Heading to the Jungle - Predators rematch

Okay, yeah...we lost last week.  Badly.  Definitively.  A division loss, no less.  But, strangely, it's not that important in the grand scheme of things.  We're playing for the 4th spot in the conference.  We're not going to get the division, so Philly getting farther out in front isn't going to make them win it any more than they already are.  The teams we have to be concerned with are Cleveland, New Orleans and Orlando - which makes this week's game somehow more important than our division game last week.

Right now, the series is tied between these two teams.  The Power swept them last season, but lost hard both in their first season and earlier this year.  The acquisition of Aaron Garcia was key in starting to turn Orlando around - but they're still down at the bottom of the pack with us.  Regardless, he's one of the best in the game, and the Power will be playing on his field.

His prime receiver is T.T. Toliver, but it's really a triple threat of Toliver, Prechae Rodriguez, and Jason Geathers, accounting for almost 50 TDs on the year between them.  Last time the two teams met up, the majority of the damage (yards-wise) was Toliver, and that's pretty standard fare for him.  Rodriguez put up 3 touchdowns, and Geathers generally just made plays when needed.  Marlon Moye-Moore is also a concern in the running game (but not nearly as much as "Boss" Ross last week.  Ugh.)

As with most weeks, turnovers were an issue last time the Preds/Power met up, and there is no reason to think that it won't happen again.  Dominic Jones is Orlando's player on defense and special teams, but that's not really important - our turnover issue is more of a failing on offense than it is a success for the opponent's defense.

It's an important game in Florida and all-but-a-must-win for the Power.  Tune in Saturday to see how it plays out.

Elsewhere in the League

• Utah came up big last week against Jacksonville in the Battle of Replacement QBs.  The decision to start Jason Boltus instead of Tommy Grady turned out to be the right one.  The question is, will it be the right call again this week in a big division match-up against the Shock?
• The two big things to consider in Saturday's match between the Soul and the Barnstormers are Iowa's defense and the Soul's habit of choking at home.  I think that those two things might spell a win for Iowa.
• With Bernard Morris on IR and newly acquired Kyle Rowley taking snaps, the Sharks have been on a two-game skid, but they're still at the top of their division.  With a game against Cleveland this weekend, they should return to their winning ways and help us out.
• Chicago and Tampa Bay are tied in the standings, and both coming off losses.  Tampa is still the better team, but the Rush needs the win to stay on top of their division.
• Likewise, the Talons need a win to catch up to the Rush.  New Orleans actually got win number three last week, so I for one, will be rooting for the Talons this week.
• Every now and again, the CBS game of the week gets it right:  The game between Arizona and San Jose should be the best game this week.  Normally, in a game as unpredictable as this, I'd take the home team...but I've also been predicting a Rattlers fall for weeks now.  So I just don't know.  Watch the game, it'll be fun.

Sharks at Power Preview/Blaze Post Mortem

Okay, last week was painful and ugly.  I'm not going to sugarcoat it, because that's what it was.  The Power got their collective and individual asses handed to them to the tune of 64-33, and it's exactly how we didn't need to start the season.

I say the reason we lost is that this place was allowed to be open during the game.

However, it's pretty much what I expected to happen given who we drew for the first game opponent, and what the Power did during their off-season.  The Blaze was a good team last year, and they're still a good team this year.  Grady's still a giant with a laser arm, and the rest of the team still does what they do.  It's a fact of nature, and there' nothing the Power could do about it.

It was almost a clinic on offensive lines and special teams.  When the Power lined up for the attack, they looked like football players.  When the Blaze lined up, they looked like monsters.  Grady is somewhere around 6'7", and yet, he just looks just a little taller than the guys around him.  His O line protected him beautifully, and the pocket stayed generously open, giving him more time than a player like him needs.  Because of this, he didn't have any trouble connecting with his receivers and scoring.

The Power's line, however, just collapsed on most plays just the way I feared it would.  Honestly, I liked what I saw out of Jefferson - he's mobile, pretty accurate, and - once he got tired of eating turf - isn't afraid to run for it (he rushed for almost 20 yards in the opener.)  However, he got sacked four times.  Grady got hit once, and frankly, that's only because the Blaze were getting cocky at the end.  I've said it before and I'll say it again:  I don't care if we had started Tommy Brady to their Tommy Grady - if our QB keeps getting planted 4 times a game, he's going to have a short, winless career.

The other concern I've had is Special Teams, and those were also mirror images in this game.  PJ Berry's a wild man, and he's our fan favorite star...but the Blaze had his number.  He was getting nailed inside the five yard line most of the game.  Utah, on the other hand, started with prime position on most drives.

Our defense is solid (Jackson is looking like a prime pickup.)  Joystick and Superman can still catch - these areas are not a concern.  However, they also don't matter a lick if the Power doesn't clean up the O Line and Special Teams.  I want a QB to actually stick around a whole season and not go to greener pastures.  Speaking of which...

...The Sharks return to Consol this Friday, bringing back former Power QB Bernard Morris.  Remember him?  He's that guy that everyone said was a bum and couldn't get the job done our Freshman season.  He keeps getting sacked, he can't get the ball off, he's always injured...and then he took the Sharks to the post season last year.  He's a good quarterback, and on the right team, he's done well for himself.

Also, we'll be facing Jeff Hughley, whom you might remember from his scoring drives against us with the Soul last year, and our former DL Justin Parrish.  Hughley is the main concern, as he's their Superman (the technical term is "Ironman.")  He can run, catch, tackle, return - he's the whole package.  If the Power can shut him down - at very least on returns - they'll be getting off on the right foot.  Unfortunately, they also have Jeron Harvey and Markee White to catch.  That's a problem that hopefully Jackson, LeFlore and Wise can keep contained.

Other than that, it's going to be a matter of keeping the pocket clean long enough for Jefferson to make some decisions.  Yep.  That simple.  No problem, right?

I just hope the jackass with a big head isn't sitting in front of me again

Elsewhere in the League
The bright point in our loss is that we weren't alone.  Since both Philly and Cleveland lost, it's a three-way tie in our division.  The downside is that Philly still looks like a contender.  They stumbled a bit in the second half in their rematch against the Rattlers, but it was a much cleaner game than the Arena Bowl.  Arizona is already looking scary good.


Cleveland got throttled by the Shock almost as badly as we did by Utah...so, we should at least be able to match up against the Gladiators.


The Talons kept the game close against the Cats and Garcia (Who now has 1200 career TDs.)  The beginning of the game didn't look like that was going to happen when the Cats jumped out 20-0, but then the Talons came roaring back, only to lose by a hair.

This week:

• Hopefully the Ratts will slap the Blaze down for us Friday.  Judging by the two teams' performances last week, it should be a slugfest.
• Game of the week is NOLA hosting the Barnstormers.  Both teams won their openers and play good, classic football.  They're well matched and not full of showboaters.  It's the kind of game I love to watch.
• Sunday is Spokane and the Rush.  If nothing else, it doesn't feel like Sunday without the Rush.

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

Blood in the Water

Well, here we are already: Last game of the season.

And, we get to leave the season the way we entered it: On the NFL Network, prime time and nationally televised. (Hopefully with a win as well.) It would be really hard for them to flex us out of the slot as we're the only game Friday night.

For our last outing, we're facing off against the defending Arena Bowl champion Sharks along with our former quarterback, Bernard Morris. Now, yes, they won the big game last year, and yes, they're already locked for the playoffs - but this is not the team that mopped the field with us last year. They're tough, but beatable...maybe.

The only reason they are where they are is that they've been on a tear the last several games and had a late season surge. Bernard Morris has gotten a lot more comfortable in his skin and has held off some of his main weaknesses: Mainly the fumbles and holding the ball too long. Both are things that we saw last year when he played for us, and he had it happen a fair amount earlier this season.

