Power at Barnstormers Preview

Ah, rematches. They're a chance to see if you've learned from mistakes, or in the case of a win, a chance to see if you've gotten too cocky. Either way, it's an opportunity to exorcise demons and give it another go.

The last few weeks have been a solid line of rematches, and unfortunately, they have not gone well for us. (I mean, except for the Gladiators, but that doesn't really count.) The good news is that the Barnstormers have a losing record and are pretty much out of the running for the playoffs. (Maybe not mathematically, but things would have to go very badly for several teams for it to happen.) Neither of us really have anything on the line but pride. Since they already beat us once, I'm going to stretch the definition of it a bit and say that pride's on our side.

In many ways, we're a different team than we were the last time we played, so things might turn out differently. Hines was our QB and Wagner was our kicker. Hymes was just starting out with the team, replacing a fan favorite in DeWalt. PJ Berry had been struggling in the first two games and was starting to break out. Most importantly, we had a different coach.

Stingley is still a question mark for me. He doesn't make the boneheaded calls that Siegfried did and he actually seems to have confidence in a quarterback (Randall will be starting again.) However, as can be seen in this extremely creepy conference, he still doesn't seem comfortable in the role of head coach. Another entry in the plus column is that he knows Coach Ho well. He's an unpredictable coach, but knowing him has got to dial that in a bit.

Last time we played, we lost by two touchdowns, which is A.) fairly close and B.) pretty damn good considering there were 5 turnovers. We've been averaging less than that since then (although it's still an issue) so if we can keep a lid on that, we have a better chance.

The other big problem is that the Barnstomers' defense ran all over us. The good news is that Sione Ohuafi is supposed to be back at center, which is a position our offense has been very weak at. Bad center means worse protection for Randall. Worse protection for Randall means that he gets pressured. When Randall gets pressured, he gets sacked and/or turns the ball over. I know this sounds like a DirectTV commercial, but it's the progression of events.

If we can keep the ball, force a few turnovers of our own and protect Randall, we might have a chance to get another win on our season.

Elsewhere in the league

Full disclosure - I have a feeling my picks might go about 50% this week. Just some ugly choices to make.

• Starting out is Philly at Tampa Bay. Tampa's only lost at home once, and the Soul don't need to play a single game the rest of the season if they don't want to...but I don't think they know how to lay down. Look for Philly to win and Tampa to start planning picnics in late July.
  
• Assuming it doesn't get flexed, the Game of the Week this week is Milwaukee at Cleveland in an important division game. Cleveland needs this win big time. Losing this one puts the Mustangs at the same record as them and splits the series. Both teams are still in the hunt, and this could decide their post season hopes. The Gladiators have now dropped 5 in a row, so it'd be easy to pick the Mustangs...but they're on the road, they've already lost to the Gladiators and Cleveland needs to repair their image at home and on the national stage. I'm pulling for the Mustangs because screw the Gladiators, but my gut tells me Cleveland has this.
• Arizona will secure the division with a win in Spokane and a Sabercats loss. Easy to write, hard to pull off. Rowley still has gas in the tank this season and the Rattlers can't just smile and walk away with the win. When they last played in Arizona, the Ratts barely came away with the win. I hate to pick against them, but I think Arizona will have the loss.
• Finally, an easy choice - KC loses to the Talons.
  
• The game to watch this week if you can is Jacksonville at New Orleans. Tied records separated by one head-to-head. Winner jumps ahead to the top of the division (for this week, at least.) Normally, home team would be the tie-breaker here, but there's still a stigma attached to the Voodoo at home. So, instead, I'm going with the quarterback. So long as Rocco doesn't beat himself with the stupid mistakes he makes when he gets cocky, he's better than Bernie Mo. Take the Voodoo, cautiously.
• In the crowded 8PM slot, the Chicago Rush host the San Jose Sabercats. Both teams need this win pretty badly, and both teams are known for dropping stupid games that they shouldn't. This is a case where the close call most certainly goes with the home team - the Rush haven't lost at Allstate Arena yet this season.
• Final game of the week is Sunday at 3 and should be fun spoiler-bait. The Predators came damn close to beating the Voodoo last week, and they have a shot at making things sticky for Georgia. It was a close, low-scoring game last time they played. I think I'm going to be wild and crazy and pick Orlando. Yep - gonna throw caution to the wind. I'm a wild man.
  

Visiting Enemy Territory: Power vs Soul Review

As I mentioned in my brief preview last week, I had the chance to travel to Philly this weekend to catch the Power on the road. Despite the fact that we lost (hard) it was a lot of fun, and I look forward to doing it again some time.

Approaching enemy territory.

For those of you who haven't been to Philly professional sports DMZ, Wells Fargo Center lies a subway ride away from downtown, clustered with Citizens Bank Park and Lincoln Financial Field, putting everything right on top of each other. The Brothers Keller and I were lucky enough to arrive just as the first game of a Phils double-header was letting out and everyone was heading across the street to Xfinity Live to drink. Whereas my brother-in-law was being the good homer and wearing local garb, the Kellers and I stood out just a wee bit in our black n gold amid the sea of red.

Looks varied from "WTF jersey is that?" to "I don't know what that is, but black and gold means I must hate you."

After some time trying to blend in with the locals and having a few adult beverages at Victory (Pittsburgh seriously needs a setup like this place) we headed in for the game. Even though Wells Fargo only holds a couple of hundred people less than Consol, it somehow feels much more cramped. I don't know what it was - maybe the seats are smaller, maybe it's because the jumbotron is way higher or what, but it feels smaller inside. By luck of the draw, our seats were almost exactly the same as what we have every week at home (which led to a comical double-take from the highlight film crew), but the different setup put us right behind the bench.

Hi, Tomczak!

I go to every home game, but this was the first time that it really felt like my cheering shenanigans could actually be noticed by the team. When we walked down to our seats, Superman saw us and threw a salute. Cool stuff.

Now, for the game itself. I don't think any of us really expected to win, and we sure didn't - but that's more because of the strength of the Soul than weakness of the Power. This is not to say that the Power's skills didn't play a part - weak offense, poor protection of the quarterback, etc were all in play - but damn, the Soul is just a solid, solid team who has earned everything they've gotten this season.

The game got off to an inauspicious start with the Power getting stopped dead on their opening drive - but a clutch interception by "Gingabread" LeFlore on Raudabaugh's first pass of the game turned things back around. To be honest, the first half didn't get too out of control, and we actually had the right to hope. At the beginning of the second quarter, we had the lead and were slowly but surely getting the job done.

However, Philly came back with a touchdown to Brackins, a 4-and-out stop, touchdown to Morgan and then that traditional pick that we've talked about before. That one that you can look back on as the play that took the wind out of the Power's sails. Even so, the first half ended 27-13, which isn't insurmountable, but it wasn't optimal. The third was painful, but still "in there" somewhere. It wasn't until the end of the forth where it just got a bit ugly and then it was over.

I'm going to give full disclosure here. Where I was sitting, my view should have been a lot like this:

Clear, unobstructed awesome.

However, given that the delightful Soulmates actually hang out in the audience at Wells Fargo, a few times, my view was more like this:

Obstructed awesome.

It took me almost an entire quarter to realize that the guy to her left was wearing a kilt. A kilt. So, that being said, I might have missed a few details, but here are some highlights.

