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.
  

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

Pittsburgh Power 2012 Update

Hey, it's never too early to be thinking about the Power's next season. Well, for me anyway. Either way, I wanted to give a bit of a State of the Arena Union update now that the 2012 schedule has been announced. That, coupled with some big changes around the league, make for some exciting news.

Here's the schedule, according to the Power website:

3/9 @Orlando Predators (NFL Network)

3/23 Philadelphia Soul (NFL Network)

3/29 @Milwaukee Mustangs

4/6 Iowa Barnstormers

4/14 Orlando Predators

4/20 @New Orleans VooDoo

4/28 Cleveland Gladiators

5/5 Georgia Force

5/12 @San Antonio Talons

5/19 Kansas City Command

6/3 @Arizona Rattlers

6/8 @Cleveland Gladiators (NFL Network)

6/16 Milwaukee Mustangs

6/24 @Philadelphia Soul

6/30 @Iowa Barnstormers

7/7 Tampa Bay Storm

7/14 @Georgia Force

7/20 Jacksonville Sharks (NFL Network)

Oooooookay! There's a lot to cover here, but I'll get to the schedule in a moment. First, I'd like to talk about the team itself. The Power is shaping up in exciting ways already, and they're still recruiting for the season. As things stand right now, QB Morris is out, whereas "Joystick" Washington, "Powertool" Dewalt, Anthony DeGrate and back-up QB Bill Stull have all been resigned. Washington and DeWalt are both key, as they were our star play-makers last year, and I was very concerned that we were going to lose one or both of them to other teams - or leagues.

What about the quarterback situation? That's the big question. Last season, we had four players fill that position, and Morris was the best of them - and that's not saying much. Coach Siegfried has stressed that consistency at this position is a major goal for this season, and he's committed to that in a big way. First off, as mentioned above, Bill Stull is back. He looked good in the one game he played for us last year, and I think that he'll make a solid backup. The big news is our starter.

The Power has stolen big shot Kyle Rowley away from the Spokane Shock, and I couldn't be more excited. In 2008, he was the offensive player of the year, and in 2010, he lead the Shock to an Arena Bowl win and took home the MVP title. This is huge. He's a great player, has a lot of experience and already has an Arena Bowl victory under his belt. Morris was never an Arena QB by the shear fact that he lacked experience. Games were lost because of this inexperience and lack of confidence. Having a true veteran behind center could be that one drop that makes the whole solution gel.

My concerns right now are people who haven't been confirmed for next season. No word yet on defensive stand-outs Josh Lay, Terrance "Total Chaos" Carter or Gary "Da Bully" Butler. It's no secret that our defense struggled at times last year, but these guys are all dynamic players with a lot to offer, and I think that they'd come back with a renewed focus and united force. Now, if we can't get them all, then I'd hope they get prioritized in the order I put them here.

So, how about the season? There are some theories that I can put forth, but a lot is still up in the air. Keller commented to me the other day that he doesn't like the year-to-year contracts in the league, as it makes it hard to hate on the same people long-term. Now, he has a point, but I like the fact that anything can happen any season. This year will be no exception.

It's obvious that Pittsburgh already has a following that the league recognizes as they have a whopping four games on the NFL Network this year - with two of them being in the first three weeks. I talked at length last season of the home team embracing that we've given them, and it seems that others are noticing.

Last year, the league took it easy on this expansion team's early season, but that is not the case this year. First of all, we need to face the Preds twice in the first five games, and that's not good at all. After parting ways with Coach O'Hara at the end of the season, they've aggressively started pursuing top talent. Given that they have the consistently largest fanbase in the league, that shouldn't be difficult. Also, they resigned TT Toliver. Nuff Said.

Things are going to be turned on their head in our division as well. The only good news is that Kurt Rocco has left the hated Gladiators to see if he can help turn the Voodoo around - under Coach O'Hara down in New Orleans, where the Arena Bowl will be played this year. We still have to play them, but only once - and that's good, because they might actually be something to watch this year...from a distance.

While we picked up Rowley, Philly answered with "Dirty" Dan Raudabaugh (Yes, I'm gonna push the nickname 'til it sticks) from the Dallas Vigilantes. If you remember, we only beat Dallas by one point last year, and they went to the playoffs. Now we have to play him twice this season, and that's not good.

The Milwaukee and Cleveland camps have been comparatively quiet thus far, but it's still early. The Mustangs aren't historically great, so until something changes, I'm not going to worry too much. Right now, Cleveland is less scary than Philly, but they're officially a bitter rival and both teams are always going to get it up for each other.

