

As feared, Bobby Sippio got the start for Orlando, and proving that they have more trickery up their sleeve, they decided at the last minute to start Justin Roper at QB instead of Colin Drafts, throwing all planning out the window. We had no answer for Sippio, and Roper sure enjoyed throwing to him.

The Power started with the ball when Orlando deferred and then went 4-and-out. The Preds started their drive from near their own twenty, passed once to Eley Jr, and then aired it out to Sippio for the score. This set the tone for most of the evening right there. Roper was about 50% with 245 yards and six touchdowns, spreading the ball around to Forse, Sippio, Toliver and Eley Jr. Sippio counted for half the touchdowns scored by the Predator offense that night, and proved that he was a solid pickup for the team.

Our offense in the first half was just not going anywhere, and we ended the first half with 17 points (to Orlando's 41), no real pressure on the Predator offense, no interceptions, and an injured QB, yet again. Actually, to be technical, Hines went out at the end of the 1st quarter, and he hadn't looked that good while he was in. He didn't get picked at all, but he wasn't getting much done, and then he was out and we were left with Cassidy.

I'm really having a hard time deciding how to score Cassidy's performance. Sure, he threw for 5 touchdowns, looked more comfortable than Hines and we won the game...but damn, was he ever unimpressive. 12/22, 148 yards and 4 picks (AND ONE OF THOSE SHOULDN'T COUNT! Ahem...more later), he actually had a better time of it last year in his one game for the Voodoo. Sure, he's our (counts off fingers) 4th QB on the roster in five games, was an emergency pick-up and was only meant to be there if the human excrement hit the rotary blades of the air-moving appliance - and in that, he accomplished all we could have asked of him. However, depending on how bad Hines is hurt, we could be stuck with him until Stull gets better.

There is so much depressing about that statement that I just need to pretend that I didn't type it and just move on.

The second half looked like it was going to be more of the same. Down by 31 &^%*'n points, it would be an AFL league record if we were somehow able to come back from it. Uninspired offense, lackluster defense, scared silly QB and crowd that just couldn't be bothered to cheer (or show up, for the most part), it just wasn't looking like it was going to happen. I'm going to take a slight personal aside here, because it's where my mind was at the time.

To get to our seats, Keller and I enter through the swank-ass Captain Morgan club. For those who haven't been in there, there are nice concession stands on both sides. This week, only one was open. The stands were mostly empty. The Beer Guy only walked down through our section once the entire game. The Power was 1-3 on the season in a second (probably more like 3rd)-tier sport. One guy I passed heading up the aisle at one point was complaining that the commercials promise "Half the field, twice the excitement" but in reality, it's nothing exciting at all. Folks, these are not good things at all. This all seems to say that not only have the fans given up on the sport in Pittsburgh (again) but the venue is cutting its losses as well.

I bring this up because I'm a die-hard Arena fan, and even I was wondering about the possibility of the Power still being in town next season. Even I had to say that the three home games this year were boring. Even I had to admit that absolutely nothing explosive had happened the wh-

HOLY SHIT, LaRICO STEVENSON JUST PICKED ROPER AND RAN BACK 9 YARDS!

Late in the third, things had finally started to turn around! We had the ball, we were close to the end zone and Cassidy was firing for Joystick and, oh damnit he got pick- FUMBLE! Do we have it? Who has it? BERRY HAS IT! SCORE! The crowd was on their feet and they were in it!

The remainder of the game conclusively proves beyond any shadow of a doubt that the crowd in this sport does effect the outcome. Up until this point, the Predators had ruled the field. Sippio and Roper merged with the offense like they'd been there the whole time. They had a 31-point lead, for cryin' out loud! But now the crowd was on their feet and screaming and it started to get in their heads. The next drive, we actually stopped them in their tracks and forced a turnover on downs.

Our next drive, we scored and failed a 2-pt conversion, but there were more points on the board. Here is where many of the fans, including myself, collectively - and I'm using the technical term here -lost our shit and almost rushed the field in sheer zebra-induced blood rage. The official play-reports reads Roper incomplete to Sippio, followed by Roper incomplete to Sippio, followed by Roper intercepted by LeFlore. Major kudos to Dodgeball LeFlore, but he shouldn't have had to do that. The first "incomplete to Sippio" was really an intentional grounding in the end zone and should have been a safety. The next one was a fumble, turnover and score by the Power. The refs just seemed to be watching a different game.

Look, I'm not one of those people who says that the refs lost us the game or only see things when they aren't called on the bad guys or anything, it's just that- INTERCEPTION? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? THE BALL BOUNCED OFF THE DAMN GROUND!

I would like to take this moment to publicly apologize for the things that I said at a family venue. I have no idea if the ref's mother has ever even been to Tijuana or if she's even that flexible. I also have no idea what his penis size is, or if in fact he is using Orlando money to rectify a situation that may or may not exist. I will also apologize for using the word "said" and not "scream loud enough that my voice is still raspy."

