Wow...and just like that, we're back to Arena Bowl time again. That means the end of Arena season for another year, and the beginning of the NFL. But, not to get ahead of things - there's still an Arena Bowl to enjoy. This year, there will be an extra bonus to the coverage - and that's the fact that Keller and I are actually going to be at the game.
It was all a random series of events that included me saying, "Dude...we should just drive down to Orlando. <ha-ha>" and Keller saying, "<lol> Yeah, we should."
Then we discovered that pretty much the same seats we have at Consol were available for this game and we called each other's bluff. So...we're going. The only thing more exciting is the fact that the match-up is between two teams we actually give a shit about: Our division rival Philadelphia Soul and a team called the Arizona Rattlers (I might have mentioned that I'm a fan.)
The astute among you may notice that these are the same two teams that met up last year - and this is the first time that has ever happened. So, what should we expect this time around? Well, last year, the Rattlers came into the Arena Bowl after being narrowly beaten by the Sharks the year before, and the Soul came in with only one or two players who had ever been to the big show before. The Ratts owned the field from the word go, Dan Raudabaugh looked like a dear in headlights, and Brackins got shut down. By the end of the night, Arizona routed the Soul, and their media guys quickly began to regret starting this crap before the playoffs started.
This season, the Rattlers have owned the Soul, beating them in both meetings. The Latin Laser, Nick Davila, has been money, Odie Armstrong has been rumbling into the end zone, guys like Poots are making plays, and their defense has been solid. The only team to really threaten them was the Shock, and they put that threat to bed last week...but I'm not as confident as I should be.
First of all, the Soul got brought to Jesus last year, and I think they got woken up. They know what they're in for and they're ready for the bright lights. If Dirty Dan was going to get the yips, he might have gotten that out of his system a few weeks ago when he threw 5 interceptions in one game. I just see them being a stronger team this time around. But, it's not just them I'm worried about.
The Rattlers might be the ones getting cocky this year. It's their third Arena Bowl in a row, they've already beaten the Soul twice this season, and they pasted them last year. Also, they've been held up as the league's golden children all season (there was some unfounded sour grapes rumors that the league was intentionally trying to force a dynasty) and have been basically made out to not be able to lose. Well...they can.
Aside from the fact that it is very hard to beat a team three times in a season - in this league or the outdoor one - there's also the concern behind center. Last week, Davila took a pretty vicious hit to his throwing arm - the same arm he had surgery on during the off season. After that, you could see that every throw was agony. I haven't seen any word as to how bad it was or even if it's still an issue - but I know that the Rattlers are going to start him, no matter what. If it's not 100%, that's a huge loss. Even if it's functionally 100%, it's a weak point that could get injured again during the game.
I also have concerns given the fact that Boss Ross has been near-unstoppable this year (which isn't to say that AZ's Armstrong hasn't been - he just hasn't put up nearly the same numbers) and Brackins has been returning to form. Also, Philly didn't have Tiger last year. Although he was all but shut down last week, this is the stage that dancing fool was made for.
The bottom line is that the Rattlers should win this one, but their worst enemy is themselves. If they come in like they're owed a victory, they will lose. If Davila's arm gives out, they will probably lose. But if they bear down, focus and play it like any other week, they can win.
Plus, Philly pulled out this crap right before the playoffs.
Stay tuned for after this weekend, when Keller and I will post a follow-up with our experiences and pictures. Plus, look for us on TV - we'll be the idiots wearing our Power jerseys five rows up from the field.
Showing posts with label philadelphia Soul. Show all posts
Showing posts with label philadelphia Soul. Show all posts
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Soul/Power Round Two
I'm strangely optimistic about this game. Philly hasn't won a division game yet, we've beaten them, they've made some consistent mistakes, and we looked good last week.
First off, even though the Power lost in San Jose last week, it kind of felt like a win. Cassidy took the snaps and looked confident the whole game. In fact, in the last minute of the game, it was tied up. Everything after that was a matter of risk/reward that didn't fall our way. San Jose is one of the toughest teams in the league, and the Power hung in against them and played a good, clean game.
Philly, on the other hand, very nearly lost to New Orleans at home last week. It was a sloppy, sloppy game where they never held a lead until almost the end. Also, they continued messing up in a critical area they've repeated week after week: Blowing it in the fourth with stupid mistakes. When the Power was out there, they were in the driver's seat until Dirty Dan threw a pick right at the end. When the Rattlers were out there, they were looking good until Dirty Dan tried to throw it away between the wall and the iron...and had the ricochet picked. This past week with NOLA, they actually had to burn their last time out or they would have lost by one point because the clock ran out!
I know, a Power fan ragging on a team for 4th quarter meltdowns is a bit hypocritical. However, when the Power melts down in the fourth, it's generally because they gave up in the third. Philly, on the other hand, lets sub-par teams hold in way longer than they should and/or make one truly stupid mistake late in the game that turns things around.
So we've got it made in the shade, right?
Well, no. The first catch is that Philly tends to do these things to themselves at home, not on the road. Secondly, they have a very solid team on paper - one that is pretty similar to the Arena Bowl team from last year.
As usual, Tiger Jones is going to be the aerial threat that we need to watch out for. The most annoying part is, every time he scores, he'll do an obnoxious dance (that tends to be fun to watch...) Also, we have to accept the fact that Derrick "the Boss" Ross is going to set an AFL record this week. It's going to happen. He's 7 yards shy of the all-time rushing record, and he can get that on one carry. Philly is just about the only team in the league that actually plays a running game, and they play it a lot. (Side note: The record Ross is going to beat took Bo Kelly 12 years to set - and Ross has been in the league for three. So, he's going to push it out of reach by the time he's done playing.)
One last player to note for this week is Ryan McDaniel. In many ways, he reminds me of an evil Gary Butler. He's Philly's big time hot-head. He's been playing great on offense, but at the same time, he's drawn some big-time penalties because of his short fuse. Here's where the Bully can come in - if Butler and McDaniel clash enough, they might get each other ejected, and that could be exactly what we need. Regardless, getting him to lose his cool could be that 4th quarter screw-up for this week.
Elsewhere in the League
First off, even though the Power lost in San Jose last week, it kind of felt like a win. Cassidy took the snaps and looked confident the whole game. In fact, in the last minute of the game, it was tied up. Everything after that was a matter of risk/reward that didn't fall our way. San Jose is one of the toughest teams in the league, and the Power hung in against them and played a good, clean game.
Philly, on the other hand, very nearly lost to New Orleans at home last week. It was a sloppy, sloppy game where they never held a lead until almost the end. Also, they continued messing up in a critical area they've repeated week after week: Blowing it in the fourth with stupid mistakes. When the Power was out there, they were in the driver's seat until Dirty Dan threw a pick right at the end. When the Rattlers were out there, they were looking good until Dirty Dan tried to throw it away between the wall and the iron...and had the ricochet picked. This past week with NOLA, they actually had to burn their last time out or they would have lost by one point because the clock ran out!
I know, a Power fan ragging on a team for 4th quarter meltdowns is a bit hypocritical. However, when the Power melts down in the fourth, it's generally because they gave up in the third. Philly, on the other hand, lets sub-par teams hold in way longer than they should and/or make one truly stupid mistake late in the game that turns things around.
So we've got it made in the shade, right?
Well, no. The first catch is that Philly tends to do these things to themselves at home, not on the road. Secondly, they have a very solid team on paper - one that is pretty similar to the Arena Bowl team from last year.
As usual, Tiger Jones is going to be the aerial threat that we need to watch out for. The most annoying part is, every time he scores, he'll do an obnoxious dance (that tends to be fun to watch...) Also, we have to accept the fact that Derrick "the Boss" Ross is going to set an AFL record this week. It's going to happen. He's 7 yards shy of the all-time rushing record, and he can get that on one carry. Philly is just about the only team in the league that actually plays a running game, and they play it a lot. (Side note: The record Ross is going to beat took Bo Kelly 12 years to set - and Ross has been in the league for three. So, he's going to push it out of reach by the time he's done playing.)
One last player to note for this week is Ryan McDaniel. In many ways, he reminds me of an evil Gary Butler. He's Philly's big time hot-head. He's been playing great on offense, but at the same time, he's drawn some big-time penalties because of his short fuse. Here's where the Bully can come in - if Butler and McDaniel clash enough, they might get each other ejected, and that could be exactly what we need. Regardless, getting him to lose his cool could be that 4th quarter screw-up for this week.
Elsewhere in the League
- First up is Cleveland at Orlando. Really, this game can't work out badly for us - merely "good" and "better." Obviously, we want Cleveland to lose, on principle and because they're in our division. But, if they happen to win, Orlando losing is good as well. Even if we lose, whichever of those teams win can only tie our record, and we have more division wins than Cleveland. Right now, 4th place in the conference is a playoff spot, and we're still on pace for that.
- I don't have nearly as much to say about Tampa Bay at NOLA. They're gonna beat the Voodoo, and that's good for us - the Voodoo is the other team we need to stay at a worse record than us to get into the playoffs.
- Likewise, San Jose shouldn't have much trouble against the Barnstormers.
- The match-up between Spokane and Arizona is being touted as a preview of the division championship. It might be - regardless, it's going to be a great match-up. I'm not going to feel comfortable until the Ratts lose again. I mean, they can beat the Shock, but they've won 8 in a row and are still due for a stumble.
- The main thing San Antonio's meeting with the Chicago Rush has going for it is that it's a division match. They're pretty evenly matched, and I'm going to give a slight edge to the Talons.
- I'm still baffled that Utah has had such a crappy season. I honestly haven't watched enough of their games to really get a feel for why, but the fact is, things haven't gone their way. Jacksonville, on the other hand, is in it to win it.
Friday, May 17, 2013
Tampa Bay Storm at Power Preview
Better late than never, right? Almost forgot to write something this week.
The Power return home this week after an exciting win in Philly. Much like the one in NOLA, a road win is great and all, but the average fan probably doesn't even know it happened - and that's sad. I had a great time out there again this year, and everything that was true last year remains so this year: Crab fries are awesome, cheesesteaks are tasty, beer is everywhere, Philly fans are still frickin terrible and the Soulmates Dance Team is still ridiculously hot.
Last week, things were changed up around the team, and it showed. Steven Sheffield was obviously uncomfortable at QB, but after 3 seasons, we're kind of used to the quarterback shuffle. At least this one got to get his sea legs while on the road and away from that one jackass in my section who spends every game looking miserable and periodically yelling, "Go home <insert name of QB>!"
During the last home game, Superman Berry took a vicious hit that left my wife concerned for his well-being. Well, he didn't show up in the game in Philly and is listed as injured again this week, so I'm guessing the hit was as painful as it looked. Chris "Gingabread" LeFlore is covering returns for him, and Berry's offensive slot is being filled by committee. Shamar Graves has been an increased presence on the field the last few weeks and leads the team in "Not needing a nickname" yards. (Seriously - dude's name is 'Graves,' and that's awesome.) He plays ironman like Berry, and seems to be everywhere on the field. Even when he doesn't snag picks that it looks like he should have, he at least breaks up plays.
Also appearing on offense is newcomer James Robinson. He was injured in the pre-season, so we hadn't gotten to see him on the field yet this year, and the man knows how to make an entrance. In his debut, he put up 4 touchdowns for the Power, so it'd be great if that's going to be the norm. Likewise, Joystick continues to be a force on the field this season with good numbers of his own.
Defense was able to keep the pressure on Dirty Dan, and was even able to get that last-minute, over-the-wall pick that they needed to save the game. The new kicker had a pretty rough game, and I really hope that improves before kickoff tomorrow night.
Yes, this "preview" sounds a hell of a lot like a "review" so far, but that's by design. The lineup should look very much this same this week, and we can probably expect the same things on our side of the ball. Kicking is concerning, returns leave a bit to be desired, the QB is not comfortable yet and the offensive line still sucks. If the positions that can improve do so (basically, everything but the O line), then things are going to look more hopeful for us.
Unfortunately, Tampa Bay is - as usual - a good team this year.
There are certain things that I learn to expect when I watch other teams around the league. I love watching Rattlers games, because the local TV station streams the live games online with the same feed as TV (announcers and all.) Voodoo and Sabercats games usually have the scores up on screen. And, Tampa Bay has their radio feed piped in for audio. I love these guys. They're that rare combination of good sports coverage and an obvious love for this sport, not just sports in general. I'm always entertained by them, and look forward to watching Tampa games because of them.
Except for the week before they play the Power.
The Sabercats were trouncing the Storm pretty good last week, and it got hopeless pretty fast. Later in the game, Jack and Darek started looking ahead to this week and for the second year in a row, they said something to the effect of, "Well, at least we're playing Pittsburgh next week..." I mean, really guys - just because it's fundamentally true, could you maybe throw us a bone next year and pretend like you're a little concerned? Thanks. Long time listener, first time complainer.
