ArenaBowl XXVI Preview

Wow...and just like that, we're back to Arena Bowl time again.  That means the end of Arena season for another year, and the beginning of the NFL.  But, not to get ahead of things - there's still an Arena Bowl to enjoy.  This year, there will be an extra bonus to the coverage - and that's the fact that Keller and I are actually going to be at the game.

It was all a random series of events that included me saying, "Dude...we should just drive down to Orlando. <ha-ha>" and Keller saying, "<lol> Yeah, we should."

Then we discovered that pretty much the same seats we have at Consol were available for this game and we called each other's bluff.  So...we're going.  The only thing more exciting is the fact that the match-up is between two teams we actually give a shit about:  Our division rival Philadelphia Soul and a team called the Arizona Rattlers (I might have mentioned that I'm a fan.)

The astute among you may notice that these are the same two teams that met up last year - and this is the first time that has ever happened.  So, what should we expect this time around?  Well, last year, the Rattlers came into the Arena Bowl after being narrowly beaten by the Sharks the year before, and the Soul came in with only one or two players who had ever been to the big show before.  The Ratts owned the field from the word go, Dan Raudabaugh looked like a dear in headlights, and Brackins got shut down.  By the end of the night, Arizona routed the Soul, and their media guys quickly began to regret starting this crap before the playoffs started.

This season, the Rattlers have owned the Soul, beating them in both meetings.  The Latin Laser, Nick Davila, has been money, Odie Armstrong has been rumbling into the end zone, guys like Poots are making plays, and their defense has been solid.  The only team to really threaten them was the Shock, and they put that threat to bed last week...but I'm not as confident as I should be.

First of all, the Soul got brought to Jesus last year, and I think they got woken up.  They know what they're in for and they're ready for the bright lights.  If Dirty Dan was going to get the yips, he might have gotten that out of his system a few weeks ago when he threw 5 interceptions in one game.  I just see them being a stronger team this time around.  But, it's not just them I'm worried about.

The Rattlers might be the ones getting cocky this year.  It's their third Arena Bowl in a row, they've already beaten the Soul twice this season, and they pasted them last year.  Also, they've been held up as the league's golden children all season (there was some unfounded sour grapes rumors that the league was intentionally trying to force a dynasty) and have been basically made out to not be able to lose.  Well...they can.

Aside from the fact that it is very hard to beat a team three times in a season - in this league or the outdoor one - there's also the concern behind center.  Last week, Davila took a pretty vicious hit to his throwing arm - the same arm he had surgery on during the off season.  After that, you could see that every throw was agony.  I haven't seen any word as to how bad it was or even if it's still an issue - but I know that the Rattlers are going to start him, no matter what.  If it's not 100%, that's a huge loss.  Even if it's functionally 100%, it's a weak point that could get injured again during the game.

I also have concerns given the fact that Boss Ross has been near-unstoppable this year (which isn't to say that AZ's Armstrong hasn't been - he just hasn't put up nearly the same numbers) and Brackins has been returning to form.  Also, Philly didn't have Tiger last year.  Although he was all but shut down last week, this is the stage that dancing fool was made for.

The bottom line is that the Rattlers should win this one, but their worst enemy is themselves.  If they come in like they're owed a victory, they will lose.  If Davila's arm gives out, they will probably lose.  But if they bear down, focus and play it like any other week, they can win.

Plus, Philly pulled out this crap right before the playoffs.

Stay tuned for after this weekend, when Keller and I will post a follow-up with our experiences and pictures.  Plus, look for us on TV - we'll be the idiots wearing our Power jerseys five rows up from the field.

'We Got This,' my ass.

Another season of Arena Football is in the books, and we have our new League Champion. After 6+ weeks of bragging, strutting, posturing and assurances, the highest scoring team in Arena history had hubris bite them right in the ACL.

Coming into this game, Philly looked to be in the driver seat. Although they had a comparatively soft schedule compared to Arizona, the Soul had rolled the whole season, holding an impressive average margin of victory and scoring more than 60 points a game. Receiver depth that barely even hiccuped by the loss of Tiger Jones and a quarterback that seemed unflappable. However, it was all for naught, as Philly seemed to not show up for the Arena Bowl.

Right from the get-go, the Rattlers put the Soul on notice when they deferred and gave them the ball first...only to quickly pick it off and give them the chance to score first in both halves. Sure enough, they quickly reached the end zone and put 7 up on the board. Things just went downhill from there.

Normally, takeaways are Philly's thing. However, in this game, the Rattlers defense came up with all three of the game, leaving Davila perfect on the night. Final stats were 23/30, 266 yards , 9 touchdowns and zero picks. Dirty Dan, on the other hand, became the only QB in Arena history to throw 3 picks in a single half.

Another point of interest was the kicker, Scaccia. Last week, I expected him to be a mess due to lack of recent experience and the fact that he wasn't that great to begin with. However, he proved me wrong by drilling his kicks all night. However, he struggled a lot more in the Arena Bowl, and it cost his team.

By the second half, the Soul threw caution to the wind. With Scaccia floundering, Raudabaugh unable to get things going and the Soul down 27-13, they changed tactics. They started on-siding it almost every kickoff and going for two on every touchdown. It was a bold strategy, and one that can work, but in this case didn't.

In the end, the Soul came up short, and Coach Plank goes 0-5 in Arena Bowls. On the other hand, Nick Davila got redemption for coming up short in the final seconds of last year's game. Also, the Rattlers got their first ring since 1997, after losing four appearances in the intervening years. Finally, Maurice Purify set a new AB record with seven touchdowns, putting the Ratts firmly in the winners circle.

