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.

Predators at Power Preview

Hello Sports Gods, it's me, Weidman.  I realize that you're probably already busy with hockey playoffs and all, but if you're going to be around Consol - and I think the first playoff game the other night proved that you are - could you just throw the Power a bone?  There is one team in the entire league with a worse record than us, and that's the Preds.  Please don't let us be their first win.

Right now, the Power holds the all time series edge...but at 2-1 it's not that impressive, really.  However, after last season's sweep and the 31 point comeback game (that the Power marketing team refuses to let us forget) the Predators are the closest thing that we have to an actual, factual rival.  As such, I'm really looking forward to Saturday, even if it scares me to my core.

After Orlando's absolute thwumping at the hands of the Rattlers last week, there have been some (rumored) changes on their team.  Nothing has been officially said as of yet, but the smart money is on Orlando releasing QB Kyle Rowley due to poor performance and a run-in with the law.  Sadly, this isn't a new occurrence for players on their team, however, they don't seem to be standing for it.  They have acquired aging gunslinger Aaron Garcia as a last-ditch effort to save their season - and their money.

In San Jose, his issue seemed to be clashing with the head office over who was - literally - calling the shots.  I don't see that being a problem in Orlando.  They're gonna let him do whatever he wants.

Because they have such an abysmal record (Note: we have one win, so our record is just "sad") there aren't a lot of things that we have to be watching out for.  The main thing is Garcia himself.  If he can get in the groove, we're in trouble.  If not...we can take them.  For my money, the biggest play last week was when Chris Terrel knocked Nick Hill the f%@# out.

Seriously - it had to look something like this to him

The fact that he still completed the touchdown should have no bearing on how awesome it was. 

Aaron Garcia is probably my favorite player of all time, he's old (for football) and he deserves respect - but if our D can take him down, I'm all for it.

As for our QB situation, it seems like they're sticking with what they're used to.  All I've read says that JJ's getting the start again this week.  I'm sure that, after his performance last week, a lot of people would like to see Shane Austin get the start.  Admittedly, he was looking pretty good, but then, he's a completely different QB.  Where Jefferson goes for the targeted assault, Austin likes to get mobile and throw it where he may.  It worked pretty well against the Talons, but they weren't expecting it.  Whichever QB they go with, protection is still the issue.  While I'm saying that we need to nail Garcia, some blogger in Orlando is writing the same thing about our guy.

The prime thing working against the Predators this season is the same thing working against us - penalties.  They are giving a up a lot of yardage and so are we.  Whichever team manages to control those will ultimately control the game.

That means:  Get down there, get a ticket and get loud.

Elsewhere in the League

• This week starts out with a division match between Iowa and San Antonio.  The two teams are pretty evenly matched, but my money's on Iowa.
• Topping their respective divisions, Chicago and Philly will duke it out Saturday night.  Neither team really looks like a division leader at this point, to be honest, but the Rush has the better record.  Take that for what you will
• The TV game this week is Tampa Bay vs NOLA.  If it weren't a bitter rival match, it would be set up to be a snoozefest given how poorly the Voodoo is playing this season.  But, these two teams always bring their A game against each other.  Plus - bonus Chris Farley the Coach. (I never get sick of that.)
• As usual, only the West Division could have a top-vs-bottom match-up that might still be worth watching.  The Blaze had been on a slide since destroying us in week one, up until they destroyed Cleveland in their last game.  The Shock have only lost one game so far, but the Blaze is anything but a pushover.
• When Cleveland heads to San Jose, about the only thing I see coming from that game is more padding for us in the division standings.  Cleveland is just bad.
• Finally, the game I most want to see is the one that airs the same time as the Power game:  Arizona at Jacksonville.  The Arena Bowl between these two a few years ago was epic, and right now, both are looking like their old selves again.  This game should be awesome.

Don't Call It a Comeback, the Power's Been Here For (2) years!

Happy 500th post, everyone! I'm hoping that this milestone will inspire yinz guys to reach 500 comments in response to our posts. Thanks for reading!

I have spent the last couple of days trying to process the Power's insane, history-making OT win against the Predators Saturday night. We won, and no one can take it away from us - not even the refs (more on that, later) - but there are still some very troubling things about the state of our team that have me concerned.

But for the game itself....oh, mama...the game. "A Tale of Two Halves" doesn't really cut it, and "A Tale of Three Quarters and Oh-Yeah-We're-Supposed-To-Play-Four" is a bit wordy. Let's just say, the game that we saw for most of 45 minutes was vastly different than the one we saw for the final 15.

As feared, Bobby Sippio got the start for Orlando, and proving that they have more trickery up their sleeve, they decided at the last minute to start Justin Roper at QB instead of Colin Drafts, throwing all planning out the window. We had no answer for Sippio, and Roper sure enjoyed throwing to him.

The Power started with the ball when Orlando deferred and then went 4-and-out. The Preds started their drive from near their own twenty, passed once to Eley Jr, and then aired it out to Sippio for the score. This set the tone for most of the evening right there. Roper was about 50% with 245 yards and six touchdowns, spreading the ball around to Forse, Sippio, Toliver and Eley Jr. Sippio counted for half the touchdowns scored by the Predator offense that night, and proved that he was a solid pickup for the team.