All of this only stood to put the crowd even more solidly in the Power's corner. Pittsburgh loves an us-vs-the world moment and will take any chance to back a person wearing black and gold in it. The Predators started getting penalty after penalty for false starts, delay of game, illegal defense - you name it. We were in their heads and not going anywhere, and by the end of regulation, with both kickers missing one PAT during the game, the score stood at 51-51.

In OT, we kept the pressure on and held them to a field goal. New Guy Cassidy ended this one (and probably the Predator's season) with a pass to New Guy Wise and the day was ours. Situations like this don't happen every week, but when they do, they're unforgettable. When you're there, not only do you get to see it, but due to the nature of the game, you get to literally be part of it. On the way out, I made sure to point that out to the idiot who was complaining about it being boring.

Next up, NOLA in the Graveyard.

Elsewhere in the league

• Cleveland came up way short against Tampa Bay this weekend. Not sure where the vaunted Gladiator defense was this week, but it sure wasn't in Florida.
• The Sharks lost a heart-breaker, 75-67 at home.
• In the NFL GotW, the Voodoo got beat pretty good by Aaron Garcia and the Talons (I really enjoy watching him pass to Jason Willis.) The scoreboard really didn't tell the whole story, as New Orleans gave Garcia a lot of headaches in the first half and has a brutal defense. We are in a lot of trouble next week.
• I don't want to talk about the Soul/Sabercats game. I really don't. They didn't rebroadcast it, and Philly won by a touchdown. I would have loved to have seen it.
• Another I would have liked to have seen, just to know what went down. The Undefeated Rush are no more, as they got man-handled 70-49 by the Force. Didn't I say I had a bad feeling about this game?
• The Barnstormers squeaked by the Rattlers, leaving the West Division in a three-way tie between the Ratts, Cats and Blaze...whoo-boy, that's going to get ugly.
• Angry that I didn't mention Spokane in that last bullet point, Kyle Rowley and the Shock treated the 2012 Mustangs a lot like the 2011 Mustangs and won 57-26. HOW'S IT FEEL, MILWAUKEE?!
  

Update on Saturday's Power Game

Well, those sneaky bastards down in Orlando decided that they didn't like losing to us in week one. Normally, I would have just edited my original preview, but this is important enough that I wanted to give it more attention.

Word came out this afternoon that the Preds re-signed Bobby Sippio to the team. With only one day's notice, I don't know if he'll be playing tomorrow night, but if he does, that has the potential to be a game-changer.

Sippio played four years in the NFL for the Lions, Chiefs and Dolphins before bouncing around several good teams in the AFL. Last season, he played 15 games for the Preds and still managed to be their top scoring receiver, with 112 receptions, nearly 1400 yards and 33 touchdowns. Again, I say that this is a game-changer.

The good news is that we shut him down when we played last season, to the tune of 34 yards and no TDs. Also, if he's in, he will only have had a few days at the most to work with the team and get into a groove. Hopefully he'll be off of his game when he comes to Pittsburgh.

Is it Drafty in here? Power vs Orlando Part II

Here we go again. At the beginning of the season, the two games in the first five that I was most worried about were the two against the Predators. But now, in week six, it looks like the first real chance to pick up a second win.

I hope you liked that paragraph, because it's the only one Blogger left me with when it ate my full post. But, these things happen, and we must soldier on.

Things have been dark for the Power so far this season. Our one win is one that we can't take much more pride in winning than the Preds can take shame in losing. Both teams had an ugly night with barely any of their starters for a good chunk of the evening. Game 2 was when they both got to start showing who they were, and they both lost every game since.

During halftime last week, Keller and I were lucky enough to have the chance to discuss Arena Football with KDKA's Bob Pompeani. Following is a transcript of that conversation:

BP: Good game so far
Me: Yeah, they're looking a lot better than they have been
Keller: They get the ball [first] in the second half!
BP: Yep - they deferred and it looks like it's paying off.

This conversation tells us two things:

1. Pomp was less than impressed with getting to talk to the Steelers N'At guys in the men's room and
   
2. There hasn't been much to say about the Power so far.
   

The Power have started to look better as the weeks have gone on, despite continuing quarterback woes. The Preds, however, have just been looking rough. Now, they can make a case that they've been playing some pretty tough teams - but then so have we. This week could be a turning point for whoever wins. For the Power, 2-3 sounds so very much better than 1-4, and for Orlando, a win can give them some hope that they aren't the Voodoo of this year.

