Power vs Barnstormers Review

To quote an old DVE Morning Show sketch:

“My Lord.”

“My Liege.”

“My god, what an ass-whooping!”

The Power more than made up for their painful loss to the Soul in their home opener last week. Before the game, I said to Keller that, after last week, I really needed a runaway victory like the Rush were nice enough to hand the Soul Friday night (62-28 final.) Well, I almost got it. Last night's score was a lopsided 58-28, courtesy of a smoothed out Power offense.

As I predicted last week, the second game of the season saw a lot of adjustments in style and strategy throughout. This was obvious right from the beginning. when the Power managed to burn 7:07 off the clock on one drive. That's a ridiculously long time in this league.

This week, QB duties were split between Morris and Kevin McCabe, with each taking a half. I'm not sure if an injury benched Morris, or if Siegfried just felt that 114 yards and 2 touchdowns were enough out of him for one week. It's tough to say, but the fact is #14 got sacked three times and we didn't see him again after the half.

Far and away, Morris' prime target this week was Willis for picking up critical yardage throughout the first half, although he didn't get any TDs to his name. Both Morris and McCabe chose instead to spread the passing TD's out among five other targets. Interestingly, week one favorite Washington was not the presence that he was in the opener, picking up only 24 yards and a touchdown.

Continuing to be a Bus-like figure, Joshua Rue was utilized in short yardage situations. He had six carries, averaging about a yard apiece, but this still resulted in two touchdowns. He was also able to pick up 21 additional yards and a touchdown in the air. In just two games this season, he has been so potent on offense that there were two plays in which we needed a critical yard and the crowd started bellowing “RUUUUUUUUEE!” Despite everyone in the building calling out where the ball was going, the Barnstormers were still unable to stop him.

When McCabe took the field in the second half, his performance by the numbers were very similar to Morris' accomplishments in the first, however he seemed a lot more confident and composed on the field. Granted, the Barnstormers had begun to fall apart at that point and the Power had a comfortable 28-14 lead, but I really felt he was the more stable figure behind center. He changed up his targets, not really preferring one receiver over another, adapting to the situation on the field as he went. He also didn't seem to get happy feet and managed to not end up lying on the field looking up at the lights much. Again, it might just have been that the other team wasn't pressing as hard. As such, I'm hoping that he starts next week in Milwaukee so that I can get a better sense of it.

As cohesive as the Power looked this week, they had a lot of help on the other side of the line. As there is really no preseason to speak of and Iowa had a week 1 bye, this was the first chance the Barnstormers had to take the field together – and it showed. Their offense was confused and all over the place. Interceptions were common and end zone discoveries rare. More often, their O-line ran into their own players more than the Power defense.

Even worse was that their defense didn't show much sign of knowing what they were doing – particularly linebacker Sam Smith getting gigged for two illegal formations and a holding. Things weren't all bad for the defense, however. Defensive back Patrick Stoudamire was all over the field, breaking up passes wherever he went. If there is a standout weapon on Iowa's team, it's him.

A few thoughts on adjustments and changes off the field from week one: As predicted, attendance dropped substantially this week, but not as much as I'd feared – especially considering that Pitt was busy slugging it out in a doomed March Madness outing. The 9100+ in the house were louder than their numbers, and brought the enthusiasm. (Note: the consensus seems to be “Let's go Pow-er ” rather than the modified, “Here we go Pow-er, here we go!”, though both were used.)

The announcer was a lot more subdued this week, keeping the monster-truck-rally style color commentary to a minimum. At first, I thought that he might have gotten a memo after the opener, but in the second half, his nicknames returned. Jason “Watchu Talking About” Willis, Mike “the Joystick” Washington and Lonnell “the Power Tool” DeWalt all put in appearances. God help me, I actually realized the first half was lacking them.

Finally, the grounds management decided to take down the glass around the team benches. I am particularly pleased with this, as my lower-level seats had a very disrupted line of sight to the far end zone because of them. It's selfish, but I give it two thumbs up.

Conclusion and closing thoughts:

So, where do the Power stand? This week's performance was vastly improved over the home opener between two expansion teams finding their footing. On one hand, the Soul had it handed to them Friday, and the Power came out swinging in their second game. On the other, the Soul went on to play a hard-hitting, established franchise on their home turf, whereas the Power stayed at home and beat up on a shaky team still trying to work out the kinks.

With McCabe backing up Morris and getting an expanding role, I think we've got a potent one-two punch that can surprise the opponent. I hope we see McCabe starting next week, rather than being a relief for Morris after he gets laid out too many times. In that regard, I hope the line can get better at keeping the defense from reaching Morris and give him time to gain some confidence in getting rid of the ball before he gets slammed.

The strengths this week were the D making some great goal-line stands and taking the ball away from the Barnstormers. Also, McCabe's style of spreading the ball around (rather than watching Morris for a few plays and figuring out which guy he's tapped for the game) is an effective strategy. I have high hopes for the season if these things continue.