Now, however, he's been getting in the habit of throwing perfect games. That's what we need to change. He still hangs in the pocket a little too long (not near as much as he used to) and the Power needs to exploit that. When he gets hit when he falls back or when he's making a scramble (he has almost a hundred more rushing yards than the next closest Jacksonville rusher) he doesn't always protect the ball very well. We've had a few games second half of the season where we brought the pressure hard on the QB.

Next is his pick-free games. That's always a concern, especially when the Power are absolutely ridiculously on the wrong side of the turnover ratio. If we want to ruin Bernie Mo's record for the night, we need look no farther than Christian Wise. The last two weeks, he has snagged the ball at least three times a game (whether they got called back or not.) As long as this hasn't gone to his head, he can be the turning point.

Coverage needs to be on Jeron Harvey and Josh Philpart, as they have been Mo's preferred targets recently. Also, we're going to have to be ready to cover the hell out of Terrance Smith and LaRoche Jackson on returns. Who knows what we can expect from the kicking game this week, but I think we need to at least be ready for soft kickoffs and spotty PATs. This means being prepared to shut returns down (something we're not good at), solid 3rd and 4th down lock-downs (something we've been doing well) and think about two point conversions (something we can do at times.)

Bottom line is that we need to fly in the face of everything the AFL stands for and concentrate on our strengths at defense. If PJ Berry, Mike Washington and Andrico Hines are on their game, the offense can take care of itself. We need to just make sure to keep Bernie Mo and the Sharks from doing the same.

Let's go Power and let's bookend the season with wins.

Elsewhere in the league

• First up on Saturday is Chicago at Cleveland in a game that pretty much no one cares about. Neither team has anything to play for, so I'm going to pick my Chicago Rush because I can and because screw Cleveland. Also, Russ Michna's the better quarterback, if I need a reason.
• Big game for the Voodoo when they host the Force. They've split the series with Jacksonville, but beat them by more points than they lost by and have the better division record. If they win and the Sharks lose, they snag first place in the South. They're also at home against a hot-and-cold Force. If they lose and TB wins, they're out, so they need to bring it. I'm taking the Voodoo because, even though it didn't work against TB, they're the better team.
• Talons at Iowa is another meaningless game. Iowa's out, Talons are in charge and there's nothing on the line besides being a division matchup. Iowa's at home and want the same thing we do - close their season with a win at home. However, unless the Sharks play soft to preserve themselves, the Barnstormers won't get their wish.
• AZ gets a softie to close out the season by hosting the Command.
• Tampa Bay has their work cut out for them. They need to travel to Spokane and need the win to have a shot at the post season. Their road record has been crap and Spokane - though streaky - is really good. I'm taking the Shock to win and the Storm to reserve tee time.
• Not much to say about the next game aside from the fact that the Mustangs should be able to end their season on a high note. It's a road game and the Preds are dangerous...but just like us, they're easy to overlook this year.
• Finally, Utah travels to Philly. Utah needs the win a lot more than the Soul does, because first place in the division is on the line. Normally, I'd say that a team in Philly's position is best served by rolling over. The Blaze is strong, has one of the best offenses in the league, possibly the best quarterback and are hungry for a win. Philly has nothing to gain in regards to the post season, and everything to lose in regards to injuries. However, Philly never says die. I'm still going to take the Blaze.

Power Vs Soul: the Pride is Ours

Well, if we had to end our season before the playoffs, this was the game to go out on. The Power cruised to a decisive 61-48 win, and controlled the whole game. We can now proudly say that we've beaten every team in our division at least once, and we vanquished the ghost of our season opener.

Figuring, I guess, that there was no reason not to, the Power started their new acquisition Bill Stull at QB, and he played well, if a bit conservatively. He was slightly better than 50% on his passes in mostly short distances, but still totaled 260 yards, 6 touchdowns and no interceptions. I'm not sure, really, how much it means as next season is a long ways away, and who knows if he'll even still be on the team. For right now, it was nice to watch us controlling the game, no matter who was behind center.

So where was big Mo this game? Was he riding the bench and taking it easy? Of course not. He was playing wide receiver of all damn things, and he had almost 40 yards and a touchdown. He looked like he was having a great time, and got to lower that shoulder and charge like he's been wanting to as quarterback all season. Again, it means nothing for next season, but it was good to see the guys having fun out there.

Mike Washington continued to scare me that he's not going to be here next season. Him going to the CFL is a strong possibility with his performance this season. This week, he put rival WR Donovan Morgan's 112 yards and a touchdown to shame with 155/4. All season, he has been an electrifying player, from the first game on. I'd be sorry to see him go, but if he has to, I'm happy for him.

The defense had a respectable night, holding the Soul on several key drives. They also snagged a pick and harried Vena. There wasn't a lot of flashiness, but there weren't a lot of stupid mistakes either. They could walk off the field with their heads held high.

Season in retrospect

It was a lot of ups and downs for the Power's inaugural season, and it passed far too quickly for me. We struggled a lot for identity, but it was a good start. They were able to end their season 50/50 and sat at the top of the division for a number of weeks. More so, a lot of characters were created for the fans to follow.

Joystick Washington, Nightrain/Power Tool DeWalt, Total Chaos Carter, Da Bully Butler and Ruuuuuuuuuuuuuue! National announcers picked up the nicknames, something that I rarely see in other teams. Why is this? Because the fans enjoyed themselves at the arena. Announcers make stuff like this up all the time, but if no one cares, it fades away. Not here.

Here, our fans responded to the Power. They might not have fully understood the game, might have found it a bit weird and certainly didn't show up every game - but when they did, there was a core group of characters that they felt they knew. Almost more watched for than wins and losses, people seemed to show up to see what these characters would do this week.

This is a good sign.

I think that we need to pull more in and get more asses-in-seats, but it's a start. It's still a tough sell in this town where this will always be thought of as fake football, but we can hope that changes. If no one gave a crap about the Power, those nicknames would have gone nowhere. It's the seed that can grow. Right now, people are coming for the spectacle, the fun and the cheap night out. Eventually, that might grow into pride for another home team.

The lockout ended today, and the NFL is going to do its best to pick up like nothing ever happened. Summer will pass into fall, and a lot of people are going to forget all about the Power. But, come next spring, in all likelihood they'll be back for a new season. Original fans will remember and come back, and hopefully they'll bring friends.

I've already got my season tickets reserved.

The Power season may be over, but there are still playoffs to go. I will keep covering the league through then, so stay tuned for more Arena Football action.

Cleveland vs Power Review

*sigh*

Well, that's it. Our season ended in Cleveland this week in a hard-fought game against our now-hated rivals, the Cleveland Gladiators. We entered with the question of what kind of quarterback Kurt Rocco really is, and now we know: A good one. Although we brought some pressure on him early, he was largely unflappable the whole game, where-as Morris proved to be very flappable indeed.

It can't be said that the Power played a bad game - they were just out played. We trailed almost the entire first half, and we down almost 20 points at one juncture - but the Power managed an impressive comeback in the third to briefly take the lead. Morris was firing on all cylinders, Willis, Campbell and DeWalt were on fire, and even Paul Edinger was nearly perfect on the night.

It all when wrong when Morris had two huge fumbles in the fourth. Granted, one of those was a lousy snap, but he still lost two of them that led to scores. It's a problem Morris has had all season: When he unexpectedly goes down, he's terrible at protecting the ball. After that, he panics, beats himself up and everything goes downhill from there. This, unfortunately tends to overshadow the fact that he's accurate, mobile and long-range. It certainly did in this game.