What can we expect in our rematch against the Orlando Predators? Well, we primarily need our defense to step up like they did last week. Colin Drafts has not been having a good run of it, and his line hasn't been protecting him well. He's already been picked 6 times this year, and he's been getting hit fairly regularly. Although it's not too fair to really look at last week (as Cleveland has arguably the best defense in the league), that game is somewhat emblematic of his season so far. He gets picked, he gets hit, he ends up on his back, and the Preds drop another one.

This isn't to say that he's totally without weapons. Although under-utilized, he still has T.T. Toliver, who is an offensive presence when he gets the chance. Nate Forse, although not used often for the score, is Drafts' favorite target in the short game, and Dwayne Eley Jr is his favorite target in the end zone. Mark Lewis can score for them on the ground, and Drafts is the team's top rusher.

None of their numbers are overly impressive, but those are the prime offensive tools for Orlando. Our defense is going to be the key to this game, so long as our offense keeps it together. Getting to Drafts early and often will keep him off of his game. If we were able to get to Raterink a few times, I'm sure that we can get to Drafts. If we can't get to him, I think that we should harass Forse as much as possible to make Drafts feel the need to bomb it to Toliver. (And, obviously, be ready for that and go for the pick 6.)

The key is that we need our offense to play like they did last week. Basically, we need to see more of this, and less of "Ah, f%$ - another INT!" On one hand, Orlando is averaging 33 points a game and we're around 45. On this, it sounds good - but the kicker is that their defense isn't half bad. The Preds might have only broken the 40 point barrier once this season, but they've kept their opponents under 50 in all but one game (the Rush scored 51.) However, they've only gotten two picks this season, and they're allowing around 17 yards a return on kickoffs. As these are two of our weak areas, it makes me feel better.

Given that Stull is out for a few more weeks, and the Power hasn't made any QB transactions since Cassidy, I think it's safe to assume that Andrico Hines will start this week. His INTs sunk us last week, so that's my primary concern going into this game. As I said before, these weren't totally his fault, so the concern is a combination of his ability and the receivers not batting it straight to defenders.

P.J. Berry should have a bit more room to run this week on returns, so we can hope for favorable field position on our drives. This isn't as great of a concern as Hines' interceptions, as his mainly happened in the end zone, but starting farther up the field won't hurt. DeWalt and Lay are both currently suspended, so we're going to have to rely on guys like LeFlore, Berry and Williams on defense. Offense, we just need Hymes, Washington, Young and Berry to do what they did last week.

This isn't a gimmie, but it's a shouldbe. We should be better than Orlando, and we should be able to win this. Either way, this week is a game changer for these two troubled teams. It's really not going to be about who wins - it's going to be about who loses and pretty much sinks their season.

No pressure.

The game airs on the CW and Ustream.tv Saturday at 7:30. Also, there are still plenty of tickets available to see it live, so get your ass down to Consol and support the team.

Elsewhere in the league

• Friday night, Cleveland looks to cement their lead in our division with a match-up against Tampa Bay. I favor Cleveland, but TB finds themselves in a three-way 2-2 tie in their own division with the Force and the Voodoo and are looking to redeem themselves after losing to NOLA last week.
• The Sharks picked up former Power lineman Dayon Benson to go with our former QB for this week's game against the Utah Blaze. Both teams are second to last in their respective divisions and looking for a win. Given how much tougher the Blaze's division is, they need every win possible. I still see Morris as shaky in Jacksonville, so I'm going to give the edge to Utah in this one.
• The NFL Game of the Week sees the Voodoo appear for the second week in a row, this time facing Aaron Garcia and the Talons. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm taking the Voodoo in this one. They're in the national game again, and hot off their stunning, curse-breaking victory over the Storm last week. As good as Garcia is, his Talons have been average so far, and the Voodoo is on fire.
• Oh, damn you, play-off hockey! The Sabercats/Soul game was supposed to be Sunday night, but because of the Flyers (who suck) playing the Pens at home, this game got moved to Saturday at I'll-be-at-Consol-O'clock. I've been quietly giving a soft prediction on these two teams having an Arena Bowl rematch this year, and was really looking forward to this preview.
• Chicago at Georgia. This game should be an easy pick for the Rush to continue their undefeated ways. I just, for some reason, have a really bad feeling about this game. I'm not basing this on anything, just a gut feeling.
• Rattlers travel to Iowa Saturday night. This should be a really good match-up, and it's tough to pick a favorite the way these two teams are playing. I'm going to pick the Ratts, just because I like them and I'm angry at the Barnstormers.
• Finally, the late game is Milwaukee at Spokane. Spokane lost their first game with their reacquired Rowley behind center, but not by a lot. If he gets back in the groove, this troubled team has a chance to turn it around...but the Mustangs are really good this year.
  

Pens-Flyers Preview

When the seeding was finalized and I knew the Pens were going to play the Flyers in the first round, I had a prediction: Pens in six.  My reasoning?  Just because.  That's it.  That's all I had.  I thought about it some more and read some analysis online, but I'm still not completely sure.