• Oderick Turner had a monster night this week, putting up almost identical numbers to Philly's Tiger Jones. That's fantastic. The triple threat of Jones, Hughley and "Captain" Morgan is most of what makes the Soul such a good team, and Turner should be proud to have stood with them.
• Even though Randall has protection problems with his offensive line, he still actually had some good numbers this week, putting up 60 yards more than Raudabaugh and only one more pick. To put that in perspective, Raudabaugh has solid blockers that give him a lot time to think. (He's also near-unflappable.) Much like Turner above, when put in context, it says a lot.
• In the second half, Donovan Morgan made one of those catches that belong on the highlight reel. Raudabaugh over-threw him a bit, so he had to charge through the end zone, slam into the wall and pluck the ball out of the air inches from a fan's lap. I bring this up because of something Keller's brother Erik said to me. He said that it was one of those plays that, irrespective of team, was athletic, exciting and makes people love Arena Football. He's not wrong.

Something else to mention about our little road-game adventure. On the way out, we made one rest stop between here and Philly, and I had randomly decided to wear a Power t-shirt that I'd never put on before. Turns out, this happened to be the same time and stop the Power bus chose as well. We were lucky enough to have a brief meet and greet with several members of the team including Superman himself. That was great for us, personally, but there was something for everyone there.


We chatted with a member of the Power front office who asked if we had renewed our season tickets yet. I explain to him that, to be 100% frank, we weren't sure if the team would still be here next year, so we were giving it a wait-and-see approach. His response was that Mr. Swann and Shaner are 100% committed to the team, and they will be back next season.

This is great news, because while I sat amongst nearly 10,000 crazy (and at times very...Philly) fans I happened to look up and see this:

It's blurry, but it says Arena Bowl XXII champs.

...And, dammit, I want one.

Elsewhere in the league

Given the fact that we're in the anything-can-happen phase of the season, I'm shocked that I went nearly 100% on my picks again this week.

• The Game of the Week was back on Friday night, and that was great, 'cause it meant that I got to see it. The Preds really made a run at the spoil, especially with some help from Rocco making his normal blunders. In the last minute, the Preds were up by one, but a touchdown followed by a safety sealed the deal for the Voodoo.
• Arizona didn't have much trouble against Milwaukee this week and advanced to 11-3, staying one game behind the Soul. The post-season is getting interesting.
• As I suspected, Cleveland's forfeit seems to have gotten in their head as they extended their losing streak to 5. They should be a better team than Jacksonville, and the fact that the game stayed within 7 almost the whole game proves it. Sharks win, 56-42. With the Mustangs also dropping one this week, the Gladiators remain in 2nd place in our division, but are now in the "need some help" to think about the playoffs.
• Talons definitely wanted it more, and Tampa finally dropped one at home this week. Talons remain tied with the Rattlers at 11-3, which means that the second-to-last game of the season is going to most likely have staggering implications.
• The Rush won a fairly safe game on the road against the Command, which keeps them in the running for a playoff spot. 59-41 is comfortable, but their road games are always scary.
• Once again, Tommy Grady and crew annihilated their opponent 61-38. I've talked in the past of the records that Grady is going to set this season, and you only need to look at this week. 25/28, 306 yards, 8 touchdowns and zero interceptions. I'm not saying he's the next Kurt Warner, but I'm wondering if any NFL team is eyeing him as a backup.
• Here's the one game that I missed the pick on. After getting thwumped at home earlier this season by the Cats, the Shock returned the favor with a 90-63 victory Saturday night. Re-read what I said about Grady above and realize that Rowley had a better night. 30/37, 392 yards, 12 TDs and only one interception. Take a bow, Kyle - you earned it.

Playoff Picture

Not a lot has changed since last week, except that the Rush is getting a look in and the Cats are bumped for the time being.. The Cats' loss was a blow in the standings, but they're only a half-game shy of Chicago, so it's not time to write their epitaph just yet.

Assuming neither of them royally screw the pooch, the Ratts and Talons are going to be #1 and #2 in the conference, and which one is which might very well come down to their late-season match-up. The Ratts doubled the Talons' score last time, so even if Garcia wins this round, they'll need to put up some serious points to offset that loss, all other things being equal. They also have to think about the fact that there's a very good chance they'll have to play each other again to reach the Arena Bowl.

The American Conference is just a mess. Aside from the Soul, we still can't say anything for sure - not even who is going to be in and who's going to be out (except for Pittsburgh, Orlando and KC.) The live bracket right now says Jax, Voodoo and Force, and that's as good of a guess as any. Tampa and Cleveland can both get in, but I don't think that either has got the drive to do it any more. If the Mustangs knuckle down and get some help, they might get in - but they'd need to get past Cleveland and have someone in the South nose-dive.

So, that's the weekend in review. I'll be back on Friday with the next update

Road Battle Against the Soul, and heading to enemy territory

There's not a lot to be said about this week's matchup. The Power has improved in the last few weeks, but not enough to make it likely that we'll beat the juggernauts from Philly. Frankly, the only chance we have is if the Soul collectively say, "Eh...we'll wait until next week to lock up the one seed in the conference. Let's put Denis the Donut Boy in to cover kick returns."

But, I'm still looking forward to this game. The Brothers Keller and I (and Brother-in-Law Tim) are heading to the Wells Fargo Center to catch the Power on the road. Now, to be honest, we planned this outing at the beginning of the season when we still had stars in our eyes and Rowley in the locker room. However, there's still some excitement for me. I've never actually gotten to see a team I root for on the road.

Now, consciously, I know that teams regularly play on the road. Half the time, to be exact. But having never experienced this, it almost feels like this is a special occasion. An exhibition game. It's not, but that's how it feels. Also, I'm not used to being in a hostile sports environment (even if Philly's probably looking at us the way we look at the Browns.) I'm also not used to rooting for a pathetic underdog without much of a traveling fanbase.

All around, this is going to be interesting. Win or (likely) lose, I'll probably also have a bit of a different outlook in my review. Go Power, and I'll be back on Monday.

Elsewhere in the league

Now that the Soul have locked up the division and a playoff spot, the post season officially begins. From here out, it gets really hard to call games, and it's still a long time until the end of the season. Some teams are going to be playing their ass off to right the ship that is their season, other teams are going to slack because it doesn't matter anymore, others will play soft to guard against injuries because they know they're most likely in and yet other teams are going to say "screw it" and just try to play spoiler against a hated rival. So, what I'm saying is...take these picks with a grain of salt.

