Week 10 Games of the Week
Matt Eichenblatt
Friday May 4, 2007
The thing about the Arena Football League is, along with these ‘nail bitters’, there are some games you just know are going to be snoozers. You know what I am talking about, those Grand Rapids-Las Vegas tilts might as well be put into a bottle and dubbed ‘2 hour Valium’. So, I figured why preview them?
From now on, the focus is going to be on the games that matter, the games that most people care about. Each week from now until the Arena Bowl, I will preview the top five best games of the week to give you guys a pregame you want to read, because it’s all about you, baby!
Now without further adieu, let’s get rolling on Week 10.
#5.Nashville Kats at Grand Rapids Rampage
Now I know what you are thinking: this is a top-five game? Sorry, it’s a slow week.
The Nashville Kats have shown a lot of improvement of late; having won two of their past three games, and their lone loss was an impressive effort that just fell short in a 69-62 loss to the 8-1 Dallas Desperados. In that game, young quarterback Jeff Smoker threw for 263 yards and 5 touchdowns, further proving he should have been the man in Nashville at the start of the season. Once again though, FB Dan Alexander had another multi-touchdown day as he scored three, bringing his total on the year to 27—incredible, isn’t it?
The balance of the Nashville offense is starting to really click, and the success of Dan Alexander is doing wonders for Smoker and the offense as it takes the pressure off the passing game considerably. No matter what fans in Nashville say, their Wide Receiving core is not that strong, and it will take a good effort from Alexander from now until the end of the season if they want to make the playoffs.
For the Grand Rapids Rampage, it looks like another long day on the gridiron. When you look at this team’s troubles, you have to look at the defense. For the second week in a row, the Rampage defense allowed 75 points in their loss to the Los Angeles Avengers. The game was close to the end, thanks in large part to their offense led by QB Chad Salisbury and receiver Timon Marshall who hooked for 6 touchdowns in the losing effort. The defense for Grand Rapids has got to approve if they want to notch another win this season. We all know Head Coach Sparky McEwen is clueless; the only mystery he ever provides us on game day is how he manages to keep his job. Nevertheless, his staff is going to have to scheme better to prevent the deep ball, because it is killing them this season.
The key to this game is going to be up front in the trenches. It is no secret now that Nashville likes to run with Alexander, especially in the red zone. The Grand Rapids defensive line is less than impressive, but they do not quit. If Nashville wants to give their offense a chance to win the game, they must find a way to get pressure on the quarterback and keep Nashville out of the red zone; otherwise they are going to get run over. It could be a close game, but Nashville simply has more talent and a better coach and in the end, will get the win.
Prediction: Nashville 65, Grand Rapids 55
#4.Kansas City Brigade at Philadelphia Soul
The Philadelphia Soul are a runaway train, and it looks like there is no end in sight. After falling to 54-43 to the Chicago Rush on Monday night, the Soul have confirmed what we all have known the past four weeks: they are doomed without Tony Graziani.
This week, the Soul have decided to release backup QB Clint Stoerner and sign Leon Murray to replace him. Murray has a checkered past, having been named to the all-rookie team in 2003 and then soon after bouncing around to different teams. There is no question Leon Murray has talent, but his decision making often makes him a liability under center. Odds are Philadelphia will stick with Justin Wood at quarterback this week, but if he doesn’t show signs of improvement, look for Murray to get some looks until Graziani returns.
The Kansas City Brigade are a tough team to figure out right now, because they are losing so many close games. The games the Brigade have lost this season only amount to 7 points a game. Being a touchdown away from victory in all their losses is a big improvement from last year, and their 4-4 record is really quite impressive, but their offense is going to need to kick it into gear if they want to make the playoffs for the first time in club history.
This game will be close for all the wrong reasons. The Soul are shaky are quarterback, and the Brigade offense isn’t looking to great either. Both have good defenses with great playmakers like DS Kenny McEntyre for Kansas City and the duo of Mike Brown and Eddie Moten for Philadelphia. The Brigade offense right now is not as in flux as Philadelphia’s and that should be the deciding factor as the Brigade get back to their winning ways.
Prediction: Kansas City 51, Philadelphia 39
#3.Dallas Desperados at Utah Blaze
This is the game that crazy fans in Salt Lake City have all been waiting for.
The Utah Blaze this week take on the challenge of defeating the 8-1 Dallas Desperados in front of their home crowd who by far is one of the best home field advantages in the league. For the Blaze, offense is the name because their defense right now is in shambles. The Blaze offense is hitting on all cylinders in large part because of the play of QB Joe Germaine, who is near the top of almost all statistical categories you can been as a quarterback. But that offense is the only thing separating them from a playoff contender and a major pretender; that defense is plain garbage. And you know who loves garbage offenses? Dallas quarterback, Clint Dolezel.
