Voodoo at Power preview

Another tough loss last week.  The Power kept it competitive, but at some point they need to start winning games, even if other teams losing keep us in the playoff hunt.  There are three teams that need to finish with a worse record than the Power, and they had a chance to beat each of them, one right after the other.  So far, that didn't work against the Preds -who were the most important of the three - but we still have NOLA and the Gladiators to go.

This week is the New Orleans Voodoo, a team that the Power successfully beat in their house and is also a team that hasn't won on the road so far this season.  Granted, the Power doesn't have a great record at home, but it's a winnable game.

The big problem Saturday night is going to be Captain Morgan himself.

I can't count the number of times that's been the case

Donovan Morgan is a force of nature on offense.  When he's on his game, no one else on the team seems that scary - and given that this game is just as important to the Voodoo as it is to the Power, expect him to be on his game.

The question mark for both teams is quarterback.  The Power continue their random roll call for QB every week - it looks like Sheffield will be under center this week, but that's never a sure thing.  He might have "family issues" again at the last minute, Austin might be really on it in practice, or Coach Sting might just feel like throwing Cassidy in again.  We don't know.  On the Voodoo side of things, Kurt Rocco is their starter.  He let the team to a strong showing last year, but he's been struggling this season.  After a pretty bad showing last week, Chris Dixon might be in.  I'd rather that - replacement QBs on the road are generally less dangerous than a troubled starting QB.

Wrapping up the season:

Down the stretch here, the Power is 2 games back from the Preds, and some wins need to stack up.  The Preds will face Sharks, Rattlers, 'Stormers, Gladiators and Voodoo.  Sharks are a rival, so it's tough to call.  Ratts will be a loss.  Iowa, Cleveland and NOLA should all be wins, but they'll probably drop one of them.  So, optimistically, the Preds will go 2-3 in their last five.  Optimistically.

What does that mean for the Power?  Nothing good.  That would mean that the Power needs to win out.  Our final opponents are Voodoo, Gladiators, 'Cats, Storm and Shock.  Voodoo and Gladiators are the best bets.  Cats are a strong maybe, Storm's unlikely and the Shock ain't happening.  Best - absolute best - case, the power goes 4-1, though I'd expecct 2-3, and that won't be enough.

I don't want to be a Debbie Downer about the situation, but that's really what it comes down to - and it's not taking into consideration the Voodoo and Gladiators going on a tear...I mean, the Preds could just as easily fall apart.  I'm not putting money on either.  The simple fact is, the Power probably won't make the playoffs, but still have a chance of ending the year with a better record than last year.

Baby steps.

Elsewhere in the League

• Orlando at Jacksonville - as I said above, it's a rivalry game and it was a three-point game last time they met up.  I need to think positive and say that the Sharks will pull it off again.
• Philly at Cleveland - Philly's better on the road, and Cleveland's not good.
• Another division match-up, and it's between the Talons and Barnstormers.  The Barnstormers took the Talons at home last time, and they should be able to do it on their home turf as well.
• As far as I'm concerned, the GotW is once again featuring the Cats, even if it's not the TV game.  Last time the Cats and Blaze met up, San Jose won by a point.  Utah needs this win hard, but I'm still betting the Cats win the rematch.

Visiting Enemy Territory: Power vs Soul Review

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

Approaching enemy territory.

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

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

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

Hi, Tomczak!

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

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

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

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

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

Clear, unobstructed awesome.

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

Obstructed awesome.

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

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

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


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

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

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

...And, dammit, I want one.

Elsewhere in the league

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

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

Playoff Picture

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

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

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

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

Power vs Soul Review

Sometime back around 2000, my brother in law and I watched Lost in Space on Christmas Eve. For some odd-ball reason, we did the same thing the following year. Since then, we watch it every year. My point is, I'm all about tradition, no matter how stupid. If I do something more than once, chances are, I'll keep doing it.

That being said, this whole Soul-beats-us-in-our-home-opener crap has got to stop. At least last year, it was an OT loss, not a run-away ass-whoopin like it was this year. Granted, the game started out competitive, but by the end, our personnel woes and some old Power habits reared their ugly heads.

Two things were learned that night:

1. Don't start a QB who's been with the team shorter than a Redbox rental and,
2. No matter how good an idea it sounds to be, fireworks inside are not a great plan.
   