Let me take a moment to apologize: I missed the memo that I was supposed to get a pic of the Sparks for yinz this week. Below is the best I have from the game. Yes - I took one for...my...own, personal portfolio. Don't judge me.



Next up: The Milwaukee Mustangs Monday night, giving the Power a long rest before heading on the road.

A Response to Roger Goodell's E-mail to NFL Fans

NFL Commissioner Roger "Kaiser" Goodell sent out an e-mail to NFL fans last week after the players decided they weren't interested in what the owners had to offer, preferring to take their chances in court.  If you haven't read it, here's a link for it.

Now, I'm obviously not a fan of Goodell, since I just called him "Kaiser Goodell," so I wanted to include a link to the e-mail to avoid any accusations that I'm taking things out of context.  Though, really, I'd love to see something in the Comments section to prove that people are reading this blog.

Overall, the letter is a swift kick in the junk to all NFL fans, which I'm pretty sure is the opposite of its intent.  Here are my favorite bits:

When I wrote to you last on behalf of the NFL, we promised you that we would work tirelessly to find a collectively bargained solution to our differences with the players' union. Subsequent to that letter to you, we agreed that the fastest way to a fair agreement was for everyone to work together through a mediation process. For the last three weeks I have personally attended every session of mediation, which is a process our clubs sincerely believe in.

That's actually a good start.  The big problem with that statement is this: They worked tirelessly for the last three weeks.  I admire the effort that both sides put in over the last month or so, but everyone keeps ignoring the fact that the owners opted out of the CBA in 2008.  They had a long time to work this out and both sides -- mainly the owners -- did nothing to resolve the issue until the 11th hour had passed and it was too late to come to an agreement.

The NFL is a deadline-driven business and they've signed most of their agreements right up against the deadlines that were set, but they had a deadline of sorts prior to the 2010 offseason when the salary cap was going to go away.  Both sides did nothing, since they thought they had more to gain by waiting things out.

One other elephant in the room is that the owners, for the most part, were noticeably absent in these negotiations.  When a group of them did show up two days before the original deadline, they said they needed to take a break and meet up later, then got on private jets and left the scene.  The players stayed involved and continued to be represented at all negotiations, both by star players and role players.  I understand that the owners are important people and they're busy guys, but they all found time to hammer out a deal before the last CBA was ratified, so I'm going to go ahead and say that they didn't work tirelessly to get something in place this time around.  This is not necessarily a knock on Goodell, but he certainly could have put more effort forth in terms of getting the owners in Washington, DC and keeping them there in order for both parties to work something out with the help of federal negotiator George Cohen.

It seemed to me that the owners had made their decision and that Goodell should call them if there wasn't a lockout.

In an effort to get a fair agreement now, our clubs offered a deal today that was, among other things, designed to have no adverse financial impact on veteran players in the early years, and would have met the players’ financial demands in the latter years of the agreement.

OK.  That's the set-up.  Are you ready for this next paragraph?  I can wait.  I think you're ready.


The proposal we made included an offer to narrow the player compensation gap that existed in the negotiations by splitting the difference; guarantee a reallocation of savings from first-round rookies to veterans and retirees without negatively affecting compensation for rounds 2-7; no compensation reduction for veterans; implement new year-round health and safety rules; retain the current 16-4 season format for at least two years with any subsequent changes subject to the approval of the league and union; and establish a new legacy fund for retired players ($82 million contributed by the owners over the next two years).

Wow.  That is one craftily worded paragraph.  I would liked to have seen what that paragraph looked like before the legal team had the chance to massage it for a couple of hours.


Before I start breaking this down, I do need to mention that there are reports that the players didn't even look at the offer.  I've heard that they declined it without reviewing it and went right ahead with the decertification.  Also, there's some good, transparent stuff in there.  I like the rookie allocation pool, the health and safety rules, and of course the fund for retired players, who have gotten pretty thoroughly shafted over the years.

What exactly does "narrow the compensation gap by splitting the difference" mean?  My guess is that means the owners were willing to meet the players in the middle as far as revenue sharing is concerned.  That's a fine gesture, but the revenue gap was $750 million at the beginning of the day.  They were offering the players a $375 million compromise, but they were also taking away $375 million that the players thought they deserved.

Then there's this: If the owners were so anxious to give all that money away, why didn't they offer it earlier?  Why not throw that on the table two weeks before that?  Or two months?  Or even two years?  Two months ago -- and certainly two years ago -- there was less animosity between the two parties and that might have been enough to get the new CBA in place.

Why is "no reduction in compensation for veterans" underlined?  If they were throwing another $375 million in the pot and putting a cap on first round salaries, how could the veteran players make less?  That it's in there at all, nonetheless underlined, really confuses me.  Maybe it's because there were so many statements out there about protecting and rewarding veteran players and not showering rookies with money?  I really don't know.  I think the lawyers should have removed that.

Then there's the thing about the 16-4 schedule.  The league offered to keep the 16-4 system for two years with any changes to that format to be discussed with and cleared by the players.  Isn't that what they should have done in the first place, rather than trying to ram the 18-2 schedule down the players' throats?