In a year where he finally passed the 800 touchdown mark, Clint Dolezel has turned the Desperados offense into one of the most incredible offenses this league has ever seen. If it wasn’t for the damage that Chris Greisen and his trio of all-star receivers are doing down in Atlanta, this offense would be the talk of the league. But what makes this Desperados team click is the balance they have; their defense is almost as good as their offense. The team is very sound in the backfield, and the pressure that Duke Pettijohn and Rickie Simpkins put on quarterbacks has been game-changing of late.
The Blaze offense can score with the best of em’ including the Desperados. But the defense is just too much of a liability to have when going against a team like the Desperados. Expect Clint Dolezel to have a great day on this secondary, and throw upward towards 10 touchdowns in his effort. I think Utah is a good team, but they will never go far in the playoffs unless they can repair their secondary.
Prediction: Dallas 75, Utah 66
#2.Orlando Predators at Georgia Force
With the demise of the Tampa Bay Storm and in essence, the ‘War on I-4’, the Georgia-Orlando rivalry is now the best in the Southern division, bar none.
In the past two years, these teams have played some of the best AFL games I have seen recently, and neither has won two in a row the past two years. The bad blood between these two clubs stems all the way back to the 2005 National Conference Championship Game, in which Georgia won on a controversial no-call on an apparent pass interference in the endzone on a 2-point conversion that would have sent the game to overtime. Last year, the Georgia Force and Orlando Predators split the season series, as both won in their home arenas.
So what has changed from last year? Well, quarterbacks for one. In the off season, it looked like Orlando was the clear winner of the free agent quarterback sweepstakes as they snatched up QB Shane Stafford from the rival Tampa Bay Storm while the Georgia Force grabbed QB Chris Greisen, a two-year backup for the Dallas Desperados. Ten games into the season, Stafford has been decent, Greisen has been incredible. The Georgia Force offense is one of the best the AFL has ever seen, and the receiving trio of Derek Lee, Chris Jackson and Troy Bergeron is also the best in football. Point being, the Force offense right now is, well, the best in football.
The key aspect of this game is the physicality that each team takes to it. The Force and Predators don’t like each other and they show it on the field. For the Predators, they are going to have to win the battle physically to have a chance to win this game, because the Georgia offense is just that dominating. The Predators need to get to Chris Greisen, who really hasn’t been touched all year, and hit the Force receivers to the point that they will drop footballs.
Once again, expect a close game. The Force of late have been burying teams, including the previously undefeated Dallas Desperados. How Georgia head coach Doug Plank keeps the players level headed now that they are the league’s measuring stick will be a telling answer if they are really Arena Bowl worthy. The Predators are out to prove the Southern Division is still going to be fought for; but with a Georgia win, they might as well start making the banner.
Prediction: Georgia 63, Orlando 48
#1.Colorado Crush at Chicago Rush
Somewhere, ESPN executives are thanking their lucky stars.
For the first time in weeks, the Philadelphia Soul are not on ESPN and the game replacing them is quite the matchup. The Colorado Crush and Chicago Rush rivalry is among the best in football, and in the past two years have taken their rivalry a third game into the playoffs. Everyone in Denver and Chicago remembers the “Confetti game” in 2005 that will forever be remembered in AFL lore as one of the best game ever played.
To put it blatantly, your in for a treat on Monday night.
The Colorado Crush started off the year shaky, as the losses of Willis Marshall and Ahmad Hawkins looked to really have put a real dent in their championship aspirations. But of late, the Crush have returned to their former selves, scoring points in bunches and relying on the overused play-by-play line of “Touchdown, Dutton to Harrell!” I would hardly say the Crush are on a role, because their game winning streak is against the likes of New York, Las Vegas and Kansas City. Still, the Colorado Crush are finding that magic that make them the winners we love to hate.
In Chicago, the “Bobby Sippio Show” is still the talk of the town. Can anyone cover this guy? You know the ball is coming to him if QB Matt D’Orazio even thinks he is open, yet some teams feel free to let him roam in space. If Colorado wants to win on Monday night, a good place to start is figuring out how to let someone other than Sippio try to beat them. Last week on Monday night, the Rush took down the Graziani-less Philadelphia Soul and defeated them, 54-43. While the Rush did win the game, they didn’t really impress anyone. Philadelphia QB Justin Wood had a good first half, finding ways to beat the Chicago secondary deep more than once. The Chicago secondary must be better this week, because the threat of John Dutton far outweighs that of Wood.
I can’t wait to watch this game Monday night. The Chicago Rush home crowd should be revved up for this one, because they know how much this rivalry means. I have a hunch that Damian Harrell has a breakout game on the national stage, and delivers big. Sorry Rush fans, but you might want to hold your confetti for later.
Prediction: Colorado 59, Chicago 57
Matt Eichenblatt is a free-lance writer from the Atlanta area. He has followed Arena Football since 1999 and has been attending Georgia Force games since they moved from Nashville five years ago. As well as being a football enthusiast, he is also looking forward to graduating from the University of Alabama with a degree in Finance and Communications.