First, to my surprise, the Power started Bill Stull, even though he'd only been back with the team for a few days. Okay, I get it - he had a great season at Pitt and started a few games for us last year, but this just seemed dumb on a number of levels. Hines has more Arena experience, for one thing. For another, he'd been in camp with the team as a backup, and then had a trial by fire in that mess of a first game. Even if Stull is going to be your go-to guy, you do not start the new guy. You especially don't start the new guy against a division opponent with a stacked offense like Philly. Really - you can stop reading this review right now if you want to, because this is where it begins and ends as far as I'm concerned.

Right off the bat, Philly put points on the board, but the Power came back quickly with two scores. One the traditional way, and then they followed it up by capitalizing on a kickoff fumble in the end zone by Hughley (about the only time he screwed up all night) and falling on it. This would be, pretty much, the only time the rest of the night the Power cleanly fell on a loose ball.

Both of these scores were only worth six, as our new kicker Wagner shanked both PATs. Now, it'd be easy to blame the kicker on both of these - and I know that my history would suggest that I would - but I don't feel it was his fault. Although they didn't think he was good enough to start, apparently Hines was good enough to hold the ball for kicks. Well, he wasn't. From where I was sitting...

Right here

...it looked like he just couldn't spot it cleanly. Both those misses were off of crooked spots. Later in the game, when Hines got into the groove, they sailed right in (except a blocked one that was run back for 2pts that I'd rather not talk about.)

The next issue was the ability hold on to the ball. Several times during the game, the Power lost possession on stupid, stupid fumbles. John Green picked Dirty Dan off and went for the end zone. He wasn't going to quite make it, and it was obvious. Conventional wisdom in a situation like this is: you're defense, not offense and don't train to hold the ball. When in doubt, fall. down. Well, Green didn't. He tried for a heroic effort for the goal line and lost it. Also, PJ Berry lost one during the game, and no one seemed to be able to just fall on it and stop.

Continuing the Power hit parade of issues was the fact that we were wholly unable to stop the Soul's offense. Granted, their offense is very, very good. However, Morgan went off all night. He put up as many yards as our top receiver (112) and capitalized with 4 TDs. Once again, Hughley exceeded an average of 25 yards a return for for a total of 127 yards. We kept Tiger Jones under control, but the other two more than made up for it. Also, we weren't able to pressure Raudabaugh, but I'm not totally sure he can be pressured. The Soul finished with a franchise high 84 points.

Finally, Bill Stull. I've made it clear that I was not wild about him starting this game, but he was looking good for a good chunk of the game, if a little unsure. At first, he relied heavily on Joystick, but was able to switch up to Randy Hymes when Philly caught on. Also, both teams made use of the running game more than you usually see. I'd mentioned in past weeks that Philly signed on Derrick Ross and that he'd make an appearance eventually. On our side, the Power deployed the massive Tyre Young to good effect. When he got the ball, he rumbled through defenders and gained yards. I miss Josh Rue from last year, but if Young stays healthy, he'll be something.

Stull late in the game was much different than Stull early. When he took the field, there were cheers everywhere. By the end, the boo-birds were out in force. He was picked 3 times. By the 4th quarter, just like Power offense of last year, he fully ran out of gas. He was tired and panicky. He seemed to forget how short Joystick is and was chucking over his head. He was throwing to empty parts of the field. Basically, he fell apart. When it started, we were still in it - had coach put Hines in then, we might have pulled it off. Instead, things went downhill fast, and it was over.

Things weren't all bad. Although PJ Berry didn't have any breakout plays and fumbled once, he was overall looking confident. Joystick was still fast and fun. Dewalt came up big on a few plays. Our ground game was pretty darn good. There are places to build from, but this game was a shame and tough loss.

A few various points and observations:

• The halftime show was an indoor fireworks display. Although I've been thoroughly spoiled by Trans-Siberian Orchestra pyro displays in the same venue, it was still kinda neat. The smokey haze that hung in the air the rest of the game was not.
• Moms are always adorable. Moqut Ruffins' (#96) mom was straight across the arena from me. How do I know? Well, it's hard to see in this picture, but the poster-board says "Mother of #96."
• 
• Power fans can suck. Not all of them, by any means, but once Stull started going downhill, some fans got rough. One guy behind me started screaming "Go home, Stull!" and "you suck, Stull," and worse things - and we were in earshot of Stull. Not only that, he was doing it while Stull was throwing. Come on, dude - don't be a douche. It was close enough to the end of the game, you should just go home, alright?
• Soul fans travel well. There was a whole section of them there Friday night, and they were loud. The brothers Keller and I will do our best when we represent at the June game. My brother-in-law will be with us, but as he's a Philadelphian, I'm not sure where his loyalties will lie.