Seriously - is there anything sadder than a pouting Jaws and two angry nuns?

So what the heck happened to the greatest team in Arena History? I really think that it just came down to nerves and inexperience. The Soul hadn't faced the crucible that the Rattlers did to get to the Arena Bowl. Instead, they faced a fairly soft schedule that allowed them to believe that they couldn't be beat when it counts. Don't get me wrong - their ability, talent, coaching and players were a step above, but they didn't have the humility that Arizona was forced to swallow this season and last. They arrived in New Orleans thinking that it was their destiny to win. When the Ratts took the ball away from them on their first play, I think it got in their heads, they lost a step and never got it back.

If Philly secured the core of this team again for next year, then I think they have a good shot of not only going back, but pulling it off. After all, losing a hard one can be just what you need to go back and take it for yourself.

Just ask Arizona.

Thank you for reading my columns this season, and I look forward to getting back to it again in the spring. In the meantime, stay tuned for ongoing NFL coverage from Mister Keller as the outdoor league kicks into gear. In the meantime, I will sit in my easy chair saying, "The field...it's too frickin' big!!!"

Playoffs Round Two Review, Arena Bowl Preview

Due to happenings with two other professional teams in town, we decided to combine this week's posts into one. Another round is in the books, and the teams for the championship are set. Let's take a look at how we got here

Sharks at Soul
In many ways, I think that the Sharks/Soul can be summed up with this picture:

Now, if you can't tell, that's a nun. On a motorcycle. With pom-poms. Driven by a guy with a cowboy hat.

I'm sorry, but if that's how your team takes the field, you more than have home field advantage - you have all the advantages. Every one of them. You, in fact, have the right to brag, "We got this." And in that, Philly was set. The Sharks were never in this game. They had the first touchdown, but everything was downhill from there. Capz shanked the extra point waaaaay right, and something seemed wrong. The ensuing kickoff looked more like a botched squib-kick than a kickoff, and then it came out - he had a pulled MCL. That was it for the quarter. By the end of the half, they'd only have 12 points to Philly's 45.

Look, I can recap the play-by-play, but it would just make everyone - including the Soul - sad. By the end of the game, they were trying to not score 100 points. These stats speak for everything: Three picks, three forced and recovered fumbles, a turnover on downs. The Philly defense barely let the Sharks on the field. Standing out on defense was our own LaRico Stevenson, who did a little bit of everything, including seven tackles and a pick six (Have I mentioned that I miss him?)

On offense, it was the Larry Brackens show. Coming into this game, he had about twenty catches on the season. By the end, he had almost half that many touchdowns. He recorded a team record 8 - a record formerly held by Captain Morgan with six last year against us.

Also interesting was the fact that Scaccia - whom I assumed would be weak compared to Capz - was practically flawless on the night, including on a field goal, which Philly rarely does. Someone was obviously practicing in the off/on season.

I don't know if it was that the Soul is really that much better than the Sharks, if Jacksonville was out of gas, or if they were just having an off night. Whatever it was, the Soul practically had a bye week to get to the championship.

Blaze at Rattlers

This was, perhaps, the best game I watched all season. This was the tie-breaker for this season between these two teams, and the team who wanted to win needed to make a statement, and the Ratts certainly did that. First drive, they scored on the back of old, reliable Odie Armstrong, rumbling in for the score, 40 yards out. On the Blaze's first possession, the Ratts snagged a quick pick six. After the Blaze got on the board, the Ratts had to settle for a field goal - a drive that would haunt them in the second half.

They were back in it on their next drive, and then their defense came up big by sacking Grady for a safety. Undeterred, the Blaze pulled off a picture-perfect onside kick to mitigate the damage. The swing came at the end of the half when they got a pick and the offense took the field. Now, the refs say that Ed Ta'amu had possession on a short pass from Grady for the score, but I have my doubts. Regardless, this put the Blaze up by two. Remember that FG? Yeah, that gave them 3 instead of 7, putting the Ratts in this position.

Most of the remainder of the game would see the Ratts unable to get back those two points and constantly pass the Blaze and then fall back again as touchdowns were exchanged. This would go on all half, setting up the old Arena axiom of, "He who has it last, has it best."

In the waning seconds of the game, the Blaze held the ball near paydirt, with a 69-67 lead. The Ratts defense came up big by holding them to 4th down and then picking Grady in the end zone with but 35 seconds left. A steady drive brought them down to their end zone with only 16 left. Davila passed to Purify and took the lead. Those two points that haunted them all game? They decided to make a statement and get them back with a successful conversion. The nine seconds left just weren't enough for the Blaze, and the Ratts won, 75-69.


Arena Bowl XXV

So, what can we expect late Friday night? A coin flip. After that, everything is just conjecture and wishful thinking. In my opinion, there are few problems with how professional football playoffs work (don't get me started on college), but one of them is separate trees for each conference. The way this works out, only the best two teams of their conference go to the championship, not necessarily the best two teams in the league. Look at it this way - what if the Soul had a bad night, and the Sharks advanced to rematch with the Ratts? Would that be the best two teams? Hell no. You only needed to watch last week's game to know that.

However, this year, the best two teams in the league are meeting for the big game. The Soul are there by virtue of just rolling over everything in their path. They had a misstep in their first game of the season, but from there established a path of destruction through the American Conference that couldn't be stopped. A great quarterback with a corps of receivers so deep that they once put a backup in who was barely over five foot and still dominated. Tiger Jones even got picked up by the Eagles, and the Soul moved through that loss with barely a hiccup.