Our offense in the first half was just not going anywhere, and we ended the first half with 17 points (to Orlando's 41), no real pressure on the Predator offense, no interceptions, and an injured QB, yet again. Actually, to be technical, Hines went out at the end of the 1st quarter, and he hadn't looked that good while he was in. He didn't get picked at all, but he wasn't getting much done, and then he was out and we were left with Cassidy.

I'm really having a hard time deciding how to score Cassidy's performance. Sure, he threw for 5 touchdowns, looked more comfortable than Hines and we won the game...but damn, was he ever unimpressive. 12/22, 148 yards and 4 picks (AND ONE OF THOSE SHOULDN'T COUNT! Ahem...more later), he actually had a better time of it last year in his one game for the Voodoo. Sure, he's our (counts off fingers) 4th QB on the roster in five games, was an emergency pick-up and was only meant to be there if the human excrement hit the rotary blades of the air-moving appliance - and in that, he accomplished all we could have asked of him. However, depending on how bad Hines is hurt, we could be stuck with him until Stull gets better.

There is so much depressing about that statement that I just need to pretend that I didn't type it and just move on.

The second half looked like it was going to be more of the same. Down by 31 &^%*'n points, it would be an AFL league record if we were somehow able to come back from it. Uninspired offense, lackluster defense, scared silly QB and crowd that just couldn't be bothered to cheer (or show up, for the most part), it just wasn't looking like it was going to happen. I'm going to take a slight personal aside here, because it's where my mind was at the time.

To get to our seats, Keller and I enter through the swank-ass Captain Morgan club. For those who haven't been in there, there are nice concession stands on both sides. This week, only one was open. The stands were mostly empty. The Beer Guy only walked down through our section once the entire game. The Power was 1-3 on the season in a second (probably more like 3rd)-tier sport. One guy I passed heading up the aisle at one point was complaining that the commercials promise "Half the field, twice the excitement" but in reality, it's nothing exciting at all. Folks, these are not good things at all. This all seems to say that not only have the fans given up on the sport in Pittsburgh (again) but the venue is cutting its losses as well.

I bring this up because I'm a die-hard Arena fan, and even I was wondering about the possibility of the Power still being in town next season. Even I had to say that the three home games this year were boring. Even I had to admit that absolutely nothing explosive had happened the wh-

HOLY SHIT, LaRICO STEVENSON JUST PICKED ROPER AND RAN BACK 9 YARDS!

Late in the third, things had finally started to turn around! We had the ball, we were close to the end zone and Cassidy was firing for Joystick and, oh damnit he got pick- FUMBLE! Do we have it? Who has it? BERRY HAS IT! SCORE! The crowd was on their feet and they were in it!

The remainder of the game conclusively proves beyond any shadow of a doubt that the crowd in this sport does effect the outcome. Up until this point, the Predators had ruled the field. Sippio and Roper merged with the offense like they'd been there the whole time. They had a 31-point lead, for cryin' out loud! But now the crowd was on their feet and screaming and it started to get in their heads. The next drive, we actually stopped them in their tracks and forced a turnover on downs.

Our next drive, we scored and failed a 2-pt conversion, but there were more points on the board. Here is where many of the fans, including myself, collectively - and I'm using the technical term here -lost our shit and almost rushed the field in sheer zebra-induced blood rage. The official play-reports reads Roper incomplete to Sippio, followed by Roper incomplete to Sippio, followed by Roper intercepted by LeFlore. Major kudos to Dodgeball LeFlore, but he shouldn't have had to do that. The first "incomplete to Sippio" was really an intentional grounding in the end zone and should have been a safety. The next one was a fumble, turnover and score by the Power. The refs just seemed to be watching a different game.

Look, I'm not one of those people who says that the refs lost us the game or only see things when they aren't called on the bad guys or anything, it's just that- INTERCEPTION? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? THE BALL BOUNCED OFF THE DAMN GROUND!

I would like to take this moment to publicly apologize for the things that I said at a family venue. I have no idea if the ref's mother has ever even been to Tijuana or if she's even that flexible. I also have no idea what his penis size is, or if in fact he is using Orlando money to rectify a situation that may or may not exist. I will also apologize for using the word "said" and not "scream loud enough that my voice is still raspy."

All of this only stood to put the crowd even more solidly in the Power's corner. Pittsburgh loves an us-vs-the world moment and will take any chance to back a person wearing black and gold in it. The Predators started getting penalty after penalty for false starts, delay of game, illegal defense - you name it. We were in their heads and not going anywhere, and by the end of regulation, with both kickers missing one PAT during the game, the score stood at 51-51.

In OT, we kept the pressure on and held them to a field goal. New Guy Cassidy ended this one (and probably the Predator's season) with a pass to New Guy Wise and the day was ours. Situations like this don't happen every week, but when they do, they're unforgettable. When you're there, not only do you get to see it, but due to the nature of the game, you get to literally be part of it. On the way out, I made sure to point that out to the idiot who was complaining about it being boring.