Elsewhere in the league

Aside from the Rush game and the Power game I was at, I didn't get to watch anything else this weekend, which was greatly disappointing. Our entire division played Friday night at the same time, and the streaming option that replaced Nifty does not automatically rebroadcast the games. The other games that I tried to watch either didn't have sound, didn't have picture, or had very strange screwups. (Yes - both sides said "Jacksonville Sharks", while White Goodman and McLovin gained yardage for Shane Falco.) Yeah, so...that was great.

• Close one down in Orlando as the Preds drop their second game, and the Rush advance to 2-0.
• Like I said, the Command and the Gladiators are looking lackluster this season, and the 49-39 game sounds like it showed. Gladiators win, as expected.
  
• The Mustangs stomped the Voodoo in a game I would have loved to have seen. They are now 2 games in a row at 65 points, and lucky us, we get to play them on Thursday.
• The Force manhandled the Sharks, the new home of our Bernard Morris (though, he didn't play.)
• The upset of the week goes to the Blaze as they beat the top-ranked Sabercats who missed a field goal at the end of regulation.
  

Power Home Opener Preview

Three weeks in, and the Power finally opens the home season. Once again, it's an NFL Network Friday night game, and the whole country can see us take the field.

Hopefully everyone doesn't get fired this time.

I covered the Soul quite a bit this past weekend in their opening game. This post is going to cover some of the same ground, but put it in perspective as far as the Power goes.

As I pointed out in my last post, playing the Soul this year is going to be a lot more like playing Vigilantes last season. I realize that Clint Dozel is not the head coach, but as the offensive coordinator, he's going to have a lot of say in how an Arenaball game goes - simply because the offense is the focus. If our last game against him is any indication, we can expect this to come right down to the line and the pressure to always be on.

But hey - he can bring as much pressure as wants, but it doesn't matter if he doesn't have the players, right? Well, he does. Tiger Jones, Donovan Morgan and Jeff Hughley. I've already explained at length their skills, but it really comes down to the fact that they're highly mobile, fast and have sure hands. I've heard a lot about RB Derrick Ross, but we haven't seen him much yet this season. Finally, there's Dirty Dan at quarterback.

He's a great quarterback, and he gave us hell last year. He's accurate and he's hard to fluster in the pocket. In general, he's really, really good.

So what does that mean for the Power? To be honest, I don't know.

The Power played really well in their opener, even though there was no cohesion to the team. Of course, their opponents were in the same situation. A lot of this week is going to depend on how much they pulled it together.

The good news is, we re-signed nearly everyone from the team we had in camp. Andrico Hines was a backup, so they had time to work with him before - even if he wasn't the starter - and he did pretty well once he go into the swing of things in the opener. He's got a lot of experience, and we brought back Bill Stull as his backup this week. If he's comfortable, he should be a pretty good bet.

Our problem with receivers is simply that they're not as dynamic as Philly's, and we need them to match up as equally as possibly. Joystick and Morgan are similar in the open field - Joystick is just a lot smaller. Dewalt and Jones are similar. PJ Berry was great on returns last week, but he's no Hughley. They're all good, but I just hope that they're good enough.

If our defense is like they were last week while all discombobulated, then our edge is there. Last week, Philly's defense played a little hard and smidge dirty, but they didn't scare me that much. If LeFlore and Williams weren't just lucky last week and Lay sees the field, we might have a chance to break their receivers up a bit.

The only pure unknown is kicking. The Soul's kicker was pretty well on last week, and we still don't have one listed on the team roster. I'm sure they'll bring someone in, but who knows who or how good.

One way or another, I'm excited to get back into Consol and see a game in person. It's a lot of fun, and this year, they're opening with a huge indoor fireworks display. Throw in some nachos, and I have a hard time thinking of a better night.

...And, besides, if worse comes to worst, I'm set. Put me in, coach!

I'm ready to play!