To the Power's credit, they never gave up - until the end, they were still playing hard and trying to pull this one around...but once they were down by three scores, it was all over but the crying.

Again, by the numbers, it was an incredibly close game. Should these two teams remain more or less intact next year (always a big "if") then this is going to shape up to be a great rivalry. Morris was 28 for 41, Rocco was 25 for 35, and neither of them threw a pick the whole game. Rocco threw for 297 yards and 8 touchdowns, where-as Morris had 318 for 7. Tipping the balance was Morris scrambling for 28 yards - more than all of the Gladiators together.

On the receiving side, our players were equally as matched. Where Goodman was deadly all game for Cleveland, we answered just as well with Willis. Future NFLer Troy Bergeron was simply an Irv Campbell in a Gladiator uniform. Redd and DeWalt rounded out the matchup. Once again, they mostly shut down Washington, but that doesn't mean he wasn't out there hustling.

On special teams, it looked again like they were going to fall to poor kicking. They missed two PATs and failed to convert on a 2pt attempt. Edinger was a brilliant 7-8 on the night. Both teams were near equal on kickoff averages (55.9 for PIT and 57.0 yds for CLE.)

The fact of the matter is, that age-old mantra: Turnovers. Lose. Ballgames.

Without those three fumbles in this game, we would most likely have won - but those fumbles happened, and we lost. What's more, we deserved to. The better team is going to the playoffs, but they aren't that much better. We need to retain that knowledge going into a long off season after next week.

Next up, Philly, in a game that is only about bragging rights, such as they are.

If the Playoffs were today

Well, they might as well be. Not a single game matters next week, and the brackets are set.

The National Conference will see Arizona matched up with - and likely beating - Spokane in one match, and Dallas traveling to Chicago for the other. Chicago secured home-field advantage this week in the preview game against Dallas. This is a huge advantage for them on several levels. Not only did they already beat this team and not only will they have home-field advantage, but they secured this with their backup QB. Michna should be back for the playoffs, and aside from some rust, this will be bad, bad news for Dallas.

In the American conference, those lousy, stupid, no good, sons of syphilitic camels, the Cleveland Gladiators will be meeting up with the Georgia Force. It's going to be a very close game, as the Force has struggled at times this season, and Cleveland has already beaten them once this season. On the other hand, the lockout looks like it will be over by playoff time, which means that they will not have Bergeron.

The Sharks will be playing the Predators at home in probably the most exciting game of the first round. Sure the Sharks were the biggest force in AFL most of the season, but they've dropped three in a row, and the Predators hate them with the burning passion of a thousand dying suns. Were as I would have said - and did  say a few weeks ago - that they would win the Arena Bowl this year, the Sharks are starting to look rather mortal.

So, just because the Power doesn't have anything left to play for, doesn't mean that there's not still football to watch.

Two Will Enter, One Will Leave - Power vs Gladiators Preview

Here we go again - Once more, we meet up with the Gladiators in a game that will help decide the division. This time, once and for all.

Friday night, the Power travels to Cleveland for our second match-up with our division rivals, and everything is at stake. Fittingly, it's a featured Friday-night game on the NFL Network. Neither team has won an NFL-broadcast game yet, although, for the Power this our third try. Needless to say, I'm a bit concerned that this will get in their collective heads.

Writing columns for a second match-up is somewhat easier with the Power, because they haven't changed a lot since the last one. For better or worse, things are going to play out much the same as they did last time.

Cleveland has had a quarterback's carousel this season like many other teams, but Kurt Rocco has been their Bernard Morris and stuck around the most. Last time we played him, our defense was able to hold him down to just 32 points as well as force several turnovers on downs. Granted, they did nearly the same thing to us, but the point remains that they were one of the teams, and he was one of the quarterbacks, that we had an answer for.

Last week in Philly, he was beat senseless. Sacked seven times and held to but 2 touchdowns and 200 yards, it was a shameful performance. Now, there is an outside chance Ryan Vena is going to pull an O'Hara and sub in at backup quarterback at the last second, but I doubt it - Rocco is their QB, and this game has a lot more riding on it than Orlando did. Therefore, we're going to play a QB who is bruised and humiliated on national television having to face it again.

Honestly, we're going to find out a lot about Rocco this week, and what kind of man he is. IS he the type that won't accept defeat and will come out aiming to banish recent ghosts and win one for the gipper? Or is he the type that's going to come out Friday night so scared silly that it's going to happen again? It's tough to say, but we're going to find out.

His receiver corps are still tough, and ready for action - even if they were shut down last week. Bergeron, Redd and Monk are all dangerous, but the good news is that we've played them before and have film to review. As long as the defense does what they did last time, we should be able to contain them. Also, if the NFL lockout ends tomorrow, Bergeron is a Dallas Cowboy. At long last, we have a reason for wanting the lockout to end!

On our side of the ball, everything I just said about us is true for them. They controlled us last time just as much as we controlled them. Also, the Gladiators - last week not withstanding - have the best pass blocking offensive line in the league.

Last time, we commented that Cleveland was running the anit-DeWalt defense. There is no reason that should change. More frighteningly, they shut down Mike Washington. We have other options, but he has been our prime, go-to guy this season and that is scary. Thankfully, last time, Morris adjusted and went with Willis. Now, we've also got both Mathis and Hall. If anything, we're stronger at receiver than we were last time. This is going to be the deciding factor - if the Power steps up and embraces its options, we'll have this one.

Sadly, last time we were hampered on defense by - everybody together now - stupid procedural penalties. We're just going to have to accept that they're going to happen again and move past it. At this point in the season, nothing's going to change there, so instead, we'll have to make up for it on offense.

Lastly, the game came down to kickers last time, and we came out on the right side of it. Surprisingly, Edinger has been fairly good and consistent recently. If he can hold it together, then I have the sneaking sense that we can hope to not worry about him.


So there it is. Two very equal teams, both playing for their season on national television. The Power office set up a field trip to bus fans out to Cleveland, vuvuzelas in hand. If we're lucky, a lot of people signed up and Power nation will start to represent like Steeler nation. Go Power!

Elsewhere in the league

• One of the few games with any meaning this week is Chicago vs Dallas in a first-round playoff preview. Both teams are in, and this game will probably tell us a lot about the first round.
• The Talons are still in the hunt, and meet the Preds on Saturday. I don't see that one going their way, but they have a lot on the line.
• The Shock tentatively have a spot right now, but they are meeting up against the desperate Sabercats this weekend, where anything can happen.
  

Snakebit - Power/Rattlers review

Well, we got slaughtered, but that's not really a surprise. When I saw this game on the schedule at the beginning of the season, I pretty much assumed that this was going to be a loss for us - and that's before the Rattlers were a 15-2 (Nee, 14-2) team. Frankly, losing to the #1 team in their conference - arguably the best team in the league - is nothing to be ashamed of. Now, I get to see how many weeks in a row one blogger can say, "This loss isn't the end of the world, but we need to win out."

Frankly, we were out-classed from the word go, and turned the ball over in both of our first two possessions. This gave the Rattlers an early 14-0 lead, which is bad enough. From there, we were never able to stop them on a single drive all night. Our defense just could not penetrate their O line with any kind of regularity, and gave Devila way too much time to think. WR Jason Geathers was just everywhere and did far too much damage to us throughout - though, he was nice enough a few times to give up some yards by talking too much trash in front of the refs. Furthermore, Odie Armstrong - who appears to be some hybrid of ox and armored truck - rushed for 22 yards, requiring the entire defense to bring him down each time.

When we had the ball, their defense just tore through the Power like they weren't even there. We turned the ball over a total of four times during the game, which is bad in any game, but especially against an opponent like this. They also managed to keep Morris under 200 yards this week.