• First up is Arizona at Milwaukee. This right here is what I'm talking about. AZ is 99.9% in the playoffs, it's just down to seeding. Without doing the math, I think they'd need to lose out and get some "help" in order to miss out. However, at 10-3 , they're tied with the Talons (and a game behind Philly in the whole league) they're in a footrace for the top spot in the National Conference. On the other hand, Milwaukee is in the hunt with basically everyone in our conference and can't afford a loss. Skill-wise, the Rattlers should win this one, but Milwaukee might want it more. I'll take AZ, but....salt.
• "Friday" game of the week is NOLA visiting ORL. This is another example of what I'm talking about. Everyone in that division except the Preds is within a game of the top spot, and Orlando has some momentum after beating a rival last week. Also, they've already been shamed on a Friday night game - they might as well take the field as the Orlando Spoilers. The Voodoo is the better team, but they still currently have a losing record. I pick them, but I have a bad, bad feeling about this. If you want to take a risk on an upset this week, this is it.
• Cleveland at Jax on Saturday night is almost impossible to call. Same record, both teams in second place in their respective divisions, playoffs still possible. However, I'm taking Jacksonville because Cleveland is on a slide, Jacksonville has a shot at their division and they're at home.
• Next we have the Talons heading down to Tampa Bay for the third Florida game. Talons are the wise choice, but there's still that pesky little road/home curse that the Storm have. I still think the Talons are going to win, because they want home field in the playoffs, and TB is just looking to get in.
• Chicago has a tougher division match on their hands than they really should. KC has been sad this season, but Chicago has struggled on the road. I'm picking the Rush because they have the better team, plain and simple - but I'm not going bet my mortgage on it.
• Georgia has a match on the road against Utah, and they need the win to keep the lead in their division. However, I've been saying all year, they're a mediocre team and their road record isn't great. They're in the lead in a weak division and Utah is seriously in the hunt in a tough one. And they're at home. Take the Blaze.
• Finally, the late game is Spokane visiting the Cats. This one's going to be brutal. Spokane's record in any other division would put them solidly in third place, and likely in second. The Cats need the win to have any chance to scoop the lead from the Talons and Rattlers. The Shock has struggled (even with a solid record) this season...but San Jose also lost to KC. However, given that they slaughtered Spokane (without Rowley) on the road earlier this season, I'll take them.
  

Power fall to Mustangs...but only just.

This season has presented me with a varied pallet of ways to watch the Power lose - enough so that I can actually sit back and debate which way of watching them lose I prefer the most. I don't think that it's a surprise that I - if I have to watch them lose - most prefer them to lose when on the road, so that I'm already at home in my easy chair and comfy. If it's a home game and I have to schlep downtown, spend money at the bar beforehand (the extremely AFL-friendly Cafe Fifth Avenue) spend more at the game and then watch the slaughter up-close and personal, I actually prefer it when we get blown out. Why? Because I'm not sure how many 1-point-in-the-final-seconds losses my heart will take before exploding in dramatic fashion.


This week was a true heart breaker. Not just because we lost, and not just because we lost to a division rival. It was a heart breaker because the Power played so damn well and should have brought home the W on this one.


I'll admit, the game didn't look so promising after the Power's stalled opening drive that went 4-and-out and an almost immediate score by Milwaukee on the following possession. However, from there on out, it was competitive, exciting football all the way. This began with the Power returning the favor to the Mustangs by Berry running 34 yards to paydirt with a flip and a flourish over the goal line. As my wife pointed out at the time, Superman would have trouble in the NFL due to his joy of showboating (I mean this in a good way - it's always fun to see what he does when he scores.)

The next possession, the Power stopped Milwaukee dead on the far one-yard line, forcing them to "kick a field goal." (That's in quotes, because we can't say "punt" in the AFL.) Martinez wisely kicked it out of bounds, denying Superman a chance for a return and started us on the 20. Our next drive brought us our first lead (and first of two TDs to Turner) of the game, but also Boyer's first unsuccessful PAT attempt. Unfortunately, as his one legitimate miss of the night, this attempt sealed our fate.

I say "legitimate," because this was Boyer's one real miss that he can't blame on anyone else. Through the course of the rest of the game, he'd have two PATs blocked, but that's more of a credit to the Milwaukee defense than it is a failing on his part. However, long-time readers of this column (Hi mom!) know that one missed PAT can change everything in the AFL, and it certainly did in this game.

For the rest of the first and most of the second, things were exciting, but not overly noteworthy. Both teams did their thing and played good football. It was as the half wound down that things really got exciting. With around 5 minutes left, Berry made a TD reception that no one - including him - knows how the eff it happened.

Photo from the Power FB page.

What you can't see in this frozen moment of time is that before making this, Berry turned to look over his shoulder, tripped, fell, and the ball landed right in his hands as he slid into the end zone. The fact that Boyer's PAT on this one got blocked detracted nothing from this amazing moment.

An onside kick was attempted by the Power, and it didn't go so well as the Mustangs got the ball and scored. They answered with their own onside kick that they recovered - only to have Guidugli get stripped in the end zone for a safety (take that blocked PAT!) So, the only logical call for the Mustangs now was to try another onside kick (this was sarcasm, BTW) which "Hands" Hymes snagged and ran in, bringing the score to 34-27. Undeterred, Guidugli led his Mustangs down the field on his next possession, only to be picked by John Green.

Here is another point where I feel the Power might have lost an opportunity, but I can see why they did it. There were 14 seconds left in the half, and Milwaukee was going to start the second half with the ball - so they wanted to end with it. So, the plays were obviously designed to run time off the clock rather than just get in for the score. I get that. Unfortunately, the Mustangs had our number and didn't let us get much done, and we settled for a FG instead of a TD. At the time, it didn't seem like a big deal.

The Mustangs had calmed down a little bit after halftime and wasn't going for the crazy stuff any more - they seemed to just knuckle down for the rest of the fight. Their first drive ended efficiently in a touchdown scramble by Guidugli to get them back on the board. Our responding drive looked in jeopardy when an unsportsmanlike call against Berry (someone got lippy, so he chucked the ball in his face) left us at 3rd and 12 at midfield. No worries, as Randall completed to Joystick for the TD.

Although LeFlore intercepted Guidugli on the next drive, the Power were once again unable to get the TD, and in fact, this time they were just shut down on the drive and weren't able to capitalize. This was a running theme. Our first possession in the fourth, we also had to settle for a field goal. Now, don't get me wrong - I'm super glad that we have a kicker that can make FGs. That's worlds above some other kickers we've had this year.

Things went right down to the wire in this one. When it was down to it late in the game, Randall ran one in to bring it to 60-55. Then -and I don't know why more people aren't talking about this (including the AFL itself) - fans in the arena were treated to something special. For the PAT, the ball was snapped straight to Boyer. It looked for a moment that he was trying to find someone open to go for two. After all, that's the only thing he can do, right?

Wrong.

See, there's a very, very rarely used rule in professional football where you can dropkick an extra point. Doug Flutie pulled one off in 2006, 'cause the Pats were going to lose, the game meant nothing and he wanted to end his career on something special (They say Belichick's heart grew three sizes that day.) In the AFL, you're allowed to drop kick a PAT for 2, or a field goal for 4. Boyer was known in other leagues for pulling this off, and it was part of the reason Siegfried picked him up. Now, some sources say that it hasn't been done successfully since 1997, but that's untrue as Taylor Rowan pulled it off last season, but the fact is, it is very, very rare, and this brought us to 62-55.

This is where the heart breaks. In the final seconds of the game, Milwaukee scored and then followed with a successful two point conversion the traditional way. So many times this season, that's how they were beaten, and I'm sure it felt good to be on the other side of it. There was some anger on the following kickoff with 0:03 on the clock, because the refs said Berry touched the ball. From what I saw on the field and on the video, he in no way did, but that probably didn't change anything. They'd have had time for one play, and the odds were against them. Doesn't change the fact that it hurt a lot to lose by so little.

What do we take out of this game? Well, this is the Power team that I wish we'd had all season. They played hard for a full 4 quarters, tried some unconventional plays, played solid defense. Hell, Randall even went pick-free this week. Our defense held the Mustangs to 3rd down 8 times, and kept them from converting four of them. Of the 4th downs, we officially stopped one and forced them to kick on another. They also picked Guidugli twice and put him on his back several times. Our offense was on target and back to focusing on a few choice receivers, none of whom turned the ball over. Boyer only missed one kick and was clutch everywhere else (except the two blocks.)