Elsewhere in the league

• The games this week start with the Preds traveling to Chicago. Same with our game, it's tough to say what we'll see. Surprisingly, I'm pulling for the Rush.
• Friday night is stacked. Opposite our game are two other division games, which is pretty annoying. The KC Command takes on Cleveland at 7:30. Both teams really under performed in their first games, but the Command really underperformed. Cleveland favored.
• The other game is the Mustangs at the Voodoo. I really want to see this game, which is surprising when you look at both these teams last year. The Voodoo looked real good last week, and the Mustangs hung in against the Ratts. Even though they both lost their respective games, they both put up over 60 pts each. If I had to pick, I'd say the Mustangs.
• Saturday night, the Sharks host the Force in a matchup that will be...a...game. Yeah, both teams are still trying to find their identity. The Sharks started pretty slow week one, and the Force looked real lackluster against the Storm last week. We shall see.
• Finally, there is the Cats against the Blaze. Both teams are looking really good, and I'm actually going to take the Cats in this one.
  

Bye Week Spotlight: The Soul at Voodoo

I wanted to address this week's final game, as we will be playing both teams in the coming weeks and there was a lot to see in this match-up. Sunday afternoon, the Soul traveled to the Graveyard - the AFL's best-named arena, followed by the Rattlers' Snakepit and the Preds' Jungle - to start their season. Coming in, I was expecting a fairly lopsided game given the Soul's roster and the Voodoo's lack of one - but it came right down to the wire.

The Soul absorbed a fair amount of talent from the now defunct Dallas Vigilantes, including QB "Dirty" Dan Raudabaugh (yes, I'm still pushing that moniker), RB Derrick Ross and former head coach (now offensive coordinator) Clint Dozel. Returning this year is deep threat Donovan Morgan (who was gone, then back, then maybe gone, then re-signed last season) and new acquisition, Jeff Hughley from the Sharks (Note: I am so glad he's not a lineman, because I'm already mentally calling him D.L. Hughley, which is a whole other Hughley.) Also, they're rolling with some brutal defense that doesn't seem to care about such niceties as not roughing the passer or kicker.

On the other side of the field, the Voodoo were returning from a pretty crappy season, with a new head coach and mostly new players. That's "new to Arena Football" not just new to the team. There's only about 5 veterans on the team, including former Cleveland Gladiator rival, Kurt Rocco and Josh Bush (whom you might remember from my past Predator coverage.) Their strength is really in their coaching, with former Preds coach Pat O'Hara and AFL legend Tim Marcum as his assistant. With these two at the head and the performance I saw today, I expect some impressive stuff out of New Orleans this year.

Philly started the game looking like they were just going to crush the Voodoo after putting up two rather quick scores, but the Voodoo got in it and they went back and forth the rest of the game. The Voodoo missed a key PAT, and they spent most of the game staying one point behind. Even though they capitalized on a turnover in the second, the Soul were able to make up the ground and finish it out one point ahead at the end (63 - 62) due to a missed field goal by New Orleans.

When we face the Voodoo in a few weeks, they're going to be a tougher than we've dealt with in the past, despite their lack of experience. Kurt Rocco was fairly solid in Cleveland, and he has matured a lot. With the help of some top-flight coaching and some solid, solid receivers in Josh Bush and Quorey Payne, they have a lot of potential. When Bush had less on the day of these two and still got almost 100 yards in the indoor game, we're seeing solid performance.

Rocco is strong in the passing game and this week went 25/29 for 314 yards 6 TDs. On the other hand, they are not afraid of the rushing game, putting up almost 50 yards on the ground and three TDs. Were it not for their kicking woes and some standout performances from Philly, this game is a win in most situations.

Next week, we face the Philly Soul once again in our home opener and. they. scare me. Seriously. Dirty Dan is a great QB who took the Vigilantes to the postseason last year. Today, he went 23 for 30, 310 yards, 7 TDs and no interceptions. He also has some phenomenal targets in Tiger Jones, Donovan Morgan and Jeff Hughley. All three of them are good at getting open down field and making catches. Both Hughley and Jones had receptions of 29 yards or more in this game and it only took three receivers for Dirty Dan to break the 300 yard barrier.

Morgan was viewed to be good enough to get picked up by the UFL last season, but it only took about a week for him to make it back to this league, whether he didn't like it or didn't work out, and that's the AFL's gain. He "only" had 86 yards receiving today, caught 2 touchdowns and also rushed for another 24 yards. He's highly mobile and can move in the open field.