To be clear, I'm not saying that the players should be canonized for their patience in dealing with the tyrannous owners and their evil overlord.  There's really no "good guy" in this scenario.  Both sides are being greedy jerks.  Both sides are trying to make the other side look like the bad guy.  I'm just saying that it's not like the owners came to the table with an unbelievable deal and the players just took a dump on it.

We remain committed to collective bargaining and the federal mediation process until an agreement is reached, and call on the union to return to negotiations immediately.

But... it's too late.  The union already decertified.  At that point, it's too late to call the union to action.  They already acted.  Throwing that in there is petty and childish.  It's like a ten year-old saying that he's going to hold his breath until his kid brother stops throwing a tantrum.


NFL players, clubs, and fans want an agreement.

The fans certainly do, but if the players and clubs really wanted an agreement, they would have reached one by now.

The only place it can be reached is at the bargaining table. 

Well, of course.  But, again, the bargaining table has been sitting there, waiting patiently for three years.  Ultimately, the owners and players can blame each other all they like, but they have no one to blame but themselves.

Then comes the kick to the junk.

First and foremost it is your passion for the game that drives us all, and we will not lose sight of this as we continue to work for a deal that works for everyone. 

The NFL is driven by the passion of their fans as much as a stripper is driven by the enthusiasm of her clients.  You can cheer all you want, but she won't come over unless you're waiving a dollar.

If it were able the fans and their passion for NFL football, then the owners and players would've come to an agreement in order to continue fuel that passion by putting a quality product on the field and by not completely wrecking the offseason in a time when the offseason has become nearly as important as the regular season.

I fully realize that it's all about the money.  This is a business.  The owners are business people.  The players are professionals.  The final sentence of this letter still upset me because it insulted my intelligence.

If both sides would just come out and say that it's all about the money and that they're just looking to get paid, I could respect that.  For either side to say that they're the good guys and the other party are the bad guys and that they're really the ones that are looking out for the fans is misleading at best and a lie at worst.

Right now, I'm starting to drift away from being upset and insulted and I'm starting to move towards the very feeling neither side wants: Apathetic.  I know I've been writing about the lockout a lot and I've expressed a number of opinions on the subject, so I definitely claim that I don't care and I never have.

I am too passionate about the NFL to swear off of it forever.  I'm not going to abandon it just because of one, douchey e-mail.  When the lockout ends, I will be back and I will be passionate.  I will spend money.

But, I'm reaching the point where they can just call me when there's not a lockout.

Power vs. Barnstormers Preview: Keller's Take

Weidman already did a great job of reviewing Week 1 and previewing Week 2, so I'm just going to add a couple of thoughts.

1. The offense looks like it's way ahead of the defense.  I expected their timing to be a little off in the first game and I definitely didn't expect them to score 52 points.  That's a nice surprise and I think they have some solid players on that side of the ball.
2. To go along with #1, the defense has some issues.  The front five has some talent, especially linebacker Caleb Bostic and definitely end Neil Purvis.  Purvis is the best player on the defensive line by far and made some key plays, both as a pass rusher and defending the run.  The cornerbacks are the problem.  I don't think it's time to start cutting guys, but the Power basically have two options: Sign better players or get to the quarterback faster.  This week, I'm thinking they need to overload blitz to Purvis' side and blitz the one guy that they're allowed to send.  This will at least make the opposing quarterback make a decision faster and could force some turnovers, which would be very welcome.  Whatever passing yards and touchdowns they give up, the offense can probably match it and it's doubtful they can do much worse than they did against the Soul.
3. Bernard Morris is a talented player, but he's still green and still has some holes in his game.  He stares down receivers, which led to the pick-six that ended the game in overtime.  He holds the ball too long when his first option is taken away.  If his first read is open, he's very good at recognizing it and releasing, but he showed a tendency to go all Roethlisberger and hold the ball when he needs to go through his progressions.  This led to the safety in the fourth quarter.  Those two items can be fixed with time, practice, coaching, and experience.  Morris is still young and he's still learning.  The one hole in his game that can't be fixed is that he doesn't put a lot of zip on the ball when he has to throw it farther than 20 yards.  He floated a ball and threw it short in the first half of the game against the Soul, missing a sure touchdown pass that could've blown the game open.  If other teams in the league catch onto this fact -- and they're bound to -- then they can sit on routes and not worry about getting burned deep.  It could be, though, that he was a little tight in his first game and was trying to be too precise and put too much touch on the ball instead of just going out there and winging it.  Maybe he can make Iowa pay if they try to camp out on short routes and he's able to beat them deep.
4. The Power have a dance team.  They're called the Sparks.  They are worth the price of a general admission ticket.  Weidman has said that we will get pictures and post them.  So, stay tuned for that.

As far as the Barnstormers are concerned, I don't know much about them.  As Weidman pointed out, there's not a whole lot we can learn from the first Power game and Iowa had a bye in Week 1.  I think this is a game the Power can definitely win, especially if the crowd is behind them like they were last week.