Next up, NOLA in the Graveyard.

Elsewhere in the league

• Cleveland came up way short against Tampa Bay this weekend. Not sure where the vaunted Gladiator defense was this week, but it sure wasn't in Florida.
• The Sharks lost a heart-breaker, 75-67 at home.
• In the NFL GotW, the Voodoo got beat pretty good by Aaron Garcia and the Talons (I really enjoy watching him pass to Jason Willis.) The scoreboard really didn't tell the whole story, as New Orleans gave Garcia a lot of headaches in the first half and has a brutal defense. We are in a lot of trouble next week.
• I don't want to talk about the Soul/Sabercats game. I really don't. They didn't rebroadcast it, and Philly won by a touchdown. I would have loved to have seen it.
• Another I would have liked to have seen, just to know what went down. The Undefeated Rush are no more, as they got man-handled 70-49 by the Force. Didn't I say I had a bad feeling about this game?
• The Barnstormers squeaked by the Rattlers, leaving the West Division in a three-way tie between the Ratts, Cats and Blaze...whoo-boy, that's going to get ugly.
• Angry that I didn't mention Spokane in that last bullet point, Kyle Rowley and the Shock treated the 2012 Mustangs a lot like the 2011 Mustangs and won 57-26. HOW'S IT FEEL, MILWAUKEE?!
  

Update on Saturday's Power Game

Well, those sneaky bastards down in Orlando decided that they didn't like losing to us in week one. Normally, I would have just edited my original preview, but this is important enough that I wanted to give it more attention.

Word came out this afternoon that the Preds re-signed Bobby Sippio to the team. With only one day's notice, I don't know if he'll be playing tomorrow night, but if he does, that has the potential to be a game-changer.

Sippio played four years in the NFL for the Lions, Chiefs and Dolphins before bouncing around several good teams in the AFL. Last season, he played 15 games for the Preds and still managed to be their top scoring receiver, with 112 receptions, nearly 1400 yards and 33 touchdowns. Again, I say that this is a game-changer.

The good news is that we shut him down when we played last season, to the tune of 34 yards and no TDs. Also, if he's in, he will only have had a few days at the most to work with the team and get into a groove. Hopefully he'll be off of his game when he comes to Pittsburgh.

Is it Drafty in here? Power vs Orlando Part II

Here we go again. At the beginning of the season, the two games in the first five that I was most worried about were the two against the Predators. But now, in week six, it looks like the first real chance to pick up a second win.

I hope you liked that paragraph, because it's the only one Blogger left me with when it ate my full post. But, these things happen, and we must soldier on.

Things have been dark for the Power so far this season. Our one win is one that we can't take much more pride in winning than the Preds can take shame in losing. Both teams had an ugly night with barely any of their starters for a good chunk of the evening. Game 2 was when they both got to start showing who they were, and they both lost every game since.

During halftime last week, Keller and I were lucky enough to have the chance to discuss Arena Football with KDKA's Bob Pompeani. Following is a transcript of that conversation:

BP: Good game so far
Me: Yeah, they're looking a lot better than they have been
Keller: They get the ball [first] in the second half!
BP: Yep - they deferred and it looks like it's paying off.

This conversation tells us two things:

1. Pomp was less than impressed with getting to talk to the Steelers N'At guys in the men's room and
   
2. There hasn't been much to say about the Power so far.
   

The Power have started to look better as the weeks have gone on, despite continuing quarterback woes. The Preds, however, have just been looking rough. Now, they can make a case that they've been playing some pretty tough teams - but then so have we. This week could be a turning point for whoever wins. For the Power, 2-3 sounds so very much better than 1-4, and for Orlando, a win can give them some hope that they aren't the Voodoo of this year.

What can we expect in our rematch against the Orlando Predators? Well, we primarily need our defense to step up like they did last week. Colin Drafts has not been having a good run of it, and his line hasn't been protecting him well. He's already been picked 6 times this year, and he's been getting hit fairly regularly. Although it's not too fair to really look at last week (as Cleveland has arguably the best defense in the league), that game is somewhat emblematic of his season so far. He gets picked, he gets hit, he ends up on his back, and the Preds drop another one.

This isn't to say that he's totally without weapons. Although under-utilized, he still has T.T. Toliver, who is an offensive presence when he gets the chance. Nate Forse, although not used often for the score, is Drafts' favorite target in the short game, and Dwayne Eley Jr is his favorite target in the end zone. Mark Lewis can score for them on the ground, and Drafts is the team's top rusher.

None of their numbers are overly impressive, but those are the prime offensive tools for Orlando. Our defense is going to be the key to this game, so long as our offense keeps it together. Getting to Drafts early and often will keep him off of his game. If we were able to get to Raterink a few times, I'm sure that we can get to Drafts. If we can't get to him, I think that we should harass Forse as much as possible to make Drafts feel the need to bomb it to Toliver. (And, obviously, be ready for that and go for the pick 6.)