The Rattlers, on the other hand, rose to the top through a Darwinian battle for supremacy that saw a conference battle - not just a division one - for seeding that went down to the last week of the season. Nick Davila and crew held some gas in the tank in the unimportant games and put the pedal down when they needed to. A number of this crew went to the big game last year, and they obviously had the drive to go again. They don't have the stand-out, NFL bait that the Soul does, but they have a solid, reliable offense that works well together to get results and a defense to be reckoned with.

Friday night is going to be brutal. Can the Rattlers bring home a win like the days of old and banish last year's heartbreaking loss, or will they ever be the bride's maid? Do the Soul, in fact, "got this," or will hubris finally catch up with them? The truth is, I don't know.

My gut says that the Soul is going to pull this out, as I've been saying for months (but I'll be rooting for the Ratts.) They are a more explosive team, their offense is deadly and their defense is frightening. The Rattlers have a powerful team in their own right, and I can't underestimate the "been there, done that" factor, but I just think that the Soul has more weapons in their arsenal. The big factor is going to be nerves. Dirty Dan has been fairly unflappable this season, but Championships - especially on the road - get in people's heads their first time out. Also, I just can't shake the feeling that they've been swaggering to broadly for the last six weeks or so (See: The Patriot's "19-0.")

Plus, they don't get to bring the nuns and motorcycles to New Orleans.

Playoffs, Round Two Preview

Time for the Semi-Final round of this year's Arena League playoffs. I sucked hard at calling last week's games, but frankly, that's what happens when the 8 best teams in the league take the field in a do-or-die situation. Anything can happen.

Of course, that means this week will be even worse.

Sharks at Soul
This game will be the tale of two teams - on both sides of the ball. It's all going to depend on who shows up. The Sharks have been up and down all season, and have some glaring weakness. There's the fact that Morris screws up under pressure and they are Power-like in their inability to play four quarters. A number of times this season, they've blown huge leads in the fourth to lose. Even last week they did that, but held on long enough for a miracle kick by Capz.

On the plus side, they've put together a late season winning streak to get them to the penultimate game. Bernie Mo has only been picked twice in recent memory and has done a good job of holding on to the ball. Furthermore, the Sharks boast the second and third best rushers in a pass-happy league - one of which is none other than Mo himself. And then there's Capz. The fact is, they have the weapons if they know how to use them.

The Soul, on the other hand, have been a nearly unstoppable juggernaut this year, but they played a sloppy, sloppy game last week. Penalties, poor execution and lackluster performance kept the Voodoo in the game way longer than they should have been. They've also lost their kicker Remy Hamilton to a groin injury, which is never good.

Of course, they're still the Soul. While the Sharks have rusher #2 and #3, Philly's got #1 in Derrick Ross. They also still have Captain Morgan and Jeff Hughley. They also have one of the best turnover defenses in the league.

So how will it shake out? We'll start with kicking, because it may be big. For the Sharks, Capozzoli is money. We know that. He's clutch at PATs, FG and most importantly, kickoffs. If he can drill the latter under the cross-bar (like he did to us) he can stick the Soul with crappy field position. Taking Hughley's returns out of the equation would be a major coup. Granted, Dirty Dan can get them out of that situation - but why spot them 15-20 yards if you don't have to?

For the Soul, losing Hamilton last week was ugly. They don't have a backup and even had LaRico Stevenson kicking off, and it showed. It gave the Voodoo a lot of ground to work with. Well, that couldn't continue, so rumors this week had them looking at one Massimo Scaccia. Rumors were close, because they went with his brother Fabrizio. Now, if we can all stop sniggering at the unlikeliness of these names, let's look at his ability. He kicked for a season and change for the Rattlers, but he kinda sucked at field goals and hasn't played in a year. No, the Soul don't go for many FGs, but that's still a hole. Also, he's rusty as all get out. Giving Terrance Smith a chance to return will result in the reverse of what I said above.

Regular on-field stuff is fairly straight forward. The Soul is the better team and should run all over the Sharks. Raudabaugh is one of the elites, and his arm is accurate. He also has all the play-makers he's had all season. Their defense is brutal against most teams, and could prove awfully deadly against Bernie Mo. Furthermore, the Soul isn't a team a team to run out of gas against in the late game.

Bottom line is that the Soul should win this one assuming they don't play sloppy. The thing is, I can't shake the feeling after last week that their constant "We Got This" posts on their FaceBook page are going to amount to hubris.

This game airs Friday night on the NFL network.

Blaze at Rattlers

The above game is going to prove easy to call next to this one.

Had the Ratts beat them twice, I would say with confidence after last week that they'd lose the third match-up. However, they've split the series so far. Strangely enough, the Ratts win was on the road, and they picked Grady a whopping four times. At home, they got thwumped (and picked twice.)

For the second week in a row, the Blaze's victory hopes hinge on defense. Last week, they and the Talons fought each other to a standstill, and that decided the game. Two top-flight quarterbacks were shut down on their respective sides of the ball. There's no reason to believe that the Blaze can't do it again this week, and if the Ratts want to win, they've already seen that this is what they will have to do.

The Blaze has, at times, let Grady take a beating, and not a little of it came at the hands of the Rattlers. They shored up their line a bit in the second match-up, but the fact is, the Ratts know how to get to him. Arizona's offensive line on the other hand, only allowed nine sacks in the regular season. Therefore, the Blaze has their work cut out for them. Their better chance is to go for the picks, which Davila is prone to. He takes risks, and they backfire sometimes. Also, I've noticed that AZ has a thing for onside kicks. They're good at recovering them, but if the Blaze return team is ready for them, they can pick up a few extra possessions.