As far as a prediction is concerned... uh, give me some time.  I don't know enough about all the teams yet -- even the Power -- and the scores in this league are very unpredictable.  But, the games are also extremely entertaining, so right now I'm just going to enjoy the ride.

Power Week 1 Review/Week 2 Preview

Hey, Power fans. Mr. Keller was nice (or daring) enough to give me a press pass for this blog during our Power season, so expect to see some coverage throughout the spring and summer. Enjoy!

The problem with writing a preview for a new team's second game based solely on the one game they've played is a lot like previewing a new show based on the pilot. A lot can change from a show's pilot to the first real episode. The network can decide some things didn't work, actors can get cut, even the whole theme of the show can change based on the numbers and fan response. You really can't tell what to expect until you watch the second episode.

Similarly, I don't think that we can really judge much about the Power until after this weekend. There are some areas where they are going to have to make some adjustments, to be sure. For one thing, Morris needs to keep the ball out of the other team's hands. Friday night, we saw 3 turnovers, which ultimately proved to be the Power's undoing. Another is protecting the QB. Although not horrible, they did let up a crucial safety, which is always concerning.

On the plus side, there are some bright points that I hope to see developed. Right now, the Power is looking strong in the passing game, which is even more important in the Arena. Had it not been for an unfortunate turnover mid-way through the game, they most likely would have kept themselves out in front of the Soul after getting on the board early. Morris was 24 for 37 (with 3 interceptions) for 264 yards and 5 touchdowns– A strong first outing for the new team's starting QB.

Right now, the key match-up is Morris and Mic “The Joystick” Washington. More than once during the game, I heard, “Wow, he is not Nate's brother, that's for sure!” Why did they say this? Mainly because he hauled in 9 for 111 yards, averaging 12+ yards per. (12 yards per catch might not be impressive in the NFL, but that’s a lot more distance when your field is only 50 yards long.) If this combo keeps it up moving forward, it will be something to watch. If you have season tickets, get used to hearing an over-zealous arena announcer screaming that nickname (as uncomfortable as it might make us to wonder where it came from.)

It was a strong first outing for the Power, that honestly, they should have won. For those of you new to the sport, it was a fine lesson in “it's ain't over until it's over.” With less than a minute left, the Power were down by one and just needed to get in field goal range (though they are not common to see.) Unfortunately, a missed block and some garbled communication lead to a soul-crushing (Or, in this case Soul-rallying) safety with 35 seconds left to go.

Stupidly, in my frustration, I was easily persuaded to start heading out of the arena. The whole way up the stairs, my Steelers mind was screaming “DAMNIT!” while my Power mind was whispering, “Uh, dude? 35 seconds...” Stopping at a monitor in the hall, we were just in time to see a field goal sail through the uprights with 6 seconds to go. OT was upon us at 52 all. There was a mad rush back to the seats for everyone who hadn't made it out the doors.

Of course, on the second play of OT, Morris tosses out a pick-six and we didn't get to enjoy the Arena rule of “both sides get a possession.”

A last note on week one to address: the crowd. The infamous “12^th man.” The intangible.

Although there were still a good number of seats in the 100s empty (take note, Power fans!) the general admission sections were packed. I think the night's total was 13,401, which is pretty darn full. The energy was high, the beer was flowing and the place was actually shaking. People were drunk, excited, had no clue what was going on and were having great time. I've never seen a wave make it all the way around a venue that many times. If crowds actually do win games, they should have put 3 on the board themselves.

To return to the television analogy, I'm not putting any stock in the opening game's attendance. Viewership always drops after the pilot – how much it drops is what spells success or doom for the show.

As I mentioned above, most people had no idea what was going on. I was constantly clarifying any rules that the continuous explanations from the announcer didn't cover. It also didn't help that the refs' mics worked about as often as Charlie Sheen has in the last few weeks. People don't like having to think at a sports game – it's entertainment and diversion. It's especially bad when a flag goes out, the home team gets penalized and no one knows why.

On the way out, I heard more than one person say, “It was fun, but I don't think I'll be back.” Yep. There it is. A lot of the turn-out was people either wondering what it was all about or hearing that all their friends were going and hey, tickets are $15. Now that they know, well, maybe they'll be back, maybe they won't. At that point, few had heard that the NFL was toast for the foreseeable and they were probably stuck in a rut of “it was fun, but it wasn't the Steelers.”

How will the lockout effect attendance? Honestly, I don't think much. It's not going to be until the end of August before most Pittsburghers are going to advance past the “denial” phase and realize that there really isn't going to be a season. At that point, it will be too late.

If you watch any televised games, you'll see that there is always a lot of space. Many teams offer dollar day-of seats, or even free seats for opposing fans who make the drive. (Imagine for a second if the Ravens offered discount seats for people wearing black n gold just to get more asses-in-seats.) As such, attendance is going drop down to more believable and sustainable levels this week. Even so, because this is a football town, I see us averaging more than most other teams. I'll call it 6-8K a game (but I hope more.)