But, as I was saying, the Cats were putting a hurting on them and beat them pretty hard. As such, I expect them to come in here tomorrow night and bring some anger. They're still in the running for their division, and they're looking for every win they can get. Historically, we've matched pretty well against them, the games have been high-scoring and close...we just haven't beaten them.
This year, they're lead by QB Andrian McPherson. Last week - this early in the season - he locked up the AFL record for rushing touchdowns by a QB in a season, and he's thrown for 34 as well. So, needless to say, containing him is going to be job #1 for the Power defense. If Alvin Ray Jackson or Sergio Gilliam want to pick a few in the process, I won't be complaining - however, McPherson doesn't throw many of those. Only three this year, and two of them were during last week's disaster.
However, the Storm is currently third in the league for picks themselves, and that's worrying. I can sugar coat things as much as you want, but I can't change the fact that picks are now and always have been the Power Achilles heel. When a team comes in that is good at them - like the Storm in general and DB Chris Smith in specific - we're often boned. I hope that Sheffield doesn't get rattled by the lack of protection and throw too early as so many of our new QBs do, and actually avoids that trap.
So, the short version is that we need to keep doing what we did last week in Philly, and play the Storm like we have in the past....just more so. A win is not out of the question this week, but they're not going to hand it to us like they did the Sabercats.
A Word on Tebow
Ah, Tebow. He is the Paris Hilton of football. Someone decided at some point that he should be famous, and we all just went right along with it. When he didn't live up to the hype, he started getting passed around and mocked. Now, he has been cut by yet another team (and, really, when the Jets cut you, how can you hold your head up?) and we're still talking about him.
This week, water cooler sports talk briefly acknowledged that the Arena League existed when Ron Jaworski, Soul owner and Philly legend, offered Tebow a contract as a backup to Dirty Dan Raudabaugh. Now, the Soul isn't the first team to express interest - back in March, the Predators considered it - and certainly isn't the first team to make an NFL player an offer. Chad OchoJohnson and T.O. have both been offered jobs in the indoor game in the past. What makes Jaws' offer different than the others is that he's mostly serious and people have had constructive arguments as to why it could work.
Most of the time, these offers go out with absolutely no expectations outside of a little free publicity. Jaws is an anomaly by being a respected voice in the NFL and being a very hands-on owner in the AFL (I love Swanny to death, but I never see him in the front row screaming at refs like I did Jaws last weekend.) He's not saying that he'll move heaven and earth for Tebow and let him start next week - he's saying he'll pay him league wage and let him come in for special plays not covered by the guy currently getting the job done. All of this lends an air of plausibility to the equation.
I had a conversation the other day where people pointed out that Tebow was never given the time to develop in the NFL because of his hype. That he's not very accurate and doesn't process well under pressure. These are things that the AFL could either cure him of, or destroy him with (QBs trained for the NFL don't often play well in this league.) I mean, hey, it worked out for another Christian QB who couldn't quite hack it in the NFL...
However, it's not going to happen, at least not in the current climate - but maybe it should. In the NHL and MLB, the farm system is well utilized to develop players for the pros when they need a little extra polish. How often do we hear about a winger "called up" or "sent down" as needed, or a pitching prospect that is going to break out any day now as soon as he gets his act together? Right now, the NFL will pull players from the AFL for camp that look promising, and nearly always cut them before the season starts - and that's it.
They know these guys are pinning everything on the hope of the NFL, and they'll jump ship in a heartbeat if they get and offer...and their teams accept this. The fact that NFL camp happens during the late AFL season is just bad luck. Last year, Tiger Jones - one of Philly's absolute best players - got called up by the Eagles right before the playoffs. They tied him up in camp just long enough that the Soul didn't have him during the playoffs, and then they cut him. Think about that: A receiver the NFL felt might be good enough to go to the big show, and they took him away from a team right before the playoffs. Think that had any unfortunate side effects? (Okay, bad example: Soul went to the Arena Bowl because of their insane depth on that roster. They melted down in the Arena Bowl, but that was more Raudabaugh than lack of Jones...but you see my point.)
And this isn't an isolated incident. Every year, several teams lose good players right when they need them most to the NFL when they know damn well they aren't going to stay there. Why not work together? Tebow is hardly an anomaly. Every year, there are draft picks that don't pan out for any number of specific reasons, but a common general one is that they're just not quite ready for the NFL yet. Why not "send them down" for a season or two in the Arena League? It'd be a win for everyone. Let the NFL subsidize the AFL a bit so they could offer better salaries, their players get some work in key areas, the AFL gets more talent which means more viewers, which means more money, which means more salaries... There are holes, but overall, this could improve both leagues and get us closer to the ideal of quality football year-round.
My name is Weidman, and I approve this message.
Elsewhere in the League
The Power return home this week after an exciting win in Philly. Much like the one in NOLA, a road win is great and all, but the average fan probably doesn't even know it happened - and that's sad. I had a great time out there again this year, and everything that was true last year remains so this year: Crab fries are awesome, cheesesteaks are tasty, beer is everywhere, Philly fans are still frickin terrible and the Soulmates Dance Team is still ridiculously hot.
Last week, things were changed up around the team, and it showed. Steven Sheffield was obviously uncomfortable at QB, but after 3 seasons, we're kind of used to the quarterback shuffle. At least this one got to get his sea legs while on the road and away from that one jackass in my section who spends every game looking miserable and periodically yelling, "Go home <insert name of QB>!"
During the last home game, Superman Berry took a vicious hit that left my wife concerned for his well-being. Well, he didn't show up in the game in Philly and is listed as injured again this week, so I'm guessing the hit was as painful as it looked. Chris "Gingabread" LeFlore is covering returns for him, and Berry's offensive slot is being filled by committee. Shamar Graves has been an increased presence on the field the last few weeks and leads the team in "Not needing a nickname" yards. (Seriously - dude's name is 'Graves,' and that's awesome.) He plays ironman like Berry, and seems to be everywhere on the field. Even when he doesn't snag picks that it looks like he should have, he at least breaks up plays.
Also appearing on offense is newcomer James Robinson. He was injured in the pre-season, so we hadn't gotten to see him on the field yet this year, and the man knows how to make an entrance. In his debut, he put up 4 touchdowns for the Power, so it'd be great if that's going to be the norm. Likewise, Joystick continues to be a force on the field this season with good numbers of his own.
Defense was able to keep the pressure on Dirty Dan, and was even able to get that last-minute, over-the-wall pick that they needed to save the game. The new kicker had a pretty rough game, and I really hope that improves before kickoff tomorrow night.
Yes, this "preview" sounds a hell of a lot like a "review" so far, but that's by design. The lineup should look very much this same this week, and we can probably expect the same things on our side of the ball. Kicking is concerning, returns leave a bit to be desired, the QB is not comfortable yet and the offensive line still sucks. If the positions that can improve do so (basically, everything but the O line), then things are going to look more hopeful for us.
Unfortunately, Tampa Bay is - as usual - a good team this year.
There are certain things that I learn to expect when I watch other teams around the league. I love watching Rattlers games, because the local TV station streams the live games online with the same feed as TV (announcers and all.) Voodoo and Sabercats games usually have the scores up on screen. And, Tampa Bay has their radio feed piped in for audio. I love these guys. They're that rare combination of good sports coverage and an obvious love for this sport, not just sports in general. I'm always entertained by them, and look forward to watching Tampa games because of them.
Except for the week before they play the Power.
The Sabercats were trouncing the Storm pretty good last week, and it got hopeless pretty fast. Later in the game, Jack and Darek started looking ahead to this week and for the second year in a row, they said something to the effect of, "Well, at least we're playing Pittsburgh next week..." I mean, really guys - just because it's fundamentally true, could you maybe throw us a bone next year and pretend like you're a little concerned? Thanks. Long time listener, first time complainer.
But, as I was saying, the Cats were putting a hurting on them and beat them pretty hard. As such, I expect them to come in here tomorrow night and bring some anger. They're still in the running for their division, and they're looking for every win they can get. Historically, we've matched pretty well against them, the games have been high-scoring and close...we just haven't beaten them.
This year, they're lead by QB Andrian McPherson. Last week - this early in the season - he locked up the AFL record for rushing touchdowns by a QB in a season, and he's thrown for 34 as well. So, needless to say, containing him is going to be job #1 for the Power defense. If Alvin Ray Jackson or Sergio Gilliam want to pick a few in the process, I won't be complaining - however, McPherson doesn't throw many of those. Only three this year, and two of them were during last week's disaster.
However, the Storm is currently third in the league for picks themselves, and that's worrying. I can sugar coat things as much as you want, but I can't change the fact that picks are now and always have been the Power Achilles heel. When a team comes in that is good at them - like the Storm in general and DB Chris Smith in specific - we're often boned. I hope that Sheffield doesn't get rattled by the lack of protection and throw too early as so many of our new QBs do, and actually avoids that trap.
So, the short version is that we need to keep doing what we did last week in Philly, and play the Storm like we have in the past....just more so. A win is not out of the question this week, but they're not going to hand it to us like they did the Sabercats.
A Word on Tebow
Ah, Tebow. He is the Paris Hilton of football. Someone decided at some point that he should be famous, and we all just went right along with it. When he didn't live up to the hype, he started getting passed around and mocked. Now, he has been cut by yet another team (and, really, when the Jets cut you, how can you hold your head up?) and we're still talking about him.
This week, water cooler sports talk briefly acknowledged that the Arena League existed when Ron Jaworski, Soul owner and Philly legend, offered Tebow a contract as a backup to Dirty Dan Raudabaugh. Now, the Soul isn't the first team to express interest - back in March, the Predators considered it - and certainly isn't the first team to make an NFL player an offer. Chad OchoJohnson and T.O. have both been offered jobs in the indoor game in the past. What makes Jaws' offer different than the others is that he's mostly serious and people have had constructive arguments as to why it could work.
Most of the time, these offers go out with absolutely no expectations outside of a little free publicity. Jaws is an anomaly by being a respected voice in the NFL and being a very hands-on owner in the AFL (I love Swanny to death, but I never see him in the front row screaming at refs like I did Jaws last weekend.) He's not saying that he'll move heaven and earth for Tebow and let him start next week - he's saying he'll pay him league wage and let him come in for special plays not covered by the guy currently getting the job done. All of this lends an air of plausibility to the equation.
I had a conversation the other day where people pointed out that Tebow was never given the time to develop in the NFL because of his hype. That he's not very accurate and doesn't process well under pressure. These are things that the AFL could either cure him of, or destroy him with (QBs trained for the NFL don't often play well in this league.) I mean, hey, it worked out for another Christian QB who couldn't quite hack it in the NFL...
However, it's not going to happen, at least not in the current climate - but maybe it should. In the NHL and MLB, the farm system is well utilized to develop players for the pros when they need a little extra polish. How often do we hear about a winger "called up" or "sent down" as needed, or a pitching prospect that is going to break out any day now as soon as he gets his act together? Right now, the NFL will pull players from the AFL for camp that look promising, and nearly always cut them before the season starts - and that's it.
They know these guys are pinning everything on the hope of the NFL, and they'll jump ship in a heartbeat if they get and offer...and their teams accept this. The fact that NFL camp happens during the late AFL season is just bad luck. Last year, Tiger Jones - one of Philly's absolute best players - got called up by the Eagles right before the playoffs. They tied him up in camp just long enough that the Soul didn't have him during the playoffs, and then they cut him. Think about that: A receiver the NFL felt might be good enough to go to the big show, and they took him away from a team right before the playoffs. Think that had any unfortunate side effects? (Okay, bad example: Soul went to the Arena Bowl because of their insane depth on that roster. They melted down in the Arena Bowl, but that was more Raudabaugh than lack of Jones...but you see my point.)
And this isn't an isolated incident. Every year, several teams lose good players right when they need them most to the NFL when they know damn well they aren't going to stay there. Why not work together? Tebow is hardly an anomaly. Every year, there are draft picks that don't pan out for any number of specific reasons, but a common general one is that they're just not quite ready for the NFL yet. Why not "send them down" for a season or two in the Arena League? It'd be a win for everyone. Let the NFL subsidize the AFL a bit so they could offer better salaries, their players get some work in key areas, the AFL gets more talent which means more viewers, which means more money, which means more salaries... There are holes, but overall, this could improve both leagues and get us closer to the ideal of quality football year-round.
My name is Weidman, and I approve this message.
Elsewhere in the League
- The Spokane Shock still need every easy win they can get given their tough division, and hosting NOLA looks to be just what the doctor ordered.
- San Antonio at Cleveland is going to be a matchup of two teams that are just struggling. Both teams are coming off of a win, and it'd just be nice if the Talons can make up for beating us by beating our division rival.