Other things of note are the Barnstormers, Rattlers and Sharks. The Ratts went to the Arena Bowl last year, have won several before and will always be dangerous. I'm not looking forward to getting whooped on by them again. The Barnstormers were middling last year, but now they have Coach Ho, formerly of Philly and Chicago. He's a better coach than Philly showed last year, and I think he can make a dangerous team out of Iowa - and we have to play them twice.

Finally, we end the season against the defending champs, the Jacksonville Sharks. On the up side, they won't have Garcia anymore. He's decided to play one more season, but not with the Sharks. He wants to coach, so he'd like to play somewhere he can hope to lead in future years. (He will be offered a chance at a one-day contract to retire a Shark.) I think that this is a great move for him. Few can challenge his experience, and he'll be a great asset. Unlike the Favres of the world, he's coming back for "just one more" for the right reasons that shouldn't tarnish his legacy if it goes sideways.

****Update****

It looks like the San Antonio Talons picked up Garcia and Robert Quiroga (formerly of the Predators.) This, coupled with a flurry of other signings they've made this month means that we're going to have a really tough game in May.

*****

On the down side with the Sharks, they've signed Florida State star Chris Leak to augment former Steeler hopeful, Omar Jacobs (remember him?) Whether either one of them will measure up to Garcia is yet to be seen, but it's a scary combo.

So, that's the run-down. A lot of news about the upcoming season has already come out, but there's still a lot more to come. There's still a long time (and a lot of NFL action) to go before March, and a lot can still happen. More details to come when I have them.

Go Power, Go Pens and Go Steelers!

Power Vs Soul: the Pride is Ours

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

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

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

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

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

Season in retrospect

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

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

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

This is a good sign.

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

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

I've already got my season tickets reserved.

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

Cleveland vs Power Review

*sigh*

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

If the Playoffs were today

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

Elsewhere in the league

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

Rattlers @Power Preview - Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Elsewhere in the league

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Until my prediction reared its ugly, ugly head.

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

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

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

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

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

Elsewhere in the league

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

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

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

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

Power vs Predators - Playoff Preview?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

So, how do we win?

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

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

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

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

Elsewhere in the league

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

Power vs Mustangs Review - History repeats itself

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

You idiots.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I love my wife.

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

Until the end when everything came together.

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

Stupid, stupid people.

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

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

Lord have mercy, it was either Edinger or overtime.

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

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

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

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

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

If the Playoffs were today

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

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

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

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

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

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

Power Razed By the Blaze

Well, that game was downright sucktastic.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Power Goes to Utah. Power vs Blaze Preview.

A while back, I had mentioned that out of three games, we had two that we should win – even though we lost one of them – this is the third game. Despite their 5-7 record and stupid name, the Blaze is not going to be an easy game.

First off, QB Tommy Grady is actually one of the best in the league. He has a shot at breaking several single-season records this year, he's just had a bad string of luck so far. He throws fast, deep and accurately – not a trait that the Power has been historically good at dealing with.

On the flip-side, he has thrown a number of interceptions recently. Obviously, this means that DeWalt and Campbell need to be on their toes. With the way they put points up quickly, this is a must. Additionally, defense is critical against their special teams as Chris Bocage is very good at returning kickoffs for points.

On our side of the ball, as long as Morris keeps his cool, he should be able to get the job done. The Blaze is another one of those teams that relies on putting up lots of point to cope with the number they let up. Currently, they are averaging more than 60 points allowed per game, and they let up a staggering eighty-one points in Tulsa last week.

Obviously, while we're looking to pick them off, the Power needs to keep that from happening to themselves. Multiple turn-overs last week in Dallas were what put the game out of reach for them, and is not something that can be shaken off in Utah. As soon as the Blaze gets any kind of lead, I fear the game will be out of reach for us.

Both teams have a lot riding on this game. Since Cleveland won last week and we lost, we have to win this week to keep them at bay. I know I've said that, but it bares repeating. At this point, the only reprieve we get is them losing – and they have a soft schedule. I realize that we're not going to win out, but we need to play every game as if we need to.

Utah is in a worse position. Currently, they need to win this week to have even a shred of hope of securing the last wild-card slot in that conference. After losing three in a row, and getting thwumped by Tulsa last week, they are going to be in do-or-die mode. We had hoped last week that Tampa would be rolling over, but they proved that's not something we can count on. We need to play as if we're expecting Utah to come out shooting and not let up until the final whistle blows.