So, what can we expect for this week? I really hope to see more out of the Morris/Washington duo. Also, I'm gonna keep my eye on Joshua Rue, as he was hustling Friday night and it's fun to yell, “RUUUUUUUUUUUUUEE!” I also hope to see the team gel a bit more after the high of their home opener. It's tough to say what we'll see out of the opposing team. The Barnstormers actually had a week 1 bye, so I couldn't scope them out. They were an expansion team last year who went 7-9. It's not great, but in a league with as much turnover as the AFL, you can't judge teams on last year unless they are named The Rush, The Storm or The Sabercats. So, gut check says that we should be able to take them based on how strong we played last week and the fact they are going to be having their season-opening jitters.

But it ain't over until it's over.

Lockout Update

The original deadline for extending the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NFL owners and the players was March 3rd, by midnight. They extended that deadline 24 hours last Thursday, then extended it another week last Friday. That means that the new new deadline is tonight at midnight.

Both parties decided to extend the deadline because negotiations were going fairly well and they felt as though things were headed in the right direction.

As of today, it seems, negotiations are not headed in the right direction. The players have flat-out decided that they don't want to go to an 18-game schedule and the owners have decided that they don't want to share a high level of financial data with the players.

I've already outlined the issues with an 18-game schedule, so I'm more interested in the issue with sharing financial information. Right now, you can get a general idea of how each NFL team is doing by taking a look at the Forbes list that comes out every year that values each team and shows basic financial information (debt, operating income, franchise value, stadium value, revenue), but that doesn't tell the whole story.

There's no access to information on cash flows or net income, which are two basic statements that any publicly traded corporation has to provide to its shareholders, nonetheless its employees. The issue there is that the NFL is definitely not a publicly traded corporation, it's a private enterprise with 32 owners that are mostly private people.

The two sides are still about $750 million apart, which is a huge number. In the 16 days that they've been working with federal negotiator George Cohen, they've only narrowed the gap by $160 million and they haven't made much progress this week. What stalled things this week was that they players keep asking for hard financial data and the owners continue to refuse those requests. According to reports -- Cohen has asked everyone involved to not provide any information to the media, so concrete details have been hard to come by -- the owners have opened up the books to some degree, but have not provided the players with sufficient data.

It makes sense. The owners are asking for more money to cover expenses, so the players want to follow the money. The players are asking for more money and to see the books, so the owners don't want someone who chases a ball for a living to tell them how to run their business. If this were a factory outside Hattiesburg, the owners could fire everyone and hire new guys that wouldn't ask any questions. It's a private business, so they're not required to share anything with anyone. The trouble there is that there are more people out there that are qualified to work in a factory than there are people who are qualified to play quarterback in the NFL (or running back, or cornerback, or any of the positions, really). Just firing everyone and getting new guys isn't an option and both sides know it.

In the past few weeks, the players have strengthened their position and have banded together, which is awful news for the owners. Sure, there were articles about how the owners are swimming in money like Scrooge McDuck and a number of players live paycheck-to-paycheck. There have also been mentions of disenfranchised office workers and ticket attendants that will get laid off if there's a lockout. But, the Court of Public Opinion had always sided with the players, so that wasn't a huge victory for the NFLPA.

Where the players were suffering in the past was that they were in a horrible negotiating position. Players were calling each other out on Twitter, everyone was complaining that a deal couldn't get done, and the owners were fully resolute in their decision to lock the players out, buffered by some guaranteed money from the television networks even if the 2011 season didn't happen.

Two things happened:

1. A judge in Minnesota overruled the contract the owners signed with the networks, which took away the guaranteed revenue stream.
2. The players realized they were all in this together, stopped bickering, and started supporting each other. Veteran players with plenty of money in the bank have started an emergency fund for young veterans that can't meet expenses. Stars like Drew Brees have been attending the negotiation sessions. Other stars like Brees and Peyton Manning have agree to represent the players in a class-action anti-trust lawsuit if it comes to that.

Before that happened, the players could either take what they were given and be happy, or refuse, then get locked out, then be forced to accept a crappier deal later as the lockout dragged on and they ran out of money. Now, the players have options. They're ready to decertify the union.

I'm not 100% sure what decertifying the union means, but I know it's the biggest card the players can play and is similar in severity to the owners locking players out. Basically, a lockout or a decertification would cause negotiations to break down and would cause a ton of bad blood -- as if there weren't enough of that already.

As I understand it, decertifying the union means that the contract between the players and the owners is null and void and that the union is being wiped out, which would leave all players unemployed. They would then be able to file an anti-trust lawsuit against the NFL since they could make a case that they needed to fire themselves because the owners were using a monopoly to stifle negotiations and bust up the union. That means two things: Congress gets involved and the owners need to open up their books. Both those eventualities are bad for the game, but worse for the owners. They'd be the defendants in a lawsuit and they'd need to show the players all the financial data they've been fighting for the last two weeks.

For obvious reasons, the owners want to avoid this, which is why negotiations have been extended.