Hughley is the big threat. As a receiver, he's deadly. Last year under the great Aaron Garcia, he had almost 1200 yards and 22 touchdowns. Today, he already tacked up almost 100 yards and two TDs as a receiver. He was also the only kick returner for Philly, and he averaged 26.5 yards on 10 returns and ran one aaaaaaall the way back for a score. Seriously, I don't want him coming into the Consol next week.

Finally - and this is is just based on their first game of the season - the Soul has got some brutal defensive players. There were several unsportsmanlike calls for Philly today, include a late, hard hit on Rocco, and hard hit to the kicker's leg. I hope they get that under control before they risk our players next week.

So, two weeks in, and we already have a good idea what we're going to be facing in three out of our next five games.

Elsewhere in the league

• Right now, Philly is at the top of the division with 1 win and more points than us. Next week will show only one of the four of us with 2 wins.
• Milwaukee put up a good fight against Arizona, but lost by a touchdown
• The Kansas City Command started out strong against the Garcia-less Sharks Friday night, but just got throttled in the second half. Looks like the Sharks might still be a tough contender.
• Utah lost this week, leaving both them and the Blaze 1-1.
• Speaking of Garcia, the Talons lost a close one to the Shock 63-60.
• The Game of the Week on the NFL network wasn't boring, but it wasn't that exciting either. Tampa Bay started out strong, and the Force did their best to catch up. 50-47 Tampa.
  

Power vs Soul: For pride

The last game of the season is upon us already. Seems like just yesterday that we were playing the Soul with our whole season ahead of us. It also seems like just yesterday that we lost to the Soul to start the season. Now it's time to play them again to close it.

At this point, we have beaten both other teams in our division at least once and have a better record overall than the Soul. By most accounts, the Power is the better team, but the Soul has pulled off some upsets before. Coach Ho has made it clear that they're still playing for their fans, even if their season is over. I'm not sure that the Power is up to the same standards at this point, especially on the road.

Last time they played, they made fools of the Gladiators, whom you might remember, rather handily beat us. Also, given that they've already beaten us once, I'm sure they'd love to beat us again and have a sweep to add to their record.

When they won against Cleveland, it happened because they were able to beat the Gladiators, literally, at their own game. They owned the field, destroyed Rocco and pressured him at every opportunity. If they bring it at the same level against us, then we should expect even more pressure than the Gladiators gave us last week.

Larry Brackins and Keith Stokes stepped up big time to fill the shoes vacated by the impressive Donovan Morgan, who departed for the UFL. Unfortunately, pretty much during the game last week, he announced his departure from the UFL to come back to the Soul. So...that's great for us.

The fact of the matter is, this game is on the road, and the Power have little to play for. However, winning would give the Power - if not a winning season - an even record. For psychological reasons, both for the team and for the fans, I think that this can't be discounted. Same thing goes for beating the one team left in the division we haven't beaten yet.

Tune in tonight at 7:05 on NiftyTV and catch the Power's last game until next season!

Bye Week Spotlight: The Orlando Predators @Philly Soul

***Update***

Now sure if the schedule I read had a misprint, or if I'm just an idiot - this game was still a road game for the Soul, and their home opener is this week against the Storm on the NFL network

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The Power gets a much needed break to rest and rearm this week after a tough loss to the Talons in week four. It’s a light week for the rest of the league with only four games on the schedule, but there is still football to be played. In the spotlight this week is the Orlando Predators at Philly.

Why am I featuring a game by our division rival this week? Two reasons: 1.) I want to watch a game this weekend and 2.) it’s actually fairly important in regards to league standings.

Right now, we are ahead of the Soul in rankings, but we’ve only got a one game lead on them. If they win this week, our records will be tied, and they have the head-to-head. Given that the Gladiators are so far ahead that they aren’t being caught any time soon even if they go on an epic losing streak, and the Mustangs are so far behind that the reverse is true, Philly is who I’m worried about. As things stand, we might be going neck and neck with them all season, and a loss this week will give us a small amount of breathing room.

To be honest, I haven’t followed the Predators a lot this season. I’ve had a bit of a soft spot for them, as they are one of the first teams that I ever watched back in the day, but with the amount of games that I watch for future Power matchups, they just haven’t fit in my schedule this year. They are a tough team to get a read on based solely on their record – in fact, I feel that their one loss so far this year speaks more than their two wins.