The key is that we need our offense to play like they did last week. Basically, we need to see more of this, and less of "Ah, f%$ - another INT!" On one hand, Orlando is averaging 33 points a game and we're around 45. On this, it sounds good - but the kicker is that their defense isn't half bad. The Preds might have only broken the 40 point barrier once this season, but they've kept their opponents under 50 in all but one game (the Rush scored 51.) However, they've only gotten two picks this season, and they're allowing around 17 yards a return on kickoffs. As these are two of our weak areas, it makes me feel better.

Given that Stull is out for a few more weeks, and the Power hasn't made any QB transactions since Cassidy, I think it's safe to assume that Andrico Hines will start this week. His INTs sunk us last week, so that's my primary concern going into this game. As I said before, these weren't totally his fault, so the concern is a combination of his ability and the receivers not batting it straight to defenders.

P.J. Berry should have a bit more room to run this week on returns, so we can hope for favorable field position on our drives. This isn't as great of a concern as Hines' interceptions, as his mainly happened in the end zone, but starting farther up the field won't hurt. DeWalt and Lay are both currently suspended, so we're going to have to rely on guys like LeFlore, Berry and Williams on defense. Offense, we just need Hymes, Washington, Young and Berry to do what they did last week.

This isn't a gimmie, but it's a shouldbe. We should be better than Orlando, and we should be able to win this. Either way, this week is a game changer for these two troubled teams. It's really not going to be about who wins - it's going to be about who loses and pretty much sinks their season.

No pressure.

The game airs on the CW and Ustream.tv Saturday at 7:30. Also, there are still plenty of tickets available to see it live, so get your ass down to Consol and support the team.

Elsewhere in the league

• Friday night, Cleveland looks to cement their lead in our division with a match-up against Tampa Bay. I favor Cleveland, but TB finds themselves in a three-way 2-2 tie in their own division with the Force and the Voodoo and are looking to redeem themselves after losing to NOLA last week.
• The Sharks picked up former Power lineman Dayon Benson to go with our former QB for this week's game against the Utah Blaze. Both teams are second to last in their respective divisions and looking for a win. Given how much tougher the Blaze's division is, they need every win possible. I still see Morris as shaky in Jacksonville, so I'm going to give the edge to Utah in this one.
• The NFL Game of the Week sees the Voodoo appear for the second week in a row, this time facing Aaron Garcia and the Talons. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm taking the Voodoo in this one. They're in the national game again, and hot off their stunning, curse-breaking victory over the Storm last week. As good as Garcia is, his Talons have been average so far, and the Voodoo is on fire.
• Oh, damn you, play-off hockey! The Sabercats/Soul game was supposed to be Sunday night, but because of the Flyers (who suck) playing the Pens at home, this game got moved to Saturday at I'll-be-at-Consol-O'clock. I've been quietly giving a soft prediction on these two teams having an Arena Bowl rematch this year, and was really looking forward to this preview.
• Chicago at Georgia. This game should be an easy pick for the Rush to continue their undefeated ways. I just, for some reason, have a really bad feeling about this game. I'm not basing this on anything, just a gut feeling.
• Rattlers travel to Iowa Saturday night. This should be a really good match-up, and it's tough to pick a favorite the way these two teams are playing. I'm going to pick the Ratts, just because I like them and I'm angry at the Barnstormers.
• Finally, the late game is Milwaukee at Spokane. Spokane lost their first game with their reacquired Rowley behind center, but not by a lot. If he gets back in the groove, this troubled team has a chance to turn it around...but the Mustangs are really good this year.
  

Power Recap and AFL State of the Union

I'm going to get to a recap of the game, I promise, but there are unfortunately much bigger issues that need to be addressed before I do.

Okay, first off, remember all that awesome stuff I said about Kyle Rowley and the future of the Pittsburgh Power? Yeah, forget about that. Not happening. For those of you that didn't tune into the game Friday night, a whole can of worms was opened. Depending on who you listen to, the players were planning to strike at kickoff (Rowley says it was an empty threat) and the league preemptively fired everyone at the pre-game dinner. Then, they planned to play the game with scrubs and replacements.

Eventually, everyone except Rowley and our kicker were re-signed, with some even making it onto the field during the game. The team seems to be holding Rowley responsible, and there have been some pretty harsh things said about him. Rowley got the chance to tell his side of the story in an interview, but of course, that's not getting nearly the exposure.

The center of the issue is one of pay. Everyone who follows the league knows - and I mentioned last week - that the pay is rather pathetic in this league. The players union wants substantially better benefits and pay, and I understand that. On KDKA the other night, Lynn Swann himself even voiced his understanding of the issue. On the other side of the coin, I also know that the pay scale is a by-product of what the powers-that-be had to do to bring the league back after it took a season off. I've often heard that they fully intended to pay more as the league became more viable. I also understand that. Both are good points, and unfortunately, both are mainly mutually exclusive.

What I don't understand is how this whole situation has been handled. Whether or not Rowley was the ringleader, he was hung out to dry over this. In his words, he was trying to stand with the players, and one way or another, they abandoned him and left him holding the bag. They had their reasons - mainly that they didn't want to lose their jobs - but it still sucks for him.