- San Jose at Jacksonville is looking like the game to watch this week (which you won't, because you'll be watching the Power, right?) Both teams are powerhouses right now, and this game will show who the real deal is. The Sabercats have been on the warpath since they picked up Michna, winning their last three. The Sharks slipped and lost their first two games of the season in their last two starts. Hosting the Cats, they'll be looking to get back to their winning ways. The Sharks can win this, and probably should, but matching Michna and Morris, I'm going to have to take Michna.
- Every year, there's a good example of divisional strength, and this game is it. At 3-4, the Utah Blaze is sitting in last place in their division. At 4-4, the Barnstormers are tied for first in theirs. The Blaze has just not been living up to expectations, but I think they can take the 'Stormers.
- GotW is Preds at Soul. Just like the Cats are proving that they're totally doing great with Michna in their life, Garcia has been showing them that he's totally over them and happy with his new squeeze, the Orlando Predators. Winning two in a row, they're trying to make a comeback, and Philly would be another great feather in their cap. They way they're playing and the way Philly has looked, they might just do it, too.
- Sunday, Arizona travels to Chicago to close out the weekend. I expect them to TCB and bring home a W.
Thursday, May 09, 2013
Hit the Road, Jack
This week, the Power head back out on the road, Keller and I follow them again, and several players get the boot. It's action-packed, and I haven't even gotten to the part where I talk about Chickie's and Pete's Crabfries.
Let's start with what we will be facing when we meet up with the Soul for the first time this season. At 3-3, they're not quite the powerhouse they were last season...but that doesn't mean they're not decisively at the top of our division. Part of their slide this year is due to the loss of Tiger Jones, Captain Morgan, and few others. However, they've kept stars like Dirty Dan Raudabaugh, Derrick Ross and LaRico Stevenson (seriously, I miss that guy.)
Dirty Dan continues to be the red-headed menace that he's always been. This season, he's on the right side of a 32/6 touchdown vs interception ratio. He has good protection, thinks well on his feet, and is mobile. He is the prime threat, and there's no two ways about it.
On the receiving side, Larry Brackins - stud of the last Arena Bowl -is still around and doing his thing, but definitely in more of a supporting role. The heavy lifting is being done by Anthony Jones, and that dude is a monster, with 775 yards and 14 TDs in just six games this season.
While he's the threat in the air, Derrick Ross is most assuredly a threat on the ground in a league that doesn't use infantry very often. His 14 TDs on the ground is a pretty good stat for a fullback for a season. In just a third of a season, it's phenomenal.
On the other side of the ball, LaRico Stevenson and Joe Goosby are twin terrors, putting up respectable numbers in sacks, turnovers, and tackles. Given the continuing situation with our offensive line, these are the two that scare me the most. Add to that the fact that Stevenson can return...
In typical Power fashion, it's time to replace some QBs and swap out kickers. Czajkowski who, while formidable in Words With Friends, has been struggling. He was let go, while Baker and Wolford have been placed on IR. This makes room for a new kicker, a new receiver, and QB Steven Sheffield. If that name sounds familiar, it's because we had originally signed him to a 3-year contract in November. That's good. It means he was someone the Power thought was worth locking in. He was Garcia's backup, after all. On the other hand, he didn't play for us because he didn't show up. That's bad. But it was for family reasons. That's...none of our business, really.
I'm just not super stoked about the situation. Quarterback drama has become our bread and butter. Last week, we brought back Derrick Cassidy - architect of the killer comeback against the Preds last year - to fill in while Shane Austin is out with an injury. However, not only did they only use him for one or two plays, but Jefferson kept running back on the field like he was going to play whether coach liked it or not. I have no frickin' clue what the situation really was, but best case it's that everyone was confused and worst case, it was that Coach Sting has no control over Jefferson. Neither is good.
So, what's going to happen is, the Power, Keller, and myself are going to drive to Philly, the Power are going to figure some stuff out while we drink some beers, and then I'm gonna eat a cheesesteak and some crabfries while I enjoy some football and Soulmate cheerleaders.
Elsewhere in the League
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| I mean, just look at them. LOOK AT THEM! |
Dirty Dan continues to be the red-headed menace that he's always been. This season, he's on the right side of a 32/6 touchdown vs interception ratio. He has good protection, thinks well on his feet, and is mobile. He is the prime threat, and there's no two ways about it.
On the receiving side, Larry Brackins - stud of the last Arena Bowl -is still around and doing his thing, but definitely in more of a supporting role. The heavy lifting is being done by Anthony Jones, and that dude is a monster, with 775 yards and 14 TDs in just six games this season.
While he's the threat in the air, Derrick Ross is most assuredly a threat on the ground in a league that doesn't use infantry very often. His 14 TDs on the ground is a pretty good stat for a fullback for a season. In just a third of a season, it's phenomenal.
On the other side of the ball, LaRico Stevenson and Joe Goosby are twin terrors, putting up respectable numbers in sacks, turnovers, and tackles. Given the continuing situation with our offensive line, these are the two that scare me the most. Add to that the fact that Stevenson can return...
In typical Power fashion, it's time to replace some QBs and swap out kickers. Czajkowski who, while formidable in Words With Friends, has been struggling. He was let go, while Baker and Wolford have been placed on IR. This makes room for a new kicker, a new receiver, and QB Steven Sheffield. If that name sounds familiar, it's because we had originally signed him to a 3-year contract in November. That's good. It means he was someone the Power thought was worth locking in. He was Garcia's backup, after all. On the other hand, he didn't play for us because he didn't show up. That's bad. But it was for family reasons. That's...none of our business, really.
I'm just not super stoked about the situation. Quarterback drama has become our bread and butter. Last week, we brought back Derrick Cassidy - architect of the killer comeback against the Preds last year - to fill in while Shane Austin is out with an injury. However, not only did they only use him for one or two plays, but Jefferson kept running back on the field like he was going to play whether coach liked it or not. I have no frickin' clue what the situation really was, but best case it's that everyone was confused and worst case, it was that Coach Sting has no control over Jefferson. Neither is good.
So, what's going to happen is, the Power, Keller, and myself are going to drive to Philly, the Power are going to figure some stuff out while we drink some beers, and then I'm gonna eat a cheesesteak and some crabfries while I enjoy some football and Soulmate cheerleaders.
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| LOOK AT THEM! |
- Tampa at San Jose is mainly interesting to me because we're playing Tampa next week. Both teams are looking strong right now, but being in different divisions, there's not a lot riding on this one.
- Chicago at Cleveland. You know what? This game is pretty important. (Just bear with me for a second on this one.) Playoff spots go to division leaders, then the next two best records. Right now, Philly and Jacksonville are leading their respective divisions. Tampa Bay is coming up on the Sharks hard. That leaves a spot open. NOLA, Cleveland, Orlando and Pittsburgh are all tied at 1-5. If we can't get the wins honestly, I'll take our rivals losing. So....Go Rush.
- NOLA at Iowa. See above. Go 'Stormers
- Utah at Arizona: The Blaze is still at the bottom of a strong division and need every win. I really don't know how to call this game. Blaze is better than their record and the Ratts need to lose occasionally. But I don't think they will this week.
- Sharks are on the road in San Antonio, and they will most likely rack up another win.
- Orlando at Spokane. This will show whether or not the Preds beating us was a fluke or if Garcia is going to make them the real deal.
Tuesday, August 07, 2012
Playoffs Round Two Review, Arena Bowl Preview
Due to happenings with two other professional teams in town, we decided to combine this week's posts into one. Another round is in the books, and the teams for the championship are set. Let's take a look at how we got here
Sharks at Soul
In many ways, I think that the Sharks/Soul can be summed up with this picture:
Now, if you can't tell, that's a nun. On a motorcycle. With pom-poms. Driven by a guy with a cowboy hat.
I'm sorry, but if that's how your team takes the field, you more than have home field advantage - you have all the advantages. Every one of them. You, in fact, have the right to brag, "We got this." And in that, Philly was set. The Sharks were never in this game. They had the first touchdown, but everything was downhill from there. Capz shanked the extra point waaaaay right, and something seemed wrong. The ensuing kickoff looked more like a botched squib-kick than a kickoff, and then it came out - he had a pulled MCL. That was it for the quarter. By the end of the half, they'd only have 12 points to Philly's 45.
Look, I can recap the play-by-play, but it would just make everyone - including the Soul - sad. By the end of the game, they were trying to not score 100 points. These stats speak for everything: Three picks, three forced and recovered fumbles, a turnover on downs. The Philly defense barely let the Sharks on the field. Standing out on defense was our own LaRico Stevenson, who did a little bit of everything, including seven tackles and a pick six (Have I mentioned that I miss him?)
On offense, it was the Larry Brackens show. Coming into this game, he had about twenty catches on the season. By the end, he had almost half that many touchdowns. He recorded a team record 8 - a record formerly held by Captain Morgan with six last year against us.
Also interesting was the fact that Scaccia - whom I assumed would be weak compared to Capz - was practically flawless on the night, including on a field goal, which Philly rarely does. Someone was obviously practicing in the off/on season.
I don't know if it was that the Soul is really that much better than the Sharks, if Jacksonville was out of gas, or if they were just having an off night. Whatever it was, the Soul practically had a bye week to get to the championship.
Blaze at Rattlers
This was, perhaps, the best game I watched all season. This was the tie-breaker for this season between these two teams, and the team who wanted to win needed to make a statement, and the Ratts certainly did that. First drive, they scored on the back of old, reliable Odie Armstrong, rumbling in for the score, 40 yards out. On the Blaze's first possession, the Ratts snagged a quick pick six. After the Blaze got on the board, the Ratts had to settle for a field goal - a drive that would haunt them in the second half.
They were back in it on their next drive, and then their defense came up big by sacking Grady for a safety. Undeterred, the Blaze pulled off a picture-perfect onside kick to mitigate the damage. The swing came at the end of the half when they got a pick and the offense took the field. Now, the refs say that Ed Ta'amu had possession on a short pass from Grady for the score, but I have my doubts. Regardless, this put the Blaze up by two. Remember that FG? Yeah, that gave them 3 instead of 7, putting the Ratts in this position.
Most of the remainder of the game would see the Ratts unable to get back those two points and constantly pass the Blaze and then fall back again as touchdowns were exchanged. This would go on all half, setting up the old Arena axiom of, "He who has it last, has it best."
In the waning seconds of the game, the Blaze held the ball near paydirt, with a 69-67 lead. The Ratts defense came up big by holding them to 4th down and then picking Grady in the end zone with but 35 seconds left. A steady drive brought them down to their end zone with only 16 left. Davila passed to Purify and took the lead. Those two points that haunted them all game? They decided to make a statement and get them back with a successful conversion. The nine seconds left just weren't enough for the Blaze, and the Ratts won, 75-69.
Arena Bowl XXV
So, what can we expect late Friday night? A coin flip. After that, everything is just conjecture and wishful thinking. In my opinion, there are few problems with how professional football playoffs work (don't get me started on college), but one of them is separate trees for each conference. The way this works out, only the best two teams of their conference go to the championship, not necessarily the best two teams in the league. Look at it this way - what if the Soul had a bad night, and the Sharks advanced to rematch with the Ratts? Would that be the best two teams? Hell no. You only needed to watch last week's game to know that.
However, this year, the best two teams in the league are meeting for the big game. The Soul are there by virtue of just rolling over everything in their path. They had a misstep in their first game of the season, but from there established a path of destruction through the American Conference that couldn't be stopped. A great quarterback with a corps of receivers so deep that they once put a backup in who was barely over five foot and still dominated. Tiger Jones even got picked up by the Eagles, and the Soul moved through that loss with barely a hiccup.
The Rattlers, on the other hand, rose to the top through a Darwinian battle for supremacy that saw a conference battle - not just a division one - for seeding that went down to the last week of the season. Nick Davila and crew held some gas in the tank in the unimportant games and put the pedal down when they needed to. A number of this crew went to the big game last year, and they obviously had the drive to go again. They don't have the stand-out, NFL bait that the Soul does, but they have a solid, reliable offense that works well together to get results and a defense to be reckoned with.
Friday night is going to be brutal. Can the Rattlers bring home a win like the days of old and banish last year's heartbreaking loss, or will they ever be the bride's maid? Do the Soul, in fact, "got this," or will hubris finally catch up with them? The truth is, I don't know.
My gut says that the Soul is going to pull this out, as I've been saying for months (but I'll be rooting for the Ratts.) They are a more explosive team, their offense is deadly and their defense is frightening. The Rattlers have a powerful team in their own right, and I can't underestimate the "been there, done that" factor, but I just think that the Soul has more weapons in their arsenal. The big factor is going to be nerves. Dirty Dan has been fairly unflappable this season, but Championships - especially on the road - get in people's heads their first time out. Also, I just can't shake the feeling that they've been swaggering to broadly for the last six weeks or so (See: The Patriot's "19-0.")