The biggest failure was the defense. Sure, Arizona's offense was incredible, but the Power D played like a bunch of rookies. They had seven pre-snap penalties/illegal defense in this game. Seven - and there were a few of the latter that I saw go uncalled. That works out to almost two a quarter that were called. That's kid stuff and is the main reason that the Power isn't going to make it far in the playoffs, even if they make it there.

The bright spot this week was our favorite wee-little receiver, Mike "the Joystick" Washington. Someone forgot to tell him that we were losing that game from the word "go." He caught three touchdowns during the game, and was phenomenal on special teams. He had 228 yards in returns alone, and even ran one back for a touchdown. He could have added another 48 yards to that total had one return not been called back. He is solid, and the rumors of him leaving for the UFL, CFL or other are starting to get pretty scary.

Lucky for us, Cleveland got even more badly dismantled on Friday night than we did. That brings it down to the last two games for both teams. If they win in Utah and we beat Philly in our final games, that means that the division goes to whoever wins next week. In some ways, this is totally awesome thing - and it will help cement our rivalry.

I said earlier that I don't see the Power going far in the playoffs. Well, I don't. I also don't expect Cleveland to go far if they make it. The fact of the matter is, we have a very weak division, and pretty much every other team that will be in the playoffs will be better. For us, that's okay - just making it to the playoffs our rookie year would be awesome.

And I'm still going to believe until and unless proven otherwise.

Elsewhere in the league

• The Gladiators were totally, and utterly destroyed by a team that has nothing to win or lose except pride. Philly made no bones about the fact that they were coming in to play spoiler, and they accomplished it. Even without Donovan Morgan, who defected to the UFL, they treated Cleveland like AZ treated us. The Gladiators came in with the league-best pass rush defense, but ended seeing how it felt to be on the receiving side. Philly sacked Rocco 7 times and even forced a safety. I do not really expect to see him next week against us. Take note, Power fans - if the Soul can do it to them, they can do it to us and tombstone our season.
• Sharks dropped a second game in a row, proving that they're taking the time to coast, or are running out of gas. This loss cemented Dallas's postseason spot.
• The Rush has now won three in a row and still winning without Russ Michna, making them dangerous when he comes back for the playoffs.
  

If the Playoffs were today
The National Conference is all but sewn up. The Rattlers have now clinched home-field advantage all the way up to, and most likely for, the Arena Bowl. With our loss, they officially beat everyone they played in the American conference.

The Rush and Vigilantes are both in, and the final wild-card is all that's left to be determined. Right now, it's looking to be the Shock, but the Blaze, Talons and even Sabercats all have a shot, and we have two weeks to figure it out.

In the American conference, things are a little more dicey. The Sharks are locked with homefield advantage, but that's it. The Force and Preds are duking it out for wildcard slots and, frankly, they're both going to get one. Then, there's our division.

If we win out, we have the division. If the Gladiators lose out, then we win the division. If we win against Cleveland and lose to Philly, I think we're still in, because we will have swept Cleveland. If we lose to Cleveland and win in Philly, Cleveland goes...Look, there's lots of permutations, and the easiest one is to win out. Let's just do that and leave the math to the league guys.

Rattlers @Power Preview - Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!

Well, here it is, already: The last home game of the regular season. Went by fast, didn't it?

Fittingly enough, our last game is also going to be possibly our toughest and most important one. I've hammered it to death, but we're in do-or-die formation at this point. Any loss will most likely tombstone our playoff chances - or at very, very least, make us totally dependent on Cleveland choking.

In many ways, I am at a loss as to what to write this week that I haven't written repeatedly before. Next to only (maybe) the Sharks, the Rattlers are the toughest team we've faced yet. In fact, most power rankings and coaching polls have them ranked higher than Jacksonville. This week, it's our A-Game or nothing. I can go on about the normal things, but it seem superfluous.

Obviously, we need Morris to start. The simple fact is, we win more with him than without him. This week, the Power signed Bill Stull as their #2 QB. Obviously, this means that the McCabe train has officially left the station, bringing our total number of people in that position over the season to 6. This has been our prime weakness right along, and something that better not happen next year. With all of those changes, Morris has been as close to a regular face that we've had, and we need that stability behind center.

Part of this stability is his connection with his receivers. DeWalt and Washington know his routes, know how he thinks and have the best connection with him. With Willis in the wings as a third option, it's all solid. As great as things worked with Campbell and Hall last week, I'm not sure that the Power should risk them against a team as solid as Arizona. Sure, keep them handy in case we need a change of direction at some point in the game.

Defense needs to bring their best, even more so than the offense. Our defense has been streaky at best all season, and that's my biggest concern. But then, it usually is. Again, I'm not telling you anything I haven't said before.

Nick Davila is a hell of a quarterback with a lot of yards and over a hundred TDs on the season. His receivers are Windsor, Harvey and Geathers are even better than Orlando's and aren't going to give us any leeway.

If there is any bright side, it's that their competitive games (taking away pushovers like the Talons and Mustangs) have been decided by less than two touchdowns. This is not a strategy that we have been unfamiliar with this season. They're going to absorb our scores, because they intend to score even more. If we can make a few third and fourth down stops, it might be what it takes to turn the tide.

I realize that this preview has been rather vague - but, again, it's because there's nothing new to say about a game like this. It's been an up-and-down season, and we know who we are now. If the Power plays their best, then they have a shot. I had had the hope that the Rattlers would play soft this week, being as how they've locked up their division at this point - however, they're still playing for seeding in the likelihood that they play the Sharks in the final game. Also, they know that they have a bye next week to absorb any bumps and bruises.

The simple fact is, come Sunday evening, we - as fans - need to show up in force at Consol and cheer them on. Give it one last hurrah at home before the playoffs and hope against hope that we're participating in them.

Elsewhere in the league

• Frankly, maybe even more than our game, the most important one this week is the one on the NFL Network Friday night: Cleveland visiting Philly. If the Soul manages to beat the Gladiators, it will make our life sooooooo much easier. Can they pull it off? Yeah, I don't think so - but the Mustangs gave me some hope last week.
• You're not missing anything online Friday night, as the other game is between two of the three worst teams in the league: the Voodoo and the Mustangs.
• As Dallas is still worried about seeding and clinching a spot, their game against Jacksonville Saturday has the potential to be bloody.
• The Shock is still on the cusp, so their meeting with the Blaze at 9:00 on Saturday is very crucial to them. Right now, those two teams are tied, so the winner could walk away with a lot.
  

Power vs Predators review: Ain't got time to bleed

This weekend saw some surprising upsets, gutsy coaching calls, AFL firsts, playoff drama and crushing defeats. Of course, all that really matters to us is what happened in our own little corner of the Arena world, specifically our game against the Preds. Unfortunately, the Power was not able to pull it off, and our playoff chances are now in jeopardy.

This loss did not come because of poor play on Pittsburgh's part, but more because of a couple of flukes, the two teams playing exactly as I'd worried and some surprising moves on the part of Orlando coach, Pat O'Hara.

From the beginning, things got interesting when O'Hara decided to bench Nick Hill in favor of the untested Collin Drafts at quarterback. There are always calls in football (of any variety) that amount to "if it works, they're a genius, if it fails, they're morons." For example, when the Shock decided to start the game a few weeks ago with two onside kicks. That worked, and it was brilliant. When Dallas decided to go for two to beat us, rather than one to tie, that didn't work and I ridiculed them for it.

For the first half of the game, it looked like O'Hara's call was destine for the latter category. The first half ended at 40-27 Power, and our boys were running the game. It could have been called the Campbell and Hall Show, with special guest star, Josh Lay. Eschewing his normal preference for Mike Washington and Lonnell DeWalt, Morris connected with the above receivers most of the first half.