Here's why I'm confident:


The Penguins have three solid scoring lines and they're probably the best team up the middle across all four lines in the NHL.  They finished the season first in scoring.  They were fourth on the power play and third in the penalty kill.  They had 50 wins for only the second time in franchise history.  They finished with 100 points for only the seventh time in franchise history, the fourth time in the last five seasons.  That means all those great Lemieux and Jagr teams only had three seasons with 100 points.  I'm not here to say that the New Era Pens are better than the Old Era Pens, I'm just saying that it's impressive.

They have a ton of talent, a ton of playoff experience, and a proven postseason goaltender in Marc-Andre Fleury.  Dan Bylsma is a pretty good coach.

They have two of the best players in the world and the best first line in the NHL.  One of the things they were missing last postseason is that one line that strikes fear in the heart of their opponents.  This year, they have that line.  They also have Sidney Crosby playing on the second line.  Jordan Staal has been up and down anchoring the third line, but I he has the kind of potential (I'm still prepared to bank on potential, at least for another year) to be a game changer.

They also play great defense when everyone's healthy.  Kris Letang has been outstanding when he's been in the lineup.  Everyone focuses on the offensive side of things, but the offense tends to overshadow the fact that, for the most part, the Pens are a solid defensive team.  They have defensemen that can get back on an odd man rush and they have defensemen that can score.  They finished second in the league in goal differential and that speaks to the fact that they can keep the score down as well as put up points.

Everything points to a deep playoff run, which makes me nervous.

Here's why I'm nervous:


Hate to admit it, but the Flyers have themselves a great team.  They finished with 103 points, only five behind the Pens.  They were second in goals scored, sixth in the power play, and 17th in the penalty kill.  Not quite as impressive as the numbers the Penguins put up, but still very nice.  In addition, Philly has done a great job of converting on the power play against the Pens and they've been solid on the penalty kill as well.  That means you can throw the numbers right out the window and focus on individual match-ups and determination when the puck drops for real.

Philadelphia scares me more than any other team in the Eastern bracket.  I was hoping the Pens would win their division and the number one seed so that someone else would draw the Flyers in the first round.  The best way to beat the Penguins is to slow them down, beat them up, and make them play the game your way.  Not many teams have been able to do that this season, but Philly does it better than anyone.  They're not intimidated by the big names and high-powered offense that the Pens bring to the table.  They've played a lot of tight games against the Pens this season and won most of them.  Come playoff time, all games are tight.  If the Flyers manage to pull out a few squeakers, the season is over.

This makes me nervous and this makes me nervous.  Ten out of 12 ESPN analysts picked the Pens to win the series and ten out of 16 NHL analysts picked them to win it all.  There's a lot of leadership in the dressing room, including Bylsma, that's trying to ensure that this team isn't satisfied with popular opinion.  But, it's possible that the Penguins could enter this series overconfident and that could be their undoing.  The Flyers are too good and too dangerous to be overlooked.

On the other hand, this team wants to bring the Cup back to Pittsburgh and Philly is in the way.  They aren't satisfied and they are motivated.  If they make it past the Flyers in this round, they can make a very deep run. Will they make it past Philly?

I think that comes down to two things: Special teams and goaltending.  For me, The Flower is a constant.  He's a known quantity and a proven performer.  If he takes a step back or Ilya Bryzgalov takes a step up, Philly can win this series.  I don't think that either will happen, but it's possible.

Special teams means NO FIVE FORWARDS ON THE POWER PLAY and means that the Flyers draw a lot of minor penalties.  Since it's the playoffs, the refs will call the games looser, which means the Penguins cannot retaliate.  It also means that the Pens need to convert when they get the opportunity.  I think that they can.  If they convert at a higher rate than the regular season, this series could end early.  If it's a wash and goaltending remains constant, Pens win.  If the Flyers are able to win on special teams, regardless of how Fleury plays, they'll take the series.

I think the Pens make the plays they need to make.  Why?  Just... because.

Prediction:
Pens in Six

Playoff Beard Rules 2012

I took some flack last year because these rules make it kind of easy to grow and maintain a playoff beard. That's the way they're intended to be. Really, this post should be called, "A Practical Guide to Growing and Maintaining a Playoff Beard," but that title sucks. So, just keep that in mind.

Note, though, that I didn't say that it was a guide for casual fans, because that's not how we roll here at Steelers N At. You need to go all-in with your fandom, but still remain employed and desirable to the opposite sex. Or, same sex. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

1. If you currently have a beard, it's OK.

I normally have a beard, but I trim it down before the Stanley Cup Playoffs start. The key is to take pride in your growth and the fact that you're supporting your team. As your beard grows, their chances to hoist Lord Stanley's Cup grows.