There were only two main areas of concern, really (and when we're out of playoff contention, is it really a concern anymore?) One was the O-line. Randall got sacked, hurried and pressured way too much in this game. We have never been able to protect the QB, and I'd kinda hoped having a defensive guy as coach, this might get worked on more. The other main problem was capitalizing on turnovers. Twice in this game, we settled for a FG or less after a pick. Had either of those been a TD, we would have won this one.

All-in-all, it was a great effort for the Power, it was finally fun to watch again, and in the end, they just fell slightly short.

Next week, a special report from inside enemy territory as we take on the Soul.

Elsewhere in the league

• The NFL game of the week aired on delay this week. Hopefully now that the powers that be and the union reached terms, the NFL Network will give us another chance. With them having rights to playoff games, I don't want to see them delayed. The main thing to take away from this game is that Tampa Bay officially can't win on the road as they fell to the Predators in the War on I-4. I also need to point out that the Preds will be missing the playoffs for the first time after 19 years straight. To put that in perspective, their fans have been used to the Preds being awesome as long as we've been used to the Pirates sucking.
  
• Philly decisively (62-27) won over the Sharks, clinching the division and a playoff berth. From here on out, they're in "eh, whatever" mode as they try to stay healthy and just play for home field advantage. With 11 wins at this point, it would take some really bad luck for them to not get it.
• Looks like Cleveland got bit by the strike curse, as the Voodoo beat them at home Saturday, 54-42.
• My confidence in Garcia and crew was well-placed as they got the W over Iowa and tied themselves up with the Rattlers. The race is on for home field in that conference also.
• As expected, the Rush beat Georgia, and they were able to exorcise some demons while they did it. Final score was almost as lopsided as their loss to the Blaze, 62-27.
• Utah almost dropped a should-win against Spokane, but pulled it off in the last minutes of the game Saturday. 58-55, final.
• The one shocker this week - and Keller was all, "Oh, I was going to pick that as an upset special this week" - was that the KC Command actually beat the Sabercats, and by a good margin, too. Final score was 57-41.

If the Playoffs Were Today

That time again, already, where we look ahead to playoff season. The picture is pretty clear right now, with only a few questions of who will make it and where they'll rank.

Right now, in the American Conference, as stated earlier, Philly is in the driver's seat with New Orleans as their first match-up, while the Force and Sharks face off in the other half. Philly's going to stay right where they are, and probably take top seed, if hubris doesn't get them. The rest is going to be a run-off. Georgia sits at 7-7, but NOLA, Jacksonville, Tampa Bay and Cleveland all sit at 6-7, with Milwaukee only one game behind that. I'm not feeling confident in Cleveland but Milwaukee has a slightly harder schedule in their last five games. If either of them makes a stand for the playoffs, then their head-to-head in a few weeks will be key, and Cleveland already has one win.

I'm all but calling TB out of this, as they have two road games down the stretch, and have to play Philly and San Antonio at home, plus a division match-up with the Voodoo. NOLA has two division games here at the end, which are going to be huge, and the hardest other game will be the Sabercats. I think that the Voodoo has a good chance to take at least 2nd place in the division. The Sharks have a very easy end of the season, as they play all three teams that struck this year, and only have games against the Voodoo and Milwaukee to worry about. It's between them and Jax for second place, and they have the easier road. Finally, Georgia only has four games left with a critical late-season bye, plus games against the Preds and Power at home. The division is (surprisingly, given the early season) theirs if they don't screw up.

In the National Conference, things are still very exciting. The Rattlers hold the top spot, but are tied with the Talons at 10-3. They have a tough road for the end of the season, and will really have to work to keep it. They might close their season against the Command, but before that, they have the Talons, the Blaze, the Shock and the Mustangs - all teams trying for the playoffs (and the Mustangs are up first, so they'll play when they still have hope) and three of them are in direct competition with the Ratts. It's going to be ugly, ugly, ugly down the stretch for them, and they're going to be looking to win out.

The Talons, for their part, really are just going to be worrying about the Rush and the Rattlers. Iowa, KC and TB aren't going to really be scary for them, and this might actually get them the 1 seed if they run the board. I honestly didn't see that coming. The Cats are somewhat in the middle with 4 games left against the Shock, Rush, Voodoo and Barnstormers. I still think that they can go all the way to the Arena Bowl if they make it to the playoffs, but competition is steep, and they've dropped some games recently that they really shouldn't have. It's crazy that a 9-5 record isn't guaranteeing them a post-season spot yet.

The Blaze only have one division game left, and that's against the Ratts. I think their schedule isn't easy, but it's not hard either with games against the Force, Soul and Gladiators to round it out. The Rush is right behind them at 8-5, but they have three out of five games on the road to close out (where they've struggled this season) and have to play the Cats and Talons at home. I hate to say it, but I don't think that my Rush are going to see the post season this year.

So, that's the picture as it stands right now. Obviously, this is going to change week-to-week the rest of the way. Just because the Power don't have a chance doesn't mean that there's not a lot of other exciting things going on. PLAYOFFS!!!

Rematch Against the Mustangs and Monkeys Riding Dogs

When we played back in game three, the Mustangs beat us rather handily. There were a number of contributing factors involved, and unfortunately, not a lot has changed. However, now we are coming off of a "win" in the first of three division games in a row, and I hope the moral victory gives us some momentum going into this home stand.

In Coach Stingley's press conference this week, he was asked flat-out what the team can take out of the forfeit by Cleveland. He pointed out that a win is a win, and whether or not we earned it comes down to the fact that we showed up, ready to play. This is an important distinction. It was known by early afternoon that the Gladiators weren't going to play - but the Power was on the field ready to go until the game was actually called. This is a team that wants to win and wants to play. Despite the myriad of reasons why even I am disillusioned with the league right now, I think it's a strong reason to still root for the summertime black n gold.

Last time around, we were weak at QB and strong at kicker. The situation is mostly reversed now, but we're still not super strong at QB. However, they've put their confidence in Randall and let him stay as starter and build his own confidence. Coach said that Stull is almost ready to return - and might even be a backup this game - but Randall is the starter. I admire that.

Our other big weakness last time was Berry's inability to return. He's pulled off some great plays in the season since, but he's still had problems with teams who put the pressure on him. I'm expecting more of the same in this game, but still hold out hope for some of his explosive, surprising plays.

Everett was our main antagonist last time. He's a good receiver and he's a hell of a defensive player. He's good at picks, and Randall is good at throwing them. He's the main person we have to try and shut down, aside from QB Guidugli. Guidugli is solid, despite the Mustang's record.

And there's the hope. The most of the Mustangs' losses have been in games that they just couldn't close it. True, the Mustangs can't win the last minute, but the Power can't generally win the last quarter.

But hey, if nothing else, the Power's halftime show will feature monkeys, riding dogs and herding sheep. Monkeys. On dogs. Herding mother-humpin' sheep. How can you not be excited about that? If you aren't, you're not American and I have no further need to speak with you.

At anywho, if we can actually commit, Predators-31pt-comeback style, we might out last them. If we do, that's two division wins in a row and then a shot at getting the Soul to underestimate us on the road.

Blind optimism - not just for Buccos fans anymore.

Now, for the elephant in the room: The strike.