Plus, they don't get to bring the nuns and motorcycles to New Orleans.
Sharks at Soul
In many ways, I think that the Sharks/Soul can be summed up with this picture:
Now, if you can't tell, that's a nun. On a motorcycle. With pom-poms. Driven by a guy with a cowboy hat.I'm sorry, but if that's how your team takes the field, you more than have home field advantage - you have all the advantages. Every one of them. You, in fact, have the right to brag, "We got this." And in that, Philly was set. The Sharks were never in this game. They had the first touchdown, but everything was downhill from there. Capz shanked the extra point waaaaay right, and something seemed wrong. The ensuing kickoff looked more like a botched squib-kick than a kickoff, and then it came out - he had a pulled MCL. That was it for the quarter. By the end of the half, they'd only have 12 points to Philly's 45.
Look, I can recap the play-by-play, but it would just make everyone - including the Soul - sad. By the end of the game, they were trying to not score 100 points. These stats speak for everything: Three picks, three forced and recovered fumbles, a turnover on downs. The Philly defense barely let the Sharks on the field. Standing out on defense was our own LaRico Stevenson, who did a little bit of everything, including seven tackles and a pick six (Have I mentioned that I miss him?)
On offense, it was the Larry Brackens show. Coming into this game, he had about twenty catches on the season. By the end, he had almost half that many touchdowns. He recorded a team record 8 - a record formerly held by Captain Morgan with six last year against us.
Also interesting was the fact that Scaccia - whom I assumed would be weak compared to Capz - was practically flawless on the night, including on a field goal, which Philly rarely does. Someone was obviously practicing in the off/on season.
I don't know if it was that the Soul is really that much better than the Sharks, if Jacksonville was out of gas, or if they were just having an off night. Whatever it was, the Soul practically had a bye week to get to the championship.
Blaze at Rattlers
This was, perhaps, the best game I watched all season. This was the tie-breaker for this season between these two teams, and the team who wanted to win needed to make a statement, and the Ratts certainly did that. First drive, they scored on the back of old, reliable Odie Armstrong, rumbling in for the score, 40 yards out. On the Blaze's first possession, the Ratts snagged a quick pick six. After the Blaze got on the board, the Ratts had to settle for a field goal - a drive that would haunt them in the second half.
They were back in it on their next drive, and then their defense came up big by sacking Grady for a safety. Undeterred, the Blaze pulled off a picture-perfect onside kick to mitigate the damage. The swing came at the end of the half when they got a pick and the offense took the field. Now, the refs say that Ed Ta'amu had possession on a short pass from Grady for the score, but I have my doubts. Regardless, this put the Blaze up by two. Remember that FG? Yeah, that gave them 3 instead of 7, putting the Ratts in this position.
Most of the remainder of the game would see the Ratts unable to get back those two points and constantly pass the Blaze and then fall back again as touchdowns were exchanged. This would go on all half, setting up the old Arena axiom of, "He who has it last, has it best."
In the waning seconds of the game, the Blaze held the ball near paydirt, with a 69-67 lead. The Ratts defense came up big by holding them to 4th down and then picking Grady in the end zone with but 35 seconds left. A steady drive brought them down to their end zone with only 16 left. Davila passed to Purify and took the lead. Those two points that haunted them all game? They decided to make a statement and get them back with a successful conversion. The nine seconds left just weren't enough for the Blaze, and the Ratts won, 75-69.
Arena Bowl XXV
So, what can we expect late Friday night? A coin flip. After that, everything is just conjecture and wishful thinking. In my opinion, there are few problems with how professional football playoffs work (don't get me started on college), but one of them is separate trees for each conference. The way this works out, only the best two teams of their conference go to the championship, not necessarily the best two teams in the league. Look at it this way - what if the Soul had a bad night, and the Sharks advanced to rematch with the Ratts? Would that be the best two teams? Hell no. You only needed to watch last week's game to know that.
However, this year, the best two teams in the league are meeting for the big game. The Soul are there by virtue of just rolling over everything in their path. They had a misstep in their first game of the season, but from there established a path of destruction through the American Conference that couldn't be stopped. A great quarterback with a corps of receivers so deep that they once put a backup in who was barely over five foot and still dominated. Tiger Jones even got picked up by the Eagles, and the Soul moved through that loss with barely a hiccup.
The Rattlers, on the other hand, rose to the top through a Darwinian battle for supremacy that saw a conference battle - not just a division one - for seeding that went down to the last week of the season. Nick Davila and crew held some gas in the tank in the unimportant games and put the pedal down when they needed to. A number of this crew went to the big game last year, and they obviously had the drive to go again. They don't have the stand-out, NFL bait that the Soul does, but they have a solid, reliable offense that works well together to get results and a defense to be reckoned with.
Friday night is going to be brutal. Can the Rattlers bring home a win like the days of old and banish last year's heartbreaking loss, or will they ever be the bride's maid? Do the Soul, in fact, "got this," or will hubris finally catch up with them? The truth is, I don't know.
My gut says that the Soul is going to pull this out, as I've been saying for months (but I'll be rooting for the Ratts.) They are a more explosive team, their offense is deadly and their defense is frightening. The Rattlers have a powerful team in their own right, and I can't underestimate the "been there, done that" factor, but I just think that the Soul has more weapons in their arsenal. The big factor is going to be nerves. Dirty Dan has been fairly unflappable this season, but Championships - especially on the road - get in people's heads their first time out. Also, I just can't shake the feeling that they've been swaggering to broadly for the last six weeks or so (See: The Patriot's "19-0.")
Plus, they don't get to bring the nuns and motorcycles to New Orleans.
Thursday, August 02, 2012
Playoffs, Round Two Preview
Time for the Semi-Final round of this year's Arena League playoffs. I sucked hard at calling last week's games, but frankly, that's what happens when the 8 best teams in the league take the field in a do-or-die situation. Anything can happen.
Of course, that means this week will be even worse.
Sharks at Soul
This game will be the tale of two teams - on both sides of the ball. It's all going to depend on who shows up. The Sharks have been up and down all season, and have some glaring weakness. There's the fact that Morris screws up under pressure and they are Power-like in their inability to play four quarters. A number of times this season, they've blown huge leads in the fourth to lose. Even last week they did that, but held on long enough for a miracle kick by Capz.
On the plus side, they've put together a late season winning streak to get them to the penultimate game. Bernie Mo has only been picked twice in recent memory and has done a good job of holding on to the ball. Furthermore, the Sharks boast the second and third best rushers in a pass-happy league - one of which is none other than Mo himself. And then there's Capz. The fact is, they have the weapons if they know how to use them.
The Soul, on the other hand, have been a nearly unstoppable juggernaut this year, but they played a sloppy, sloppy game last week. Penalties, poor execution and lackluster performance kept the Voodoo in the game way longer than they should have been. They've also lost their kicker Remy Hamilton to a groin injury, which is never good.
Of course, they're still the Soul. While the Sharks have rusher #2 and #3, Philly's got #1 in Derrick Ross. They also still have Captain Morgan and Jeff Hughley. They also have one of the best turnover defenses in the league.
So how will it shake out? We'll start with kicking, because it may be big. For the Sharks, Capozzoli is money. We know that. He's clutch at PATs, FG and most importantly, kickoffs. If he can drill the latter under the cross-bar (like he did to us) he can stick the Soul with crappy field position. Taking Hughley's returns out of the equation would be a major coup. Granted, Dirty Dan can get them out of that situation - but why spot them 15-20 yards if you don't have to?
For the Soul, losing Hamilton last week was ugly. They don't have a backup and even had LaRico Stevenson kicking off, and it showed. It gave the Voodoo a lot of ground to work with. Well, that couldn't continue, so rumors this week had them looking at one Massimo Scaccia. Rumors were close, because they went with his brother Fabrizio. Now, if we can all stop sniggering at the unlikeliness of these names, let's look at his ability. He kicked for a season and change for the Rattlers, but he kinda sucked at field goals and hasn't played in a year. No, the Soul don't go for many FGs, but that's still a hole. Also, he's rusty as all get out. Giving Terrance Smith a chance to return will result in the reverse of what I said above.
Regular on-field stuff is fairly straight forward. The Soul is the better team and should run all over the Sharks. Raudabaugh is one of the elites, and his arm is accurate. He also has all the play-makers he's had all season. Their defense is brutal against most teams, and could prove awfully deadly against Bernie Mo. Furthermore, the Soul isn't a team a team to run out of gas against in the late game.
Bottom line is that the Soul should win this one assuming they don't play sloppy. The thing is, I can't shake the feeling after last week that their constant "We Got This" posts on their FaceBook page are going to amount to hubris.
This game airs Friday night on the NFL network.
Blaze at Rattlers
The above game is going to prove easy to call next to this one.
Had the Ratts beat them twice, I would say with confidence after last week that they'd lose the third match-up. However, they've split the series so far. Strangely enough, the Ratts win was on the road, and they picked Grady a whopping four times. At home, they got thwumped (and picked twice.)
For the second week in a row, the Blaze's victory hopes hinge on defense. Last week, they and the Talons fought each other to a standstill, and that decided the game. Two top-flight quarterbacks were shut down on their respective sides of the ball. There's no reason to believe that the Blaze can't do it again this week, and if the Ratts want to win, they've already seen that this is what they will have to do.
The Blaze has, at times, let Grady take a beating, and not a little of it came at the hands of the Rattlers. They shored up their line a bit in the second match-up, but the fact is, the Ratts know how to get to him. Arizona's offensive line on the other hand, only allowed nine sacks in the regular season. Therefore, the Blaze has their work cut out for them. Their better chance is to go for the picks, which Davila is prone to. He takes risks, and they backfire sometimes. Also, I've noticed that AZ has a thing for onside kicks. They're good at recovering them, but if the Blaze return team is ready for them, they can pick up a few extra possessions.
If the defense just pounds themselves silly, and the O line holds, these two QBs should be able cut loose. The league released their first and second All-Arena lineups this week. While the Soul have but two players on there and the Sharks none, the Blaze and Rattlers account for a total of seven players on these lists. Because of that, I predict a higher score than the Blaze put up last week in this one. I will be rooting for the Ratts, but I have a feeling that the Blaze might pull this one off. They played just too hard last week, while the Ratts played their regular explosive game. The "have to" didn't seem to be there.
So, that being said, I really don't know on this one. I called both these teams to lose last week, and neither did. Therefore, I hesitate to bet against either one here. I am, however, restating the fact that I think the Blaze can take it and go face the Soul in Arena Bowl XXV.
So, look forward to the Sharks and Rattlers heading to NOLA next week for a rematch.
This game airs Saturday at ten with full play-by-play coverage on www.cox7.com
Of course, that means this week will be even worse.
Sharks at Soul
This game will be the tale of two teams - on both sides of the ball. It's all going to depend on who shows up. The Sharks have been up and down all season, and have some glaring weakness. There's the fact that Morris screws up under pressure and they are Power-like in their inability to play four quarters. A number of times this season, they've blown huge leads in the fourth to lose. Even last week they did that, but held on long enough for a miracle kick by Capz.
On the plus side, they've put together a late season winning streak to get them to the penultimate game. Bernie Mo has only been picked twice in recent memory and has done a good job of holding on to the ball. Furthermore, the Sharks boast the second and third best rushers in a pass-happy league - one of which is none other than Mo himself. And then there's Capz. The fact is, they have the weapons if they know how to use them.
The Soul, on the other hand, have been a nearly unstoppable juggernaut this year, but they played a sloppy, sloppy game last week. Penalties, poor execution and lackluster performance kept the Voodoo in the game way longer than they should have been. They've also lost their kicker Remy Hamilton to a groin injury, which is never good.
Of course, they're still the Soul. While the Sharks have rusher #2 and #3, Philly's got #1 in Derrick Ross. They also still have Captain Morgan and Jeff Hughley. They also have one of the best turnover defenses in the league.
So how will it shake out? We'll start with kicking, because it may be big. For the Sharks, Capozzoli is money. We know that. He's clutch at PATs, FG and most importantly, kickoffs. If he can drill the latter under the cross-bar (like he did to us) he can stick the Soul with crappy field position. Taking Hughley's returns out of the equation would be a major coup. Granted, Dirty Dan can get them out of that situation - but why spot them 15-20 yards if you don't have to?
For the Soul, losing Hamilton last week was ugly. They don't have a backup and even had LaRico Stevenson kicking off, and it showed. It gave the Voodoo a lot of ground to work with. Well, that couldn't continue, so rumors this week had them looking at one Massimo Scaccia. Rumors were close, because they went with his brother Fabrizio. Now, if we can all stop sniggering at the unlikeliness of these names, let's look at his ability. He kicked for a season and change for the Rattlers, but he kinda sucked at field goals and hasn't played in a year. No, the Soul don't go for many FGs, but that's still a hole. Also, he's rusty as all get out. Giving Terrance Smith a chance to return will result in the reverse of what I said above.