If the defense just pounds themselves silly, and the O line holds, these two QBs should be able cut loose. The league released their first and second All-Arena lineups this week. While the Soul have but two players on there and the Sharks none, the Blaze and Rattlers account for a total of seven players on these lists. Because of that, I predict a higher score than the Blaze put up last week in this one. I will be rooting for the Ratts, but I have a feeling that the Blaze might pull this one off. They played just too hard last week, while the Ratts played their regular explosive game. The "have to" didn't seem to be there.

That's right, I'm back

So, that being said, I really don't know on this one. I called both these teams to lose last week, and neither did. Therefore, I hesitate to bet against either one here. I am, however, restating the fact that I think the Blaze can take it and go face the Soul in Arena Bowl XXV.

So, look forward to the Sharks and Rattlers heading to NOLA next week for a rematch.

This game airs Saturday at ten with full play-by-play coverage on www.cox7.com

Playoffs Round One Recap

Well, if there's anything this weekend's games taught us, it's that A.) anything can happen in the playoffs, and B.) I can't pick playoff games worth a damn. I went 1-3 in these games, and almost went 0-4.

Utah vs Talons
In one of the later games, the announcer pointed out that the Blaze "dismantled" the Talons. At 35-34, this is a bit unfair to Garcia and the Talons. It would be much better said that the Blaze "survived" the Talons. This season, the Talons have averaged 57 pts a game, and the Blaze 63ish, and neither got close to that.

This game was supposed to be a match up between two of the greatest QBs ever to play, but it ended up being all about the defense. The fact that the total score only slightly surpassed these individual averages shows how much of a defensive battle this game was. Both QBs got sacked, both got picked (twice for Grady) and the pressure was on. Also, the Blaze only converted 4 of 10 3rd downs and 1 of 5 4ths. Garcia was comparable. So, again, the defense came up strong.

In the end, it came down to one point. One point between victory and the (likely) end to Garcia's career as a player.

On a side note, as a Power fan, there was one player that had a great night and was fun to watch. The crowd thought so, too:


Voodoo at Soul
Sure, Philly was supposed to win this one, and sure, they did - but they should be ashamed of their play in this one. Down to the end, it was anyone's game, and that should not have been the case between the #1 team in the league and a 4-seed that got into the playoffs by attrition. It was a sloppy game all around, with both teams giving up around 50 yards in penalties. One drive in particular kinda sums this up:

Pictured here: Not how the play was drawn up.

That's a little blurry, but the important part is that, due to penalties, it took seven plays and three negated turnovers to accomplish 10 yards to a touchdown. This was just the most blatant example of a problem that was systemic to the entire game. It got even uglier at the end of the game when two Voodoo players got themselves ejected (I wish I could say it was the first time this season.)

Yes, the blame and sloppy play goes both ways, but the Soul are the much better team. They're better than this, and they can't play that sloppy next week if they want to go to the big game. Another concern is that they lost their kicker to a groin pull late in the game. If they don't get that sorted out before next weekend, there's going to be trouble.

Fun fact: All season, I've been noticing these two nuns that sit in the front row of the endzone section at Wells Fargo. Besides the fact that there is something inherently awesome about a couple of nuns being die-hard Arena fans, these two have caught more balls than have ever even come into my section at Consol. So, either the Lord likes souvenirs, or Dirty Dan is trying to earn points Upstairs. (Except that he pegged one in the face this week.)


Georgia at Jacksonville
So, just like another team farther down this list, the Force learned how hard it is to beat a team three times in a season.

For most of this game, it looked like the Sharks were firmly in the driver's seat. They went into half up, then recovered a botched Force onside kick and stormed into the lead. The Force made a hell of a comeback and closed in on - and then surpassed - the Shark's lead in the fourth. Down to the end, the Sharks had the ball and not much time left and then it happened.

All season, I've found myself missing Bernard Morris here in Pittsburgh until It happens. Regular readers may know that It is a fumble. Either he holds on too long, or just doesn't cover the ball and he gets stripped/drops it. Well, this week was no exception. With seconds left, Bernie Mo got tackled and the ball got away. Luckily, Jacksonville fell on it and kept it, but at a significant loss of yards. Morris's next pass went incomplete, bringing up forth and forever with 6 seconds left.

Remember when we played the Sharks last week and I said that their kicker was frickin' killing us with his distance and accuracy? Well, with the score at 56-55 Force, Capozzoli took the field, looking at 51 yards.

51.

NFL kickers have trouble with that, and their uprights are twice as far apart. Well, I can't adequately describe what happened, so:

From the Arena Football page.

Cats at Ratts
Funny thing is, although this was a hard-fought, entertaining game, there isn't a lot to say about it. Both teams played the game they were supposed to play, and the energy level was what you would expect from from a heated rivalry like this. The Cat's defense intercepted Davila, the Ratts intercepted Greib. Explosive plays happened. Big stops were achieved. It was a great game. In the end, the Cats discovered how hard it is to beat a team three times in one season.

The score was close at 51-48, but it easily could have been a wider gap - and reversed. The Cats managed to pick Davila 4 times to the Rattlers 2. Who says turovers win games? Much like the other games in this review, it was a "survival" game, but it wasn't one were either team failed to play up to their potential. Much like the first game of the weekend, this might have been the end of the road for an aging quarterback. If it is, Greib can know that he went out on a game to be proud of.