On the other side of the ball, Drafts just wasn't able to get anything going most of the first half, and when he was, Lay was right there to give him heartburn. Lay had two huge turnovers during this game, and broke up a lot of plays when needed. Also, Drafts wasn't having a lot of luck getting big plays out of his studs Toliver and Quiroga, though Josh Bush really got things moving - including a massive 54-yard return for a score in the first half.

It wasn't long into the game before the announcers were betting on Hill's return to the game - in fact, he could be seen on the warmup bike very quickly. Morris boldly stated at the half that they were "going to hear a pin drop in here!" and it certainly looked that way.

Until my prediction reared its ugly, ugly head.

I had warned that Orlando starts slow and Pittsburgh runs out of gas. That's basically what happened in this game, but Pittsburgh's running out of gas was more because of a disastrous third quarter than anything else.

After ending the half with a touchdown, the Preds got to start the second with the ball - and that's when everything went straight to hell. Fairly quickly, TT Toliver got back on the board with another touchdown. Then, the kickoff bounced off the iron, making it a live ball, which Chris Dubalt scooped up and ran in. Then, in what might be an AFL first, the very next kickoff did the same thing, which Dubalt also ran in.

After blowing the lead and giving up 28-straight points, the Power never got back into the swing of things. Morris struggled greatly in the little time he had on the field in the 3rd quarter and couldn't get a rhythm going. Eventually, he attempted to return to the tried-and-true with DeWalt, which did result in another two touchdowns, but it wasn't enough.

Again, the Power did not play a bad game. The first half was all them, and they were able to change it up a bit with different receivers. The defense was huge with Lay's turnovers, Stevenson's pass coverage and Drafts getting sacked twice. Hell, even Edinger went 6-8 in PATs on the night. Really, we only lost by a TD and a two-point conversion, so it wasn't a blow-out by any means. Had those two freak kickoffs not happened... Well, I can't say that those two drives would have ended with scores for us, but the final score probably would have been a lot more favorable to us.

A win's a win, and a loss is a loss, and in the end, it doesn't matter how well we played - the division lead, and possibly the playoffs were lost this week. There is still a chance to make it, but it will not be easy in any way.

Elsewhere in the league

• The most important game to us this week was Cleveland at Milwaukee. Had the Mustangs pulled it off, it would have been a gift to us, but it wasn't to be. Milwaukee played a hell of a game and almost pulled it off, actually. However, two lost fumbles and pick is no way to beat a team as tough as the Gladiators. Despite blocking and recovering a PAT attempt for 2pts, the Mustangs lost in the final seconds when Rocco was able to scramble one in for the win.
• In a mostly meaningless game, the Voodoo pulled off a strong win against Tampa Bay, marking only their 3rd 'W' this season.
  
• In possibly the biggest shocker of the year, San Jose followed their second-worst loss in AFL history by snapping their 7-game losing streak...against the 13-1 Sharks. Had I not been watching, I would not have believed it.

If the Playoffs were today
Hoo-boo. Where to start? Well, we lost the division title (for this week, at least) and with it, our preliminary spot in the playoffs. Where do we go from here? First off, Cleveland is only a game ahead of us, so winning out - which would include beating them - would leave us with tied records, and us with the head-to-head. In theory, we could drop one to the Rattlers next week if Cleveland was nice enough to lose to Utah - but I don't want to count on that. This scenario also relies on both teams finishing the division strong by beating Philly. Now, if Cleveland wants to lose to the Soul next week, I'm not going to argue.

Right now, Arizona, Chicago and Jacksonville have all clinched a spot in the playoffs at this point. Arizona has clinched their division, and Jacksonville has home-field advantage at this point. Here's where the San Jose game comes in. Now, Arizona has a tied record with Jacksonville, with an extra game played (and a bye still to come.) Should they both win out (AZ better not!) then they'd have fully tied records, with Arizona having the head-to-head. If they both make the Arena Bowl - and I expect them to - then it would be in Arizona.

So, that's where we stand, and what these final few weeks have in store. Cross your fingers for the Power, and stay tuned for more.

Power vs Predators - Playoff Preview?

Up until they got slammed this week by Georgia, it was shaping up that we'd be playing Orlando in the first round of the playoffs, making this week very interesting. Not only would it be a preview, but it would be a nationally televised one, thanks to the NFL network's weekly games, and be in Orlando - the city that maintains the highest average attendance numbers in the league.

As it stands, all of that is still true except the first-round match-up. It's still a big game, with big fans and available to a big viewing audience. Furthermore, it is still possible that things will shake out to where we meet up with them in the first round - though, not as likely if we win this week.

But, there are no guarantees in life, and neither team is assured a post-season appearance at this point. As I mentioned earlier in the week, Orlando, Pittsburgh and Cleveland are all playing for the same wildcard slot at this point, with the Force only a game ahead of us. The stakes are plenty high this weekend, and a lot rides on this game.

Being that they are on a three-game losing streak, it might be easy to say that Orlando is on a slide - but make no mistake: this is a tough, tough team. Let's look at who they lost to. The Georgia Force? So what - so did we. The Tampa Bay Storm? So what - so did we. The Jacksonville "Frickin Lasers on Their Heads" Sharks? So what - with the exception of the Rattlers and the 1972 Dolphins, so did everyone.

Half of their losses this season have been in the last three weeks against teams that also beat us. Two of those games were decided by 2 or less points. So far this season, there's only two teams they've lost to that we haven't- and that's only because we haven't played the other one yet (Yaaaaay, next week!)

My point here is, we have a team that is about as equal in standings as possible, that we need to play on their home turf, where they have insane fans. (Seriously - they actually go out and buy these sweet-as-hell Predator masks.) What's more, they have a fantastic receiver corps and play hard.

I mean, seriously - what the hell can we do? Wear lightning bolts on our heads?

As a fan, I'm looking forward to this game, and have already announced my intention to commandeer my brother-in-law's TV while I'm out in Soul country this weekend. As a Power fan, I'm feeling like I did around the 1:41 mark of the Mustangs game.

First off the bat, Nick Hill is a great QB. He averages over 300 yards every game and has a lot of options to throw to. TT Toliver, Robert Quiroga and Bobby Sippio all have over a thousand yards receiving on the season, an average of 22 TDs apiece and names that would make awesome names for a Vin Diesel character. Close on their heels is Josh Bush to fill in the (few) gaps.

This isn't a case where you have to worry about one or two of them every week - you have to worry about all of them every week. They all play, and they're all incredible. Quiroga is utilitarian and reliable. He's where he's supposed to be when Hill needs him to be there. Toliver and Sippio are both show-boaters who are unpredictable and play like DeWalt, only better. When Bush gets the ball, he runs like his ass is on fire and his balls are catching.

Long and short of it is: They're all dangerous. Given that we've not had good luck this season with containing explosive receivers, they're going to be a problem.

Also, Orlando is playing for their season, just like we are. They're going to come at us hard, and we need to give it right back. Being on the road with a rabid fan base, the crowd is going to be a bigger factor than usual. Add to this the fact that they all know they're on national TV, and this is going to be a doozy.

So, how do we win?

Here's the big issue: Orlando has a habit of starting very slowly and coming out in the second half. Pittsburgh starts strong and runs out of gas. I hope that the added pressure of the end of the season and being on TV will give the Power the juice to play four quarters. Coasting in the second half is something we cannot afford to do.