Here's the BIG thing: The deadline for the union to decertify is COB today, which is 5 p.m. Eastern time. The deadline for the owners to lock out the players is midnight. As far as I know, this is a one-or-the-0ther situation. Either the players say, "You can't fire me! I quit!" Or the owners say, "You can't quit. You're fired!" At this point, the players hold the advantage because they can quit seven hours before the owners can fire them.

I think the situation has reached the point where one side has to make a move. That means I was wrong about a lockout in 2011, because the players will probably decertify first.

A decertification is much worse than a lockout, because it means a lawsuit and a bunch of hearings in front of a federal court. The federal government is dealing with a lot of stuff right now. My guess is there's going to be more important fish to fry for the men and women of Congress. My guess is also that, even if a case gets settled, that won't necessarily lead to an NFL season in 2011.

So... that tells you negotiations are bad when the owners locking out the players is the better option.

Introducing Your Pittsburgh Power

First of all, there are some key differences between the Arena game and the NFL. Wikipedia did a nice job of breaking down the rules for Arena football, so I'm not going to list them all.

The big differences are the field and the clock. The field is half as long and half as wide. This means two things: It doesn't make much sense to run and there's a lot more scoring. It's harder to run in the AFL because the players aren't significantly smaller and there are still eight defenders on the field, so there just isn't as much room in which to operate. That makes it harder to create seams in the running game and to get some space between the offensive line.

Passing makes a lot more sense because there are only five guys in coverage -- the two linebackers and three defensive backs -- so the three receivers in the pattern have more room. Only one of the linebackers (the Mac linebacker) is allowed to blitz and the other linebacker (the Jack linebacker) is only allowed to operate in a five yard box until the ball leaves the quarterback's hand, so the Jack linebacker is usually not a factor in deep coverage. Throwing the ball deep is also easier in the AFL because there isn't safety help. The cornerbacks on either side of the field are really left on an island.

The sweetest rule in all of Arena football has to do with the clock and that Wiki entry kind of glosses over it. At the one minute warning, the offense needs to advance the ball in order to keep the clock moving. This eliminates teams taking a knee at the end of the first half and basically makes it so that you need at least a two touchdown lead inside of a minute to play, since the clock is not your best friend, it's your worst enemy.

The clock also tends to run a lot faster during the course of the game to speed up the action and keep the scoring to manageable numbers. That means that how teams do in the last minute of each half -- and how they manage the clock in those situations -- is critically important. It's not uncommon to see four or five touchdowns scored in the last minute of a half, especially the first half. Teams will often onside kick in an attempt to maintain possession. If the opponent recovers and scores, they get the ball back.

So, basically, regardless of down and distance and who has the ball, the last minute of a half is the absolute worst time to grab a beer or hit the bathroom.

The bad news for the Power is that they are an expansion team, which is rough in any sport. The good news is that the Spokane Shock were an expansion team last season and they won the Arena Bowl, so it is possible to climb through the ranks that quickly and win it all. The Shock were a longtime powerhouse in the af2 league before they got "called up" to the AFL, but they were still an expansion team.

The other good news is that the Philadelphia Soul are basically an expansion team, since they took the 2010 season off, and fellow division rival the Milwaukee Mustangs are only in their second year in the AFL. Kansas City, San Jose, and Denver are all expansion teams, so there is fairly equal footing in that regard.

Compared to the NFL, the AFL is a much purer brand of football. That's one of the reasons I like Arena football so much. In the NFL, the scope is larger, the paychecks are bigger, and the players and coaches are different. In the AFL, players are playing for the love of the game and leaving everything out on the field in the hopes of catching the eye of an NFL scout. They're all looking for a bigger payday, since the highest paid Arena league player still makes less than an NFL rookie making the league minimum. But, there's an extremely short list of guys that have made the move from the AFL to the NFL, so they're mostly there to play competitive football in front of cheering fans for as long as they can before they have to grow up.

Arena football is also purer in the sense that it's all about the match-ups. Since contracts in the AFL only last one year, the system needs to be designed for anyone to assimilate and execute. Since the field is considerably smaller, there are only eight players on the field, and the rules are set up to strongly favor the offense, there's only so much a defensive coordinator can do in terms of scheme to limit scoring. He needs to coach his players, help them win those individual match-ups, and put them in a position to succeed. Most of the conventional schemes in the NFL don't translate to the AFL. The Cover 2 doesn't work because the Jack linebacker isn't mobile and there's only one safety. The zone blitz isn't practical because the Mac is the only player that is allowed to blitz. Tight press coverage is impractical because there's only one safety to help over the top and he's usually responsible for covering the third receiver in motion.

Purity lies in the match-ups. The players line up across from each other and determine which side succeeds after the snap by who wins the match-up. There is no scheming or triple coverage to take away another team's best weapon. There simply aren't enough players on the field. There are no zones, no fire dogs, no isolation routes, just a bunch of guys lining up and the best man wins.