Regular on-field stuff is fairly straight forward. The Soul is the better team and should run all over the Sharks. Raudabaugh is one of the elites, and his arm is accurate. He also has all the play-makers he's had all season. Their defense is brutal against most teams, and could prove awfully deadly against Bernie Mo. Furthermore, the Soul isn't a team a team to run out of gas against in the late game.
Bottom line is that the Soul should win this one assuming they don't play sloppy. The thing is, I can't shake the feeling after last week that their constant "We Got This" posts on their FaceBook page are going to amount to hubris.
This game airs Friday night on the NFL network.
Blaze at Rattlers
The above game is going to prove easy to call next to this one.
Had the Ratts beat them twice, I would say with confidence after last week that they'd lose the third match-up. However, they've split the series so far. Strangely enough, the Ratts win was on the road, and they picked Grady a whopping four times. At home, they got thwumped (and picked twice.)
For the second week in a row, the Blaze's victory hopes hinge on defense. Last week, they and the Talons fought each other to a standstill, and that decided the game. Two top-flight quarterbacks were shut down on their respective sides of the ball. There's no reason to believe that the Blaze can't do it again this week, and if the Ratts want to win, they've already seen that this is what they will have to do.
The Blaze has, at times, let Grady take a beating, and not a little of it came at the hands of the Rattlers. They shored up their line a bit in the second match-up, but the fact is, the Ratts know how to get to him. Arizona's offensive line on the other hand, only allowed nine sacks in the regular season. Therefore, the Blaze has their work cut out for them. Their better chance is to go for the picks, which Davila is prone to. He takes risks, and they backfire sometimes. Also, I've noticed that AZ has a thing for onside kicks. They're good at recovering them, but if the Blaze return team is ready for them, they can pick up a few extra possessions.
If the defense just pounds themselves silly, and the O line holds, these two QBs should be able cut loose. The league released their first and second All-Arena lineups this week. While the Soul have but two players on there and the Sharks none, the Blaze and Rattlers account for a total of seven players on these lists. Because of that, I predict a higher score than the Blaze put up last week in this one. I will be rooting for the Ratts, but I have a feeling that the Blaze might pull this one off. They played just too hard last week, while the Ratts played their regular explosive game. The "have to" didn't seem to be there.
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That's right, I'm back
So, that being said, I really don't know on this one. I called both these teams to lose last week, and neither did. Therefore, I hesitate to bet against either one here. I am, however, restating the fact that I think the Blaze can take it and go face the Soul in Arena Bowl XXV.
So, look forward to the Sharks and Rattlers heading to NOLA next week for a rematch.
This game airs Saturday at ten with full play-by-play coverage on www.cox7.com
Monday, July 30, 2012
Playoffs Round One Recap
Well, if there's anything this weekend's games taught us, it's that A.) anything can happen in the playoffs, and B.) I can't pick playoff games worth a damn. I went 1-3 in these games, and almost went 0-4.
Utah vs Talons
In one of the later games, the announcer pointed out that the Blaze "dismantled" the Talons. At 35-34, this is a bit unfair to Garcia and the Talons. It would be much better said that the Blaze "survived" the Talons. This season, the Talons have averaged 57 pts a game, and the Blaze 63ish, and neither got close to that.
This game was supposed to be a match up between two of the greatest QBs ever to play, but it ended up being all about the defense. The fact that the total score only slightly surpassed these individual averages shows how much of a defensive battle this game was. Both QBs got sacked, both got picked (twice for Grady) and the pressure was on. Also, the Blaze only converted 4 of 10 3rd downs and 1 of 5 4ths. Garcia was comparable. So, again, the defense came up strong.
In the end, it came down to one point. One point between victory and the (likely) end to Garcia's career as a player.
On a side note, as a Power fan, there was one player that had a great night and was fun to watch. The crowd thought so, too:
Voodoo at Soul
Sure, Philly was supposed to win this one, and sure, they did - but they should be ashamed of their play in this one. Down to the end, it was anyone's game, and that should not have been the case between the #1 team in the league and a 4-seed that got into the playoffs by attrition. It was a sloppy game all around, with both teams giving up around 50 yards in penalties. One drive in particular kinda sums this up:
That's a little blurry, but the important part is that, due to penalties, it took seven plays and three negated turnovers to accomplish 10 yards to a touchdown. This was just the most blatant example of a problem that was systemic to the entire game. It got even uglier at the end of the game when two Voodoo players got themselves ejected (I wish I could say it was the first time this season.)
Yes, the blame and sloppy play goes both ways, but the Soul are the much better team. They're better than this, and they can't play that sloppy next week if they want to go to the big game. Another concern is that they lost their kicker to a groin pull late in the game. If they don't get that sorted out before next weekend, there's going to be trouble.
Fun fact: All season, I've been noticing these two nuns that sit in the front row of the endzone section at Wells Fargo. Besides the fact that there is something inherently awesome about a couple of nuns being die-hard Arena fans, these two have caught more balls than have ever even come into my section at Consol. So, either the Lord likes souvenirs, or Dirty Dan is trying to earn points Upstairs. (Except that he pegged one in the face this week.)
Georgia at Jacksonville
So, just like another team farther down this list, the Force learned how hard it is to beat a team three times in a season.
For most of this game, it looked like the Sharks were firmly in the driver's seat. They went into half up, then recovered a botched Force onside kick and stormed into the lead. The Force made a hell of a comeback and closed in on - and then surpassed - the Shark's lead in the fourth. Down to the end, the Sharks had the ball and not much time left and then it happened.
All season, I've found myself missing Bernard Morris here in Pittsburgh until It happens. Regular readers may know that It is a fumble. Either he holds on too long, or just doesn't cover the ball and he gets stripped/drops it. Well, this week was no exception. With seconds left, Bernie Mo got tackled and the ball got away. Luckily, Jacksonville fell on it and kept it, but at a significant loss of yards. Morris's next pass went incomplete, bringing up forth and forever with 6 seconds left.
Remember when we played the Sharks last week and I said that their kicker was frickin' killing us with his distance and accuracy? Well, with the score at 56-55 Force, Capozzoli took the field, looking at 51 yards.
51.
NFL kickers have trouble with that, and their uprights are twice as far apart. Well, I can't adequately describe what happened, so:
Cats at Ratts
Funny thing is, although this was a hard-fought, entertaining game, there isn't a lot to say about it. Both teams played the game they were supposed to play, and the energy level was what you would expect from from a heated rivalry like this. The Cat's defense intercepted Davila, the Ratts intercepted Greib. Explosive plays happened. Big stops were achieved. It was a great game. In the end, the Cats discovered how hard it is to beat a team three times in one season.
The score was close at 51-48, but it easily could have been a wider gap - and reversed. The Cats managed to pick Davila 4 times to the Rattlers 2. Who says turovers win games? Much like the other games in this review, it was a "survival" game, but it wasn't one were either team failed to play up to their potential. Much like the first game of the weekend, this might have been the end of the road for an aging quarterback. If it is, Greib can know that he went out on a game to be proud of.
Utah vs Talons
In one of the later games, the announcer pointed out that the Blaze "dismantled" the Talons. At 35-34, this is a bit unfair to Garcia and the Talons. It would be much better said that the Blaze "survived" the Talons. This season, the Talons have averaged 57 pts a game, and the Blaze 63ish, and neither got close to that.
This game was supposed to be a match up between two of the greatest QBs ever to play, but it ended up being all about the defense. The fact that the total score only slightly surpassed these individual averages shows how much of a defensive battle this game was. Both QBs got sacked, both got picked (twice for Grady) and the pressure was on. Also, the Blaze only converted 4 of 10 3rd downs and 1 of 5 4ths. Garcia was comparable. So, again, the defense came up strong.
In the end, it came down to one point. One point between victory and the (likely) end to Garcia's career as a player.
On a side note, as a Power fan, there was one player that had a great night and was fun to watch. The crowd thought so, too:
Voodoo at Soul
Sure, Philly was supposed to win this one, and sure, they did - but they should be ashamed of their play in this one. Down to the end, it was anyone's game, and that should not have been the case between the #1 team in the league and a 4-seed that got into the playoffs by attrition. It was a sloppy game all around, with both teams giving up around 50 yards in penalties. One drive in particular kinda sums this up:
Pictured here: Not how the play was drawn up.
That's a little blurry, but the important part is that, due to penalties, it took seven plays and three negated turnovers to accomplish 10 yards to a touchdown. This was just the most blatant example of a problem that was systemic to the entire game. It got even uglier at the end of the game when two Voodoo players got themselves ejected (I wish I could say it was the first time this season.)
Yes, the blame and sloppy play goes both ways, but the Soul are the much better team. They're better than this, and they can't play that sloppy next week if they want to go to the big game. Another concern is that they lost their kicker to a groin pull late in the game. If they don't get that sorted out before next weekend, there's going to be trouble.
Fun fact: All season, I've been noticing these two nuns that sit in the front row of the endzone section at Wells Fargo. Besides the fact that there is something inherently awesome about a couple of nuns being die-hard Arena fans, these two have caught more balls than have ever even come into my section at Consol. So, either the Lord likes souvenirs, or Dirty Dan is trying to earn points Upstairs. (Except that he pegged one in the face this week.)
Georgia at Jacksonville
So, just like another team farther down this list, the Force learned how hard it is to beat a team three times in a season.
For most of this game, it looked like the Sharks were firmly in the driver's seat. They went into half up, then recovered a botched Force onside kick and stormed into the lead. The Force made a hell of a comeback and closed in on - and then surpassed - the Shark's lead in the fourth. Down to the end, the Sharks had the ball and not much time left and then it happened.
All season, I've found myself missing Bernard Morris here in Pittsburgh until It happens. Regular readers may know that It is a fumble. Either he holds on too long, or just doesn't cover the ball and he gets stripped/drops it. Well, this week was no exception. With seconds left, Bernie Mo got tackled and the ball got away. Luckily, Jacksonville fell on it and kept it, but at a significant loss of yards. Morris's next pass went incomplete, bringing up forth and forever with 6 seconds left.
Remember when we played the Sharks last week and I said that their kicker was frickin' killing us with his distance and accuracy? Well, with the score at 56-55 Force, Capozzoli took the field, looking at 51 yards.
51.
NFL kickers have trouble with that, and their uprights are twice as far apart. Well, I can't adequately describe what happened, so:
From the Arena Football page.
Cats at Ratts
Funny thing is, although this was a hard-fought, entertaining game, there isn't a lot to say about it. Both teams played the game they were supposed to play, and the energy level was what you would expect from from a heated rivalry like this. The Cat's defense intercepted Davila, the Ratts intercepted Greib. Explosive plays happened. Big stops were achieved. It was a great game. In the end, the Cats discovered how hard it is to beat a team three times in one season.
The score was close at 51-48, but it easily could have been a wider gap - and reversed. The Cats managed to pick Davila 4 times to the Rattlers 2. Who says turovers win games? Much like the other games in this review, it was a "survival" game, but it wasn't one were either team failed to play up to their potential. Much like the first game of the weekend, this might have been the end of the road for an aging quarterback. If it is, Greib can know that he went out on a game to be proud of.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Playoff Preview, Round One
To close out the season, we've got a few weeks of playoffs that the Power will, sadly, not be participating in. It was a rough season, but they salvaged more than I would have thought they would. Even so, the team set several new franchise records:
From arenafootball.com:
Now, on to the playoffs.
Utah vs Talons
To start the ball rolling, the NFL Network is starting out with one of the best games of the first round - The Blaze trying to finally beat the Talons. They've met up twice so far, and they've been very close games both times. Over the course of two meetings, the Blaze has lost by a total of 9 points. The Talons have won 11 of their last 12 games (and one can hardly blame them for taking it easy last week) and the Blaze have had a late-season surge of their own.
Normally, a 1-4 match-up is kind of a reward to the 1st seed - almost a pass in the first round. Not so here. Arron Garcia is one of the best QBs to ever play the game, and looking to repeat. Tommy Grady is the best of the younger crowd, and the Blaze travels well.
So, how do I call this? Can't just go with the home team, because the Blaze does so well on the road. Can't go with the quarterback, because we have old, tested and experienced. I can't even go with the QB who makes gutsy plays. I'm going to have to have to go with turnovers. The Talons are +5 and the Blaze are -6 on the season, and turnovers were the deciding factor in the last two meetings between them. Based on that, I have to take the Talons - but if I'm down to the turnover battle, it's iffy.
Georgia at Jacksonville
I have not been impressed with the Force all season. They've been streaky at best, losing games they should win (Yay, Power!) and winning games they should lose (Chicago?) However, I think I need to pick them in this game based solely on how they match up with the Sharks.
