AFL Playoff Preview: 2006 Week 2
John Hoh
Friday May 26, 2006
The Austin Wranglers and Nashville Kats got their first taste of post-season play. While their playoff inexperience showed, no doubt these two squads will be heard from again.
Meanwhile Arizona dispatched the other playoff newbie, the Danny White-coached Utah Blaze. Congratulations go out to the Blaze for their inaugural season and inaugural playoff game. Utah and Arizona could shape up to become a good rivalry. Arizona continues its traditionally rivalry by traveling to the Bay area to take on the rested SaberCats. At one time in Arena Football League history such a game was for the league championship. Needless to say, it is still a good rivalry—almost as good as the "War on I-4" in Florida.
Orlando (vs. Philadelphia, another playoff newbie), Dallas (vs. defending conference champion Georgia), and Colorado (vs. divisional rival Chicago) are the other rested teams. Dallas last playoff game, in 2003, was a loss to the same Georgia Force. Can the Desperados get revenge?
My picks for the second (divisional) round of the playoffs are:
San Jose over Arizona, 45-39
Dallas over Georgia, 50-49
Chicago vs. Colorado—leave it to the confetti, or take Colorado by a field goal at the end of the game.
Orlando over Philadelphia, 69-42
If that plays out, then the conference finals will pit San Jose at Colorado and Orlando at Dallas with Dallas and San Jose meeting in ArenaBowl XX.
Unless something unforeseen happens, in which case I am simply wrong in my predictions.
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.