Playoff Preview, Round One

To close out the season, we've got a few weeks of playoffs that the Power will, sadly, not be participating in. It was a rough season, but they salvaged more than I would have thought they would. Even so, the team set several new franchise records:

From arenafootball.com:

• MIKE "Joystick" WASHINGTON set single-season franchise records for receptions (115), receiving yards (2,142), receiving touchdowns (39) and points (206).
• PJ "Superman" BERRY set single-season franchise records for kickoff return yards (2,024), kickoff return touchdowns (2) and combined kick return yards (2,040).
• DOMINIE "Sack Attack" PITTMAN set the single-season franchise record for sacks (5.5).
• CHRIS "Gingabread" LeFLORE set single-season franchise records for interceptions (9) and missed field goal return yards (25).
• BRYAN "Wasn't that a Beach Boy?" WILLIAMS set the single-season franchise record for tackles (66).
• GEOFF "Our Best Kicker" BOYER set the single-season franchise record for field goals made (4). (This record is sad for so many reasons, I don't know where to start, so I'll move on.)
  

So, yeah. I mean, it might feel like polishing a turd, but records are records. Our record doesn't fairly reflect how hard these guys played their asses off this year. These might not be league records, but they're Power records and they earned them. Besides, the franchise is two seasons old, and we need to start somewhere.

Now, on to the playoffs.

Utah vs Talons
To start the ball rolling, the NFL Network is starting out with one of the best games of the first round - The Blaze trying to finally beat the Talons. They've met up twice so far, and they've been very close games both times. Over the course of two meetings, the Blaze has lost by a total of 9 points. The Talons have won 11 of their last 12 games (and one can hardly blame them for taking it easy last week) and the Blaze have had a late-season surge of their own.

Normally, a 1-4 match-up is kind of a reward to the 1st seed - almost a pass in the first round. Not so here. Arron Garcia is one of the best QBs to ever play the game, and looking to repeat. Tommy Grady is the best of the younger crowd, and the Blaze travels well.

So, how do I call this? Can't just go with the home team, because the Blaze does so well on the road. Can't go with the quarterback, because we have old, tested and experienced. I can't even go with the QB who makes gutsy plays. I'm going to have to have to go with turnovers. The Talons are +5 and the Blaze are -6 on the season, and turnovers were the deciding factor in the last two meetings between them. Based on that, I have to take the Talons - but if I'm down to the turnover battle, it's iffy.


Georgia at Jacksonville
I have not been impressed with the Force all season. They've been streaky at best, losing games they should win (Yay, Power!) and winning games they should lose (Chicago?) However, I think I need to pick them in this game based solely on how they match up with the Sharks.

Jacksonville is defending the title this year, but that means nothing. Even on the NFL level, there's not a lot of back-to-back wins. In the Arena League, every team starts 0-0 on week one, and that's that. I'm not going to deny that they've played hard and earned their place in the post season.

However, the simple fact is that they've gotten crushed in both meetings with the Force this season. If it were close, I'd say there's always the chance of them getting revenge, but they've been outscored by the Force to the tune of 45 points. Georgia might not be the better team, but they've had Jacksonville's number. The only hiccup is that Jacksonville has not yet faced Bryant Moniz at QB yet, and he hasn't seen the post season. Jitters could change things, but I'll still take Georgia.

Voodoo at Soul
New Orleans made a very loud statement this year, coming back from a season like we just lived through to go to the post season. They even beat the Soul week one by a point. However, I just don't see them winning this one. The Soul has set countless records this year and have been nigh unstoppable. They've beaten some of the best teams in the league, and they're going all the way to the big game in my opinion.

The Voodoo, on the other hand, still needs to mature. They've had big games, but also big losses. They made it to the post season in a weak division with a losing record. Finally, Rocco has too much of a habit of blowing games with silly mistakes.

Philly wins, or it's the biggest upset of the season.

Cats at Ratts
This one is just as hard to call as the Talons/Blaze game and for almost the same reasons. Nick Davila is trying to get his team back to the Arena Bowl, whereas Mark Grieb is trying to pull a Garcia and win the big one before he retires - a scene Davila is familiar with.

Both times they met this season - and these teams hate each other - the Cats won, but only by a total of 8 points. The Ratts are perfectly capable of beating them, they just haven't this year. Same thing with what I said about the Sharks - the Sabercats just have their number....barely. This is the pick that I'm most unsure of, but I'm going to go with my gut feeling a few months ago and take the Cats.

Now, I was all ready to put a bracket picture here. I'm sure about my picks in the American Conference -Georgia and Philly will advance, Philly will rout Georgia and it's on to New Orleans. The National Conference, however, is just too hard to call. I'm confident on my calls, but even then, next week would be just as hard to tell between the Talons and the Cats. Talons and Ratts (which the odds are probably on) is equally hard. Blaze and Ratts...eeeeh. The only way to be sure is the Blaze and Sabercats - I'd call the Blaze in that, but it's the least likely outcome.

So, we'll see come Monday.

Power Hopes to Play Spoiler

Well, we're deep into garbage time at this point, and the main thing we have left going for us is to play spoiler for the Georgia Force. There are a number of different scenarios for them in various playoff spots - but they mainly hinge on them winning this week. So, let's beat them, why not?

Last time we played, it was really close. The downsides of the last match-up were as follows:

They contained Berry really well: A lot of teams have done that this year, but his yards-per-return have improved since that game. He's a lot more comfortable in his role and is a cornerstone of our offense and special teams. Hopefully, it won't be as much of an issue.

Fumbles and interceptions: Randall threw a few picks in the game and that hurt us a lot. Unfortunately, he hasn't gotten a lot better at that, and Hines has the same problem. There's not a lot we can do about that - it's going to be what it's going to be. On the other hand, Joystick was having a lot of trouble hanging onto the ball at that point - thankfully that has gotten better.