Also, the league did as much as they could to quash the news rather than deal with it head-on. There are accusations on Facebook that they deleted posts about it on their page, they didn't really release anything official about it until yesterday, and their whole comment on it after the game Friday was "After a long, tumultuous day of roster transactions..." (The Power also released a level-headed statement of their own.) On top of all that, most accounts say that players were only rehired if they renounced their unions - which defeats the whole purpose of them having one.

I hear sports guys all the time complaining about the "Twittersphere" and "Facebook journalism" that allows misinformation to spread at the speed of light while they have to take their time checking facts. It's not a great situation for them, but it is the situation that they have. With a league that has such minimal coverage as this, it's even worse. In the absence of anything official, all we had to go on for a few days was rumor. The league should have gotten out in front of this right from the beginning to get their side out. Now they look like bad guys and the sport itself is a punchline.

They say that any coverage is good coverage, but the last few days have tested that. For the first time since their season opener last year, the Power is actually being talked about during the TV sports report and by radio personalities. Unfortunately, they're only talking about the mass firing, and not about the rehires. Randy Baumann of the DVE Morning Show in particular has latched onto this like a popular kid mercilessly mocking the kid who accidentally burped in a quiet classroom and never letting it go. I've talked to several people who seem to think that either A.) the league itself is now defunct or at least B.) the Power is all over but the crying.

Arena Football is still alive and more-or-less well. The Power is still around, and has only lost a quarterback and a kicker. After last season, is that really that different than business as usual when it comes right down to it? No. So, buck up, put on your big boy pants and cheer on a local sports team that's really getting the short end of the stick here. It's only our poor luck that this happened - whichever two teams played that first game were going to be made an example of, and we just happened to draw that schedule.



Now, the game. Remember that? We played a game Friday night and we won the damn thing decisively with replacements, a rattled QB and no kicker! I don't know about you, but that makes me pretty happy over here.

I'm going to ignore the sour grapes the Predators have been putting out there about a gentleman's agreement about the number of starters each team was going to use instead of replacements. It was a chaotic scene, and not only did the right hand not know what the left was doing, it didn't seem to even know the left was there.

The first quarter was an anomaly in the Arena League in that there wasn't a point scored. This was mainly because no one knew what was going on, and no one had played with each other before. Hell, Kyle Israel started the game in the Preds locker room and finished the evening wearing black and gold!

In the second quarter, original starters began to return to the field and things got a bit more normal. (Plus, I started to breathe again and stopped thinking the sky was falling.) Overall, it was tough to judge the team as a whole based on this game, but there were a number of things about players that I can.

First off, the King is dead, long live the King: Andrico Hines looks to be the heir-apparent now that Kyle has left the building never to return. He looked shaky as all get-out during the game, but the end result looked a lot better in retrospect. The game book isn't out there yet, so I unfortunately can't break down too many specifics, but his overall stats were nice. Averaging almost 15 yards a completion, he threw for a total of 266 yards and 6 touchdowns and no interceptions. When you take into account the fact that he was dealing with unfamiliar receivers and the additional fact that games like this favor the defense, it's downright impressive.

Although DeWalt didn't get his hands on the ball, our other Iron Man, PJ Berry really showed his stuff Friday. He had 52 yards plus a TD on offense, broke up a few plays on defense and averaged 12 yards a return on special teams. Is it any wonder he won Iron Man of the Year last season with the Voodoo?

Mike Washington. Mike "the Joystick" Washington.

Man, it is so good to have him still on the team. 166 yards and 4 TDs, he returned to the field in explosive fashion. The fact that the only Orlando receiver to see the end zone was also named Washington just made it seem like Joystick was everywhere at once. A few replays even looked like they sped up the film when he turned on the jets.

Two other players to take note of are Bryan Williams and Chris "Dodgeball" LeFlore (I'm gonna make that one stick if it kills me.) Both of these defensive players made a splash Friday night, and I'm looking forward to seeing what they can do against a team of starters. Leflore was in on a lot of plays and also managed a turnover in there. Williams was dominating. Several of his hits were both vicious and completely legal - the sweet spot for the position. By the end of the game, you could tell the Preds were designing plays to avoid him (which left them with LeFlore...)

Finally, I'm not too worried about the kicker situation right now. Without one Friday, both teams just went for 2, and the Power had pretty good luck with that. Maybe we should make that "our thing."

We have a bye next week, which means that we can get everything evened out before our home opener against the Soul.

Elsewhere in the league

Verdict on Ustream: it has potential, but everyone seemed to be having issues this weekend, so I didn't get to watch as much as I wanted to. The Talons game was stuttering too much to attempt to watch, the Rush game had no sound, and the Rattlers game just completely cut out. Everyone is promising to do better next week, so we shall see.

