AF2 Season Heads Down the Stretch
Michael Vergane
Sunday July 2, 2000
QUAD CITY - Far and away the best team in the league. If there is one word to describe the Steamwheelers, it would be "opportunistic". If you make a mistake, you will pay. Factor that in with a disciplined defense and a quick strike offense, and you have a 12-0 team. Look for Coach Frank Haege to rest his players over the final three weeks. That will include giving backup QB Mike Gluski increased playing time – possibly even a start. Also look for the practice squad players (WR/DB`s Eddie Gibson and Tito Veasey) being activated to spell some of the two-way
players.
AUGUSTA - Here is a team in good position to grab the 2nd seed overall. The Stallions are led by one of the best quarterbacks in the league, Aaron Sparrow. The other thing that works in Augusta`s favor is their schedule. The Stallions are at home for the final three weeks of the season. And if they finish as one of the top two seeds, they will host a first and second round game.
TENNESSEE VALLEY - The Vipers suffered a huge loss to Jacksonville over the weekend. But if you watch this team in person, you will see that they are solid at every position. If not for two crucial turnovers they may very well have knocked off the Steamwheelers two weeks ago. As
mentioned earlier, the Vipers bye-week falls on the final week of the regular season. Meaning that they will enjoy 10 days off before their first round playoff game. But before that happens, they have to stop the losing streak.
CAROLINA - The Rhinos looked like they were on a roll while in 1st place in the American Conference. Then came two straight losses to Norfolk and Pensacola. Now the Rhinos have their backs against the wall going on the road for their final four games: including big games at Augusta and Pensacola.
NORFOLK - The Nighthawks are right in the middle of this playoff mix. Norfolk was constantly
coming up flat against the af2`s best early in the season. Then on consecutive weeks in June, they defeated Augusta and Carolina.
JACKSONVILLE - Head Coach Perry Moss is an Arena veteran who has seen it all. But I doubt if even he has ever seen this many injuries at the quarterback position in one season. The Tomcats got off to a fast start, then the injuries hit. Matt Vogler, Jeff McCrone, Jeff Lipp and Joe Miracle all have played at the QB position. McCrone led Jacksonville to a huge win over the weekend. If he can stay healthy, the Tomcats should be a high seed in the playoffs.
PENSACOLA - The Barracudas looked like world-beaters jumping out to a 5-0 start. Now they have lost 6 of their last 8 games and are struggling to make the playoffs. Starting QB Bobby Clayton sat out last weekend’s game against Quad City. Circle the season finale on your calendar. The Barracudas will host Carolina.
BIRMINGHAM - The Steeldogs got off to a slow start but have started to come around as of late. Birmingham owns the tiebreaker with Tulsa and Arkansas, but their remaining schedule is a killer. After their bye-week this weekend, they finish with Tennessee Valley and back-to-back games with Quad City.
TULSA - The Talons have been hanging around the .500 mark all season. Head Coach Jon Norris has been going back and forth with Eric Hannah and Craig Strickland at quarterback. The Talons were boosted early in the season by the signing of former Oklahoma Sooner WR Jarrail Jackson. They haven’t had a problem scoring - but neither has their opponents. The Talons finish the season with two very winnable games on the road against Charleston and Tallahassee.
ARKANSAS - The "trash talkingest" team in the af2 is another team that has hung around the .500 mark all season. Every team that plays the Twisters says they have great talent, so it is safe to say that they have underachieved. Arkansas still has a chance to sneak into the playoffs but they will have to upset Jacksonville, Tulsa and Pensacola.
TALLAHASSEE - The Thunder are pretty much finished. They have three of their final four games at home. Problem is they also play the af2`s best: Quad City, Augusta and Carolina. The lone bright spot for Tallahassee has been their Connecticut connection of QB Shane Stafford and WR Carl Bond.
CHARLESTON - The Swamp Foxes are one of four teams that all reside at the bottom of the American Conference. They opened the season losing to Arkansas 86-13 and never seemed to recover.
ROANOKE - The mistake prone Steam came up with their 1st win Memorial Day weekend against Charleston and have been playing better as of late. Although fan support has been terrible, Head Coach Pete Shaw has done a good job holding his team together.
RICHMOND - Head Coach Richard Davis took over his post five games into the season. Although their offense is still anemic, and relies heavily on the running game, his defense is near the top in the af2. The Speed are slowly starting to turn things around.
GREENSBORO - Interim Head Coach Charlie Griffin is a classy individual in a no-win situation. Griffin took over as the Prowlers interim head coach in week 9 and was quickly trounced by the Quad City Steamwheelers 103-3.
Michael Vergane was a writer for ArenaFan Online from 2000 to 2002.