Inversely, offensive systems can't be as complicated because there isn't an opportunity to bring a group of young players slowly through a complex system until they've mastered it. Offenses need to be simple enough so that any receiver can run the patterns and any quarterback can interpret the route progressions.

With simplified systems, the players are the stars and their ability to win the one-on-one battles determine the outcome of the game. The challenge in building a team is in deciding what kind of team you want to have. The Power had the luxury of building a team from scratch and I think they made some very interesting decisions along the way.

When choosing a quarterback for an Arena team, you have two options: Immobile players with sufficient arms and nerves of steel and mobile players that can escape pressure and move around until something opens up. Pittsburgh went with mobility. Bear in mind that velocity is more important than range when you're talking about a quarterback's arm strength. The field is so short that most quarterbacks at this level can throw the ball the length of the field. The important attribute is the velocity on their throws, since the windows they throw into are smaller and the pace of the passing game is faster.

Bernard Morris, formerly of Marshall, was the first player the Power signed and should be the quarterback of the present and future. He has some experience in the AFL, but he was also used as a kick returner and wide receiver, so he has not been "the guy" since his college days. Morris could make some plays with his feet, but quarterback scrambling yardage is usually limited in the AFL because the Jack linebacker doesn't have much freedom to roam and acts as a natural spy on the quarterback. It could be that the Power intend to run an option offense on occasion, but the most important contributions from Morris will come from his right arm. As an athlete, he presents a number of challenges for a defense. As a quarterback, he will need to refine his game in order to take advantage of the challenges that the opposing defense prepares for.

On the offensive line, you basically need to go as big as possible without losing range of motion, and the Power have done that. On the defensive line, you need one massive dude in the middle and two quicker guys on the outside, and the Power have signed those kinds of players.

At receiver, you can either go big and lumbering or small and fast. The Power have chosen the latter, with smaller, quicker receivers on the roster. There's only one player on the roster -- Terry Grosetti at 6'3" that stands taller than six feet -- and the Power targeted mostly return specialists and slot receivers, including Jerome Mathis, formerly of the Houston Texans. With more of a lean, fast offense, the Power should be able to put points on the board. The challenge is always in keeping points off the board.

At linebacker, they have two guys in Chris Graham and Caleb Bostic that have a great deal of range and were tackling machines in big college programs -- Graham went to Michigan and Bostic went to Miami (Fla.).

In the secondary, they have mostly guys in their mid-20s that have some speed and awareness, and they appear to have focused on youth and local talent. Being a defensive back in a pass-happy, offense-favoring league like the AFL is a thankless job, so the Power have signed a number of players that are young, but are not too green. They have signed players that have NFL experience but have not been overly influenced by the NFL game. I think they have identified a number of gems, including former Pitt safety Josh Lay, who should be able to use his closing speed and tackling ability to make a name for himself.

Overall, the Power have taken full advantage of their biggest edge -- their proximity to quality college football teams and the player bases of those teams. In addition to Lay and Morris, they have also signed two former Penn State players in quarterback Anthony Moretti and defensive lineman Josh Gaines. They signed Gannon University product Richi Anderson and quarterback Kevin McCabe, who attended California University of Pennsylvania.

Local recruiting could turn into a tremendous advantage for the Power if the owners and players don't come to a new labor agreement in the NFL before the draft at the end of April. If they have not reached an accord at that point, NFL teams will not be able to sign undrafted free agents from this year's class. Each NFL team signs, on average, seven to eight undrafted free agents, which is a talent pool of 220-250 players between the ages of 21 and 23.

Given the close proximity of Pittsburgh to Cal U, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Pitt, Penn State, WVU, Ohio State, Marshall, Bowling Green, Kent State, Miami (OH), Mount Union, and Gannon, the opportunity to play football in front of fans while still staying close to home will be extremely attractive to young prospects from those schools. If the two sides in the NFL do not sign a Collective Bargaining Agreement by the time the draft rolls around, the Power will have a tremendous recruiting advantage over every other AFL team. If the season is going poorly for them at that point, that advantage could turn their season around.

Regardless, it should be an interesting and entertaining season of Arena football in Pittsburgh this season. I can't wait for the season opener against Philadelphia on March 11th!

Feel the Power!

Penguins Down the Stretch

After Malkin got hurt -- and Crosby was still out and everyone else seemed to be dropping like flies -- I was almost thinking that the Pens shouldn't try to trade for anyone and should try to lose out so they could get a better draft pick.

I certainly didn't think that they should try to trade for anyone in order to improve the team, because that would only waste precious resources and squander future draft picks.

Well, Ray Shero proved himself to be awesome and proved me to be short-sighted.

I really like Alex Goligoski, but you can't get around the fact that the Pens got a talented winger and a defenseman of about the same caliber for what amounted to their fifth defenseman. There were no draft picks involved. At some point, you need to trade Goligoski's potential for someone that has already realized their potential, since this is a team that can win now. That point was the Goligoski trade and I think the Pens made out like bandits.