• The Talons hosted the Blaze at their new San Antonio location, and proved that Garcia is still the man. 350ish yards and 8 TDs sealed the deal for his new team.
• Although there was no sound, Russ Michna sure looked great in the Rush's opener against the Storm. Hooking back up with veteran Reggie Grey, he destroyed Tampa 70-48
• If there was a game that had me weeping because of technical issues with ustream, it was this one. Watching the live scoring back-and-forth between these two bitter rivals told me that it must have been GREAT to watch. The Ratts lost a nail-biter, 71-70 in OT
• Good news! Philly and the Mustangs haven't played yet and the Gladiators lost. We're #1 in the division!
• Finally, Coach Ho got the job done with his new team in Iowa. Barnstormers win in OT.
  

The Power Returns! Season Intro and Opening Night Preview

It's that time again, folks: Arena Football season is once again upon us.

After a long winter full of nothing much exciting (aside from the Steelers, Pens, player news/fears for both, and some very bad predictions on my part) it is time once again to get some use out of the Consol Energy Center and see some football!

For those of you new to Arena Football in general and my posts in particular, let me lay things out in a nutshell: Arena Football is similar to the outdoor game we all know and love in that there are two teams in helmets and pads where one is offense and one is defense at any given time. The offense moves the ball down field by throwing or carrying it, and then scores by crossing a line or kicking it through the uprights. The other team attempts to stop them through subtle and nuanced measures that amount to running into each other as hard as they can. The two teams then change sides and continue for 60 minutes with a break in the middle so that the spectators can get beer.

The difference with the indoor game is that it is played on a field half the size with no sidelines and smaller uprights. The clock rarely stops and the emphasis is on scoring. Offense is king, the ball is rarely carried and the players are barely paid. In this form, you have a game played by a combination people who are either just playing for the love of the game, or are desperate as all hell to get into the NFL. The result is a fast-paced, high-scoring game that requires a different strategy than the outdoor one, full of a different kind of excitement and passion on the field.

There - now you know more than 90% of the people out there when asked, "explain the Arena Football League to me." For a more detailed breakdown, see the Pittsburgh Power's page.

Now back to the topic at hand which is - YEAH, BUDDY! IT'S TIME FOR ARENA FOOTBALL AGAIN!

Once again, the Power get the honor of opening the season for the whole league on a Friday night NFL Network broadcast. This year, it's a road game, but it's still awesome that we're first out of the gate. We must have picked up a decent following last year, because between the NFL Network and the CW, all but two games will be broadcast on TV this year. Four of them will be seen nationally on the NFL Network. Although it's handy that every game in the league last year was broadcast online through NiftyTV, I'm glad that I won't have to monkey around with that as much for the home team.

The first post of the season is always difficult, because it's hard to make predictions. The way the AFL works is that players are only under one year contracts, and most are paid a couple of hundred bucks a game. Because of this, there is massive turnover each season, and a team can be a completely different group of guys each season. As such, you can really only go on what you know about veterans, what the local support for a team is, and the coaches. Don't get me wrong, that can mean a lot - but just look at the Sabercats last year. Historically great team, total crap most of 2011.

That being said, we have an exciting game lined up this week. Once again, we travel to Orlando to play the Predators in the Friday night spotlight. This did not work out well for us late last season, but honestly, it was one of the best-played games the Power had all season. The Preds have insane fans and always have, their arena is generally packed, and national games are always more intense. I expect this outing to be no different.

Like I said, it's tough to say what will happen the first outing with a team each year. We have some old faces returning and some new ones we can only guess about. Here's what I can say based on our game last year:

On the Power side, Josh Lay was clutch on defense, LaRico Stevenson was big in pass coverage, Total Chaos showed some stuff, DeWalt, Joystick, and Campbell were key on offense, but were outshone by DJ Hall and, last but not least, even Edinger went 6-8 on PATs. It was a standout game, but we ran out of gas in the second half and we continued to be plagued by our QB woes.

On the Preds side, the show was run by TT Toliver, Josh Bush and Robert Quiroga on offense with Bobby Sippio putting up yards. Coach O'Hara continued his history of risky calls by putting in Collin Drafts at QB instead of his starter, and Chris Dubalt teamed up with kicker Mark Lewis twice in a frickin' row to recover off the uprights for a score on a kickoff.

How does that stack up this year? Well, Coach O'Hara is gone, as is Bush, Quiroga and Dubalt. On our side, we've lost Hall, Campbell and Total Chaos - the latter of these to none other than the Orlando Predators!

Our core is still there. DeWalt returns as our Iron Man, playing both offense and defense. Unless he somehow lost his magic in the last few months, he's still going to be a play-maker. Tall, accurate and quick, he's a sure target in the end zone and never afraid to flip backwards over the boards to make a catch. Also, he's tall enough to smack down passes and a receiver so he knows what to do if he intercepts it.

Mike "Joystick" Washington is also back. The pint-sized terror is primed to get back out there and do what he does best - namely, squeak through holes and run 15 yards in the blink of an eye. From what I understand, Mike still has NFL aspirations and plays like he's trying to prove it.

Finally, Josh Lay and LaRico Stevenson are still listed on our roster to cause trouble on defense and, for better or worse, I don't have Edinger to kick around any more.