Kicking: We lost by a field goal and had some lousy kicking. I mean, Boyer had a bad week last week, but he still kicks better than the Vampire did - and he tackles pretty well, too. As I stated in my review, we statistically outplayed the hell out of them. Kicking and turnovers killed us. Also, the QB they had last time - RJ Archer - is a much better QB than their current one (probably why Archer got signed by the Detroit Lions.) Their current guy was delivering pizzas until recently. (Glad it wasn't bagging groceries.)

Even though we're on the road, I think we have a shot - or at least as much of a shot as we've had in a few of our recent match-ups.

Elsewhere in the league

• For some unknown reason, the NFL Network thinks that the Utah/Cleveland matchup is the more stimulating game this week and are airing that instead of the INSANE matchup of the Rats and Talons. Utah has no excuse to not win this one given the way Cleveland has been playing.
• Not airing on the NFL Network is the powerhouse combo of Arizona and the Talons. Last time they played each other on the Rattlers home turf, the Talons got decisively beat. Now, they clinch the #1 spot with a win over the Rattlers and they're at home. The Ratts need the win to have any shot at that spot. So, aside from all that, these two teams are more than likely going to meet up again in the playoffs, so this is not only a preview, but it's probably going to determine who gets home field in that. This is a coin flip. I want to say the Rattlers, but logic tells me to take the Talons at home.
• On Saturday, Orlando has another shot at the upset and spoiler role as they travel to Jacksonville. A chance, but not a likelihood. I'm taking the Sharks.
• Next up is the Voodoo traveling to Tampa Bay in a big division game. Oh, I really don't know what to say on this one, besides the fact that I hate picks this time of year. I'm saying to pick NOLA - and I really believe that - but it's tough. They're the better team, the more consistent team and they've beaten TB already. However, TB is fighting for their lives and rarely loses at home.
• Spokane beats KC.
• The Chicago/Milwaukee game means nothing to anyone. So...I'd like to pick Chicago, but they struggle on the road, and the Mustangs are stronger than their record. Mustangs.
• Big game for the Sabercats in the late slot. They thwumped the Barnstormers on the road last time and should be able to handle them at home - and they need the win.

For a more in depth view of the seeding possibilities, go to the source. I'm not going to recap it all here - basically it boils down to a mess in the South and seeding in the National. Things will hopefully clear up a bit after this week.

A Powerful Storm Brews

I'm cautiously optimistic about our second-to-last home game. It's not a slam dunk - after all, we lost to the KC Command - but I think we have a good shot.

The Storm has been hot and cold this season, but they've gotten pretty banged up. Their reciever Amarri Jackson has now been put on IR, and that's a great thing for us. He's been out a few times this season for injuries, but even with a shorter season, he's still set records. Him not being there is great for us. There is also the fact that the Storm hasn't won a game on the road yet this year (and started dropping them at home.) Again, we lost to the winless Command, but it's still a factor in our favor that they're a weak road team.

Last week showed that the Power is capable of gelling as a team. We finally got some protection on our QB, and that allowed him to keep the picks to a minimum. The question is going to be who's behind center. I'm not sure who I'd prefer - and we know it doesn't matter who they say they're starting - but Hines looked good last week. It might have been a fluke, but it's tough to say. Randall has the field time and knows his players... but he's a known quantity. Known both to opposing teams, and to us as a guy who gets happy feet.

Therefore, the most important part will be protecting whoever is there, and holding on to balls when they are passed. Again, we did well with that last week. So, not to belabor the point, but basically we need to do what we did last week, and we should be able to give the home fans a win for once.

The most important part this week is the opposing coach. Long ago, I wrote one of our most popular posts, the famous Tomlin or Epps quiz. Now, I could do something similar with Dave Ewart and Chris Farley, but that's just a cheap shot.

Seriously, I just want to watch him contest a call.

Elsewhere in the league

• For the game of the week, the Mustangs have a good chance to play spoiler against the Sharks on national television. The Mustangs aren't technically eliminated, but the stars would have to align to Shakespearean levels for them to make the post season. The Sharks, however, are in the position of being 4th in the conference, and can only pull ahead with better records than the two non-Philly teams ahead of them (stupid tie-breakers.) It's going to be close, but I take the Sharks.
• Cleveland is getting a bit of a gift this week. In order to make the playoffs, they still need to pretty much win out, and Friday they match up against the Preds. Orlando has blown a few chances to spoil recently, so I don't see them upsetting the Cleveland applecart.
  
• The late game is gonna be a good one. #1 in the West faces off against #2 on the road. The Rattlers already beat Utah at home this season, and they most likely can do it on the road, but the Blaze needs this win. Take the Ratts, cautiously.
• First game on Saturday should be a win for Iowa over the Command.
• It's a good thing for New Orleans that Geogia has a bye week this week. They have to play San Jose on the road, and I just don't see them winning. A loss this week would tie their record with Georgia, and NOLA has the tie-breaker right now, which would leave them in first. This will remain true, even if the Sharks win, as they have the head-to-head there as well.
• Chicago really needs the win this week to keep their playoff hopes alive, and they're strong at home. However, I think that the Talons will win for the Chicago sweep.
• Finally, Sunday at 6:05 is the explosive match. The Shock handed Philly their first road loss earlier this season, and now it's time for the rematch. However, they got blown out last week. Philly is strong, but again, they're in WTF time of the season, and the Shock had their number last time. Another big problem developing is that Philly offensive weapon Tiger Jones has been signed by and invited to camp with the Eagles. The Soul have got one of the most packed rosters in the league, but Jones is one of their biggest play-makers. The development is great for him, but bad for the Soul. Crazy pick again: Shock win.
  