They have a ton of talented centers and they don't have the same kind of depth at wing -- which makes sense, because there are two wings and one center, but it's still a problem -- and they didn't have any wingers waiting in the... uh, wings... so they needed to go out and get one. Even without all the injuries, this is a team that can always use -- and can still use -- as many talented wingers as it can acquire at a reasonable price.

That's why the Kovalev trade made so much sense and was such a great move. Even if trading for Kovy means that the Pens have to give up a sixth round pick, it's worth it. Kovy still has enough left in the tank to make this team better. He's always been a head case, but veteran leadership is not something that this team needed. They needed a gifted scater and goal scorer at the wing position and that's what Kovalev brings. I don't care if he shows up to practice in a bunny suit. If he scores goals and sets up goals, he adds value to the team, especially since points have been in such short supply the last few weeks... and will be in short supply until everyone is back in the line-up, especially Crosby (if Crosby comes back this season).

The icing on the cake is that Neal and Neskanen aren't rental players. Even though the Pens are still hell-bent on winning the Cup, they didn't mortgage an important part of their future and trade someone with Goligoski's potential for guys whose contracts expire at the end of the season. Sure, their contracts expire at the end of next season, but that means that the Pens still get them for another year and Neal and Neskanen have plenty of time to drink the Koolaid, realize that this is a stacked roster, soak in the new arena, and get to know Dan Bylsma, which is always a recruiting edge for the Pens.

If Neal and Neskanen look like they'll be a valuable part of the team's future, I think Shero will be able to re-sign them, which only makes the team stronger in the long term.

For the balance of this season, I think it all depends on Sid's return.

The team has not given up on the season and the players, coaches, and front office have all emphatically proven that they want to make a Cup run this year. The problem there is that, without Crosby, they're just a very good team. Very good teams don't win the Stanley Cup. Great teams win the Stanley Cup.

They have a 13 point lead over the #9 seed in the Eastern conference and they've stayed pretty steady at #4 for a while now, so I think it's safe to speculate that they'll make the playoffs with 17 games left to play. It's highly unlikely that they'll beat out the Flyers and win the division. Even though they're only five points off the division lead, they don't have even a very good team at this point (still too many injuries and no Crosby) and Philly has two games in hand.

So, they'll enter the playoffs as a low seed without their team captain. I think this team has a lot of heart -- and they showed it on Saturday's shoot-out win over the Leafs -- but they also don't have enough talent to hang with a team that is also putting it all on the line to win, as they showed in the overtime loss to the Leafs on Wednesday.

They're a better, more focused team right now than they were before the trade deadline, but I still don't think they're good enough to hoist the Cup. But, hey, who knows? Last season, the #7 seed hosted the #8 seed in the Eastern Conference final, so maybe the Pens will be able to get by on clutch goals, good defense, and great goaltending. I doubt it, but it's possible.

The only thing that will turn the tide -- in my mind -- is if Sid comes back. The issue there is that I don't think he's coming back this season. My guess is that he suffered a concussion, didn't realize it, and then got another one shortly thereafter.

Two concussions right in a row like that is a very, very bad. If he hurt his knee or tweaked his ankle or something, he could play through it, win another Cup, and get it replaced when he got older. You only get one brain, so the Pens are being very careful with the injury, and rightfully so.

They don't want him to turn into another Eric Lindros, where he's too addled by brain issues to take the ice. I'm sure we can all agree as Penguins fans that the team should take any steps necessary in order to avoid any eventuality where Sidney Crosby would be compared to Eric Lindros in any context. Man, I hate that guy.

If holding him out this season means there's a better chance that he's OK in the future, I say hold him out. Even if there was a 100% chance that the Pens would win the Cup if he came back, but there was a 20% chance that they could lose him forever, I would say hold him out. He's too important to the future of this team.

The Penguins have a ton of young talent, a good deal of experienced, veteran leadership, a great coaching staff and a very competent front office. All those things point towards a number of Cup runs in this team's future... but only if 87 is in there.

Note that I haven't said much about Malkin. I think he's an extremely talented player, but he doesn't have Crosby's drive. He's Jagr to Crosby's Lemieux, even Kovalev to Crosby's Jagr, since Jagr definitely had more drive and purpose and raised the level of his game when he became captain. It could be that Malkin would need to be named captain in order to have the right kind of motivation, but I wouldn't want to take that risk. This is Crosby's team.

When Malkin is on, he's amazing, as he was during the championship run in 2009. When he's not on, he's just good. For what the Pens are paying him and the talent he has, he should be better than good. This isn't even necessarily a knock on Malkin. In order to be world-class at anything, you need to have uncommon talent, but you also need to have uncommon drive. Malkin has the talent. Crosby has the talent and the drive.

Bylsma and the players are locked in. Shero improved the team through trades. Maybe Crosby comes back, maybe he doesn't. It will be interesting to see how far guile and determination can take this team. We'll know more as guys start to come back and guys start to head back to Wilkes Barre. At this point, it's good to know that the franchise is in capable hands and, if nothing else, the team will be much stronger next season.