We have two big unknowns going into this game: Kyle Rowley and the Power's ability to protect the QB. Last year, we had a constant carousel of quarterbacks the whole season. We had at least 4 men fill that role, and I'm having trouble remembering if any of them played 4 games in a row. Part of this was because we had guys without much Arena experience who weren't prepared for how fast the game moves and held the ball too long. They also weren't ready for short passes and quicker defenders. The other problem was that there was seemingly no one blocking for them. They all spent more time on their backs and on IR than they did on the field.

This year, the Power needs to cut that shit out, because we have a QB worth protecting. Kyle Rowley joins us, and his resume (or at least his Wiki entry) reads like a "Here I am, try to stop me" statement. He's the only QB to win the championship in both arena leagues, has been voted MVP, and just all around knows how to win.

Come at me, bro!

Now, I'm not saying that he's suddenly going to solve all our problems, but he's a big key to it. Our weak spot all of last season was mainly at QB, be it consistency, skill, or just coverage. The first two, Rowley's got. He's also played all over the place for a number of years, so he's use to adapting to new teams, coaches and players. As long as the rest of the Power can keep him from getting broken, we're in good gosh-darned shape.

Now for the Predators. One of the only constants generally in this league is coaching. Whole rosters can change, but the same decision makers are up front. Last season, O'Hara lost some key games and for one reason or another, he and the Predators decided to part ways. It's okay, he landed on his feet with the Voodoo, and it should be interesting. So, what can we expect from new head coach Bret Munsey? Tough to say. He's been out of this league for a few years, but when he last coached, it was for the Arena Bowl champion 2008 Soul. That bodes well for Orlando.

Also, although they've lost some key receivers, but retained the total threat of fan-favorite TT Toliver. They picked up former Pittsburgh favorite Terrance "Total Chaos" Carter on defense. Furthermore, Collin Drafts is still backing up the starting QB. This QB is Trevor Harris, who used to back up none other than 2011 Arena Bowl runner-up Nick Devila. He's also worked out with both the J'Ville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills. That's a good resume.

Finally, we gotta worry about that damn Mark Lewis on kickoffs.

So, where does that leave us? Several of the key ingredients of last season for both teams are in the game along with some very powerful wildcards. If both teams play like they did last year, and the Power can protect Rowley and Rowley gels with the team, I think they can win. We have more team veterans in key offensive positions. As this is an offense-driven game, that means a lot. However, if the Power gets up to old tricks of not protecting the QB and running out of gas in the second half, they're sunk.

The game airs at 8:30 on the NFL Network.

Elsewhere in the league

The Power isn't the only game in town this weekend. There's a lot more football to watch. This season, it looks like Nifty is out, and ustream is in. I haven't used it yet, but it advertises in-browser viewing as well as iPhone/Android apps. Sounds fantastic, and a huge improvement over Nifty.

• Saturday @4, the Blaze visits the recently moved San Antonio Talons. The Blaze is generally entertaining, but I'm more interested in the Talons. They are the new home for Arena Bowl Champ Aaron Garcia, the Pred's Robert Quiroga, and our own Jason "Watchu Talkin' Bout" Willis. They're going to be dangerous.
• Obviously I'm all about the Storm/Rush game at 8:00. Nick Hill, formerly of the Preds, is heading up the Storm, while my boy Russ Michna returns to the field with receivers Gray and Hall.
• The Rattlers and Sabercats meet up at 10:30. Even when the Cats stunk last year, these teams meeting up was still something to behold. They're one of the biggest rivalries of the league, and the games are always brutal, showcasing what AFL is all about.
• Monday night is mainly interesting to see how our rivals the Gladiators do in one game, and how former Soul coach Hohensee and former Rush QB JJ Raterink do in the other.

Enjoy the season, everyone! I'll be back next week with the recap.


Also, don't forget that there's a comments section right down there. Let me know you're out there

AFL Playoffs: First Round Recap

It was a great weekend of playoff action, not that the media really wanted us to know. Being that they are on the NFL Network this year instead of ESPN, only one game was aired - the rest were online. Also, that one that was aired got bumped because of the NFL lockout ending, and it wasn't shown until midnight Saturday.

Even so, the games went on. Half the teams advanced, half the teams went home, and everyone ended up where they should have.

Dallas Vigilantes at Chicago Rush

Just a few weeks ago, these two teams met up to determine who got home field advantage in the first round. Winning this, Chicago got a double bonus: First, they got to play at home, and second, they knew that they'd just beaten this same team two games earlier. Even though Michna was still injured, they knew that they could do it with Raterink anyway.

In the beginning, Dallas was maintaining a slight lead in the give-and-take between the teams, thanks to an early field goal. Starting in the second half, Chicago started to assert their dominance on the field before coming back with 13 unanswered points in the third.

Throughout the game, both quarterbacks retained respectable numbers, getting over 250 yards, 6 touchdowns and completing about 2/3 of their passes. Also, neither QB got picked during the game. Even with a slight edge in rushing for Dallas, the teams were evenly matched.

So who won in the end? For that, I want you to think back to what I said after we played Dallas. I said it then, and I'll say it now: Clint Dolezel is a go big or go home kinda guy. I can respect that, but I don't have to agree with it. At the end of this game, they had a chance to kick a close field goal and tie the game, or they could go for a touchdown on 4th and win. Guess which he did?