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!!!

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.
  

Arena Bowl XXIV Results - One for the ages

The Arena season is officially over, and it went out with a roar, not a whimper.

This game was billed as a match-up between the to biggest powerhouses in the league, in what promised to be a no-holds barred, knock-down, drag-out, high-scoring slugfest - and it was, in every possible way. This was the highest-scoring Arena Bowl in history, with a combined total 143 points, with the margin of victory of only 3 points.

Coming into this game, I was worried about a few things. For one, I didn't think that Jacksonville's defense was up to the task. Jacksonville did not turn out to be at a disadvantage here, as the defenses were very evenly matched. Although both teams were successful on third downs (5/7 both ways), neither was able to convert a forth down. Only the other hand, both teams were five for six in red zone attempts. So, neither was that impressive when it comes down to it - just matched. However, Jacksonville was able to force several fumbles and snag the game's one pick. The fact of the matter is, Garcia was able to counter Arizona's strong defense, while at the same time, his team was able to pull out the big plays.

The other major thing - and this was the major, major one - was Garcia's age, how much he, and, by extension the rest of the team - had left in the tank. Ultimately, it was proven that the answer was "enough." He came out of the gate firing, and completed 12/14 passing attempts. The opening half saw the Sharks put up 32 points to Arizona's 35 - the difference coming because of missed PATs. The third quarter - as is very common in this league - was slow for both teams. The difference is that Garcia started looking tired at this point. He went on a run of incomplete passes (that really effected his overall numbers for the game) and I started to worry that this was it; age was catching up with him.

I was wrong.

Jacksonville ended up putting up 35 points in the forth - an Arena Bowl record - with 3 scores coming in the final 90 seconds. Arizona put up 28 themselves, but it wasn't enough. With only 2 seconds left in the game, Garcia fired one at the end zone, connecting with Jeron Harvey and putting this beast to bed.

I don't want to take anything away from Nick Davila of Arizona. His nearly 340 yards, 8 touchdowns and only one interception is a credit to him and his team. Add in another 2 rushing, and you have the recipe for success. Against any other quarterback, that would have enough to absolutely crush the opponent. It as just his bad luck to play Jacksonville this year. Garcia clocked over 400 yards, no interceptions, was nearly perfect if you ignore that third-quarter slump, and helped the team score 10 touchdowns.

The list of records set in this game is far long too recount here and can be found elsewhere on the web, but there's some that I'd like to address for Mr. Garcia. His passing yards are a league record in the Arena Bowl, and his career passing yards are also a league record. The same can be said for the total touchdowns of the game and career. His attempts and completions in this game are second only to one Kurt "Greatest Show on Turf" Warner. This is a very important fact, as Warner was announced as an AFL Hall of Fame inductee at half time (sure to be one of the few to be in for both the AFL and NFL someday.)

After the final whistle, seeing Garcia standing on the field with his three kids - his eldest daughter crying at his side - one couldn't help but assume that this was it. With 17 years in the league, crossing the big 4-0 barrier, well over 1000 touchdowns, yards few can hope to touch and now - finally - that illusive title ring, what does he have left to prove? Despite the shameful booing of the Arizona fans (the downside of championships being played with home-field advantage) no one could ever take that glorious moment away from him, and I'd be surprised to see him come back next season.

So, that's it for 2011. It was a great season with a lot of great games, made even better that we had a home team to root for. In just a few weeks, we're back to regular season "real" football. Watching a bit of the preseason this weekend, I can't help but get my late-summer reminder that the NFL is somehow less intimate, less about the fun. The high stakes seriousness of it is what makes it awesome, but it's always nice to have a few months of a game that can be viewed as just that - a game.

Thank you all for reading for these last 21 weeks, and I hope you'll come back again next year. Now, say tuned for the "n'at" to step back for the Steelers and Mr. Keller's coverage.

Conference Game Reviews and Arena Bowl XXIV Preview

Another week is in the books, and the Arena Bowl teams are set. This week gave us odd times, but good football. Both games in the Conference Finals were very entertaining and prove that Friday night is going to be fun as hell.

National Conference Final

Arizona hosted the Chicago rush Friday night at way-too-damn-late o'clock. The game had a rocky start for both teams, so much so that I actually wondered if there was something wrong with the balls. Both teams fumbled the ball on their first drive, and even my wife said, “Really? These are the good teams?” However, both teams redeemed themselves by scoring in short order – Chicago in impressive fashion when Jason Simpson returned a kickoff 56 yards.
 

Things were relatively even the rest of the first half with Arizona going into the locker-room with a 9-point lead. The 3^rd quarter is where everything changed when the Rattlers put up 13 and shut the Rush out.

However, this is where Arizona showed their weakness of overconfidence. You could tell by the end of the third that they were starting to lay back and take it easy. Problem is, Chicago didn't feel the same way.

The forth quarter saw the Rush put up 29 points to Arizona's 13 – the highest scoring quarter for either team. At the end of the half, Chicago was only down 6 points and had the ball with seconds left on the clock. Everyone in the world – including those not even interested in this sport – could see the on-side kick coming. 

Thing is, Chicago didn't. Surprising everyone, including the return team, Chicago kicked it deep. With no one there, the Rush charged down the field and attempted to recover in the end zone. A player from both teams fell on it, and the call was so close that it had to be reviewed – Rattlers ball. Game over.

Both teams gave it their best, and the score was close, but the fact of the matter is that Arizona played a much better game. The only reason things ended up as close as they did was because the Rattlers slacked off in the third. 