Looking at Georgia's decisive victory, we can see what it will take to get to them. In a word, that's the Defense. If we have the defense we saw last week, we can get it done. Georgia kept the pressure on Hill all game and even got a safety off of him. Taking advantage of a traditional slow Orlando start, they got ahead and then shut down the offense before it could rally. You could tell Hill was frustrated, and he started making a lot of mistakes.

Obviously, the biggest key is to see if I was right: Siegfried held Morris back last week so that he is healthy for this game. We have no chance with Wallace, but with Morris we have a shot. In an interview this week, Willis commented that, when Morris is "at the helm, we are pretty much clicking on all cylinders." Given the way the Power has performed with him behind center, I'd say that's a pretty safe statement.

When push comes to shove, this week is going to be an even match-up, with a slight edge to Orlando. Everyone has something to lose this game, and a lot to gain. Tune in this Friday night on the NFL network.

Elsewhere in the league

• The main game to be concerned with is the division match-up between Cleveland and Milwaukee. Now, I doubt the Mustangs have a shot in hell, for any number of reasons - but we can hope. An upset here would be a thing of utter beauty.
• Expect Jacksonville to just slap San Jose to the turf in their game.
• Much like the Mustangs, I don't expect much out of the Soul, but if they managed to beat the Vigilantes that would help a lot of different teams.
  

Power vs Mustangs Review - History repeats itself

Let me start by addressing the people who left the Arena or turned off the TV with about a minute left in the game:

You idiots.

If those unfamiliar with the sport learn nothing else from this column, I hope that they learn this: It ain't over. until. it's. over.

Now, I said that my preview could have just been a reprint of the one for the first matchup, and this review could be as well - I'd just have to change a few names here and there. This game was another one where both teams were playing with their back-up quarterbacks, our defense was unable to reach their QB, Josh Rue got some critical yardage and a kicker had a lot of trouble.

Let's start with the QB situation. When I got there and saw Morris and Wallace warming up, I thought for a moment that Morris would be starting. This was not the case - my predicted worst-case scenario happened and Wallace had the lead. Since McCabe has been released, that left Morris as backup. I still think that this is because Siegfried wants him healthy for next week against the Preds - but that didn't mean I had to like it.

On paper, Wallace did not have that bad of a game. Really, he had a slightly more successful outing than Gino Guidugli for the Mustangs. However, he started sloppy as hell and only gained a bit of confidence as the game went on. His biggest error was throwing into double coverage in the end zone and getting picked off. Surprisingly, it was the first one he threw as a member of the Power.

When all is said and done, he threw for more than 250 yards, 5 TDs and only one pick. I'm more comfortable with him now as a backup than I would have been based only on last week. I really, really hope that Morris is going to be healthy to finish out the season and we won't need to lean on him, however.

On the ground, Rue made an appearance this week to pick up a few yards and some critical downs. It wasn't much, but it was nice to see him in use again. This had to have been because he worked well enough last time we met the surprisingly tough defense of the Mustangs. Regardless, Wallace chose the right points to use him.

Wallace also showed that he was settling into a rhythm once he realized that Washington and DeWalt were his go-to guys. Both came up with 2 touchdowns apiece (one super critical one for DeWalt, but we'll get to that later) and the 5th going to Irv Campbell. I say it repeatedly at the games, but it's because it's true: The Power's best two options when there's seemingly nothing on the field are the tallest guy and the shortest guy out there. Washington has magic hands that catch everything and then ducks under defenders. DeWalt is about 45 feet tall, so it can be thrown to the second deck and he'll still get it.

...even if it's the other QB. That's the best thing about Iron Men in this sport - they can make your life hell on offense, and then you realize that you still need to deal with them on defense as well. In this, DeWalt proved it by snagging and interception as part of a huge defensive effort this week.

Sure, they were still unable to reach Guidugli at all during the game, but they gave him nightmares everywhere else. DeWalt had his INT above, and early in the game, Josh Lay had an unbelievable snag that he ran all the way back. Terrence "Total Chaos" Carter blocked a field goal when he leapt in the air like some kind of angry superhero. Gary Butler acted like Gary Butler and just acted up cranky. Everyone else simply broke up plays and harried the offense at every turn.

In my head, practice this week included one hour every day where Siegfried just locked the defense in a small room and screamed at them. No words, just primal screaming. Then, he'd punch a kitten and promise to do that every day until they got their shit together after last week. Whatever it was, it worked.

The downsides of this game were penalties and kicking. On the penalty front, they committed 13 infractions that sacrificed more than 70 yards. A lot of these were stupid stuff as usual, and I've kinda given up harping on it at this point. They know it, we know it, and it's just going to take time to get rid of it.

Kicking. Ah, Paul Edinger - you give me such conflicted emotions. Before the game, I said to my wife, "Maybe I'm too hard on Edinger. Maybe I'm a hypocrite after my fanhood of Jeff Reed. Maybe I should cut him some slack." My wife agreed in that way that only wives can. That way that says both, "Well, duh," and "this really isn't important to anyone but you."

I love my wife.

So, at anywho, I go into the game with these feelings, and Edinger must have heard and decided to return balance to the universe. He went 3-6 on the night for PATs and missed a much-needed field goal at one point. Now, I do want to point out that a few of those misses were because of stupid penalties backing him up - and you could see the fury on his face. Either way, he still was not having a banner night.

Until the end when everything came together.

Later in the game, the Power was down 38-32 and the clock was ticking away. Wallace marched the team down the field and was almost there. They line up, hike the ball - and he fumbles it. Turnover with about 1:40 left. The air went out of the place and people started heading for the exits.

Stupid, stupid people.

I, of course, felt their pain and part of me wanted to follow them - but I didn't, and was rewarded, along with the other faithful. Total Chaos forced a fumble himself, and the ball was turned over again. Figuring that my heart was just too healthy at the time, Wallace wound the clock down to 7 seconds by missing two passes before he found DeWalt at the back corner. DeWalt reached those Mr Fantastic arms of his out, snagged the ball and flipped over the wall.

0:00 on the clock, 38-all, PAT still to come.

Lord have mercy, it was either Edinger or overtime.

Well, Mr. Edinger, you magnificent bastard - when it counted, you came through, and once again, we beat the Mustangs by one point. I tip my hat to you.

On many levels, this was both a sloppy game and a great game. We've never gotten to take on the Mustangs when either team was healthy, and our second-squads match up very well. I am very much looking forward to our meetings next season when maybe we can see what they really have in store for each other.

Next up, a super critical game against the Orlando Predators.

Elsewhere in the league
There was a lot of giving up and out-right whooping going on around the league this week.

• Jacksonville extended their streak to 13 wins, and continue to just crush everyone. This week, that honor was given to the Tampa Bay Storm
• Where one shall rise, another shall fall. The Sabercats extended their losing streak to six in an unholy game against the Gladiators. I guess they just couldn't cope with losing to the us, because that's where it all started. Getting beat by a hair against Arizona last week didn't help..but this week was just tough to watch. 3 interceptions and a number of fumbles lead to the 82-21 crushing that they received. Lucky us, we get to play the Gladiators again.
• The Rush had a rough start against the Barnstormers, feeling the loss of Russ Michna to IR. However, after a painful first half, they came back to win it and retain their division lead.
• The Predators did not have a good time against the Force, losing 64-34.

If the Playoffs were today

Things are getting down to the wire here. One way or another, the Rattlers and the Sharks are in - this doesn't need to be analyzed any further this week. The question in the National Conference is how are things going to shake out with Dallas and Chicago? As stated, Chicago is without their QB for the rest of the regular season, and Dallas has, technically, a better record right now. However, that's likely to be a case of who's the second and who's the third seed.