Jacksonville is defending the title this year, but that means nothing. Even on the NFL level, there's not a lot of back-to-back wins. In the Arena League, every team starts 0-0 on week one, and that's that. I'm not going to deny that they've played hard and earned their place in the post season.
However, the simple fact is that they've gotten crushed in both meetings with the Force this season. If it were close, I'd say there's always the chance of them getting revenge, but they've been outscored by the Force to the tune of 45 points. Georgia might not be the better team, but they've had Jacksonville's number. The only hiccup is that Jacksonville has not yet faced Bryant Moniz at QB yet, and he hasn't seen the post season. Jitters could change things, but I'll still take Georgia.
Voodoo at Soul
New Orleans made a very loud statement this year, coming back from a season like we just lived through to go to the post season. They even beat the Soul week one by a point. However, I just don't see them winning this one. The Soul has set countless records this year and have been nigh unstoppable. They've beaten some of the best teams in the league, and they're going all the way to the big game in my opinion.
The Voodoo, on the other hand, still needs to mature. They've had big games, but also big losses. They made it to the post season in a weak division with a losing record. Finally, Rocco has too much of a habit of blowing games with silly mistakes.
Philly wins, or it's the biggest upset of the season.
Cats at Ratts
This one is just as hard to call as the Talons/Blaze game and for almost the same reasons. Nick Davila is trying to get his team back to the Arena Bowl, whereas Mark Grieb is trying to pull a Garcia and win the big one before he retires - a scene Davila is familiar with.
Both times they met this season - and these teams hate each other - the Cats won, but only by a total of 8 points. The Ratts are perfectly capable of beating them, they just haven't this year. Same thing with what I said about the Sharks - the Sabercats just have their number....barely. This is the pick that I'm most unsure of, but I'm going to go with my gut feeling a few months ago and take the Cats.
Now, I was all ready to put a bracket picture here. I'm sure about my picks in the American Conference -Georgia and Philly will advance, Philly will rout Georgia and it's on to New Orleans. The National Conference, however, is just too hard to call. I'm confident on my calls, but even then, next week would be just as hard to tell between the Talons and the Cats. Talons and Ratts (which the odds are probably on) is equally hard. Blaze and Ratts...eeeeh. The only way to be sure is the Blaze and Sabercats - I'd call the Blaze in that, but it's the least likely outcome.
So, we'll see come Monday.
From arenafootball.com:
- MIKE "Joystick" WASHINGTON set single-season franchise records for receptions (115), receiving yards (2,142), receiving touchdowns (39) and points (206).
- PJ "Superman" BERRY set single-season franchise records for kickoff return yards (2,024), kickoff return touchdowns (2) and combined kick return yards (2,040).
- DOMINIE "Sack Attack" PITTMAN set the single-season franchise record for sacks (5.5).
- CHRIS "Gingabread" LeFLORE set single-season franchise records for interceptions (9) and missed field goal return yards (25).
- BRYAN "Wasn't that a Beach Boy?" WILLIAMS set the single-season franchise record for tackles (66).
- GEOFF "Our Best Kicker" BOYER set the single-season franchise record for field goals made (4). (This record is sad for so many reasons, I don't know where to start, so I'll move on.)
Now, on to the playoffs.
Utah vs Talons
To start the ball rolling, the NFL Network is starting out with one of the best games of the first round - The Blaze trying to finally beat the Talons. They've met up twice so far, and they've been very close games both times. Over the course of two meetings, the Blaze has lost by a total of 9 points. The Talons have won 11 of their last 12 games (and one can hardly blame them for taking it easy last week) and the Blaze have had a late-season surge of their own.
Normally, a 1-4 match-up is kind of a reward to the 1st seed - almost a pass in the first round. Not so here. Arron Garcia is one of the best QBs to ever play the game, and looking to repeat. Tommy Grady is the best of the younger crowd, and the Blaze travels well.
So, how do I call this? Can't just go with the home team, because the Blaze does so well on the road. Can't go with the quarterback, because we have old, tested and experienced. I can't even go with the QB who makes gutsy plays. I'm going to have to have to go with turnovers. The Talons are +5 and the Blaze are -6 on the season, and turnovers were the deciding factor in the last two meetings between them. Based on that, I have to take the Talons - but if I'm down to the turnover battle, it's iffy.
Georgia at Jacksonville
I have not been impressed with the Force all season. They've been streaky at best, losing games they should win (Yay, Power!) and winning games they should lose (Chicago?) However, I think I need to pick them in this game based solely on how they match up with the Sharks.
Jacksonville is defending the title this year, but that means nothing. Even on the NFL level, there's not a lot of back-to-back wins. In the Arena League, every team starts 0-0 on week one, and that's that. I'm not going to deny that they've played hard and earned their place in the post season.
However, the simple fact is that they've gotten crushed in both meetings with the Force this season. If it were close, I'd say there's always the chance of them getting revenge, but they've been outscored by the Force to the tune of 45 points. Georgia might not be the better team, but they've had Jacksonville's number. The only hiccup is that Jacksonville has not yet faced Bryant Moniz at QB yet, and he hasn't seen the post season. Jitters could change things, but I'll still take Georgia.
Voodoo at Soul
New Orleans made a very loud statement this year, coming back from a season like we just lived through to go to the post season. They even beat the Soul week one by a point. However, I just don't see them winning this one. The Soul has set countless records this year and have been nigh unstoppable. They've beaten some of the best teams in the league, and they're going all the way to the big game in my opinion.
The Voodoo, on the other hand, still needs to mature. They've had big games, but also big losses. They made it to the post season in a weak division with a losing record. Finally, Rocco has too much of a habit of blowing games with silly mistakes.
Philly wins, or it's the biggest upset of the season.
Cats at Ratts
This one is just as hard to call as the Talons/Blaze game and for almost the same reasons. Nick Davila is trying to get his team back to the Arena Bowl, whereas Mark Grieb is trying to pull a Garcia and win the big one before he retires - a scene Davila is familiar with.
Both times they met this season - and these teams hate each other - the Cats won, but only by a total of 8 points. The Ratts are perfectly capable of beating them, they just haven't this year. Same thing with what I said about the Sharks - the Sabercats just have their number....barely. This is the pick that I'm most unsure of, but I'm going to go with my gut feeling a few months ago and take the Cats.
Now, I was all ready to put a bracket picture here. I'm sure about my picks in the American Conference -Georgia and Philly will advance, Philly will rout Georgia and it's on to New Orleans. The National Conference, however, is just too hard to call. I'm confident on my calls, but even then, next week would be just as hard to tell between the Talons and the Cats. Talons and Ratts (which the odds are probably on) is equally hard. Blaze and Ratts...eeeeh. The only way to be sure is the Blaze and Sabercats - I'd call the Blaze in that, but it's the least likely outcome.
So, we'll see come Monday.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Visiting Enemy Territory: Power vs Soul Review
As I mentioned in my brief preview last week, I had the chance to travel to Philly this weekend to catch the Power on the road. Despite the fact that we lost (hard) it was a lot of fun, and I look forward to doing it again some time.
Approaching enemy territory.
For those of you who haven't been to Philly professional sports DMZ, Wells Fargo Center lies a subway ride away from downtown, clustered with Citizens Bank Park and Lincoln Financial Field, putting everything right on top of each other. The Brothers Keller and I were lucky enough to arrive just as the first game of a Phils double-header was letting out and everyone was heading across the street to Xfinity Live to drink. Whereas my brother-in-law was being the good homer and wearing local garb, the Kellers and I stood out just a wee bit in our black n gold amid the sea of red.
Looks varied from "WTF jersey is that?" to "I don't know what that is, but black and gold means I must hate you."
After some time trying to blend in with the locals and having a few adult beverages at Victory (Pittsburgh seriously needs a setup like this place) we headed in for the game. Even though Wells Fargo only holds a couple of hundred people less than Consol, it somehow feels much more cramped. I don't know what it was - maybe the seats are smaller, maybe it's because the jumbotron is way higher or what, but it feels smaller inside. By luck of the draw, our seats were almost exactly the same as what we have every week at home (which led to a comical double-take from the highlight film crew), but the different setup put us right behind the bench.
Hi, Tomczak!
I go to every home game, but this was the first time that it really felt like my cheering shenanigans could actually be noticed by the team. When we walked down to our seats, Superman saw us and threw a salute. Cool stuff.
Now, for the game itself. I don't think any of us really expected to win, and we sure didn't - but that's more because of the strength of the Soul than weakness of the Power. This is not to say that the Power's skills didn't play a part - weak offense, poor protection of the quarterback, etc were all in play - but damn, the Soul is just a solid, solid team who has earned everything they've gotten this season.
The game got off to an inauspicious start with the Power getting stopped dead on their opening drive - but a clutch interception by "Gingabread" LeFlore on Raudabaugh's first pass of the game turned things back around. To be honest, the first half didn't get too out of control, and we actually had the right to hope. At the beginning of the second quarter, we had the lead and were slowly but surely getting the job done.
However, Philly came back with a touchdown to Brackins, a 4-and-out stop, touchdown to Morgan and then that traditional pick that we've talked about before. That one that you can look back on as the play that took the wind out of the Power's sails. Even so, the first half ended 27-13, which isn't insurmountable, but it wasn't optimal. The third was painful, but still "in there" somewhere. It wasn't until the end of the forth where it just got a bit ugly and then it was over.
I'm going to give full disclosure here. Where I was sitting, my view should have been a lot like this:
Clear, unobstructed awesome.
However, given that the delightful Soulmates actually hang out in the audience at Wells Fargo, a few times, my view was more like this:
Obstructed awesome.
It took me almost an entire quarter to realize that the guy to her left was wearing a kilt. A kilt. So, that being said, I might have missed a few details, but here are some highlights.
We chatted with a member of the Power front office who asked if we had renewed our season tickets yet. I explain to him that, to be 100% frank, we weren't sure if the team would still be here next year, so we were giving it a wait-and-see approach. His response was that Mr. Swann and Shaner are 100% committed to the team, and they will be back next season.
This is great news, because while I sat amongst nearly 10,000 crazy (and at times very...Philly) fans I happened to look up and see this:
Given the fact that we're in the anything-can-happen phase of the season, I'm shocked that I went nearly 100% on my picks again this week.
Not a lot has changed since last week, except that the Rush is getting a look in and the Cats are bumped for the time being.. The Cats' loss was a blow in the standings, but they're only a half-game shy of Chicago, so it's not time to write their epitaph just yet.
Assuming neither of them royally screw the pooch, the Ratts and Talons are going to be #1 and #2 in the conference, and which one is which might very well come down to their late-season match-up. The Ratts doubled the Talons' score last time, so even if Garcia wins this round, they'll need to put up some serious points to offset that loss, all other things being equal. They also have to think about the fact that there's a very good chance they'll have to play each other again to reach the Arena Bowl.
The American Conference is just a mess. Aside from the Soul, we still can't say anything for sure - not even who is going to be in and who's going to be out (except for Pittsburgh, Orlando and KC.) The live bracket right now says Jax, Voodoo and Force, and that's as good of a guess as any. Tampa and Cleveland can both get in, but I don't think that either has got the drive to do it any more. If the Mustangs knuckle down and get some help, they might get in - but they'd need to get past Cleveland and have someone in the South nose-dive.
So, that's the weekend in review. I'll be back on Friday with the next update
Approaching enemy territory.For those of you who haven't been to Philly professional sports DMZ, Wells Fargo Center lies a subway ride away from downtown, clustered with Citizens Bank Park and Lincoln Financial Field, putting everything right on top of each other. The Brothers Keller and I were lucky enough to arrive just as the first game of a Phils double-header was letting out and everyone was heading across the street to Xfinity Live to drink. Whereas my brother-in-law was being the good homer and wearing local garb, the Kellers and I stood out just a wee bit in our black n gold amid the sea of red.
Looks varied from "WTF jersey is that?" to "I don't know what that is, but black and gold means I must hate you."
After some time trying to blend in with the locals and having a few adult beverages at Victory (Pittsburgh seriously needs a setup like this place) we headed in for the game. Even though Wells Fargo only holds a couple of hundred people less than Consol, it somehow feels much more cramped. I don't know what it was - maybe the seats are smaller, maybe it's because the jumbotron is way higher or what, but it feels smaller inside. By luck of the draw, our seats were almost exactly the same as what we have every week at home (which led to a comical double-take from the highlight film crew), but the different setup put us right behind the bench.
Hi, Tomczak!I go to every home game, but this was the first time that it really felt like my cheering shenanigans could actually be noticed by the team. When we walked down to our seats, Superman saw us and threw a salute. Cool stuff.
Now, for the game itself. I don't think any of us really expected to win, and we sure didn't - but that's more because of the strength of the Soul than weakness of the Power. This is not to say that the Power's skills didn't play a part - weak offense, poor protection of the quarterback, etc were all in play - but damn, the Soul is just a solid, solid team who has earned everything they've gotten this season.