Addendum: If your team needs an extra-special push in the postseason this year, then you should go the extra mile and shave your current beard off. This is a big time sacrifice for most guys with beards and the hockey gods will reward your sacrifice with playoff victories.

That's why I shaved my beard off before the playoffs started last season. The act of not having a beard when you're used to one is a painful process, but not quite as painful as the transitional period between "clean shaven" and "actually having a respectable beard." The hockey gods appreciate that sacrifice as well. You just have to remember that you're contributing to something larger than yourself.

Weidman Addendum: Those of us that maintain beards of three or more inches risk angering the hockey gods by fully shaving the plumage before the playoffs. Our sacrifice instead is resisting the urge this time of year to shed our winter coats and slim down to something sportier like a goatee or conquistador stash. All other rules of trimming and maintenance still apply.

Please note that the Pens got knocked out in the first round last season, which means personal sacrifice by fans might not mean much when it comes to affecting the actual results of games.

2. Neckbeards are not cool.


Neckbeards are unattractive, itchy, and basically the equivalent of slapping God in the face for giving you a beautiful gift.

The idea is that God gave us power of attorney over the beasts of the land, the sea, and the air. Earth is our sanctuary and our bodies are our temples. If we let hair grow on our necks, nature wins. We need to seize power of attorney and shave it down.

Also, if you look at NHL players, they're not rocking the Kyle Orton Classic. They keep a balance between order and chaos by holding their neck hair in check. They're also handsomely compensated for looking like hobos during the playoffs. I doubt that Pascal Dupuis -- though he seems like a hell of a nice guy -- would risk losing his job or looking like crap so that you could get a promotion.

Additionally, a lot of hockey fans have these things. They're called jobs. A regular beard is usually acceptable, but a neck beard pushes the envelope. I love the Penguins. I love the Steelers. I love the Pirates. I love job security more.

And I'm sure we can all appreciate the relevance of that now.

3. The mustache is almost fair game.

If I kiss my wife (or significant other) and they make a face like a very small rat crawled up their nose and they need to expel it at all costs, then it's time to do some work on the old mustache.

I'm not saying trim it to douchebag levels (the 1 setting on most trimmers). I'm not saying that you should go all Civil War and just grow chops. I'm not saying you should go all Alternative Rocker and forgo the mustache. I'm saying this... the idea is to support your team in body and spirit, but not destroy your love life in the process.

Therefore, wife wins over hockey.

I'm sorry. I understand that this makes me a pansy. But, I also doubt that Matt Cooke would make changes in his life that would lead to him having issues banging his wife just for you. Not saying he's a jerk, just putting things in perspective.

4. You are not allowed to make a spectacle of your playoff beard.

Don't tell anyone that you're growing one. Don't write blog posts about it (unless, you know, you're writing a guide about it... OK, I made that up to cover myself). Don't bring it up at happy hour.

Hockey is a sport of unwritten rules and silent acceptance. It isn't a sport for showboating or celebrating, which is why Malkin got in trouble for switching from the "arm pump, then hug teammates" paradigm.

The neck beard follows the same rules. Do not waiver from them.

5. You are not allowed to complain about your playoff beard.


Don't say, "Wow. This is getting out of hand. I can't wait until I can trim it or cut it off." Don't say, "I can't wait until the playoffs are over so that I can trim this or cut it off." Don't even say, "I can't wait until the Penguins win the Cup so I can trim this or cut it off."

If you're the kind of person that is superstitious enough to grow a playoff beard, you're the kind of person that is superstitious enough to believe that such statements can sink your team.

I actually said, "I can't wait until the Penguins win the Cup so I can trim this," before the Final started against Detroit in 2008 and I will never forgive myself.


6. No trimming the beard itself.


Last year, I made a special dispensation for someone on Facebook and said that they were allowed to trim their beard between finals. I think that was a mistake. I've given you the slack to not grow a neck beard. I've given you the slack to trim the mustache. If you're allowed to trim the whole thing, then why not just have a regular beard? If you're allowed to just have a regular beard, what makes that a playoff beard, specifically?


So... mustache trim and no neck beard only. No trimming between rounds, no exceptions.

7. Have fun with it.

This is something that many sports fans (myself definitely included) forget. Sports are supposed to be fun. Sports are supposed to be an escape.

It's the playoffs. Not everything is called. Not everything requires a stoppage of play.

But, also remember that your team is counting on you. So, don't blow it.

Another Loss, But Hope is Building

Even though the Power registered their third loss of the season Friday night, I don't need to dig as deeply for a silver lining. This week, we actually saw some of what I had hoped to see when the season started. The fact is, we lost 55-42, but we played three solid quarters, and that's something to be proud of. Al lot of what we did right was overshadowed by the strong defense that Iowa employed throughout the game.