In the American conference, things are a lot less clear. Yes, the Sharks are in, but everything else is up in the air. We're in a three-way tie with Cleveland and Orlando, and the Force's win this week bumped them ahead. Pgh, Cleveland and Orlando are in a "winning out is the only way to be sure" situation. Obviously, that's not possible for both us and Cleveland, which simply put, means that one of us is going to keep the other from the playoffs.

Given how weak our division is, the wildcards are not going to come from it. First place goes to the playoffs, second place goes home with the other two teams. It's that critical. We still have Orlando, Arizona , Cleveland and Philly. Cleveland still has the Mustangs, Philly, us, and Utah.

After how they played last week, we have a chance against Orlando. We have a chance against Arizona - if they're resting their starters after clinching the division. Otherwise, no. We've beaten Cleveland once, but it was close and relied on their crappy kicking. That's going to be tough. Finally, we have Philly on the road, and they've already beaten us once.

Cleveland should roll over the Mustangs. I think the tough loss to us this week and nothing more to play for will finally take its toll on them. I doubt they have much left in the tank. Philly...who knows? They're still in the hunt and have two division games to go. Us? See above. Utah is our best hope for them to lose one - but that's going to depend on what Utah is or isn't playing for at that point.

So, there it is. Although there are ways that we could drop one and still make it, we can't count on it. Pittsburgh needs to get 4 wins to be sure to make the playoffs their first season. Cross your fingers, everyone!

Mustangs come to town for the rematch

This Saturday, we meet up with a division team for our first rematch, and anything can happen. We haven't played the Mustangs since early in the season, and we have a much better measure of both teams now. What can we expect Saturday night? Well, it might not be the slam dunk we want it to be. Last time, we only got out of Milwalkee by a point and some luck.

"Wait a minute, Weidman," I can hear some of you say, "Last time, it was only our third game, playing with our backup quarterback and a team that was still struggling to find its identity!"

Well, you're right, but give my review of the last meeting another read, because a lot of it is still relevant. Morris was out on IR last time, and we had to rely on McCabe, who only had half a game under his belt at the time. This time around, we don't know who is going to be playing. IF we're extremely lucky, it'll be Morris, in which case, things will be a lot easier. He is the undisputed stud at QB for us, but it's not automatic - if he plays, he's going to be playing hurt. I wouldn't be surprised to see him benched to save him up for the Predators next week.

Okay, so assume that Morris is benched - next in line is McCabe. If so, best case, we can expect an extremely close game that we'll be clinging to whatever we can get. Worst case, he plays like last week, and they run over us. Worst case #2 is Siegfried doesn't take the risk and puts Wallace in again. If that happens, we're doomed.

On the other side, the Mustangs started Ward, who is no longer with the team and then brought in Archer. Archer has a lot more experience now, and is still the mobile threat that he was then - that means things will be even tougher for us. He'll still be likely to hook up with Holmes, along with Damian Harrell (if he's playing - he hasn't been seen in a few weeks.) Both of these players have come a long way and can't be discounted.

Where will the ball be going on our side? Tough to say. Again, it comes back to not knowing who is behind center. If Morris is playing, it's going to Washington. If McCabe is playing, expect to see Willis get the hookup. If Wallace is playing, the gods alone know where it's going, because he sure as hell doesn't.

Rue was another key in the last game in the short yardage, but we haven't seen much of him in recent weeks. The running game is no longer our focus - probably a sign that the Power has developed into more of a traditional AFL team. In the long run, this is a good sign - but it's still taking a tool out of our kit that we used last time.

Another of our weaknesses was that we couldn't contain the mobile quarterbacks last time, and I can't say that this is much improved. Also, Archer was able to bomb a lot of them down field to uncovered receivers - we all know that this is something the Power has struggled with this season.

Finally, the game against them last time - much like our lucky win over Cleveland - was the result of missed PATs. Can we rely on that again? Maybe. But this also means that we have to rely on Edinger not Edingering the place up. I'd call it a draw.

Those of you uppity class clowns from earlier are probably now saying, "Oh, Weidman - quit your bitching! The Mustangs are still at the bottom of the division with only 4 wins, and the Power is sitting pretty at the top! They're a bad team!"

Again, you would be right. And a little obnoxious. Sit down and let me explain.

Yes, we're at the top - but it's not by much. Also, we're banged up something fierce. Making a prediction on this game relies too much on who's playing quarterback and where the holes in our defense are going to be. We just don't know at this point, and that scares me. The right combo, and we're going to walk away with this. The wrong one, and we're in trouble.

The Mustangs are also not looking at the post season at all. They're just trying to get out of the season with something to show - and a road win against the division leader could be that something.

It's really time for that intangible - the crowd. The Power management is pushing this game hard. They're bringing the concept of the White Out to the Arena this week. It's also a "family night" with special ticket packages available for cheap. They want to see that place packed and loud. If you're local and reading this, do your part: Show up and cheer them on. They will need it!

Do I think we're going to win? Yes. We should and we need it. Do I think it will be easy? Not in the least.

Go Power!

Elsewhere in the league

• Tune in Friday night to the NFL network and root on the Command to bloody the (now) hated Blaze
• The Soul is playing the Rattlers. so write in an early "L" for them.
• The Sunday afternoon game is the Rush hosting the Barnstormers. I'm excited for this, because I haven't gotten to watch my Rush in a while.
• Cleveland is playing the Sabercats Saturday. The Cats have been having a rough time of it this season, but they're perfectly capable of beating the Gladiators - so here's hoping!
  

Power Razed By the Blaze

Well, that game was downright sucktastic.

As Weidman already covered in his review of Saturday's game, there was really nothing positive to take away from the Power's "performance" on Saturday night.

They got down big early, Kevin McCabe coughed the ball up twice in the first three possessions, Chris Wallace stepped in and was thoroughly underwhelming, and the defense allowed 11 touchdown passes.

Injuries were a factor, since the Power only dressed three defensive backs for the game, Neil Purvis was hurt, and Bernard Morris didn't make the trip to Salt Lake City.  Turnovers were a factor, especially early, and they always seemed to strike when the Power were trying to gain some momentum -- not that there's ever a good time to turn the ball over.  Tackling has been an issue at times this season and, on Saturday night, the Power secondary looked like they were trying to show the world what it would be like to tackle without using your arms.  They took bad angles, were generally out of position, and didn't adjust to the fact that the Blaze were running mostly screens and quick hitches by playing closer to the line of scrimmage.  You don't lose a game by 41 points because of just one team.  It takes a village bad play to get blown out this badly.

First and foremost, some work on the fundamentals needs to be done.  The receivers and quarterback (whoever that may be this week) need to work on reading the defense at the line and making adjustments.  The Blaze showed just how effective this can be, as they switched to a more conventional drop-back offense midway through the third quarter after the Power defensive backs finally figured out that they needed to scoot up.  At that point, the secondary was so demoralized and exhausted that Tommy Grady and company were able to pick them apart fairly easily.  The defense needs to work on their recognition skills as well.  Even if the coaches didn't say anything at halftime, Josh Lay and his two counterparts should have known to step up and force the issue before things got out of hand.

At this level, in theory, guys should know how to tackle.  It's like how you can't teach a receiver how to catch by the time he's a pro.  If he catches the ball with his body, he's been catching the ball with his body for about 20 years and there's no way to un-teach it.  You can give him some pointers, try to get him headed in the right direction, but two decades of muscle memory are not changed easily.  Gary Butler is the best tackler on the team by far.  He can give the other guys on the team a crash course and talk about how he approaches it.  He's often brought as a fourth rusher, so the coaches can have him drop back and roam a bit, which will help contain any kind of short passing attack.  And, ultimately, Lonnell Dewalt needs to understand that he should learn how to tackle, since he's going to be playing a lot more defense for the balance of the season.  His current strategy of diving at the feet of the ball carrier is not sustainable.  He did have one solid tackle earlier this year and it was on a crucial goal line stand -- Dewalt is definitely a clutch player with an acute sense of "the moment" -- but one solid tackle in six games isn't a ratio that's going to get these guys to the playoffs.  In addition, Royce Adams -- one of the stars of the secondary -- signed a contract with a UFL team, so he's probably not coming back.  Someone needs to fill his shoes, which will not be an easy task.