The game got off to an inauspicious start with the Power getting stopped dead on their opening drive - but a clutch interception by "Gingabread" LeFlore on Raudabaugh's first pass of the game turned things back around. To be honest, the first half didn't get too out of control, and we actually had the right to hope. At the beginning of the second quarter, we had the lead and were slowly but surely getting the job done.
However, Philly came back with a touchdown to Brackins, a 4-and-out stop, touchdown to Morgan and then that traditional pick that we've talked about before. That one that you can look back on as the play that took the wind out of the Power's sails. Even so, the first half ended 27-13, which isn't insurmountable, but it wasn't optimal. The third was painful, but still "in there" somewhere. It wasn't until the end of the forth where it just got a bit ugly and then it was over.
I'm going to give full disclosure here. Where I was sitting, my view should have been a lot like this:
Clear, unobstructed awesome.However, given that the delightful Soulmates actually hang out in the audience at Wells Fargo, a few times, my view was more like this:
Obstructed awesome.It took me almost an entire quarter to realize that the guy to her left was wearing a kilt. A kilt. So, that being said, I might have missed a few details, but here are some highlights.
- Oderick Turner had a monster night this week, putting up almost identical numbers to Philly's Tiger Jones. That's fantastic. The triple threat of Jones, Hughley and "Captain" Morgan is most of what makes the Soul such a good team, and Turner should be proud to have stood with them.
- Even though Randall has protection problems with his offensive line, he still actually had some good numbers this week, putting up 60 yards more than Raudabaugh and only one more pick. To put that in perspective, Raudabaugh has solid blockers that give him a lot time to think. (He's also near-unflappable.) Much like Turner above, when put in context, it says a lot.
- In the second half, Donovan Morgan made one of those catches that belong on the highlight reel. Raudabaugh over-threw him a bit, so he had to charge through the end zone, slam into the wall and pluck the ball out of the air inches from a fan's lap. I bring this up because of something Keller's brother Erik said to me. He said that it was one of those plays that, irrespective of team, was athletic, exciting and makes people love Arena Football. He's not wrong.
We chatted with a member of the Power front office who asked if we had renewed our season tickets yet. I explain to him that, to be 100% frank, we weren't sure if the team would still be here next year, so we were giving it a wait-and-see approach. His response was that Mr. Swann and Shaner are 100% committed to the team, and they will be back next season.
This is great news, because while I sat amongst nearly 10,000 crazy (and at times very...Philly) fans I happened to look up and see this:
It's blurry, but it says Arena Bowl XXII champs.
...And, dammit, I want one.Elsewhere in the league
Given the fact that we're in the anything-can-happen phase of the season, I'm shocked that I went nearly 100% on my picks again this week.
- The Game of the Week was back on Friday night, and that was great, 'cause it meant that I got to see it. The Preds really made a run at the spoil, especially with some help from Rocco making his normal blunders. In the last minute, the Preds were up by one, but a touchdown followed by a safety sealed the deal for the Voodoo.
- Arizona didn't have much trouble against Milwaukee this week and advanced to 11-3, staying one game behind the Soul. The post-season is getting interesting.
- As I suspected, Cleveland's forfeit seems to have gotten in their head as they extended their losing streak to 5. They should be a better team than Jacksonville, and the fact that the game stayed within 7 almost the whole game proves it. Sharks win, 56-42. With the Mustangs also dropping one this week, the Gladiators remain in 2nd place in our division, but are now in the "need some help" to think about the playoffs.
- Talons definitely wanted it more, and Tampa finally dropped one at home this week. Talons remain tied with the Rattlers at 11-3, which means that the second-to-last game of the season is going to most likely have staggering implications.
- The Rush won a fairly safe game on the road against the Command, which keeps them in the running for a playoff spot. 59-41 is comfortable, but their road games are always scary.
- Once again, Tommy Grady and crew annihilated their opponent 61-38. I've talked in the past of the records that Grady is going to set this season, and you only need to look at this week. 25/28, 306 yards, 8 touchdowns and zero interceptions. I'm not saying he's the next Kurt Warner, but I'm wondering if any NFL team is eyeing him as a backup.
- Here's the one game that I missed the pick on. After getting thwumped at home earlier this season by the Cats, the Shock returned the favor with a 90-63 victory Saturday night. Re-read what I said about Grady above and realize that Rowley had a better night. 30/37, 392 yards, 12 TDs and only one interception. Take a bow, Kyle - you earned it.
Playoff Picture
Not a lot has changed since last week, except that the Rush is getting a look in and the Cats are bumped for the time being.. The Cats' loss was a blow in the standings, but they're only a half-game shy of Chicago, so it's not time to write their epitaph just yet.
Assuming neither of them royally screw the pooch, the Ratts and Talons are going to be #1 and #2 in the conference, and which one is which might very well come down to their late-season match-up. The Ratts doubled the Talons' score last time, so even if Garcia wins this round, they'll need to put up some serious points to offset that loss, all other things being equal. They also have to think about the fact that there's a very good chance they'll have to play each other again to reach the Arena Bowl.
The American Conference is just a mess. Aside from the Soul, we still can't say anything for sure - not even who is going to be in and who's going to be out (except for Pittsburgh, Orlando and KC.) The live bracket right now says Jax, Voodoo and Force, and that's as good of a guess as any. Tampa and Cleveland can both get in, but I don't think that either has got the drive to do it any more. If the Mustangs knuckle down and get some help, they might get in - but they'd need to get past Cleveland and have someone in the South nose-dive.
So, that's the weekend in review. I'll be back on Friday with the next update
Monday, June 18, 2012
Power fall to Mustangs...but only just.
This season has presented me with a varied pallet of ways to watch the Power lose - enough so that I can actually sit back and debate which way of watching them lose I prefer the most. I don't think that it's a surprise that I - if I have to watch them lose - most prefer them to lose when on the road, so that I'm already at home in my easy chair and comfy. If it's a home game and I have to schlep downtown, spend money at the bar beforehand (the extremely AFL-friendly Cafe Fifth Avenue) spend more at the game and then watch the slaughter up-close and personal, I actually prefer it when we get blown out. Why? Because I'm not sure how many 1-point-in-the-final-seconds losses my heart will take before exploding in dramatic fashion.
This week was a true heart breaker. Not just because we lost, and not just because we lost to a division rival. It was a heart breaker because the Power played so damn well and should have brought home the W on this one.
I'll admit, the game didn't look so promising after the Power's stalled opening drive that went 4-and-out and an almost immediate score by Milwaukee on the following possession. However, from there on out, it was competitive, exciting football all the way. This began with the Power returning the favor to the Mustangs by Berry running 34 yards to paydirt with a flip and a flourish over the goal line. As my wife pointed out at the time, Superman would have trouble in the NFL due to his joy of showboating (I mean this in a good way - it's always fun to see what he does when he scores.)
The next possession, the Power stopped Milwaukee dead on the far one-yard line, forcing them to "kick a field goal." (That's in quotes, because we can't say "punt" in the AFL.) Martinez wisely kicked it out of bounds, denying Superman a chance for a return and started us on the 20. Our next drive brought us our first lead (and first of two TDs to Turner) of the game, but also Boyer's first unsuccessful PAT attempt. Unfortunately, as his one legitimate miss of the night, this attempt sealed our fate.
I say "legitimate," because this was Boyer's one real miss that he can't blame on anyone else. Through the course of the rest of the game, he'd have two PATs blocked, but that's more of a credit to the Milwaukee defense than it is a failing on his part. However, long-time readers of this column (Hi mom!) know that one missed PAT can change everything in the AFL, and it certainly did in this game.
For the rest of the first and most of the second, things were exciting, but not overly noteworthy. Both teams did their thing and played good football. It was as the half wound down that things really got exciting. With around 5 minutes left, Berry made a TD reception that no one - including him - knows how the eff it happened.
Photo from the Power FB page.
What you can't see in this frozen moment of time is that before making this, Berry turned to look over his shoulder, tripped, fell, and the ball landed right in his hands as he slid into the end zone. The fact that Boyer's PAT on this one got blocked detracted nothing from this amazing moment.
An onside kick was attempted by the Power, and it didn't go so well as the Mustangs got the ball and scored. They answered with their own onside kick that they recovered - only to have Guidugli get stripped in the end zone for a safety (take that blocked PAT!) So, the only logical call for the Mustangs now was to try another onside kick (this was sarcasm, BTW) which "Hands" Hymes snagged and ran in, bringing the score to 34-27. Undeterred, Guidugli led his Mustangs down the field on his next possession, only to be picked by John Green.
Here is another point where I feel the Power might have lost an opportunity, but I can see why they did it. There were 14 seconds left in the half, and Milwaukee was going to start the second half with the ball - so they wanted to end with it. So, the plays were obviously designed to run time off the clock rather than just get in for the score. I get that. Unfortunately, the Mustangs had our number and didn't let us get much done, and we settled for a FG instead of a TD. At the time, it didn't seem like a big deal.
The Mustangs had calmed down a little bit after halftime and wasn't going for the crazy stuff any more - they seemed to just knuckle down for the rest of the fight. Their first drive ended efficiently in a touchdown scramble by Guidugli to get them back on the board. Our responding drive looked in jeopardy when an unsportsmanlike call against Berry (someone got lippy, so he chucked the ball in his face) left us at 3rd and 12 at midfield. No worries, as Randall completed to Joystick for the TD.
Although LeFlore intercepted Guidugli on the next drive, the Power were once again unable to get the TD, and in fact, this time they were just shut down on the drive and weren't able to capitalize. This was a running theme. Our first possession in the fourth, we also had to settle for a field goal. Now, don't get me wrong - I'm super glad that we have a kicker that can make FGs. That's worlds above some other kickers we've had this year.
Things went right down to the wire in this one. When it was down to it late in the game, Randall ran one in to bring it to 60-55. Then -and I don't know why more people aren't talking about this (including the AFL itself) - fans in the arena were treated to something special. For the PAT, the ball was snapped straight to Boyer. It looked for a moment that he was trying to find someone open to go for two. After all, that's the only thing he can do, right?
Wrong.
See, there's a very, very rarely used rule in professional football where you can dropkick an extra point. Doug Flutie pulled one off in 2006, 'cause the Pats were going to lose, the game meant nothing and he wanted to end his career on something special (They say Belichick's heart grew three sizes that day.) In the AFL, you're allowed to drop kick a PAT for 2, or a field goal for 4. Boyer was known in other leagues for pulling this off, and it was part of the reason Siegfried picked him up. Now, some sources say that it hasn't been done successfully since 1997, but that's untrue as Taylor Rowan pulled it off last season, but the fact is, it is very, very rare, and this brought us to 62-55.
This is where the heart breaks. In the final seconds of the game, Milwaukee scored and then followed with a successful two point conversion the traditional way. So many times this season, that's how they were beaten, and I'm sure it felt good to be on the other side of it. There was some anger on the following kickoff with 0:03 on the clock, because the refs said Berry touched the ball. From what I saw on the field and on the video, he in no way did, but that probably didn't change anything. They'd have had time for one play, and the odds were against them. Doesn't change the fact that it hurt a lot to lose by so little.
What do we take out of this game? Well, this is the Power team that I wish we'd had all season. They played hard for a full 4 quarters, tried some unconventional plays, played solid defense. Hell, Randall even went pick-free this week. Our defense held the Mustangs to 3rd down 8 times, and kept them from converting four of them. Of the 4th downs, we officially stopped one and forced them to kick on another. They also picked Guidugli twice and put him on his back several times. Our offense was on target and back to focusing on a few choice receivers, none of whom turned the ball over. Boyer only missed one kick and was clutch everywhere else (except the two blocks.)
There were only two main areas of concern, really (and when we're out of playoff contention, is it really a concern anymore?) One was the O-line. Randall got sacked, hurried and pressured way too much in this game. We have never been able to protect the QB, and I'd kinda hoped having a defensive guy as coach, this might get worked on more. The other main problem was capitalizing on turnovers. Twice in this game, we settled for a FG or less after a pick. Had either of those been a TD, we would have won this one.
All-in-all, it was a great effort for the Power, it was finally fun to watch again, and in the end, they just fell slightly short.
Next week, a special report from inside enemy territory as we take on the Soul.
Right now, in the American Conference, as stated earlier, Philly is in the driver's seat with New Orleans as their first match-up, while the Force and Sharks face off in the other half. Philly's going to stay right where they are, and probably take top seed, if hubris doesn't get them. The rest is going to be a run-off. Georgia sits at 7-7, but NOLA, Jacksonville, Tampa Bay and Cleveland all sit at 6-7, with Milwaukee only one game behind that. I'm not feeling confident in Cleveland but Milwaukee has a slightly harder schedule in their last five games. If either of them makes a stand for the playoffs, then their head-to-head in a few weeks will be key, and Cleveland already has one win.