Andrico Hines looked confident behind center, and had a very good game, most things considered. He threw for just a hair under 300 yards, had five TDs and never got sacked. Unfortunately, he got picked four times. One thing that I really feel that I need to point out, however, is that not all of those were really his fault. The ball might not have been thrown perfectly, but they were intercepted because the receiver went for it when they shouldn't have and tipped it right to a defender. I'm not going to say based on one game that Hines is the guy - but I feel more comfortable with him taking snaps, and look forward to seeing what the next 3 weeks bring with him as QB.

DeWalt was missing in action again this week, but in his place, we've had Randy Hymes, and boy does he look good. He's got comparable height to DeWalt, some good speed and very good hands. He was good for 84 yards and a touchdown this week. Sharing receiving duties with him was, of course, "Joystick" Washington for only 69 yards but two touchdowns.

Rounding out the receiving corps was P.J. Berry, finally showing everyone why he was such a talked about pickup for the team this year. He had 110 yards, two touchdowns in the air and one kickoff return to paydirt. Overall on returns, he had nearly 25 yards an attempt. Furthermore, he was making plays that just should not have worked. One of his receptions, he took a step to run, saw a wall of hate wearing Iowa colors, turned around to run 10-15 yards in the wrong direction, pivoted 180 degrees and blew past a bunch of confused defenders to run all the way down to the end zone. That's the kind of crazy shit that made him earn the rep that he has.

Another offensive note: Last season, I spent so much time bitching about Paul Edinger's kicking that it feels great to be able to gush about our current kicker. Colin "Money" Wagner is just....well - money. Yes, that's my nickname for him, but he's earned it. PATs are pretty much automatic for him.

The final highlight of the game was the defense, which stepped up huge. It was a hard hitting, play-breaking, good coverage affair. The Power defense was able to hold the Barnstormers to 3-8 on 3rd downs and 1-4 on 4ths. Although they didn't manage to pick J.J. Raterink at all, they kept the pressure on him and got in the way all night. Bryan Williams was especially standout all night.

So, with all of this glowing praise, why did we lose? Well, first off, as I said up at the top of this column, we only played 3 solid quarters. I've oft said that the Power runs out of gas late in the game, and that seems to be continuing. Once our opponents get out to a two-score lead, the wind goes out of our sails. Also, we only manage a third of our 3rd down conversions and half of our 4ths. That had a lot to do with Iowa's solid defensive efforts, but it's a soft area. Finally, there were those 4 pesky interceptions. Both Stull and Hines are having a problem with this. I'm not sure if it's in the play calling, accuracy, or receiver ability, but it's there and a problem. Thankfully, because of our defense, there were four picks but we only lost by two touchdowns.

Next up - rematch against a team we might actually beat.

Elsewhere in the league

• Tampa Bay at New Orleans. The game of the week was a hell of game. The Voodoo finally broke the Graveyard Curse and won at home for the first time since 2008. Sure, there was a league hiatus in there, and they were the Shreveport Battlewings for a year - but the fact remains that it had been 12 games since they'd won. Tampa played hard, but NOLA made it decisive with a 66-47 victory. Kurt Rocco is a solid QB, and he has a great set of receivers in Bush, Castile and Payne. They are going to be trouble in a few weeks when we play them.
• Spokane at Arizona was a close one at 57-53. Depressing note, the Shock re-acquired the homeless Kyle Rowley, and he came came into the game after 4 days with the team a hell of a lot better than Bill Stull came into ours in the same amount of time. He got knocked around a bit, but he's going to settle back in there quite well. Rattlers win.
  
• The Sabercats knocked around the visiting Aaron Garcia and the Talons pretty well with a 76-53 victory, showing why I'm seeing them deep in the playoffs, if not appearing in New Orleans this August.
• Saturday night....Geez...There were some ass-whoopings going on out there. Chicago remained perfect with a 69-40 win over the Command. It was lopsided and there's not much to talk about there. Even the last of those 40 pts came on kind of a pity score.
• My buddy Kas lives down in Atlanta, and he's heard me talk way too much about Arena Football over the last few years. He's been debating checking it out sometime. Thankfully, he decided to play video games with me Saturday night rather than go down to Gwinnett Center to see the Soul just burn the Force down, salt the earth, build a new arena just to burn it down again, and then say something about their mothers. 92-42, Soul. Let me put that in perspective: They beat the Force by 50pts, which is more than the Force has scored in three out of four games this season.
• The week ended with a total snoozefest out in Cleveland. I guess Philly and Chicago used up all the points for this week as Cleveland won with just 41 points to Orlando's 24. Cleveland has one of the best defenses in the league, but their offense seemed to be taking it easy after beating Philly last week. I'll leave you with the most exciting thing of the game:

Here We Go Again: Barnstormers Preview

Sing along if you know the tune: The Power are in a hole, our starting QB is on IR for at least four weeks, the backup is in, but Coach Siegfried is on the lookout for a full-time starter.