Not only did it not do any favors for the Gladiators, but it didn't do any for the league in general. My post earlier this week was actually one of the less scathing ones around the Internet. Many are flat-out calling the league a joke, and fans are running for the hills. Now, the league itself has gone on the offensive with an open letter telling their side.
Handled properly, this could have been a good chance to take the highroad, but the tone of the letter (to me, at least) did the opposite. When I read that, I see the jilted ex who says, "You know what? I've kept my mouth shut this whole time while he/she ran their mouth, but I've had enough. Let me tell you all the suffering I've done!" Frankly, I don't care. Not one. little. bit. I don't. I just want this shit over before it completely kills the league again - because I doubt it would come back.

Of note in that letter is what the NFL Network said - as I feared, they're pulling their support and airing games on delay Saturday afternoon. Now, there are some lines that can be read-between there, and none of it is good. If I had to bet, they're only airing them at all because they signed an agreement that said they would, just not when. Putting it on Saturday at three is multi-faceted "Eff you" from the Network.

First, it obviously ends the Friday night spotlight. Second, it means that fans of the teams playing can't watch them live, because the Network holds exclusive rights - so it can't be shown locally or streamed online. I usually watch the games late at night after the other streaming games finish, and even then, it's hard to avoid "spoilers." Finally, middle of the afternoon on a Saturday in the summer? Yeah, no one's watching that. It's a way of taking the most exciting game of the week, burying it at a time no one casual will catch it and get zero exposure for the league when it needs it the most.

I don't blame the Network in the least little bit - they have to protect themselves from the AFL's shenanigans. However, they did it in such a way that proves beyond any shadow of a doubt that the NFL merely tolerates the AFL, holds all the power, and will crush it like a bug if it wants.

Yeah. That's right.

Elsewhere in the league

• The "Friday" game of the week is Tampa Bay on the road against their rivals, the Orlando Predators. Too bad this is getting bumped, 'cause it's gonna be interesting. Either the Storm finally wins one on the road this season, or the Preds get to have a second win. My money is on Tampa Bay, but not 100%
• Next up is Philly at Jacksonville. Now, Jax has stepped up their game recently, but I still don't think they've got what it takes to beat the Soul.
• Cleveland hosts the Voodoo Saturday night, and it's all up to them. They're coming in after both a loss and a bye week, technically, and it all depends on where their head is. If they're ashamed of themselves for being the only forfeit in history and for how they treated their fans, they can come in and run the field. On the other hand, the strike did no favors for the Power or Predators, and this could be the beginning of their slide.
• San Antonio should be able to beat the Barnstormers this week. It's kind of a gut feeling, but it's one based on my confidence in Garcia's experience (as usual) and the beating Ratterink has been taking.
• Chicago got so utterly destroyed last week that I'm not sure how they're going to cope. Also, last time they played Georgia, they got pounded. However, they are perfect at home this season and they know they need the win - so I'm gonna call the Rush in this game.
• In the late game, Utah should have the win over Spokane, so long as they aren't too big for their britches after last week. Tommy Grady is set to achieve Roethlisberger-amounts of records this season and he's honestly better than Rowley. This game is his to lose.
• Finally, Sunday afternoon the Sabercats have their rematch against the Command. Should not be a problem unless they underestimate them.
  

The Power Wins!*

Ah, the asterisk.

One little symbol that says, yes, what you say is technically correct, but it's not the whole story, so stop celebrating, Barry.

The Power's losing streak came to an end this weekend with a "victory" (Quotes - the bitchy cousin of the asterisk) over the Cleveland Gladiators. Rumors were true, and Cleveland's players stayed home Friday night and became the first team in the AFL to ever forfeit a game.

The official scoreboard says that the Power won 2-0, which is perfect, because the whole situation was just like dropping one big deuce on the league, all around. Since there is no play for me to recap, I will instead touch base on all the reasons why the player's union's decision to "select" the Gladiators for a one game strike were stupid, childish, selfish and ultimately futile.

(Also, they smell bad and I think they suck.)

In week one, the union decided that they were going to make a stand and have all of the teams strike. This would send a message to everyone that they needed to be heard and get better pay and working conditions. A worthy goal, to be sure, but it really wasn't going to be in the cards. They were asking for a substantial bonus for starting QBs and triple their standard salary ($1200 instead of $400.)

As we all know, it didn't work out as planned. Ownership caught wind of it, the Preds and Power fired everybody, replacements came in and most players slunk back with their tails between their legs. The players' union collectively said, "Oh crap! They're taking this seriously! Shit, I thought that striking was easy and there were no consequences. Boy is my face red!" With that, they canceled the rest of the strike, everyone else played and Pittsburgh and Orlando were left holding the bag with their seasons ruined before they started. Everyone else on and off the field went back to glaring at each other over the dinner table and pretending nothing was wrong.

Flash forward to this week. Once again, the union had their dander up and broadcast loud and clear that they were going to strike again. As they'd already proven that they can totally follow through on these things, as well as learning that it's always a good idea to give a much more powerful opponent the heads up before you punch them, it must have seemed like a great idea.

The rumors swirled around for about three weeks that it was coming, and the scuttlebutt really seemed to point towards the Power being involved in one of those striking games (but not be active participants), mainly because they were - once again - in the Friday night national spotlight. In fact, the rumors said that there would be a work-stoppage in all three games. Sure enough, the league decided to bump the Power/Glads game for the Philly/Mustangs game, officially because that was going to be the better game (it was really good.) Unofficially, it was probably so that the most likely team to strike wouldn't embarrass them on the NFL Network again. Well, the Network had other ideas, because they basically told the AFL to take a hike until they manage to get their house in order. The Game of the Week fills a slot on a slow night in the off season for them - but they aren't attached enough to it to risk showing an empty field for 3 hours.

At this point, the union had two options: Call off the strike because no one was going to see it or make a stand and have all three strikes happen to show the league that they were serious.

They came up with a third option, which was to be completely frickin' stupid and have only the Gladiators strike.

There are just so many reasons why this was all dumb and counter-productive that I hardly know where to start. The Gladiators didn't officially strike until after 6 p.m. Friday, which was well after it was already known that the league bumped them from the national spotlight game. If the union was able to put the brakes on any work-stoppage out in Milwaukee in that time, it was more than enough time to call it off in Cleveland as well - but they didn't. There was still enough time after it was announced that no one was getting aired nationally to stop it, and they didn't. At this point, it should have been obvious it wasn't going to effect anything. No local TV crews were going to be in Cleveland, because they'd planned on being exclusive on the NFL Network. With one team in third place in a weak division on a two-game slide, and the other team being from a town that most people still think that they were disbanded after the strike in week one, who did they think would notice? Without being broadcast nationally where the media has to take notice, it was an empty gesture, unless it was part of something league-wide.

Robert Redd of the Gladiators was quoted as saying "I sure hope this was worth it...I hope I'm wrong, but I wonder if a one-team strike can make that much of a difference...I believe we stood up for what is right, but I don't believe the strategy behind it was the best. What will really tick me off is if nothing comes of it, because it will prove a one-team strike does nothing."

Word, Redd.

The union compounded its stupidity with who they chose. Fine - they knew it was a lost cause and they wanted a symbolic team to still strike. I don't agree, but I can still dig it. But if they were going to do that, why not pick the Preds? Sure, they were in the late game and it also might just come across as one team that likes to strike - but we're talking about a union that doesn't seem much for the long view. The Preds are a team with nothing to lose in the season, and fans that will still come back next year. The Gladiators are a team in the hunt for a wildcard. Luckily for them, the Mustangs also lost Friday night, because otherwise, they'd be within a game of Cleveland - but because they "lost" as well, the Mustangs are only 2 games back now instead of possibly three. This could have playoff implications, and that's just not fair to anyone.