I'm all but calling TB out of this, as they have two road games down the stretch, and have to play Philly and San Antonio at home, plus a division match-up with the Voodoo. NOLA has two division games here at the end, which are going to be huge, and the hardest other game will be the Sabercats. I think that the Voodoo has a good chance to take at least 2nd place in the division. The Sharks have a very easy end of the season, as they play all three teams that struck this year, and only have games against the Voodoo and Milwaukee to worry about. It's between them and Jax for second place, and they have the easier road. Finally, Georgia only has four games left with a critical late-season bye, plus games against the Preds and Power at home. The division is (surprisingly, given the early season) theirs if they don't screw up.
In the National Conference, things are still very exciting. The Rattlers hold the top spot, but are tied with the Talons at 10-3. They have a tough road for the end of the season, and will really have to work to keep it. They might close their season against the Command, but before that, they have the Talons, the Blaze, the Shock and the Mustangs - all teams trying for the playoffs (and the Mustangs are up first, so they'll play when they still have hope) and three of them are in direct competition with the Ratts. It's going to be ugly, ugly, ugly down the stretch for them, and they're going to be looking to win out.
The Talons, for their part, really are just going to be worrying about the Rush and the Rattlers. Iowa, KC and TB aren't going to really be scary for them, and this might actually get them the 1 seed if they run the board. I honestly didn't see that coming. The Cats are somewhat in the middle with 4 games left against the Shock, Rush, Voodoo and Barnstormers. I still think that they can go all the way to the Arena Bowl if they make it to the playoffs, but competition is steep, and they've dropped some games recently that they really shouldn't have. It's crazy that a 9-5 record isn't guaranteeing them a post-season spot yet.
The Blaze only have one division game left, and that's against the Ratts. I think their schedule isn't easy, but it's not hard either with games against the Force, Soul and Gladiators to round it out. The Rush is right behind them at 8-5, but they have three out of five games on the road to close out (where they've struggled this season) and have to play the Cats and Talons at home. I hate to say it, but I don't think that my Rush are going to see the post season this year.
So, that's the picture as it stands right now. Obviously, this is going to change week-to-week the rest of the way. Just because the Power don't have a chance doesn't mean that there's not a lot of other exciting things going on. PLAYOFFS!!!
This week was a true heart breaker. Not just because we lost, and not just because we lost to a division rival. It was a heart breaker because the Power played so damn well and should have brought home the W on this one.
I'll admit, the game didn't look so promising after the Power's stalled opening drive that went 4-and-out and an almost immediate score by Milwaukee on the following possession. However, from there on out, it was competitive, exciting football all the way. This began with the Power returning the favor to the Mustangs by Berry running 34 yards to paydirt with a flip and a flourish over the goal line. As my wife pointed out at the time, Superman would have trouble in the NFL due to his joy of showboating (I mean this in a good way - it's always fun to see what he does when he scores.)
The next possession, the Power stopped Milwaukee dead on the far one-yard line, forcing them to "kick a field goal." (That's in quotes, because we can't say "punt" in the AFL.) Martinez wisely kicked it out of bounds, denying Superman a chance for a return and started us on the 20. Our next drive brought us our first lead (and first of two TDs to Turner) of the game, but also Boyer's first unsuccessful PAT attempt. Unfortunately, as his one legitimate miss of the night, this attempt sealed our fate.
I say "legitimate," because this was Boyer's one real miss that he can't blame on anyone else. Through the course of the rest of the game, he'd have two PATs blocked, but that's more of a credit to the Milwaukee defense than it is a failing on his part. However, long-time readers of this column (Hi mom!) know that one missed PAT can change everything in the AFL, and it certainly did in this game.
For the rest of the first and most of the second, things were exciting, but not overly noteworthy. Both teams did their thing and played good football. It was as the half wound down that things really got exciting. With around 5 minutes left, Berry made a TD reception that no one - including him - knows how the eff it happened.
Photo from the Power FB page.What you can't see in this frozen moment of time is that before making this, Berry turned to look over his shoulder, tripped, fell, and the ball landed right in his hands as he slid into the end zone. The fact that Boyer's PAT on this one got blocked detracted nothing from this amazing moment.
An onside kick was attempted by the Power, and it didn't go so well as the Mustangs got the ball and scored. They answered with their own onside kick that they recovered - only to have Guidugli get stripped in the end zone for a safety (take that blocked PAT!) So, the only logical call for the Mustangs now was to try another onside kick (this was sarcasm, BTW) which "Hands" Hymes snagged and ran in, bringing the score to 34-27. Undeterred, Guidugli led his Mustangs down the field on his next possession, only to be picked by John Green.
Here is another point where I feel the Power might have lost an opportunity, but I can see why they did it. There were 14 seconds left in the half, and Milwaukee was going to start the second half with the ball - so they wanted to end with it. So, the plays were obviously designed to run time off the clock rather than just get in for the score. I get that. Unfortunately, the Mustangs had our number and didn't let us get much done, and we settled for a FG instead of a TD. At the time, it didn't seem like a big deal.
The Mustangs had calmed down a little bit after halftime and wasn't going for the crazy stuff any more - they seemed to just knuckle down for the rest of the fight. Their first drive ended efficiently in a touchdown scramble by Guidugli to get them back on the board. Our responding drive looked in jeopardy when an unsportsmanlike call against Berry (someone got lippy, so he chucked the ball in his face) left us at 3rd and 12 at midfield. No worries, as Randall completed to Joystick for the TD.
Although LeFlore intercepted Guidugli on the next drive, the Power were once again unable to get the TD, and in fact, this time they were just shut down on the drive and weren't able to capitalize. This was a running theme. Our first possession in the fourth, we also had to settle for a field goal. Now, don't get me wrong - I'm super glad that we have a kicker that can make FGs. That's worlds above some other kickers we've had this year.
Things went right down to the wire in this one. When it was down to it late in the game, Randall ran one in to bring it to 60-55. Then -and I don't know why more people aren't talking about this (including the AFL itself) - fans in the arena were treated to something special. For the PAT, the ball was snapped straight to Boyer. It looked for a moment that he was trying to find someone open to go for two. After all, that's the only thing he can do, right?
Wrong.
See, there's a very, very rarely used rule in professional football where you can dropkick an extra point. Doug Flutie pulled one off in 2006, 'cause the Pats were going to lose, the game meant nothing and he wanted to end his career on something special (They say Belichick's heart grew three sizes that day.) In the AFL, you're allowed to drop kick a PAT for 2, or a field goal for 4. Boyer was known in other leagues for pulling this off, and it was part of the reason Siegfried picked him up. Now, some sources say that it hasn't been done successfully since 1997, but that's untrue as Taylor Rowan pulled it off last season, but the fact is, it is very, very rare, and this brought us to 62-55.
This is where the heart breaks. In the final seconds of the game, Milwaukee scored and then followed with a successful two point conversion the traditional way. So many times this season, that's how they were beaten, and I'm sure it felt good to be on the other side of it. There was some anger on the following kickoff with 0:03 on the clock, because the refs said Berry touched the ball. From what I saw on the field and on the video, he in no way did, but that probably didn't change anything. They'd have had time for one play, and the odds were against them. Doesn't change the fact that it hurt a lot to lose by so little.
What do we take out of this game? Well, this is the Power team that I wish we'd had all season. They played hard for a full 4 quarters, tried some unconventional plays, played solid defense. Hell, Randall even went pick-free this week. Our defense held the Mustangs to 3rd down 8 times, and kept them from converting four of them. Of the 4th downs, we officially stopped one and forced them to kick on another. They also picked Guidugli twice and put him on his back several times. Our offense was on target and back to focusing on a few choice receivers, none of whom turned the ball over. Boyer only missed one kick and was clutch everywhere else (except the two blocks.)
There were only two main areas of concern, really (and when we're out of playoff contention, is it really a concern anymore?) One was the O-line. Randall got sacked, hurried and pressured way too much in this game. We have never been able to protect the QB, and I'd kinda hoped having a defensive guy as coach, this might get worked on more. The other main problem was capitalizing on turnovers. Twice in this game, we settled for a FG or less after a pick. Had either of those been a TD, we would have won this one.
All-in-all, it was a great effort for the Power, it was finally fun to watch again, and in the end, they just fell slightly short.
Next week, a special report from inside enemy territory as we take on the Soul.
Elsewhere in the league
- The NFL game of the week aired on delay this week. Hopefully now that the powers that be and the union reached terms, the NFL Network will give us another chance. With them having rights to playoff games, I don't want to see them delayed. The main thing to take away from this game is that Tampa Bay officially can't win on the road as they fell to the Predators in the War on I-4. I also need to point out that the Preds will be missing the playoffs for the first time after 19 years straight. To put that in perspective, their fans have been used to the Preds being awesome as long as we've been used to the Pirates sucking.
- Philly decisively (62-27) won over the Sharks, clinching the division and a playoff berth. From here on out, they're in "eh, whatever" mode as they try to stay healthy and just play for home field advantage. With 11 wins at this point, it would take some really bad luck for them to not get it.
- Looks like Cleveland got bit by the strike curse, as the Voodoo beat them at home Saturday, 54-42.
- My confidence in Garcia and crew was well-placed as they got the W over Iowa and tied themselves up with the Rattlers. The race is on for home field in that conference also.
- As expected, the Rush beat Georgia, and they were able to exorcise some demons while they did it. Final score was almost as lopsided as their loss to the Blaze, 62-27.
- Utah almost dropped a should-win against Spokane, but pulled it off in the last minutes of the game Saturday. 58-55, final.
- The one shocker this week - and Keller was all, "Oh, I was going to pick that as an upset special this week" - was that the KC Command actually beat the Sabercats, and by a good margin, too. Final score was 57-41.
If the Playoffs Were Today
That time again, already, where we look ahead to playoff season. The picture is pretty clear right now, with only a few questions of who will make it and where they'll rank.Right now, in the American Conference, as stated earlier, Philly is in the driver's seat with New Orleans as their first match-up, while the Force and Sharks face off in the other half. Philly's going to stay right where they are, and probably take top seed, if hubris doesn't get them. The rest is going to be a run-off. Georgia sits at 7-7, but NOLA, Jacksonville, Tampa Bay and Cleveland all sit at 6-7, with Milwaukee only one game behind that. I'm not feeling confident in Cleveland but Milwaukee has a slightly harder schedule in their last five games. If either of them makes a stand for the playoffs, then their head-to-head in a few weeks will be key, and Cleveland already has one win.
I'm all but calling TB out of this, as they have two road games down the stretch, and have to play Philly and San Antonio at home, plus a division match-up with the Voodoo. NOLA has two division games here at the end, which are going to be huge, and the hardest other game will be the Sabercats. I think that the Voodoo has a good chance to take at least 2nd place in the division. The Sharks have a very easy end of the season, as they play all three teams that struck this year, and only have games against the Voodoo and Milwaukee to worry about. It's between them and Jax for second place, and they have the easier road. Finally, Georgia only has four games left with a critical late-season bye, plus games against the Preds and Power at home. The division is (surprisingly, given the early season) theirs if they don't screw up.
In the National Conference, things are still very exciting. The Rattlers hold the top spot, but are tied with the Talons at 10-3. They have a tough road for the end of the season, and will really have to work to keep it. They might close their season against the Command, but before that, they have the Talons, the Blaze, the Shock and the Mustangs - all teams trying for the playoffs (and the Mustangs are up first, so they'll play when they still have hope) and three of them are in direct competition with the Ratts. It's going to be ugly, ugly, ugly down the stretch for them, and they're going to be looking to win out.
The Talons, for their part, really are just going to be worrying about the Rush and the Rattlers. Iowa, KC and TB aren't going to really be scary for them, and this might actually get them the 1 seed if they run the board. I honestly didn't see that coming. The Cats are somewhat in the middle with 4 games left against the Shock, Rush, Voodoo and Barnstormers. I still think that they can go all the way to the Arena Bowl if they make it to the playoffs, but competition is steep, and they've dropped some games recently that they really shouldn't have. It's crazy that a 9-5 record isn't guaranteeing them a post-season spot yet.
The Blaze only have one division game left, and that's against the Ratts. I think their schedule isn't easy, but it's not hard either with games against the Force, Soul and Gladiators to round it out. The Rush is right behind them at 8-5, but they have three out of five games on the road to close out (where they've struggled this season) and have to play the Cats and Talons at home. I hate to say it, but I don't think that my Rush are going to see the post season this year.
So, that's the picture as it stands right now. Obviously, this is going to change week-to-week the rest of the way. Just because the Power don't have a chance doesn't mean that there's not a lot of other exciting things going on. PLAYOFFS!!!
Sunday, March 25, 2012
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:
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...
...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:
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:
- Don't start a QB who's been with the team shorter than a Redbox rental and,
- 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.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
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!
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.
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