Yep, it's that time again.

So, Bill Stull dislocated his shoulder last week against the Mustangs, played too long and is now out for at least four games. Andrico Hines will start against the Barnstormers and the Power have signed a new backup QB. The Power is not saying who it is, citing a need to play it close to their chest until the ink is dry, however, the transaction page shows that they picked up Derek Cassidy. "Who?" I can hear you thinking - and that's a good question. Well, he played for the University of Rhode Island and was picked up by the Voodoo last year for 150 yards and a touchdown. There might be more, but if I have to dig that far for it, he's not much of a stand out.

So, we have our backup QB (who I actually have more faith in) starting, a seat-filler backing him up and Siegfried checking the couch cushions for Anthony Morelli's number. After hearing (unsubstantiated) rumors of him being in the building last week, I can't help but ask: Can Rowley and the front office please kiss and make up? No? Damnit.

Sadly, I find myself four paragraphs into my game preview, and I haven't talked about the game yet, but that's the way these things work sometimes. Well, we're hosting the Iowa Barnstormers, and I'm hoping that history continues to repeat itself. Last year, we lost our home opener to the Soul, and the following home game thwumped the Barnstormers. Well, we sure did lose to the Soul in our season opener...

The Barnstormers are currently in the same position that we are: Won their first game, lost their second two and have already burned a bye pretty early. However, that doesn't tell the whole story (it never does.) While Philly absorbed some key offensive weapons from Dallas, the Barnstormers have recruited some important people. Namely, they have former Philly - and before that, long-time Chicago - coach, Mike Hohensee and former Rush QB J.J. Raterink. These two are why their loss to the Rush was so tough, but also misleading.

Chicago is always a tough team (at least in the regular season) and Iowa held in there, only losing by a point in OT. The reason this gives me pause is that both coach and QB knew exactly how the team operates and what to expect. I'd have been more surprised if they got blown out. The fact is, Coach Ho is a great coach, and Raterink filled some very big shoes when he covered for the injured Michna last year.

What do we need to watch out for? Well, besides the above Raterink, last week against the Rush, Jason Simpson on special teams was getting almost 20 yards a return. As we saw with Hannah last week and Hughley the week before, this is a major trouble spot for us. Also, they made good use of the ground game last week with Rodney Filer for three touchdowns.

Any weaknesses? Well, two weeks ago against Utah, Raterink and the offense got pressured and coughed up the ball four times. (It should be noted, however, that the defense forced four of their own.) If our defense can come up the way it did against the Preds in week one, then we might be able to do something like that. If they play like the last two weeks, probably not.

On the topic of defense, there's some possible good news: The transaction page shows that the Power re-activated Josh Lay - but in the same post, it said that he was placed on reassignment. So, who knows what we'll see. It's possible that the team is thinking that it's time to reunite Lay and DeWalt on defense. It couldn't hurt.

Back to Andrico Hines. We haven't seen much of him this season, but what we've seen has been...mixed. He was out of sorts in week one, but won the game. Last week, he came in late and started with a turnover, but got into a groove that gives hope. All that's left is to see how he handles a (planned) start.

The game is Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Consol, and re-airs Saturday at 7:30 p.m. on Pittsburgh CW.

Elsewhere in the league

• Game of the week is the Tampa Bay Storm against the New Orleans Voodoo. Tampa has the better record, but the Voodoo is getting stronger and hosts this contest. I actually think they might pull it off.
• Shock at Arizona: The Shock got absolutely nut-slapped by the Sabercats last week and are coming in angry, but I don't think that will be enough to best Nick Davila and the Rattlers
• The late game is the San Antonio Talons visiting the Sabercats. As much as Garcia's my boy, I think the Cats are returning to form this year, and they brought Garcia's win streak to an end last year when they sucked.
• The Force is strong, but I think the Soul is stronger. Look for Philly to add another notch to their belt Saturday.
• The Command hasn't broken 40 points in a game yet this season, and they're playing the Rush on their home turf. The math isn't good for them.
• The Predators are also winless, and the Gladiators are coming off of two big wins. I see them winning, but it's best all around if Cleveland drops one at home this Sunday
  

Mustangs Get Revenge.

Three games in, and the Power already finds itself in a deep, deep hole. Now with Philly (somehow) falling to the Gladiators, everyone in our division has won a divisional game except us - we've lost two. We now find ourselves among the five teams that are 1-2 or worse.

I know that there are still 15 games left for the season, but the point needs to be made that the Power is already at a come-to-Jesus point. The team needs to look closely at their tactics, training and game-planning if they want to stop this slide. This week wasn't just a loss, it was another drubbing (63-40), and that needs to stop now.