Next up are the fans. If you've tuned into any of the national broadcasts this season, you've heard commissioner Jerry Kurz go on and on about how this is "the year of the fan." Now, I'm not going to get into all of the reasons they've dropped the ball on that tagline, but I am going to touch on why the union really just wiped their ass with that sentiment this week. Week one was bad enough in that it destroyed two teams for the season as well as having that mess exposed to a bunch of casual fans - many of whom probably never tuned in again. This week did it all again, but without the national stage, it came across in a much more intimate way that - to me, at least - felt much more like a personal slap in the face to those of us that support the league.

We were denied the one game of the week that we know we won't have to stream online to see, that will be in high definition, full color, well-commentated glory. Those of us that follow Pittsburgh or Cleveland were denied a game for our team, period. Fans that decided to go down to Cleveland's arena and check out a game left thinking it was a waste of their time. Season ticket holders - the people a team relies on to make their bottom line - lost out on a chunk of what they paid for. A number of Pittsburghers even shelled out for a ticket and a Power-arranged bus trip out to Cleveland to see it in person. I don't know how refunds work for any of these things, but at best, there's a lot of people - fans - who are going to be a lot less supportive now, and at worst, there are bunch of people who are pissed off because it also cost them money.

Furthermore, the arena staff was all still there and had to be paid. The venue can't be happy about that, and the union is stupid if they think other venues aren't watching as well. With attendance being generally down this year, every seat counts. If people aren't coming and there is the risk of having to pay their staff when they aren't making any revenue, arenas aren't going to want to host teams - at least not without charging them a lot more to do so. Finally, the NFL Network - our one conduit to the "outside world" - is essentially another "venue" that has to look at the bottom line. After two lost games this season for them, I wonder if they'll be back next year.

So, to recap, the union's decisions to strike this year have:

• Sidelined two teams
• Possibly effected the playoff prospects of a third
  
• Garnered nothing but bad press for the league amongst fans and mockery/scorn from anyone else who's even noticed
• Pissed off and inconvenienced the fans that are actually paying for games
• Likely made one of our biggest public supporters question their partnership

So, that must mean that they're playing for big stakes, right? From everything I have read, it's down to a matter of $100 per player, per game. The Union wants $600 a game, the league is offering $500. That's it. They've reached agreements on the QB bonus and such - it's just the base salary.


The bottom line is that the union has done far more harm than good this season. Sure, the league bears a chunk of the responsibility - if they really wanted to protect their business model, they might consider the extra hundred, or at least meet them half-way at $550 just to end this - but it's mainly on the union. They haven't committed to any of their threats and ended up just looking foolish. It's like when you don't take your full course of antibiotics - in the end, you haven't gotten better, you've just made sure the illness became resistant to the cure.

Casual fans disappeared week one when they all heard the team got fired at Olive Garden. Fan-fans have been running for the exit. Die-hards are really questioning their commitment. Last week, in a move that either speaks of desperation, cluelessness or flat-out balls, the Power sent Keller and I our season ticket renewal forms.

If the AFL isn't careful, this whole $500/$600 a game issue might be small potatoes next to not having a paying customer at all.




Elsewhere in the League

• It's really a shame that Philly and the Mustangs weren't on the NFL Network. It was a solid game, and both teams fought hard for it. However, in the end, it was just one more game this season where the Mustangs lost by a touchdown in the last seconds of the game. With Cleveland forfeiting, they had a chance to tighten the race up in our division for second place, but they lost another heart-breaker.
• Orlando didn't forfeit, but they might as well have. San Jose beat them 51-34 in this late-nighter, and the Preds fall to 1-11 on the season
• I shoulda listened to that voice in my head that said the Force was going to pull it off, 'cause they did. There were some fireworks in the first half when both teams did what they do - Jax picked one in the end zone and ran it all the way back on one drive, and on another, Georgia pulled off one of their patented 4-and-out defensive stands on the 1/2 yard line. Second half, they pulled out ahead and finished it 56-39.
• The other game I was wrong about was the Voodoo/Talons. The Voodoo really were their own worst enemy, playing some sloppy football most of the game, but they held in there until the end. Unfortunately, they left Aaron Garcia with 57 seconds on the clock, down by 1 point. The Talons drove down, scored and went for two, putting this game in a touchdown-to-tie situation, that New Orleans was not able to pull off. Their final play of the game was stopped on the 1 yard line.
• The less said about the Chicago/Utah game, the better for everyone. Chicago just got so utterly destroyed that I think the Gladiators played a better game Friday night. They didn't even get on to the board until the second quarter, and they couldn't do anything to stop Tommy Grady. In the end, it was 68-28. To add salt to the wound, both teams are in the hunt for what will likely be the last wildcard, and now Utah has the tie-breaker.
• Spokane throttled KC. No real surprise there.
• In the final game of the week, the Rattlers showed the Barnstormers what's up in a decisive match in the Snakepit. Although the score finished at only 55-48, the result was never in question. They kept the pressure on Ratterink the whole game and kept scoring on offense.
  

Division Friday, Power Travels to Cleveland

******************UPDATE***********************
Due to the league and players shooting themselves in the foot, aka labor disputes, no game will be aired on the NFL Network tonight.
*************************************************

Friday is upon us once again, and it's time for some prime time Power football.


Or, at least it was until the AFL decided to use the flex schedule option to air the Soul/Mustangs match-up to the NFL Network tonight instead of our rivalry match-up with the Gladiators. It's just another black mark on a season that had looked so good on paper before week one. I can't really blame the NFL Network or the AFL - the Soul/Mustangs game should be really entertaining, especially after the new life breathed into Milwaukee last week after beating the top-flight Sabercats. However, that doesn't mean that I have to be happy about it.

Another reason it is rumored that the game was flexed was because sources say that another strike is "highly likely" tonight. Here's were things get confusing. On one hand, they're saying that the Power is going to sit this one out, having already been "put through the wringer" as they put it. However, on the other hand, the article says "at three games tonight." Well...there only are three games. Maybe this means the Gladiators will strike, the Power won't and we'll be the team without scabs. I don't know.

Continuing this line of thought, one of the other games is San Jose hosting the Orlando Predators. If we aren't going to be asked by the union to strike again, I really don't see them asking the Preds, but it's possible. The Power is on shaky ground and would be wiped out in every sense of the term with another strike. The Preds have nothing to lose in the season, and have a long, strong history - so they could probably weather it. The Sabercats I wonder about. They're one game back in the toughest division in the league. Do they really want to throw a game tonight when everything is on the line? I guess it depends on if the players have more of a commitment to the cause (and their wallets) than they do the standings.

Finally, there's Philly/Milwaukee. If the league moved this game to the NFL Network out of fear of a strike, I think they done eff'd up. Of the three games tonight, this is the one I think is most likely to make a statement. Philly actually doesn't need this game much. They could safely throw it and not worry about their division lead. Sure, there's still a lot of football left, but they're 3 games up on their closest challenger. The playoffs are almost assured. Milwaukee is in a more precarious position. With a strong finish to the season and some help from Cleveland, they could make a wild-card berth. I guess we'll have to wait and see, but if there's a strike, I think it will be this game. Highest-profile game of the night, even without being on the NFL Network, means the biggest chance to get the league's attention.

