ArenaBowl XIX Preview
John Hoh
Wednesday June 8, 2005
At first glance it would seem that this is an ArenaBowl with two newcomers to the game. But a quick check of history reveals that the Georgia Force became the Georgia Force after the original Nashville Kats left Nashville for the greater Atlanta area. The Kats had appeared in two ArenaBowls just before their move.
Meanwhile, Colorado appears in its first ArenaBowl in its third year of existence. John Elway appeared in the Super Bowl as a player; now he owns a team appearing in the ArenaBowl.
Georgia should come in as the favorite. The Force surprised many by winning the rugged Southern Division and then proving talent can overcome experience by winning its two playoff games.
Colorado won the Central Division crown, then defeated San Jose for the first time ever followed by an overtime win over division rival Chicago. The win over Chicago was extra special considering Chicago had won both meetings this year.
Historically these teams have met only once before, a 44-40 win by the Force in 2003. This was the first Arena Football League game in Crush history.
Matt Nagy, the quarterback of the Georgia Force, ended the season as the number 2 ranked QB in the league. Nagy tossed 66 TD scores while shoveling off only 10 interceptions. John Dutton, the Crush quarterback, ranked 11th but flung 89 TD tallies with only 14 aerial gifts to the opponent. Edge: Georgia.
Robert Thomas of the Force was the only Running Back from either team to be among the league leaders (and he is listed at #11). Expect an aerial assault in this game. Edge: Georgia Both teams feature fleet receivers. The fact that only two receivers from these teams made the list of league leaders shows that both teams have balance in their aerial attacks. Georgia features two All-Rookie Teamers Derek Lee and Troy Bergeron. Edge: Even
The kick return game features Troy Bergeron at number four for the Force. At number 8 is Willis Marshall for the Crush. Bergeron has been a force for the Force this year, prompting his selection to the All-Rookie team. Edge: Georgia
Kicking: Clay Rush of the Crush was more accurate in extra points; Nelson Garner of the Force had a better percentage in field goals. As we have seen in the playoff games, kicking can be the difference. Edge: Crush (if only because those extra points usually are the killer).
Two fresh teams playing in the 19th edition of the War on the Floor makes for an interesting game. All signs point to a Force-full win, but don’t count the Crush out of the game. The Crush have been scrappy all year long. The last team to kick at the goal posts will determine the winner of this year’s championship.
John L. Hoh, Jr., is a free-lance writer from Milwaukee who grew up in Appleton, Wisconsin, as an avid Dolphins fan. He followed Arena Football since its inception, at one point watching tape-delayed games on low-powered WAV-TV in Waukesha. His happiest day was when Milwaukee was awarded the Mustangs franchise; his saddest when the Mustangs were contracted out of the league. John is married to his wife Maija (13+ years) and has a young son, Matthew. John pines for the return of the Arena Football League to Milwaukee.