Thursday night, we traveled back to Milwaukee to battle a team that is greatly changed over the one that we beat twice last season. Bill Stull was our starter, and he was shaky from the beginning. Before he was pulled, he only went 13/31 with a lost fumble and a pick. Now, it came out later that he dislocated his shoulder in the 1st half and tried to fight through it, but the fact remains that he didn't seem to have much confidence before that.

In the 3rd quarter, he was slammed into the boards and finally had to bow out to Andrico Hines. Hines' first drive was after Milwaukee's Marcuss Everett fumbled right around the goal line. I'm sure I wasn't alone in thinking, "Okay! Fresh QB, played well week one - maybe the game turns around here!" Not so. Everett redeemed himself by perfectly picking Hines' first pass and running it in. He ended the night with two picks, a fumble recovery and a touchdown.

After that auspicious start, Hines actually looked pretty good the rest of the game. 10/16, 124 yards and a touchdown. Not too shabby. Also, considering that the game had thoroughly spiraled out of control at that point, it is also impressive that he maintained a sense of optimism. With a dislocated shoulder, I'm thinking that it's likely that Stull sits next week, giving Hines another chance against the Barnstormers.

Washington, Hymes and Berry were all pretty much shut down this week. Some of that was because of our QB situation, but a lot of it was because of the Mustangs' solid defense - especially Everett. On the subject of Berry...I just don't know. He was Iron Man of the Year last year, and was very good - but so far, I just haven't seen it. Offense is one thing, but we brought him in to handle returns, and they haven't been that impressive yet. This week, he averaged only about 14 yards a return, but that average was skewed by one 25 yarder. (To be fair, he had a 58 yard return-for-score that was called back on a hold.) I'm not saying that he's bad, but only that he's the main non-QB position that I know the Power can improve at. Here's hoping he steps up soon.

The stand-out star of the evening was Tyree Young. I love watching this guy play. It's easy to invoke the name of Bettis in this town, but this guy rolls like The Bus himself. 41 yards and two TDs this week, he out rushed all of Milwaukee's players combined. The only player who rushed for more TDs than him in the game that night was Gino Guidugli, and that's because he's one of those crazy QBs who can move when he needs to. One more comparison: Young rushed for only three less yards than WR Jared Jenkins, whom the Power said ahead of this game that they had to prepare for.

Finally, I really like our kicker Wagner. After those two poor spots by Hines last week, Wagner has been money every time. I have a feeling that's going to be important going forward.

What do we take away from this game? I know I had a bummer of an opening to this post, but we really are only three games in. There's a lot of football left to play, and we can hope our division rivals screw up along the way while we find our sea legs. This game was a brutal follow-up to our loss to Philly, but hopefully we can move past it.

Besides - we were the first team this season to hold the Mustangs to less than 65 points. I'll take the the victories where I can find them.

Elsewhere in the league

• Orlando starts 0-3 as they lose at home to Garcia and the Talons. It's nice to know someone's in a deeper hole than us, but Colin Drafts is still looking good, and the team really is playing well together - and they're going to want our blood in a few weeks.
• Arizona destroyed the Command in a why-even-show-up game, 56-28.
• Jacksonville/Tampa Bay - I could write a whole post on just the last quarter of this game. After exchanging scores the whole game, it came down to the wire. Former Power QB Bernard Morris had the start, and was up to his old tricks of holding the ball too long when he shouldn't, and then couldn't hold onto it when he should. Then Terrance Smith ran for a Sharks touchdown - but started dancing before the end zone! The ball got stripped, and he luckily held onto it, but this stupid, stupid, stupid play left 4 seconds on the clock for a Tampa Hail Mary. Stephen Wasil bombed it end zone to end zone and missed - but the Sharks committed an intentional foul in the end zone. Normally, this would be a 10-yard penalty and another shot, but since it was determined to be intentional, Tampa got the ball at the one-yard line. The score was a gimmie, and it ended with Tampa 71, Jax 69.
• Sabercats annihilated the Shock 69-35. Of note, San Jose coach Darren Arbet earned my respect in this game. The play was to fall on the one yard line and run the clock out - But Mark Lewis ran it in. Arbet chewed him out for running up the score, and I respect that.
• Chicago struggled heavily in PATs (or more specifically, the snaps right before them) but managed to get the money kick in OT to remain the only undefeated team in the league - 62-61.
• New Orleans remained strong this week, and finally have a win over the Blaze to show for it.
• Why, oh why did I not watch the Philly/Cleveland game? Why? It was a long day of yard work, Game of Thrones was on and I was tired. I just couldn't get it up for football tonight, and I didn't really need to see Dirty Dan and his boys roll over another division team. However, somehow the game ended with the Gladiators on the right side of 68-62 score.