Elsewhere in the league

• Don't expect the Mustangs to gain any ground in the division, unless they have the biggest upset since David clocked Goliath when they meet up with the Sharks in Jacksonville.
• The Soul have a good chance against Tulsa Friday night, continuing to be a threat.
• Sunday afternoon, Cleveland will be facing off against the Command, a game they will most likely win.
• Friday night, the game of the week on the NFL Network is the Predators vs the Storm. This is the Steelers/Ravens of the AFL. As much as I'd like the Storm to lose, I'm going to have to root for them this week. If they can gain ground on Orlando, they have a shot at the playoffs – and I'd much rather face them than the Preds in the first round.

The Storm was Over-Powering

The good news is that we’re still #1 in the division. The bad news is, we lost this weekend. The worse news is that we’re only #1 because we beat Cleveland in the head-to-head last week. Another loss, and we’re back to second fiddle.

The Power played hard in this game, and only came up 7 points short. As I had said in my preview, Tampa Bay is backed into a corner and fighting for their season – we should be ready for anything. It was just our bad luck that Zbydniewski had the game of his life on Saturday. Had that not been the case, we probably would have walked away with the win.

Things started out really well when Carlos Campbell made an interception on the Storm’s first drive. This set Pittsburgh up to get on the board first, and get the ball rolling. Unfortunately, from there the scores just kept getting traded back and forth.

As is my general rule, the back-and-forth is all well and good until a team doesn’t score on a drive. It might not be instantaneous, but I’ve found that this is the team that’s usually going to lose. This was true in this case, as Pittsburgh went four and out early in the second, changing it from “Pitt scores, Tampa catches up” to, “Tampa scores, Pitt catches up.”

When Tampa’s kicker missed a PAT late in the second, it looked like we might have a gift handed to us, but my boy Edinger evened that up himself later in the game. The scoring exchanges continued throughout the second half, with both teams going all out, but in the end, Tampa squeaked through with that extra 7 pts to put this one to bed.

Yes, it was a loss, and yes, it will make things a lot more interesting for our season – in the macro sense, this was a hard loss to swallow, and one that will probably come back to haunt us.

In the micro sense, there was a lot that the Power can come away from this game happy with. Campbell’s huge interception started the game off right, Joystick had over a hundred yards and three touchdowns, and Morris threw for 335 yards. Also, Mathis had a huge night this week, further proving that it’s great to have him back. He had 195 yards and three touchdowns on the night, as well as returning his first kickoff for a score this year.

It might be easy to point to the defense and say that they didn’t get the job done this week. After all, had they stepped it up, Tampa wouldn’t have scored as much, right? Not necessarily. As I said earlier, Zbydniewski had the game of his life this week. He was 24-34 with only one interception, and threw for career highs in both yardage and touchdowns (372/8.) I’m really not sure that there was much more that we could have done against someone that fired up and ready to go.

On the other side of the ball, their defense played us just as hard. We were only able to convert 4 of 7 3^rd downs and 1 of 3 4^th downs. Also, as I feared, they got to Morris with a critical sack. They kept us contained, and that was that. This is a team that’s used to winning and saw their season slipping away – they beat us, fair and square.

Next up, the Utah Blaze.

Elsewhere in the league

• Jacksonville extends their streak to 11, by squeaking a close one by Orlando – 68-67
  
  
• Cleveland won, which sucks. Our records are now tied, with only our matchup last week keeping us in the lead. We can hope they lose next week to the Command but, well, the Mustangs beat them by 20 pts this week…
  
  
• The Friday-night spotlight was a real shocker this week. I wasn’t expecting much out of Philly and Spokane, but it was actually a really exciting game. The Shock scored on their first drive, onside kicked it and recovered, which they took to the house again. After that trickery on the second drive of the game, they did it again! This time, they missed the PAT, but the fact is: they had 20pts on the board before Philly even had a chance to touch the ball! What followed was an explosive slugfest that was exciting to watch.

If the playoffs were today

• The National Conference would be mostly the same as last week, trading Spokane for Utah. I still pick Arizona in the first round, along with Chicago. Chicago is still a question-mark with their ability to choke in the post-season
  
  
• The American Conference would now see Cleveland matched with Orlando, in which I’d pick Orlando by a hair. We’d be matched with Jacksonville, to which I don’t think it even needs to be said how hard we’d be beat.