Guess who gets to play next week.


Arizona Rattlers vs Spokane Shock

One of this season's dominant teams faced off against the defending Arena Bowl champs in a game that really felt like an, "Alright, let them play to feel good about themselves" game. The Shock barely got into the playoffs in the first place and struggled this season. At 9-9, they ended with the same record the Power did when they didn't get to go to the playoffs in a weak division. Also feeling our pain, they struggled often this year, whereas the Rattlers dominated the National Conference, and it showed on the field.

Having split the series this year against their division rivals, it still wasn't a sure thing for the Rattlers going into this game. At the beginning, it was looking ugly for both teams with a total of 5 turnovers. In many ways, it looked like Spokane had control, as they capitalized on their turnovers and their QB Rowley put up much better numbers than Davila - but the Rattlers came back with a slow and steady attack that has carried them through the season.

The old rule of turnovers losing games reared its head for Spokane, because in the end, Rowley threw 4 picks where Davila only threw two. In the end, it was 62-33 Arizona, completely wiping that struggling first half out of anyone's minds.

Arizona advances to play Chicago next week at home.

Jacksonville Sharks vs the Orlando Predators.

This game was meant to be ugly from the beginning. Both teams hate each other on many levels, and when they met last year - with Jacksonville top-seeded then as well - the Preds sent them packing. However, the outcome wasn't surprising given their series history this year.

The main surprise of this game was how effective the Orlando defense was at keeping Garcia contained. He was held to less than 150 yards and only got off 19 attempts. However, in those 19 attempts, he completed 15 of them and snagged 4 touchdowns. On the other side, however, Hill blasted out over 300 yards and six TDs, four of them going to the unmatchable Quiroga and TT Toliver.

Jacksonville's win came on the backs of their solid, solid defense and their running game. Their D forced a fumble as well as stopping the Preds 5 times on 3rd downs and 2 out of 3 4ths. Their rushing game accounted for 3 touchdowns, which is a rare feat between top-flight teams - and these both are.

In the end, the Sharks win their first playoff game, the Preds lose to them for the third time this season, the rivalry gets really ugly and the Preds wish a (publicly) fond farewell to their Coach O'Hara. This last part is a bit of a bummer for me, as I dug his style. It was ballsy, in your face, it got them to the playoffs and beat the crap out of us.

Regardless - The Sharks stick around for another week.

Georgia Force vs the Cleveland Gladiators.

Oh, balls - who really cares? Both these teams beat us and we didn't get to go to the playoffs because of them.  In a perfect world, they all would have gotten food poisoning before the game and drew straws to see which team got to get beat up by the Sharks next week.

After a promising first half full of scoring and turnovers, the Glads looked to be sitting pretty. However, after that, the Force shut them down. Off-again-on-again Rocco showed his colors by getting just beat all over the place in the second half, and he was kept off the board until the forth when Cleveland mounted a strong, but ultimately unsuccessful comeback. I say "Cleveland" and not "Rocco," because he got some bench time and a fresh Dutton came in.

He lit the field up with the old standbys of Bergeron and Redd, and put up over a hundred yards. Again, it wasn't enough. With the O line letting Rocco get hit so many times that he lost his cool - not to mention a goose egg for a score in the third - this game ended 50-41.

Not a lot more can be said about this game except that the better team won. When we played the Force, they were a solid team that sent us home. When we played Cleveland, it was split 50/50. They only made it into the playoffs because we fell apart at the end of the season. This isn't really a comment on either team - I think we would have lost in this round had we gone. However, it still points up the fact that, when Cleveland is good, they're great. When they're bad, they fall apart. With rare exceptions like the Philly game, it's not the defense that falls apart, though - it's the offense. They slack and let Rocco get hit, and once that pressure comes, he can't function any more.

Good luck in Jacksonville next week, Force.


Next Week:

Arizona vs Chicago: As much as I've always liked Chicago – after all, they're my non-Power team – I don't think they have a chance. They'll have a slight one if Michna makes it back, but it's still slim. I called it a while back that I saw Arizona and Jacksonville playing for the title, and I don't see any reason to change that opinion.

Arizona is a solid, reliable team with a proven track record. Whereas Jacksonville dominated most of the season, then slacked, then came back, Arizona has been sure and steady. This is their time. Chicago handed them one of their few loses this season, but it was only by a point and Arizona is the better team on many fronts. Adding to this, Chicago has a reputation of choking that would make Peyton Manning blush. The fact that they got past week one is a big accomplishment.

Jacksonville vs Georgia: A few weeks ago, I would have given this one to the Sharks, no questions asked. But after losing to the Sabercats, and going one for four in their last games, anything is possible. All through the season, the American South was a tough division, and the Force only finished 3 games behind their rivals.

However, I'm going to go with my old standby of history. Jacksonville swept the series between these two teams, and probably will again. 

To beat the drum some more: Jacksonville will square off against Arizona in two weeks.

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.
  

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

*************

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.