Wallace is not the answer at quarterback.  I know that he didn't even have a full week of practice before being thrown into the action on Saturday, but he was horrible.  I re-watched the second half of the game and I could tell that his timing with the receivers was off.  That's understandable, given the fact that he didn't have much of an opportunity to work on it, but timing is usually off by a couple of steps or a few yards.  Wallace was, very frequently, five yards behind a receiver and ten feet over the receiver's head.  At one point in the fourth quarter, announcer Edmund Nelson commented that, "The fans have got a lot of balls tonight."  I'm just going to leave that there.

It could be that he'll improve considerably after a full week as the number one guy.  It could be that he'll have more success against the Mustangs.  To Utah's credit, their secondary did an amazing job in coverage.  (As an aside, the Blaze played extremely well.  It was partly that the Power laid a giant egg and partly that Utah played extremely well, as you don't win by 41 points because of just one thing, either.)  It could be that he's a completely different guy against Milwaukee.  It's possible.  I just think that it's highly unlikely and I can't wait for Morris to come back.  I caught the first half of the game on the radio, so I didn't see McCabe play.  As I understand it, he was worse than Wallace, which I find hard to believe, but I trust Weidman's judgement.

Since Cleveland lost, the biggest development in this game was that Morris has gone from, "He's back?  Ah, crap!" to, "He's hurt?  Ah, crap!" in a hurry.  He's the guy to run this offense and he's the guy that's going to lead this team into the playoffs.  If he's out for a long period of time -- especially if he goes on injured reserve again -- then the Power's chances at the postseason go with him.

The good news -- not a silver lining, just good news -- is that this abomination is now behind us and we can focus on next week.  The AFL is a week-to-week league and last week's blowout loss only counts as one in the "L" column.

The Power need to focus on the next game on the schedule.  As they say in the tow truck business, a wreck is something you leave behind you.  They need to continue to keep pace with/distance themselves from the Cleveland Gladiators.  With only two divisions in each conference, winning your division is Priority Number One.

I think Coach Siegfried will get this team back on track and we'll see a better brand of Power football against the Mustangs this coming Saturday.

Power Goes Out in a Blaze of Non-Glory

Ouch. Where to even start? Recently, I said that the Power had little to be ashamed of in their tough loss to the Storm, but I can't say that this week. This was, perhaps, the Power's worst performance all season, and it's hard to take anything good out of it. The defense seemed to not even make the trip out to SLC, the offense's biggest names barely made an appearance, fumbles were aplenty, and our starting line's injury report is starting to look like a Pyrrhic after-battle report.

To say that we were blown out in our 81-40 loss is an understatement, and I hope the Power spend every waking moment this week watching film to figure out A.) where they went wrong and B.) how they can fix it.

To start it out, there are the injuries. On the defense, both Purvis and Stevenson were out with injuries, leaving holes in important spots. Behind center, the merry carousel of broken quarterbacks continued with Morris being out after being injured in Tampa last week.

McCabe started the game, but only made it three possessions. He hasn't played since the beginning of April, and it showed. Two out of his three drives ended in fumbles that were taken straight in for TDs, and those were sadly not the last of the game. Siegfried pulled him at that point - whether it was because getting sacked two times injured him, or because he was just a mess is unclear - and yet another new QB was put in. Since Morrelli is no longer with the team, we were left with Chris Wallace - a QB that we picked up earlier this week.

His inexperience was both obvious and understandable - but that doesn't mean that we have to like it. He only went 19 for 39 in this game, and never figured out quite who to throw to. Mathis, Washington and Fulton were all left with less than 70 yards each. All-in-all, he passed to six different people for only 4 touchdowns. If there was a bright side, it was that he didn't throw a single interception...of course, neither did the Blaze, but that's neither here nor there.

Next, the fumbles. God, those were brutal. Besides the two that McCabe coughed up early on, Wallace, Mathis and Washington each had one, two of which lead to immediate touchdowns. Now, when Keller was watching the game, it was his feeling that Washington's forward fumble was intentional - that it was done because he knew he wasn't going to make it, and hoped to recover in the end zone. That might be true, but given the shoddy play all game, I have a hard time believing that. Anything's possible, though.

On defense, there wasn't any huge mistakes, but there wasn't much of anything at all to write home about. They kept the rushing game down to almost non-existence, but they allowed over 300 yards in the air and 11 touchdowns. Tommy Grady is good, but there's still no excuse for that. The defense just didn't put any pressure at all on the Blaze offense.

In the downs game, it wasn't even a contest. The Power only managed to convert one of six third downs, and a single 4th down. The Blaze, on the other hand was five for five on 3rds, and never had to worry about converting a 4th. This goes back to both our offense and defense just not being effective.

If there is anything good that can be taken out of this game, it was our returns. In six kickoff returns, the Power managed to rack up over a hundred yards. Mathis accounted for 78 of those by himself, proving once again how good it is to have him back.

It is extremely lucky for the Power that the Football Gods were smiling on us. Somehow - who the hell knows how - Cleveland lost on Sunday. This leaves us still tied with them, holding the tie-breaker and first in the division. We have a stay of execution for another week. This is a stay that the Power had better be down on their knees screaming their thanks for - because they should have lost the lead this weekend.

The Power needs to start winning again, and start doing so now. As said in the past, Cleveland has a pretty easy schedule, and we still have at least one game left that I know we're going to lose. I'd really rather not be in a position where our next game against Cleveland decides the division again.

All other things aside, the Power needs to get healthy. Chris Siegfried was quoted as saying, "The injuries have made it a less-than-fun season and have added to the stress level." It's nice to see that Coach Siegfried has a gift for understatement. To have any shot at - and in - the playoffs, we can't just keep throwing player names in a hat and pulling out who's going to start each week.

Next week, we play the Mustangs again, marking the first time we've played a team a second time. They, literally, have nothing left to play for and will be out to take us down, just because it'll be fun for them. We handled them handily back at the beginning of the season, and hopefully will again.

But not if we play like we did this week.

Elsewhere in the league

• After a first half that was shaping up to be a blow-out, the Preds rallied to make it a game. Unfortunately for them, it wasn't enough, and they lost to their hated rivals. Hell of a game, though.
• Not surprisingly, the Mustangs got slapped by the Sharks, who have now extended their winning record to a staggering twelve.
• Arizona locked up their division with a tight win over their rivals, the Sabercats.
• Philly dropped another game when they hosted the Talons, widening the gap in the wild-card race
• Again, Cleveland lost, which is the greatest gift the Power could receive.

If the Playoffs Were Today

• As stated, Arizona locked up their division, guaranteeing them a playoff berth. At this point, they'd be playing Tulsa, which shouldn't be much of a challenge for them.
• It's still, despite a loss for Chicago this week, shaping up to be a match against Dallas in the first round. Nothing new to report.
• In our conference, the Sharks would be meeting up with Georgia in the first round. I still don't think anyone's beating Jacksonville this year
• By the grace of God, we're still in it, and still matched up with Orlando. The way both teams played this week, it'd be a battle of who wants it more, and who screws up less. Right now, that looks to be Orlando that would walk away with it. (If nothing else, it'd make the second round entertaining against the Sharks.)