Week one, they beat up on the New Orleans Voodoo, which really doesn’t say much in my opinion. It is well documented that New Orleans is team in need of a lot of help, and remain one of the only winless teams in the league. Week two, the Preds won a good one against the Blaze, which is a team with the same record as them at this point. I’ll call that one a push.

This week, however, they lost to the Arizona Rattlers by one point. One. Remember how relieved we were when the Mustangs fell short by 2 points in week 3? That’s close. When you add to this the fact that the Rattlers have steamrolled everyone else they’ve played this season, I’m impressed. Even a when playing someone due for a loss from general fatigue, hanging with a team as powerful as Arizona right to the very end says a lot. These Predators are a team to watch out for.

On the ground, they’re not much to really be concerned about. Their top rusher is their QB Nick Hill, with only 71 yards and a couple of TDs to his name. He’s certainly no Russ Michna or Bobby Reid. However, in the air, he’s good for an average of 300+ yards a game and has a very solid receiving core lead by the awesomely named TT Toliver.

Toliver is an interesting Ocho Cinco-style character. A few years back, he was playing for the then impressive Tampa Bay Storm. One day, he walked in and told (former) head coach Marcum that he was done; not going to play for the Storm anymore. He was suspended for two games, cut, and signed by Orlando a day later.

I don’t know the details and I’m not sure if many people do. Maybe he’s a show-boatin’ idiot. Maybe he saw early all the crap that came out about Marcum. Maybe it was something else entirely – the fact remains that he found a solid home in Orlando and has over 300 yards and 7 TDs on the season this year. Look out, Philly.

On the other side of the ball, we have the Philadelphia Soul. Now, they’re a division rival, they took our home opener away from us, and they’re our main threat this season. That having been said, my two most loyal readers – my wife and my mother-in-law – are both Philly girls, born and raised, so I can’t make with too much hate-talk. (Besides, hockey playoffs are around the corner, and there will be plenty of smack to be spoken then.) I’ll try to stick with the facts – at least until we get later in the season.

Right now, the Soul are sitting at 1-2, with the Power being their only win. That’s not super fantastic. On the other hand, they’ve lost to the Rush, which there is no shame in, and the Mustangs, which was their third road game in a row. The main concern is how they did in the second half last week. It might have been fatigue, but I think Coach Hohensee put it best when he said, “Everything we did right in the first half fell apart in the second half.” Yep. That’s about the long and short of it.

We’ve seen QB Justin Allgood take the field here at home and, generally, his name is about accurate. He might not have the overall yardage of Hill, but he gets the job done. He throws deep and has Donovan Morgan as a solid answer to TT Toliver. Their only rushing weapon is Ryan Vena, so they’re about even on the ground as well. This matchup is going to be a gunslinger shoot out, pure and simple.

Another factor for this week is a series of improbable flukes. First, a little history lesson: Back in 2008, the then Bon Jovi-owned Soul was on top of the world. They beat the juggernaut San Jose Sabercats in the Arena Bowl* to be crowned champions of the league. The next year, that league folded. When it rebooted the following year, neither of those two teams came back with it. Now, they are both back as expansion teams with news faces, but old traditions.

Saturday is the Soul’s first home game of the season, due to a nasty opening schedule. Because of this, this week will actually be the first time that they get to unfurl that Arena Bowl Champions 2008 banner to their home crowd. That will either fire everyone up, or just leave the team shrugging their shoulders. Not many of these guys were around to win it.

*I still, and for always will, contend that Sambora lost money on that game. He didn’t seem happy shaking Jon’s hand afterwords.

How is this game going to shake out? Frankly, I think that the Predators are the better team here. They have a slight edge at QB, better options at receiver, and they’ve proven that they can hang with the best. Philly has been beaten up for three weeks now, win or lose, and they’re coming off a short week after a Monday night game (remember how that worked out for us?) They are finally playing at home and get to use an Arena Bowl banner as a talisman, and that might make the difference – but I really don’t think so. Coach Ho seems to be having trouble bringing his Rush-style tactics to a new team, and the wins just aren’t materializing. I think it’s going to be close, but I’ll take the Preds by five at least.

Next up for the Power: Jacksonville at home in Week 6.