I hate, hate, hate the fact that I've dedicated this entire column so far to talking about a strike that may or may not happen and not about the game itself. However, the fact is, that's the more important story. All we have going into this game is a measure of pride. It's a road game against a division rival who beat us once already this season and kept us from the post-season last year.

The same problems will remain from the last match-up, and that is that we don't have an answer for Dutton at QB, and guys like Redd and Goodman can run all over us. It's cheap, but frankly playing against some scabs tonight might be a good thing. So, I'm just crossing my fingers and hoping that there's actually some football tonight, and if there is, we can bring home a moral victory on the road.

Tune in at 8pm...just not on the NFL Network.

Elsewhere in the League

Okay, here's the deal: My look at the league is going to be predicated on the fact that there won't be a strike. Any picks are subject to change should there be one, but in the mean time, I'm going to pretend that there's nothing afoot at the Circle K and everything's going to work out fine.

• First up (on the flippin' NFL network) is the Soul at Milwaukee. The Mustangs are coming off a huge win against San Jose this week, and get to stay home and host the division leader. Philly is without a doubt the better team, and more than half of their wins have been on the road. I don't see the Mustangs repeating a shock-performance this week, and the Soul will probably get the W.
• The Sabercats will host the Preds in the late game, and this should be the "get back on the horse" game for San Jose. It was a tough loss to swallow in Milwaukee, and a cream puff team at home should be just what the doctor ordered.
• Saturday night, the Sharks travel to ATL to face the division rival Force. After a solid win against Tampa last week, they're looking to solidify their place at the top of the division where, by virtue of well-placed bye weeks, they are at 6-5 and the Force is at 6-6. My gut says the Sharks win this one based on their performance last week and what I've seen out of the Force this year...however, they're 50/50 on the road, and something in the back of my head says the Force will come out on top. So, given that I'm an overweight diabetic, I will continue tradition and listen to my gut over my head and take the Sharks.
• I've really liked what I've seen out of the Voodoo so far this season, and they're doing better than they have in a while. However, home games are still a shaky proposition for them, and the Talons have been pulling off the important wins this season because of the capable skills in Aaron Garcia and a solid set of receivers. Talons over Voodoo Saturday at 8.
• At 9, the Utah Blaze hosts the Chicago Rush. With virtually identical records, it's a tough one to call. Well, not really, I just don't want to say it. The Rush have some great players and veteran leadership. They're in the hunt for their division and have a strong 7-4 record. However, as I've mentioned in past weeks, they have a habit of defeating themselves and have seen OT too many times this year. Russ Michna is still a great QB, but I think he's starting to show his mileage. Tommy Grady has one yard shy of a thousand yards more than Russ this season, and 30+ more touchdowns. He's already be penciled in as one of the all-time greats, and I think it's going to carry the day for Utah.
• For any team that isn't the Power or the Preds, I'm looking at the KC Command as a bye week. As such, Spokane should have no problem getting another W.
• Earlier in the season when Iowa hosted the Rattlers, they won by just two points. Other than that, they've beaten the Shock and Gladiators on the respectable side, and KC and Pittsburgh on the "meh" side. Now, they need to travel to the Snakepit for the rematch, and I don't think that they'll like the results. Ratts should win this one, but it should also be a solid game to watch.
  

Yes, the Power Outage Continues

I only missed one pick this week, and unfortunately, it was not in the Power/Rattlers game.

Things actually started out much better than I could have expected. Less than 30 seconds into the game, Nick Davila connected with his first pass for a touchdown, but the Power answered right away with a score of their own. The first quarter remained low-scoring, and by the beginning of the 2nd, we were tied up again at 14-14 after a rumbling drive to the end zone by Tyree Young.

The Ratts brought it to 21-14 before our troubles began. In the 2nd quarter, we had a disastrous "drive" that left us 4-and-out, turning it over on downs on our own 2 yard line. Obviously, it didn't take the Ratts long to score with field position like that. The Power kept it competitive by scoring again with Hymes and Tyree, holding the Ratts to a touchdown and field goal and leaving us 38-28 at the half. Honestly, against a team like the Rattlers, that's almost as good as a win right there.

It didn't take long in the second half for it to happen. Actually, it only took until the second play of the 2nd have for "it" to happen. What was "it"? The turnover that completely kills us. We have to have one every game, and it happened on a pass intended for Joystick that Marquis Floyd came up with instead. When that happens to the Power, you can feel the wind go out of their sails.

To their credit, they fought all the way. The most infuriating play of the game was when Boyd pulled off an onside kick that took a lucky bounce, allowing Williams to run all the way to the 1-yard line. Why was that bad? Because Tyree Young was offsides and it all got called back and given to AZ - along with a half the distance penalty to go with it. Now, the Ratts were nice enough to fumble and give it back to us, but it still made me want to punch babies.

In the end, we came within seven with two minutes left in the game and "it" happened again, sealing our fate. Rattlers 55, Power 45.

What do we take out of this? Well, yet another loss, that's for sure. However, once again, the Power lost with style. They played hard against a team that we were almost certainly going to lose to anyway. Stingley didn't make any overly stupid calls, Randall threw for over 300 yards and four touchdowns, and no one let themselves get stripped and/or fumble. That's all really good. The line didn't protect Randall very well, and the Rattlers spotted us a lot by being disjointed and "off" for most of the first three quarters - but that is what it is. We played well and can be proud of it.

But it was still a loss.

Elsewhere in the League

Like I said earlier, I was only off by one pick this week. Still wish Keller would sack up and do a pick 'em in this league so I could win some of my money back.

• I really wanted to watch Cleveland at Iowa, but my Power went out Friday night, and this was the one game of the week I couldn't stream to my cell. Regardless, even without my concern rays, the Barnstormers came out on top.
• The stands were fairly empty down at Gwinnett Center Saturday night when the Force hosted the Voodoo, so there weren't a lot of people there to watch them get soundly beaten. When the Voodoo scored early, intercepted and scored again, it was obvious it wouldn't be a pretty night, and it wasn't. 57-35, Voodoo
• Tampa Bay against the Sharks was a lot more fun than I was expecting it to be, and it stayed competitive all the way through. Several times while watching Bernard Morris, I kinda missed having him as our QB (until he fumbled, that is.) The game started out a runaway with the Sharks going up 20-0 pretty quickly. Coach Ewart decided to switch horses and put Nick Hill - recently released from the Packers - into the game. Had he made that choice at the beginning of the game, things might have been much different, but alas, TB remains winless on the road, 71-61.
• Philly was not a very good host to Orlando, embarrassing them in front of all the other guests at the party. Seeing how fast they surpassed the 70 point mark, I thought that they were going to make a run on that elusive 100 point game. However, they held back in the second half and just let the game play out. Final score: 79-48, Soul.
• My one missed pick of the week was because no one in the world saw San Jose losing to Milwaukee. Mark Grieb played like Mark Grieb, throwing for 435 yards, 10 touchdowns and no INTs...unfortunately, fumbles that were allowed to be run in, penalties, poor defense and all-around sloppy play allowed the Mustangs to have this one firmly in hand from the beginning of the game. It ended 81-68, Mustangs
• In the final game of the weekend, it was proven once again that when great QBs match up, it comes down to who blinks first. After a rocky start, Russ Michna went on to be nearly perfect in this game. He ended 32/38, 412 yards, 9 touchdowns and no INTs. Rowley got picked twice (and, to be fair, Chicago is known for take-aways) and this one ended as I figured - the Rush victorious 73-62

We're reaching that time where the playoff picture is starting to come into focus. In our division, it's Philly's to lose, with them being three games ahead of the Gladiators and five games ahead of the Mustangs. They just need to maintain, and the worst that can probably happen is to get a wildcard if they really screw up down the stretch.