For one thing, their defense was incredible this game and mostly shut Raterink down. I realize that “shut down” is operative here, as he had 187 yards and three touchdowns. But, considering Chicago turned the ball over five times during the game and didn't score for a whole quarter, they were well shut down.

The pairing of Nick Davila and Jason Geathers was the true story on the field. Davila put up huge numbers with a 50% completion ratio, over 280 yards and a whopping 7 touchdowns. Geathers caught the ball 10 times for 150 yards and 4 TD's. They were just an unholy force and proved that Rats were the team that deserves to play Friday night.

American Conference Final

Monday night in prime-time, the Jacksonville Sharks hosted the Georgia Force in a game that was more competitive than I'd expected it to be. Where-as the National game had less than 7,000 people in attendance and seemed like less, Jacksonville had over 10K and seemed like more. The crowd was fired up, and it showed. At least two plays went against the Sharks because of fan interference – including one where a guy in the front row of the end zone assaulted the returner from Georgia.
 

Look, I'm all about fanhood, and I'm all about getting into it – but some things go too far. Had this guy been wearing a Sharks jersey, he would have gotten called for a personal foul, holding and a facemask. Leave the rough-housing to the guys making $400 a game, mkay? End of digression.

Early on, the Sharks lost their center – who has started every game in the two years the Jacksonville has had a team – and you could see that it threw Garcia off, but they recovered well. Unlike in the National game, there was no clear-cut dominating team in this game. Offense ruled the night, and the score climbed steadily. It took until the third quarter before either team managed a stop when Jacksonville got a turnover on downs to take the ball away from Georgia. The closest that Georgia came to a stop was when they forced a 36 yard field goal attempt late in the 4^th. The kick was about as perfect as possible.

As this was a story of offense, the main characters were the quarterbacks, which were about as even as possible. Both men put up 313 yards and 8 touchdowns and got sacked once. Darnel Kennedy of Georgia was the only one to fire an interception (which actually lost the game for him) and had slightly more attempts with less completions. However, this is fairly elementary, as the numbers were otherwise too close to call.

The stud receivers in this game were Maurice Purify (GA) and Jeff Hugely (JAX). Both had over 150 yards and 3 touchdowns. In this game, both QB's were more likely to spread it around than to have one “go-to” guy, so their receivers were both three deep and gave flexibility.

Neither team in this game slacked off, and both played a full four. Honestly, whichever team won would have equally deserved to represent their conference in the Arena Bowl. In the end, however, the Jacksonville Sharks pulled it out with an interception with only 14 seconds left on the clock. Final score, 64-55 Sharks.

Arena Bowl XXIV

So, there it is: As I called weeks ago, the Arena Bowl this year will see Jacksonville facing off against Arizona. This is going to be a story of age and experience, with different versions going to each team.

Jacksonville is reaching the big game in only their second season in existence. This is an impressive feat, and one that was well-earned with their early-to-mid season records. However, before this, the farthest they'd made it was the divisional round last year where they lost. Arizona, on the other hand, has been to six Arena Bowls and won two of them in their storied career.

In a sport where year-to-year a team can change 100%, does this really matter? Yes it does. Having been there puts a different mindset in a team, even if the players themselves haven't been. Having gone several times and won a few increases this. Think about it this way: The Pittsburgh Steelers have lost two out of their last four Super Bowls, however, the money is generally on them, either in Vegas or simply in popular opinion. Why? Because they'd already won four. Guys that were in grade school or not even born during those games were being given the benefit of the doubt because of the careers of guys that would be comfortably watching their games from ESPN's studio. It might not make a lot of sense, but the psychological edge goes to the team with the history.

Age is a bit more murky. Nick Davila is 26 and in his third year in the league. Aaron Garcia is 40 and has been in the league a staggering 17 years. Experience is without a doubt in his favor, that can't be argued – but age isn't. This season, Jacksonville, in stunning fashion, went on a 13-game winning streak, just owning the league...but as the season went on, the strain became evident. Although they've been doing very well in the playoffs, the Sharks dropped 3 out of their last 5 games. Monday night, Garcia was just looking tired during the game and I wonder how much is left in the tank. Davila, on the other hand, has lead the Rattlers on a steady, win-more-than-you-lose season that was nothing if not consistent. This consistency speaks to an endurance that is going to be critical when they play the 21^st game of the season this week.

Everything else is a catchall kind of category that doesn't favor the Sharks. For one thing, Arizona is at home, which is an obvious advantage. Jacksonville will be facing a multi-hour time change, many miles from home in unfamiliar territory. Add to that the fact that the Rattlers will have had two extra days of rest, and there is an unfair lopsidedness to this. Furthermore, in addition to the things stated above, the QB/Receiver combo of Davila/Geathers is much, much more dominating than Garcia/best man open. Granted, Garcia shows a flexibility that will be very important when his team only really needs to target one guy – but AZ just has a powerhouse there. 

Finally, Arizona is a much more complete team. Their defense is as solid as their offense, and Jacksonville just doesn't play a lot of defense.

Look, I'm rooting for the Sharks. I love a story, and this one is all about an aging gunslinger coming back for “just one more season” who wants a ring to cap off an unbelievable, record-setting, hall-of-fame-earning season. The problem is, Arizona is a more complete, longer-running team with the better all around package. If Garcia and crew wants to pull this off, he's going to have to dig deep-down inside and find his “have-to.”

Gary Busey frowns on my obscure reference

Tune in Friday for one last game of Arena Ball for the season to see who takes it all home. This bad boy will be nationally broadcast on the NFL network and should be a lot of fun.