Power at Sabercats preview

Three things are true about last week:  We got our asses kicked, the Sabercats got their asses kicked, and both other teams in our division lost.  So, we're all starting from a blank slate this week.

That being said, the Sabercats are going to crush the Power on Saturday.  They're just too solid of a team to begin with, and they've gotten stronger in the second half of the season with the addition of Russ Michna at  quarterback.  As mentioned in past posts, the Cats had trouble with veteran QB Aaron Garcia, but when they swapped him out for Michna, everything gelled.

We will also get to see former Power receiver Jason "Watchu Talkin' Bout" Willis in action again...which isn't so hot in this situation.  He primarily headed out to San Jose to follow Garcia, but seems to like it out there.  The short version is - he's a scary, scary individual and their current top scorer.

What concerns me is their defense, which is second in the league. Last week, the Power hung in there the first half and kept it respectable, if not hopeful.  The announcers - who were super, pro-Jacksonville - spent the first half lamenting how lack-luster the Sharks were playing.  The second half was a different story.  The trademark Power Critical Turnover happened, and the wheels fell off.  That one magic turnover that causes more to follow until the team is just trying to get the game over with.

Against a normal team, this is bad.  Against a team that plays as dirty as the Sabercats, this could, and would, be disastrous.


Elsewhere in the League

• First up is Iowa at Cleveland.  Both teams are at the bottom of their divisions and on a three-game slide, badly in need of a win.  Iowa is the slightly better bet here.
• NOLA at Soul.  Philly can take the Voodoo without much difficulty, but I'm hoping for an upset!
• The Blaze continues to struggle and I think that the Rush, who continue to heat up, have a good shot at beating them
• Arizona travels to Texas to play the Talons this weekend.  As powerful as the Ratts continue to be with only one loss on the season, I can't help but think that a stumble is coming at some point.
• Spokane and Jacksonville are too evenly matched to call.  Both whooped the crap out of their opponents last week (Sabercats and Power, respectively) and have tied records.  When in doubt, take the home team, which in this case is Spokane.