The South Division is going to come down to the wire for everyone but the Predators. Right now, the other teams are 6-5, 6-6, 6-6 and 5-6. The top two spots are Jacksonville and Tampa Bay, and they've split their series this year - hell, if Tampa had been successful on their last push and gone for two, they could have made their loss 71-69. This would have been the same as their win over Jax earlier in the season, bringing them to a coin flip if they end with tied records.


In the Central Division, the Talons aren't quite as comfortable as the Soul is in ours, but a two game lead over the Rush has got to be feeling pretty good. The way they stack up against the West, I think it's going to be first-or-nothing in their division. As such, the Rush need to play catchup if they want to make the post season. They've already lost to the Talons once this season, so it will be tough.

Ah, the West division. The "worst" team in this division has almost the same record as the top team in the South. (6-4 vs 6-5.) With the win totals being 9, 8, 7, 6, it's not as tight as the South division, but it is still highly competitive. I wouldn't be surprised to see the top three teams all go to the playoffs this year. This bodes very well for the Cats, as they've swept the Ratts this year, split with the Blaze and won once against the Shock thus far.

Will the Power Outage Continue?

I'm not going to say a whole lot about the upcoming game, because frankly, there's not a lot to say. There's a few things that I'll touch on, but then I want to address some musings I had while traveling this past weekend. (Yes, I plan my vacations around Power bye weeks. Wanna make something of it?)

The Power returns to action this weekend to start a brutal, road-heavy second half of the season. It's all but set in stone that we aren't winning this one. In his first press conference as interim head coach, Derek Stingley did a fantastic impression of a kid whose father just ran off with the cashier and left him in charge of the county store. When asked how we would prepare for (Arizona QB) Nick Davila, you could see him resist the urge to laugh before just saying, "Bring pressure."

But, as they say, if you eat a frog first thing in the morning, nothing worse can happen to you all day (to you or the frog.) In that sense, starting out his tenure in charge against our toughest opponent of the remaining season on the road might be a good thing. No one expects him to win, so he can get his sea legs, stress free. He fully admits that he's a defense guy, from player through coaching. Also, he ended his season in NOLA last year with the same number of wins the Power has put up this year.

Stingley will be a good benchmark of what the future holds for the Power. He was asked if he plans to be the permanent head coach next season, and his response was that it doesn't matter if don't get some wins. This is true. The way I look at it, things can play out a few ways:

1. If they replace him with a new head coach this late in the year, it means that the Power owners have confidence that we'll be back next year.
2. If he rides it out as interim HC, it means that it will be a game-time decision next year.
3. If they make him officially head coach, it probably means the team is done.

So, this weekend will simply be a wait-and-see situation. We're not going to win unless the team has a rabbit foot tattooed with a four-leaf clover stapled to their body - so it will be a shake-down cruise for the new regime.

Now, for my musing. Feel free to skip down to the ever-popular Elsewhere in the League section.
I visited our nation's Capital over Memorial Day, and to do so, I drove through Philadelphia. As I did, I was surprised to see multiple Soul billboards - some paid for by the team, some by sponsors. Now, the only place I've been that's more into billboards than Philly is the chunk of the Onondaga Nations that the NY Thruway cuts through, so that might be part of it...but I don't think it's all of it. There is an actual sense of support for the team, and this got me wondering why there and not in Pittsburgh.

It's not because either town is more of a sports town than the others. Here, we bleed black and gold. We worship our Steelers, love our Pens, and we...have our Buccos. Philly enjoys a love/hate relationship with their Eagles, militantly supports their Flyers and - at least according to my in-laws - have their sun rise and set on their Phils this time of year.

I started thinking about the cities that the AFL survives in, the cities where it thrives and the cities where it struggles. Places like San Jose and Iowa, it makes sense - they don't have an NFL team, so they cling to their AFL team. But what about some of the rabid fanbases, like the Tampa Bay Storm, Orlando Predators and New Orleans Voodoo - they all have NFL teams. So, it must be something else.

It slowly dawned on me that, by and large, there's a very fine line for a successful team and a city that embraces Arena Football. I thought about areas where teams struggle or fail - Milwaukee and Pittsburgh struggle. Dallas and New York lost their teams. Then I thought about where they thrive - All of Florida, Philly, Arizona, etc.

What is the common denominator? In the places where there is a religion-level devotion to football and an expectation of greatness, the AFL struggles like a red-headed step-sibling. Places that like football a lot, but don't have a history of their NFL team regularly going all the way embrace the indoor game. Compare Green Bay to Tampa, Pittsburgh to Philly, Dallas to Chicago.

Now for the chicken/egg part. Orlando, Tampa, Chicago, San Jose, etc all have fiercely loyal fan bases. They also have a record of championships and/or deep playoff runs. Except for the Rush, all of the above have multiple championships (and even then, the Rush have one, as well as five division titles.) So, are the fans there because of their winning ways, or are they winning because of the fans? When you're going to get paid the exact same wherever you go (though this wasn't always the case), which are you going to chose? A team in a city that doesn't care, or a city with great fans and a winning track record? Whichever started it, this structure favors teams that already have a following.

Where does this leave our Power? In a sticky situation, that's where. History doesn't favor us holding onto a team, and I think that's because we love football here too much. However, if we can hang in there, recruit (and keep) some good players and start having winning seasons, we might be able to grow some roots. I hope we can.

Elsewhere in the League

• The Game of the Week is the Cleveland Gladiators at the Iowa Barnstormers. Iowa has fought hard and pulled off some impressive wins, but I think the Gladiators will take this one.
• Next is the Voodoo at the Force. That division is still mediocre, so the top rank against the 4th rank doesn't mean much. I'm actually feeling the Voodoo in this matchup.
• Tampa Bay at Jacksonville. TB is the better team, but they still haven't won on the road. They can beat the Sharks, but the odds aren't in their favor.
• Philly hosts Orlando Saturday night. Rumor has it that Philly has now added our LaRico Stevenson to their lineup, Donovan Morgan is back and Philly still rocks. On the other side, Orlando has thrown in the towel this year. They've traded Nate Forse to the Mustangs, and Bobby Sippio did his best Ray Lewis impression. They've got nothing left, and Philly will extend their lead in the division.
• Utah at KC - the Power might very well be KC's one win this year. They certainly won't have one against the Blaze.
• Sabercats at Mustangs. Under normal circumstances, I'd call the Cats in this one because they have to win to keep up with the Rattlers in the toughest division in the league. This week, it's even more so. After the game of his life last week against the Rush, Johnie Kirton was found dead in his hotel Monday at 26. No foul play, but no cause given. That really narrows down the options. This week, the rest of his team will wear his number on their helmets in his honor. Never, ever bet against a team playing for a fallen brother.
• Finally, Spokane at Chicago. Chicago can win this one, so long as they don't beat themselves. The Shock needs the win, but especially after losing 83-77 in OT to the Cats last week, I think the Rush has it.